I've always loved the Starlake in Pittsburgh. It's now called the "Pittsburgh Post Gazette Pavilion," but that does not sound
near as good as "Starlake" does to me, so Starlake it is forever.
I've never had a bad concert experience there, and I've been there for a wide range of different types of shows.
I like the Detroit Opera House, as well, even though the acoustics aren't as great as they could be. I've seen Tori Amos there twice, and it's just a really lovely building. Last time I was there, my (now ex)boyfriend, during the day, was all, "You know, Detroit isn't that bad, I don't know why it gets such a bad rap" and I just goggled at him. He changed his tune when he insisted we stop to eat after the show, around midnight, at the IHOP just near the Opera House and we got patted down for weapons before we were allowed inside.
His wide-eyed idealism was adorable, of course, but yeah...no. Detroit deserves every bad rap it gets and then some.