Neptune Theatre

The Neptune Theatre has been open for over a hundred years and continues to operate in the University District neighborhood, north of downtown Seattle.

The venue holds up to 1,000 people and is laid out with the concert experience in mind: the floor is raked, with a main area and an upper balcony, ensuring solid sightlines from virtually every spot in the house. The intimate scale creates a closeness to the stage that larger venues simply can’t match.

Over the decades, the Neptune has welcomed Queensrÿche, New Found Glory, Avatar, Nada Surf, The Black Angels, Northlane, Battle Beast, Yo La Tengo, DragonForce, and many more. The calendar remains active — worth checking the schedule before your visit.

The Mother Love Bone Tribute Benefit Show

For anyone who follows the history of Seattle rock, the Neptune holds several remarkable moments — and one relatively recent evening stands out as particularly worth knowing about.

On May 5, 2018, the theater hosted a benefit concert in tribute to Mother Love Bone — the band formed in the late 1980s by Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament, who would later co-found Pearl Jam, and frontman Andrew Wood, who died of a heroin overdose in March 1990 at just 24 years old, before the band’s debut album Apple had even been released.

The show aimed to raise funds and awareness for SMASH — Seattle Musicians Access to Sustainable Healthcare, an organization supporting the health and wellbeing of Seattle’s music community. The night featured original Mother Love Bone members Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament, Greg Gilmore, and Bruce Fairweather. Stepping up to handle vocal duties were Carrie Akre of Hammerbox and Goodness, Adam Czeisler of Sweetwater, and Shawn Smith of Brad, among others.

Hotels near Neptune Theatre Seattle

Staying close to the venue is always a great opportunity to walk to and from the event, and enjoy the exciting atmosphere as musicians and fans gather throughout the day.