OK, we really dig this place.
I can't stand the big Charlotte Ampitheater, whatever the current corporate sponsored-name is these days. The one out by the race track. Because parking there sucks and it takes entirely too much of my life just getting in-and-out in the car.
Uptown Ampitheatre @ The NC Music Factory is such a cool venue. The size is perfect. It has a good sized seating area and a small lawn behind it. The whole venue is intimately sized to where you feel like you are up close to the stage even when you're in the back row of the lawn (or seats) or in a short line for a beer. The faciliites are clean and well kept, and the staff have always been helpful and hospitable.
We've probably seen 5 or 6 shows here, and considering it's a few hours from home we are careful about travelling this far for a bad venue. This place makes me lean toward "yes" when there's a band or show that I am on the proverbial fence about.
Parking Uptown isn't without it's challenges but, and maybe it's partly due to the smaller size of the place, you can get in and out reasonably without losing chunks of your life waiting in those awful car-lines.
Cold beer, live music, great merch setup, it's the whole package.