Carnegie Music Hall of Homestead – What is the Venue Like?

Published by Jeremy. Last Updated on November 23, 2024.

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We were fortunate enough to see not one, but two shows at Carnegie Music Hall of Homestead in the span of roughly one week, and by sheer chance, we bought tickets for the same exact seats for both (I bought tickets for one, Angie for the other). 

This ended up being a pleasant surprise because we quickly learned two things- the balcony seats at Carnegie Music Hall of Homestead are wonderful, and this smaller theater is a true gem for seeing live music!

So in this one, we thought we'd share a bit more about what you can expect from a performance.

Where Are The Best Seats at Carnegie of Homestead?

Seats at the Carnegie Music Hall of Homestead

In being a small theater, one of the perks about the Carnegie Music Hall of Homestead is that there really isn't a bad seat in the house. Even in the last row, you are much closer to the stage than almost every other theater we've been to in the area. As far as we could tell, few, if any, seats had any visible obstructions that you would have to be worried about. The biggest of which is the security guards at the front of the staircases which may be slightly obstructive for some seats nearby (visible in the photo above).

But in always trying to find the best seats, we can break this down a bit further.

First off, conventional seating logic holds true here. The front row of the balcony offers up some stellar views, and in general, the balcony could maybe be a slightly better option than floor seating if only because the seats seem sloped ever-so-slightly more than those on the lower level. In theory, you may have an easier time seeing above the person in front of you in the upper levels if you are not in the front row- but only just a little.

Seats at the Carnegie Music Hall of Homestead

From there, the balcony has a cool feature in that it wraps around the theater as you get closer to the stage. This is not unlike the side seating at Heinz Hall. But instead of all of the seats being set up to face towards the stage, the direction of the seats adjust with the balcony's contours. You may need to look at the photo above to get a clear picture of this, but the empty seats on the opposing side are angled almost perpendicularly to the stage and may require positioning at an odd angle to see.

Perhaps what is even more interesting here is that when you get to the very end (closest to the stage), the seats begin to curve back and have a much, much better viewing angle. It is hard to see this in the above photo, we admit, but the first few seats at the end do indeed have some prime views despite being offset to the side.

If you can snag a seat at the very front of these sections, you will have a pretty amazing view of the stage. Otherwise, we'd probably not go off of center past, say, Stage Left/Right Seats 5-6 (where we sat) because the angle disparity would be too great (not to mention, a few seats further out may require looking through those stair security guards we mentioned above). These are, of course, somewhat minor issues but they are important enough to highlight all the same.

Finally, be prepared for an uncomfortable seating experience around. The seats at this theater are wood and make for a sore backside after a multi-hour show. Sadly, you can't do much about this one except hope for an intermission to get a chance to stretch. Ouch.

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Other Points to Consider for a Show 

PostModern Jukebox at the Carnegie Music Hall

One of the most interesting things about seeing a show at the Carnegie Music Hall in Homestead is that it is also located within the same building as the Carnegie library. In fact, to reach the popup bar that was set up for the event, you have to walk through the active library which made for an interesting combination of seeing people there reading books as patrons next to concert attendees sipping on a beer or glass of wine.

Drink options at the theater are particularly sparse, with just a handful of beers and a couple of wines available for purchase at reasonable prices ($5-$6 or a bit more if you buy a souvenir cup). On the food front, you're also looking at more movie theater-style snacks like candy bars for a couple of dollars as well (cash only). All things being equal, we think this is pretty cool as we're simply far too used to the price gouging that goes on at other venues.

Carnegie Music Hall of Homestead

Finally, it is worth noting that the Carnegie Music Hall does not have onsite parking, but it is located in a neighborhood in Munhall just outside of Homestead and has ample street parking nearby. Most visitors should have no issue being able to snag a street spot within 2-3 blocks max, so arriving here was pretty easy all things considered. But if you want to snag a spot closer to the theater, plan to arrive early.

Overall, the Carnegie Music Hall of Homestead is a lovely little venue for intimate performances. We enjoyed the great sound, reasonably priced tickets (plus snacks), and the relatively relaxed ambiance that you just don't get at the huge halls anymore. 

The Carnegie Music Hall of Homestead is located at 510 E 10th Avenue in Munhall, PA.

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2 thoughts on “Carnegie Music Hall of Homestead – What is the Venue Like?”

  1. You don’t mention the sound.
    The sound is pretty bad. Not sure what/why, but unless you’re watching just a singer with a guitar or some other simple mix, the sound is cloudy and rife with echoes. I’ve attended ten or so bands there and have yet to hear decent sound. And it’s not just me. I know a number of well-known Pittsburgh musicians and they heard the same deficiencies. We tried going upstairs to see if it was locational, but it was still bad. I’ve quit going there unless it’s a simple mix or someone I really MUST see.
    And yes on the safety barriers. They make a dozen or so of the balcony seats untenable.
    And why do we have to go on a scavenger hunt to find the pop-up bar? I passed a number of suitable locations getting there.

    Reply
    • I have to admit we didn’t have any issue with the sound at our two shows. One was admittedly just two guitarists and no vocals, but the other was a big band setup. Granted, we did sit in the same exact seats both times so our point of view was quite isolated.

      Reply

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