Went for an Avett Bros concert (which was incredible) but it was my first time at this venue. Â It's nice and new and very interesting, but parking stinks because you have to walk "for miles" it seems unless you want to pay the equivalent of another ticket, even though the $20 parking fee for the regular poor people parking is a bit rediculous, too. Â But inside, it's nice and new and the bathrooms....oh dear god, the bathrooms....they were CLEAN and nice! Â That doesn't happen much at the concerts I've been to. Â Yeah, it's expensive to eat and drink there, but if you preparty in the parking lot, it doesn't matter what stuff costs inside because you're already done.
Review Source:This is for sure a racetrack that has a concert venue. It has great sound and has food and booze vendors everywhere. The lawn is a bit tight and aprking can be a nightmare. Always pack a walking beer and you will be fine. the VIP parking in only 6 bucks more and saves you from having to petty cab. We will retrun
Review Source:After attending a couple of shows at this brand new venue, it's fair to say that it's sort of a bittersweet addition to Austin's music scene. Avett Brothers was a bit better experience solely because Mumford & Sons was sold out, and thus leaving the parking lot after the show was a huge mess.
The pit is absolutely massive and flat - I would guess its capacity at around 3000. We had a lot of room to dance even in a sold out pit as we stayed around 2/3 of the way back, still a great view. I noticed that the seated sections are not very sloped, so I question how well you can see from back there. Also, not a single screen was turned on for Avett Brothers (and it sounds like Dave Matthews too), which I find completely unacceptable for a venue of this size. The lawn is not very big compared to the amphitheaters in Dallas & Woodlands, and probably not worth the venture out here.
Positives:
The sound is excellent, which for me is the most important factor. It feels modern, clean, and new. Security is a breeze. There's a great open grassy area behind the lawn after you enter where you can relax or play beer pong and bean bag toss. We got to enjoy magnificent sunsets, and then stars, at both of the shows due to the venue's location outside the city and lack of any roof. Lots of food and beverage options. I'm really glad to have an amphitheater of this size in Austin, because it means we get to see more major touring acts. Though I suppose that also means dealing with all of the corporate parts...
Needs Improvement:
As others have said, parking and drink prices are absolutely outrageous. $17-30 for parking out in the middle of nowhere, and yet it's still impossible to get out of the parking lot after a sold out show. Carpooling here is a must. Thankfully, I had a hitchhiker in the backseat providing some entertainment, or I would have been uber pissed. $8-10 for a beer... $4 for a bottled water? Come on. $2 water please. You will still make a huge profit. I parked in lot "F" which was basically a dust pit, and we all had to jump over a muddy ravine to get to the road. Hopefully these insane parking fees will go towards paving the "cheap" lots, and figuring out a proper exit strategy for patrons after the show.
Summary - possibly worth dealing with.
I'm used to paying too much for drinks and food at concerts but that was ridiculous Thankfully we ate before we arrived and only bought a few bottles of $4.50 water. You couldn't pay me to drink the crap-beer they sell. Charging $9 for a can of swill?? That's hilarious.
We pre-paid parking online for $17. Would have been $20 otherwise. This parking is still a long hike to the venue. Thankfully I'm not afraid of walking but keep this in mind when you are getting dressed. I'm still amazed people will wear dark jeans and high-heels to a summer concert in Texas. WTF.
Totally agree with everyone's review that mentions the high price on food and drink but honestly what amphitheater or sporting venue is not that way?? I haven't been living under a rock so to me their pricing was excepted. They did have cold water fountains at every bathroom so if you planned to not spend money you didn't have to die of thirst. I like that they have different "food trucks" and tables that made it like a food court area. Â
So since we knew the parking cost $20 we decided to park down the street from the gas station for $5. I family was selling parking in front of their house and we just psyched ourselves out for the walk. I really appreciated that their wasn't traffic to get in. The gate opened at 5PM and we got there around 645PM and we didn't have to get stressed over the traffic like we use to at Verizon Amphitheater. Â Â
Being from San Antonio we lost our amphitheater (Verizon) and the Frank Erwin Center depending on your seat location the sound can suck so for big shows it is nice to have Austin360 open. We had PIT tickets and the sound was amazing.
Only one warning: There isn't shade like Verizon so bring your sun screen!
Nice venue, but not such a great experience. Definitely no Austin vibe...
We had lawn tickets, but someone working there was randomly handing out wristbands to the standing-only zone right by the stage. We got super close to Mumford and Sons and didn't even have to pay for a more expensive seat.
Food and water prices are outrageous for what you get. Water is $4.50 for a regular sized bottle. $8.50 for a can of Miller Lite. We brought our own sealed water but as we were walking to the entrance from the parking lot, a parking attendant shouted to us to leave our sealed water bottles in the car since they had to 'change their policy' due to people sneaking vodka in 'sealed' bottles. REALLY?? We ignored him and went in through security anyway. And you know what? Security let us and our bottles through.
Parking in lot 'A' was a breeze getting in but leaving was a different story. We waited OVER AN HOUR to get to the highway. Getting out of the parking lot is a NIGHTMARE. There were very few traffic attendants to help, and those who were there didn't help much to navigate us through the stand-still traffic and to the exit. If you're going to a sold-out show, you might want to have a tail-gating picnic after the show or pay for premium parking.
I'll think twice before going here again...
Without a doubt, this place can be expensive. Â That being said, if you "get what you pay for" in life, generally you'll be happy, and that seems to be the way to approach this new music venue.
For instance, my show companion had paid for Premium Parking, told me it was ten bucks more than regular, and boy did it make life easy. Â A short five minute walk to the gate from a very small lot - premium parking (in our case Lot D) meant getting in and out quickly and easily, even for a sold out show. Â We stayed until the very end, walked easily out of the place to our nearby car, and were on the tollway home without once being stuck in a line of any consequence. Â That's pretty impressive.
The place itself was clean and built with modern crowd-management in mind - it was easy to get around, steps and seat row entrances were lit, plenty of friendly helpful staff around, etc. Â My seat in section 205 was comfortable and had the ubiquitous but necessary drink holder. Â Bars and bathrooms were plentiful and I didn't wait in line once for either.
As someone who used to see a lot of big shows at the old Southpark Meadows, I consider this a big improvement - except for the concessions. Â The old SPM had local vendors selling at only-slightly higher prices. Â The Austin360 is flat out price-gouging, charging outrageous prices for marginal fare. Â We ate before, glad we did. Â Beer choices are lame, and all are ridiculously priced. This is no different from most other major venues these days, but the pro tip is to do your eating and drinking elsewhere - including tailgating in the lot.
There were no bad sight lines, the sound (for Mumford & Sons) was very good, and as the warm day turned to cool evening, the esthetics of the place really shined.
I live quite near a tollway exit, and pretty far up northwest, so the location of the venue is not a detriment to me.
These days austerity is the watchword around my house, but I'll gladly save up my entertainment dollars to see a band I really like at this place.
So I've seen two concerts here now, one wasn't too bad and the other was just down right offensive.
First time: Dave Matthews. Easy parking. Quick walk. We sat on the lawn: great sound, great quality in the TVs. Pretty laid back atmosphere.
Second time: Avett Brothers. Parking was more of a pain. Longer walk and shuttles. NO TVS WTF I AM SO IRRITATED BY THIS. We couldn't see anything. The sound wasn't as loud either.
Both times: HUGELY overpriced drinks. This is Austin. C'mon. HUGELY overpriced food. This is ridiculous. The tickets and parking are already overpriced for the size of the venue, especially when YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE THE BAND. I mean, the hill was man-made, why didn't they build more of a slope? Amateurs. AMATEURS.
I like amphitheaters. I'll go back. But I will sneak in more drinks and seriously raise a huge fit if I can't see who's performing.
Visited for the first time this past Friday, went up to see The Avett Brothers and Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. Â I was really, really dreading going here, let's say it wasn't me that wanted to go, got roped into going with the lady and some of her work friends. Â I hadn't been to an outdoor show in well over 15 years since I hate traffic, getting gouged on food and drinks, being crushed, shitty sound systems, and so on and so forth. Â However, I was actually pleasantly surprised, better than expected. Â We had general admission pit tickets and we were able to get right up next to the stage. Â We got there real early, like maybe 5:30 or so, but did beat the traffic and got a good spot to get out early. Â We tailgated and had a few beers before going in. Â No one hassled us and the folks in the lot were nice and not busybodies. Â We caught the tram in and it was slow, but the run was fun and everybody was having a good time. Â The walk wasn't as bad as expected either, we walked back. Â I was impressed by the stage and the sound quality and I'm a terrible snob when it comes to my music and how good it sounds. Â I would go back, but only when it's much cooler, with a band that I really wanted to see and the right group of people. Â This is not my typical venue, but it turned out OK, we'll call this a scouting trip with a semi-favorable review.
Review Source:My complaint with Austin360 Amphitheater is that there's no "Austin" involved. Â As far as new big outdoor venues go, this could be anywhere in the world, and it will never rank highly among such venues because it has no local charm. There's nothing unique about the place, only a sterile newness that'll wear off soon. Â It's plopped down as an afterthought alongside the Formula 1 race course, and the hugeness of the grounds, parking, prices, even the toll-road commute just underline the opportunity that Austin squandered in its race to bigness. Â How many million $$ of public money and tax incentives for a place that could be anywhere?
San Antonio's Verizon Wireless Amphitheater left a void when it closed in 2011. Yes, big tours will stop in the region again, and I'll be back. Â We'll be able to park on pavement. Â There'll be general admission standing room up front and in the lawn, but nobody will have a roof over their seat. Â Clarity of bass and mids will still be lacking, but vocals will soar. Â Audiences won't know the difference. Â But Ticketmaster's pockets will be lined.
At least the nearby airport provides a taste of what the "live music capital of the world" motto stands for.
This place will allow us to see the big name acts locally -- Jimmy Buffett was awesome. Â I have to warn you that for events they charge $20 for basic parking, which was a shock. Â I liked the grass seating, it was a decent view of the big screens, anyway. Â We have a great time, all in all -- not sure I would go on a 100 degree day, there is precious little shade--but on a 75 degree spring day, it was fine.
Very near Austin Airport. Â Very easy to access from the 130 tollroad, where the exit will be marked "Circuit of the America's"
Everyone says we needed another large music venue. I disagree -- preferring our small music venues to things the size of the coliseum -- but for the sake of moving on, lets, um, move on.
Here's what you need to know:
-- Parking is pricey. Get a ride or car pool if you can. $30 isnt bad split 6 ways
-- No chairs allowed unless they're legless (so like, those foldable stadium pad kind)
-- Bag check happened but wasn't overly intrusive
-- The walk. Ohhhhh the walk. It's like half a mile into the amphitheater so dont wear heels or anything that rubs.
-- Prices are outrageous. Like, really. $10 a beer, $14 a mixed drink. Food is similarly priced.
-- You can tailgate in the parking lot but you run the risk of not getting a good lawn seat
-- You could get a good lawn seat if you get in early but then you also have to endure hours of boredom before the show
-- There is a bizarre little setup in the middle of the field where two dudes were playing piano and there were drinking games ready to play. I didn't really know what to do with that but it appeared that some folks dug the beer pong.
-- The brick and mortar bathrooms had long lines but the portapotties seemed to deal with the overflow well.
-- there are cocktail tables on the sides of the lawn near a railing. I think we'll snag one of those next time. They're close in and close to the bar.
All in all, I do appreciate the venue. The sound system was good. The security was almost too good. The setup is nice. However, I'm going to have to really really really want to see someone to buy tickets for this spot. The 30 minute drive there, the hike from the parking lot, the scalping at the concession stand and then the inevitable slow going line to get out just mean that it's less of a fun concert experience and more of a road trip.
On April 26, a friend and I attended a concert by The Lumineers at the Tower Amphitheater at Circuit of the Americas, where we had purchased lawn tickets for a total of $38 each. The entire experience was dreadful, except for the high quality of music provided by this talented band. Â Here are my gripes, in order of occurrence: (1) Parking was $20. The attendant told us it is $30 on race days. Â Anything more than 10 bucks is highway robbery. Â (2) Unlike circumstances at the vast majority of similar outdoor venues, guests are forbidden to take any beverages or food inside the gates. Â (3) The latter policy forced us to purchase beverages and food onsite - which were outrageously overpriced ($9 for a beer, $8 for three ounces of crappy wine, $12 for a cheeseburger, etc.) and of horrible quality. Â My cheeseburger was charred to black; I threw it out after two bites. (4) The sole option for bathrooms was a line of portables, which meant that being able to wash your hands was out of the question. Yes, you could walk to permanent restroom located far away under the grandstand, but the lines there were hopelessly long. (5) The concert was slated to start at 8:00 PM, which it did - with a shamefully under-talented warm-up band that seemed to have been thrown together at the last-minute by a ragtag ensemble of unemployed local musicians. Â We suffered their music for one hour, then another warm-up band - The Tumbleweeds from Louisiana - played for yet another hour. Â The difference was, their music (mostly bluegrass) was quite good. (6) When the Lumineers finally appeared shortly before 10:00 PM, everyone in the lawn area (which was packed to the gills and, we later learned, grossly oversold) stood up, and remained standing for the 80 minutes or so that The Lumineers played. Â Since the lawn area is completely flat, that meant that unless you were at least six feet tall, your only view for the entirety of the concert was the backs of the people in front of you. Â Yes, there are large screens on either side of the stage - but since they're not much bigger than the side of a semi-truck, and mounted at ground level, they are of absolutely no use when you're stuck in the middle of a standing-only mob. Â Finally, we just gave up and sat on our blanket to listen to the music. (7) We waited in line for nearly 20 minutes for a shuttle to take us back to our remote parking lot, even though we could see several shuttles in the distance that were simply idling on the curb. Â In summary, I can't think of a single good thing to say about COTA itself. Â As I mentioned, The Lumineers were great, but without being able to see the band, we might as well have stayed home and listened to a their CD - and saved ourselves a bucketload of money. Â This is one Austin resident who will never, ever be suckered into attending the COTA amphitheater event again.
Review Source:I recently went to Tower Amphitheater to see The Lumineers on 4/26/2013 .
To get to the facility (which is located on the Circuit of America's property) you are forced to go down a 2 lane road (which during the concerts they use the emergency lanes to open it up to 4) . This minimal lane availability causes some pretty bad backups, so give yourself plenty of time to get there. Once you leave the facility it's generally pretty painless minus a few people who drive over the lawns to cut in line (Which causes greater back ups ) . I think they would greatly benefit from installing cement barriers in the parking lot to prevent this from happening.
Since there are no other establishments in the area , you are forced to park on their property which costs $20 (Cash) / per vehicle. Since I'm from Austin I'm use to walking a bit to get anywhere , but felt like they purposely positioned the parking lot in the most inconvenient place to try to get you to spend $12.00 ( + tip) for a pedicab ride about a 1/2 mile away to the gates. You literally have to go around a 1/4 of the facility to get to the gates, which is quite a poor design in my opinion . I've heard for an additional $5.00 there is a premier parking lot which is just to the left of the gate. So that may be an option to some people who may have some issues with walking.
Once in the gate we purchased a soft pretzel which was a reasonable $4.00 (for fair prices) , but their beers were overpriced at 8.00 or 9.00 (domestic/import). Â This is more then any other music venue in Austin (I think the next highest is Moody at just under 7.00) . Unlike the Moody though , their beer choices are quite limited to :
-Coors Light
-LandShark
-Stella
-Millerlight
-Michelob Ultra
Aside from Coors Light and Miller Light, everything is considered an import somehow which baffles my mind. I really feel as if the Circuits of America sold out on exclusive rights which forces us to be left with mediocre drink choices. For those that don't like beer they also have a few wine options/ limited mixed drinks ($10.00 + ) and for zen drink ($14.00) .
Pro Tip - You are allowed to tail gate in the parking lot. So prior to entering chill in the parking lot for a few with friends and have a couple drinks.
As for the music concert itself , we had GA , which aside from a vast amount of people who talked through the concert (I will chalk that up to the popularity of the band bringing the younger kids out) was pretty good acoustically .
Sadly the other two sections Lawn & Seats itdidn't appear to have a great . When we were back by the Lawn the sound was very distorted and took a lot away from the event . Further the Lawn was so oversold, people were piled up on each other.
Unlike Moody , the seated section were inclined enough to allow for people to see over each other enough , so a lot of people were forced to stand (which ends up becoming a domino effect) . Also since they didn't really design it for the audiophile , the sound just gets lost against the limestone (maybe it's sandstone)
Overall , I feel like though the Circuits of America is new, it was built very cheaply with very little thought into the concert venue . From parking placement, beer choices (big for Austinites) , and Seating/Sound quality it seems the entire thing was thrown together just because they had some extra space in the middle of their facility .
Further it seems almost everything they did was built to gouge you of money. Though when going to concerts we expect to pay a lot , don't charge absurd prices that exceed that of the Rangers/Dallas Stars/Mavericks / Spurs or that of any other local music venue pricing structures (Cowboys Stadium is still more)
I'd say unless there is a band you are in love with , don't support this poorly designed facility . You can better spend your money at Moody/Emo's / Stubs .
The Austin360 Amphitheater is brand new and situated in the middle of the gorgeous Circuit of the Americas race track. Unfortunately, that inevitably means it will be super expensive. From $20 for parking to $8.50 Coors Lights, this place will nuke you wallet. Everything is twice what an Austinite is used to paying.
My experience here has only been from the general admission grassy hill seating and it kinda sucked. The slope of the grassy seating levels out towards the bottom which means there are entire sections that cannot see the stage because of the people sitting in front of them. Combine that with what is probably the largest sound/mixing tent I've ever seen and there is drastically limited viewing area from the $25 hill seats. If you really want to see the band, then you're better off paying to be in the reserved seating sections or general admission floor area in front of the stage. Acoustically, the venue suffers from a lot of echoing if you're not centered in the audience.
However, Austin really needed another large-capacity (15k+) music venue aside from the Frank Erwin Center. The Tower Amphitheater is a welcome outdoor addition to the Austin music scene and hopefully will attract some bigger acts in the coming years. Unfortunately, if you're used to the much smaller and more intimate settings of the typical Austin concert venue, this place will be a bit of a shock both in size and in cost.
Great news: Austin finally has a great large capacity outdoor stadium for concerts. There is not a bad seat in the house. If you've lived here long enough to remember when Southpark Meadows (SPM) was a giant cow pasture with a stage where huge events like HORDE Festival and Lilith Fair were enjoyed by the masses, you'll be as excited as I am to welcome the Austin360 Amphitheater at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) to town. Now we have our own place almost as nice as The Woodlands' Cynthia Mitchell Pavilion, but without the cow patties of SPM!
Bad news: It will cost you one meeelleeyun dollars (imagine Dr. Evil's voice) to get a drink or a snack while you're here. No kidding, they charge $8 or more for just about anything you might want to consume. Â It can bust the budget quickly when you have to spend $17 every time you go get a beer for your date and yourself. Dang!
Know this: The venue only very recently opened for concerts in Spring 2013. COTA is still perfecting some of their processes and the growing pains are still showing in April 2013. I expect this to only improve over time as the construction is complete, more vendor relationships are established, and they figure out the best ways to control traffic flow in and out of the park. Â From the first review on this Yelp listing, as well as those on the main COTA page, one can see that it's already gotten better since opening. Â Most of the roads, paths, and parking lots are now paved and landscaping is fairly complete. There are way more clean porto-potties available throughout the park now, and beverage vendor options are EVERYwhere.
Good news: Â Roving beer/water vendors circulate throughout the 14K capacity venue, so there is no need to wait in line for drinks. Â Even better, if you do decide to stroll over to a booth to get a different kind of drink (Tito's & soda? Frozen rita or daiquiri? How about anything you want from a full bar?), wait times are minimal after the show has begun. Rumor has it that if you look hard enough you can even find a mythical tent offering $5 wine.
Bad news: The best drink options are only available inside the amphitheater area, and you have to wait until they open the additional gates to that area. For our concert, this meant that when the park gates opened at 6p, we could only access the front entrance grounds. At about 7:10p, they finally let us get into the amphitheater so that we could snag our seats and access the better beverages.
Other good things to know:
--Tailgating is allowed. We saw lots of people parking early (5ish for a 6p gate opening, 8p showtime) and picnicking before the show. Â This seems like a great way to head off some of the outrageous prices in the park, as well as to avoid traffic hassles closer to showtime.
--Pedi-cabs and shuttles from the various parking lots are available. We parked in Lot F (come in on Elroy from 130 and follow the signs to COTA) for $12 (pre-purchased online; $20 at the venue) and the walk in took no more than 10 minutes.
--There is generally no exit/re-entry, so don't forget anything in your vehicle.
--Bag checks seemed pretty lax, so do with that what you will.
--Foldable, low-to-the-ground chairs are allowed for those with GA/Lawn tickets.
--The front entry area (Grand Plaza) of the park has a nice green lawn with beanbag games, Adirondack chairs, and space for running around. We saw kiddoes and adults alike enjoying this space before the show.
--Get there early enough and you can snag some comfortable tall stools on the risers at the back of the park. We loved this area, which offered great sound quality, unobstructed views, and quick bar access, with no crowds ever crushing us. Early-bird Lawn ticket holders can also take perch at the bistro tables near the cocktail tents for a great views surprisingly close to the stage, bars, and potties.
Venue is very nice, but its new. My wife waited almost 25 minutes to use the restroom. Food and beverages were extremely overpriced!! I paid 12 bucks for a corn dog and 9 for beers!! Â Ask why and vendor told me the venue took 40% of there profits so they had to jack prices to make ends meet. So if you go take some extra money. Â All in all I would go back if the band was worth it, but would eat ahead of time and maybe have a few in the parking lot before walking in, cause once your in you cannot leave.
Review Source:
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