Friday marked the end of an era for one of Raleigh’s premier concert venues when Red Hat Amphitheater hosted its final show at its current site.

A sold-out Steve Lacy concert scheduled for 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 23, was the amphitheater’s final show before it closes to make way for a new venue next door.

Fans began lining outside the gates by mid-afternoon. 

“I love this place,” concert go-er Brandon Bannerman said. “I’ve been to a lot of other venues, but this feels like home to me.”

Kerry Painter, executive director of the Raleigh Convention and Performing Arts Complex, said the new venue is on track to open in June 2027. 

Unlike the current venue, the new amphitheater will have more than 6,000 sloped seats with better views of the stage and permanent bathrooms. 

“That’s probably the best part, honestly,” Kellie Tolo, who attended the Steve Lacy concert, said. “The bathrooms here weren’t bad, to be fair, but there’s definitely room for improvement.”

Artists will also get better dressing rooms and a catering space. 

“This is the end of a real era and a beloved place that turned into this magic treasure,” Painter said. “It’s going to be hard. But then we’re gonna look forward with huge anticipation and excitement.”

Red Hat Amphitheater opened in 2010, and Painter said the transition will be bittersweet after more than a decade of music at the current venue. 

“We have played some exceptional shows in this intimate, small space that is so happy to be here,” Painter said. “So we’ve been really lucky, and it’s going to continue in the future.”

Victoria Monet was scheduled to perform the final show at the soon-to-close downtown Raleigh venue on Tuesday, Oct. 27, but in an Instagram post, she shared that she canceled her Raleigh show because of “unforeseen production challenges.”

The new Red Hat Amphitheater is expected to be ready for the 2027 concert season, expanding to more than 6,000 seats just a block away from the current site. The venue’s website does not have any events listed except the Steve Lacy show.

“I’ve probably been here more than ten times, but I’m really excited for the new place,” concert-goer Kishawn Pate said.