McDonald Theater

1010 Willamette St, Eugene, OR 97401, USA

Address:	1010 Willamette St, Eugene, OR 97401, USA
Phone:	+1 541-345-4442
Site:	mcdonaldtheatre.com
Rating:	4.1

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 12

Kyle Duyck

The historic McDonald Theatre truly is an atmospheric and fitting venue for a mid-sized college town. Opened in 1925 and owned by the Kesey family (same as the renowned author) it originally served as a cinema house until the early 2000s. Since being converted to an all-purpose venue, it offers a mixture of live concerts, stage performances, weddings, proms, and other entertainment and celebratory events to the local community. Keeping with the classic feel of last-century architecture and ambiance, the interior has large vaulted ceilings and plenty of open space. This in turn amplifies the acoustics during live shows, making it an especially popular scene for hip hop, EDM, and reggae music. The main floor is standing room only, which encourages free movement and dancing. A seated balcony area looms above, which is reserved for those patrons over 21 due to the serving of alcohol. In additional, the venue also offers a fashionable separate full bar area which includes an outdoor smoking space. Over the years Ive personally seen many shows at this establishment and have come to appreciate it. Although it offers nothing to knock your socks off, its yester-year feel and great acoustic quality keep me coming back for live music and artists old & new.

dylan berry

OK, for one this place doesnt allow you to leave and come back which is fine. But they also do not have a places for people under the age of 21 to smoke so if your addicted and 4 hours is way to long to wait for a cigarette I would not recommend this venue. My personal experience: I was at the new tech n9ne show and between sets after realizing i couldnt smoke unless i wanted to leave for good I walked towards the back of the crowd and light up a guard came up and made me put it out and said i had one strike which is fine because i wasnt obeying there rules so i said OK and joked with the guy a little. 4 songs later some random dude trys to pass me a joint well i dont smoke weed so i waved him off then the guard comes up says this is the second time i have caught you smoking your outta here, I hadnt even got to see the person i paid to see (Tech N9ne) I mean the first time he busted me i didnt try and hide it i coped to what i did and did as he asked. Anyway will never see another concert at this venue again! Waste of money.

Michael Mullaney

The bar staff could use some improvement, and a lesson in customer service. Asked the bartender to change one or two of the TVs in the bar to show the stage, because 5/6 or so of the TVs were on a football game with only one of the smaller ones behind the bar on the stage. So after getting no change after another 20 minutes, I ordered another drink. The bartender did not make eye contact with me and instead glanced up every other second at the football game. So my tab came and I didnt tip, I tip based on service, and I work in a tipped profession. When I sat down with my drink my sprite was nothing but carbonated water. I asked the bartender if I could get a new one and his response word for word was "well you didnt tip me before so why should I care?" The bar manager then proceeded to threaten kick us out without hearing a single word of what transpired. Concerts are amazing. But avoid the bar until they get some more people friendly bartenders.

A Private User

Worst theater Ive been to. Both of my friends got kicked out of the rebelution concert last night for obvious reasons. This is understandable, as they have a no smoking policy but come on! its a reggae concert. What bothers me is not that my friends were kicked out, but the fact that one of them has bruises on her arms and head from the security guard who restrained her, and in the process managed to smash her face against the wall. If your looking for a more positive experience, its worth your money to drive to portland and see your favorite band play at the crystal ball room or the roseland, both of which are more tolerant of certain concert activities. Regardless, rebelution was still dope as ever.

Anna Carter

A great venue to see some of your favorite acts! Ive been to so many epic shows held here, with many friends, making memories never to be forgotten. I have a wide taste in music and love that they bring in such a great variety! I got to take a friend to her very first concert, by showing up for Datsik and his giant frikin lazer beams! (They even snagged Skrillex several years ago, before he blew up, so I went to see him for $20!!) Jim Jeffries last November. Awesome!! Music, movies, comedy shows - all at great, affordable prices! Keep up the great work, McDonald!!

Oakley Morrow

The bartenders were so drunk that they couldnt communicate correctly with customers. I got charged for someones elses tab (do NOT leave your card open). It took them 30mins to resolve this issue, I missed the show during that time because of it. This isnt even the biggest problem.If you want a simple beer, you have to completely stay in a separate room with a screen showing the stage, not the actual stage. This would be fine if you werent charged top dollar to see a show at McDonald theatre. Dont waste your time or settle for a mediocre experience.

Willow Paloma

My good friend was refused to go outside for a cigarette because their tribal ID doesnt have a barcode. They are obviously over 21 and even agreed to not order a drink, but because their tribal government is not the federal government, it is worthless to them. We spoke with management, and they started saying some crap about having slept in a teepee and having Indian friends. Southern Oregon at its finest.

Samuel Rutledge

I love the way theyve taken this historic movie theater, which is a unique treasure, and made it into a great concert venue. The one thing is that there is basically no backstage, because the space used to be for movies, so its hard to work. But from an audience perspective, its just a wonderful place to see live music.

Don St.Clair

Hey Google! the McDonald theater is a concert venue, not a movie theater! but a great and classic one at that, though the floor is concrete and slanted for half of it - an old grand movie theater without the seats. Lots of room for dancing, giant ballroom. Great concerts though! Run by Ken Keseys sons. A classic place!

Dakota Erdmann

It is an okay venue, but obviously run by idiots. I dont like coming here, because if I am paying for a concert, Id prefer not to be patted down. Another POS gun free zone though. Like that will stop criminals. Cuthbert is a much better venue anyway. McDonald Theatre could really improve customer service.

Sean McBee

I love coming here. I always feel like they have things handled. security is tight, the sound is usually good. upstairs is a little smelly. but that just concert stink for ya. A++ Bigger acts like Silversun Pick-ups and Three Days Grace from the Rock world have been through here this last year. (2016)

Mark Dade

The McDonald theater is a historical building that offers everyone a great experience. Great friendly service, nice indoor/ outdoor bar with a very cool upstairs balcony with wet bar. Awesome sound. Its also an awesome place where legends come to perform up close and personal. Five Star AAA+++