Neil Young played the first show at Newport Music Hall on September 9, 1984, right after PromoWest bought the building. The marquee across High Street from the Ohio Union has been lit for rock shows ever since, and PromoWest bills the place as the longest continually running rock club in the country.
From movie house to ballroom
The building dates to the early 1920s and opened as a movie theater. In the 1970s it became the Agora, a rock ballroom that pulled touring bands to campus. When word got out that the Agora was closing, Scott Stienecker bought it, started PromoWest around it and reopened it as the Newport. That same company went on to open KEMBA Live! in the Arena District.
The list of people who have played here reads like the back wall of a record store. James Brown, B.B. King, the Ramones, Devo, Pearl Jam, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day and the Foo Fighters all came through, along with a long run of punk, metal and alternative tours.
The room
Most of the original decor survived, so it feels like an old theater that got turned into a dance hall, which is exactly what happened. There is a general admission floor in front of the stage and a balcony upstairs. Whether the balcony is open, and how it is sold, can change from show to show, so look at your ticket before you count on a seat.
Capacity figures vary by source and by setup, but the Newport holds well over a thousand people. That is big enough for a full light rig and small enough that the back of the floor still feels like part of the show.
Getting there and parking
The Newport is at 1722 North High Street, on the campus stretch of High.
- PromoWest points drivers to the parking garage on High Street next to the Ohio Union, directly across from the venue.
- Street parking around campus is tight on busy nights, and home football weekends bring traffic to the whole area.
- COTA buses run up and down High Street, which makes the bus a simple choice from downtown, the Short North or the north side.
- If you take a ride home, walk a block off High before you call it. Your driver will thank you.
Before and after
You are on the campus end of High Street, so cheap food and late bars are rarely more than a block or two away. Mershon Auditorium and the Wexner Center sit a few blocks north near 15th Avenue, and the Short North is a short bus ride south.
Ages, door times and bag rules are set show by show. Your ticket has the details for your night, so read it before you leave the house.
The Newport books across the board, but most nights land on our rock and indie calendars.