The New Jersey Performing Arts Center is the state's premier performing arts venue and one of the ten largest performing arts centres in the United States. It opened in 1997 on a redeveloped parcel near the Passaic River waterfront, and its presence has been credited with anchoring the wider revival of downtown Newark.
The programming is consistently serious: the New Jersey Symphony performs here, and the venue brings in major touring productions in jazz, world music, Broadway, and classical. James Brown performed his last concert here. The main concert hall has excellent acoustics and sightlines. Check the schedule before visiting Newark — there is very often something worth going to, and tickets are considerably cheaper than equivalent venues in Manhattan.