Place to see: Newport Music Hall, Columbus, Ohio, United States

About this place:

The Newport Music Hall is a music venue located across the street from the Ohio Union of The Ohio State University. It claims to be America's Longest Continually Running Rock Club.

Newport Music Hall has been formerly known as the State Theater and in the 1970s it was the Agora Ballroom. The hall seats around 1200 and most of the original decor is intact. It is one of the many music venues on High Street in Columbus. In the past, they have had indoor and outdoor events. Tickets are sold at the Newport boxoffice (open at noon on show days).

Newport was also the one of the first American venues that U2 played upon arriving in the United States in the early 1980s (actual first U2 date in Los Angeles by Gary LoConti, who was V.P. and helped build the Agora Columbus in 1969) and it was the last American venue John Lee Hooker performed at before his death in 2001. In 1970, The Grateful Dead, Genesis, Howlin Wolf, King Crimson, Procol Harum, Muddy Waters, The Beach Boys and many others made their Columbus debut at the Agora Ballroom.

Concerts and venues are managed by PromoWest