The VETS (Veterans Memorial Auditorium)

Opened in 1950 and known locally as The VETS, the Veterans Memorial Auditorium is Providence's just-over-2,000-seat civic concert hall, set on the revitalized Avenue of the Arts across from the Rhode Island State House and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A multi-million-dollar renovation completed in 2015 modernized the building while keeping the proscenium stage, the acclaimed acoustics and the one-of-a-kind ceiling bearing the shields of Rhode Island's 39 original communities — a room acclaimed for its combination of size and intimacy. The VETS is home to the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra, Festival Ballet Providence and FirstWorks, and its stage has hosted Chris Botti, Mavis Staples, Wynton Marsalis, Savion Glover, Amy Schumer and Bryan Adams; most of the touring standup that comes through Providence plays here too, with Bert Kreischer, Jim Jefferies, John Crist and Jeff Arcuri all on the current calendar. The theatre is owned by the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority and managed by Professional Facilities Management, which also runs the Providence Performing Arts Center and shares its box office at 220 Weybosset Street.