Alpine Valley Music Theater

I have been a devout DMB fan for almost 20 years.  I have seen them 12 times at Klipsch Music Center in Noblesville, IN.  The hubs and I noticed the Grace Potter and the Nocturnals were opening for Dave this year, but not in IN.  The only way to see GPN was to trek to Alpine.  No biggie as I've heard a show here is a definite bucket list kind of deal.  I bought lawn tix because I was too cheap for pavilion.  Shouldn't have been an issue.  We've done lawn many times before.  
=-Fast forward to show date-=
We arrived early at 3:00 when parking opened.  Didn't have to wait in line too long.  We tailgated in the parking lot and met some nice guys that parked next to us.  We wanted to get in to see Grace, so we left and had no problem finding our seats (err, places- NO ONE sits).  I was amazed at how few people were interested in catching this phenomenal opening band!!  Come to find out everyone was too busy getting shitfaced in the parking lot.  Dave began and the floodgates of drunken douchebaggery opened upon the lawn of Alpine.  Where did these people come from and HOW in God's name did they even find their way to the gates????  As mentioned in earlier posts, this is a very steep hill.  Add drunken idiots and it's a sight to behold.  My hubs and I were smashed into, crawled over, pushed, shoved, stepped on too many times to count.  YOU ARE IN LAWN!  No matter how hard you try, you will not get to the front freaking row of the show!  If you enjoy music over drinking, if you value your clothing and shoes- I would definitely recommend buying pavilion seats.   If you want to go get completely wasted, then try lawn.  We will NEVER be back to Alpine.  We left early and never looked back.

I saw two shows here ten years apart and it was an even bigger pit the second time. As has been mentioned, if it rains, stay home. It's not worth the frustration. Drunken idiots come hurdling down the hill into the backs of your legs, as if it isn't hard enough to stand as it is in those conditions. They should really consider paving the parking lot so people can actually leave in cars on rainy days. A bunch of us had to push the car to the hill. All in all, this place costs you way more money than ticket prices after you have to replace clothing ruined in insane amounts of mud.

The sound, I have no complaints about. But the transportation and conditions in the venue make every experience crappier than it otherwise would be. I went to see Rage Against The Machine but couldn't get in in time to see Queens Of The Stone Age because getting in was beyond a hassle. Coming from Illinois made it an even bigger turdbox.

Disclaimer : I worked here during my summer vacations in high school.

So, the good part of working there in high school was getting to see some pretty cool shows (for '95) : =Van Halen=, Jimmy Buffet, Motorhead and Sabbath.  The latter gave me permanent hearing damage and that was WITH earplugs.

Still, it gave me confidence to navigate my way through AV.  A few thoughts :

1. I'm not a crowd person by any means, but I'd recommend the seats if you can get them.  Easier said than done, I know.  The lawn seating, while a nice experience for some people (or people who just want to smoke up the entire time) might be fun at first - but check in with me the next day to see how your ankles are feeling due to the slope of the hill.  Yeah, thought so. Also, as we learned - make sure the seats you are sitting in are actually UNDER the roof.  Yes, there are a few lucky last rows that are, in fact, NOT covered by the roof, which is good to know.  Bring a poncho!

2. You are at an outdoor venue.  You are in Wisconsin.  This means, pack for the weather. Pack for anything, including a potential landslide. (Meaning - pack your hiking boots and crappy jeans, and bring a change of clothes to leave in the car).  I laugh when I hear people complain about the weather. Seriously?

3. AV serves Budweiser.  Why, I don't know... since it's WI you'd think Miller would step up to get that contract.  If you are familiar with the SE WI area, $13.50 for a beer is a crime. Some people think this is a deal.  All a matter of perspective I suppose.

4. If you are complaining about the "one road" that leads in and out - there are other routes that will get you out of the venue.  Same goes for the route in.  Check your maps people... Highway D will get you there faster than I-43 will!

5. One tip - if you bring bottled water, they now make you remove the cap.  Make sure to take the cap and put it in your pocket before you get through the gates.  Also, if you get stuck sitting in lawn seats, they will let you in with cushions.  It will make things easier.

All in all the staff we encountered were OK during the weekend.  Some rude employees, some nice.  The bathrooms, although gross (hey, I had to lower my standards a few times) are sorely in need of updating.  However, the nice bathroom worker kept things flowing (pun intended) and the line moving to make an easier 'go' of it.  (ha!)

It could use a few updates, but AV is a decent place to see a show if you're willing to put up with it.