The stage at KEMBA Live! turns around. In the cold months the band faces the indoor music hall. From May through September it can face the other way, toward the outdoor amphitheater behind the building, and the same address on Neil Avenue becomes a summer show under the sky.
Inside or out
Check your ticket for the word outdoors, because it changes the whole night. The indoor hall holds a little over 2,000 people and plays like a big club. The outdoor side holds more than twice that, and PromoWest calls it its largest facility. PromoWest also counts a plaza as a third space for smaller events.
PromoWest says Fall Out Boy, The Killers and O.A.R. all played its smaller Columbus rooms first and later sold out the outdoor side here. Coldplay, the Foo Fighters, the Black Keys, Arcade Fire, B.B. King and Lynyrd Skynyrd are on its list of past acts too.
Four names, one building
The venue opened on October 2, 2001, as the PromoWest Pavilion. It cost $5.5 million, was modeled on the House of Blues, and drew a Pollstar award nomination in its first year.
From 2005 to 2015 it was the Lifestyle Communities Pavilion, which is why you will hear people call it the LC. Express Live! took over the sign in 2016, and KEMBA Financial Credit Union put its name on it in 2022. Same room, same reversible stage, four names.
Parking and the walk in
KEMBA Live! is at 405 Neil Avenue, across from the McConnell Garage and next door to A&R Music Bar and The Basement.
- Buy garage parking ahead on summer weekends. A Clippers game at Huntington Park or an event at Nationwide Arena can land on the same night as your show, and the Arena District garages fill fast when that happens.
- COTA buses serve Neil Avenue and High Street, both a short walk from the gates.
- The North Market is just north of the Arena District if you want dinner before the show.
- The A&R patio next door works as a meeting spot before and after KEMBA shows.
Good to know
- Outdoor shows mean Ohio summer weather, which can swing from sticky to stormy in an hour. Dress for the forecast and check your ticket for the night's rules.
- Ages, door times and bag rules are set by show, and your ticket is the final word on all of them.
- The indoor season runs all year, so a winter KEMBA show is a normal thing, not a consolation prize.
Most nights here land on our rock calendar.