Charlottesville Pavilion

It looks like the last reviews were written a while ago, which may explain the difference in experiences.

I love the Charlottesville Pavilion! This is my third year in town and I've seen upwards of 25 shows and concerts here. The open-air pavilion is large for Charlottesville, but provides a great alternative to small venues like The Southern and The Jefferson Theater while not being as overwhelming like John Paul Jones arena. They also attract great bands that are passing through the area looking to play at something other than a club-style venue.

The atmosphere absolutely cannot be beat, the Pavilion staff is great, there's always extremely helpful security and reasonably short waits to enter and leave. I've never noticed any issues with the acoustics or speakers in the Pavilion - they've always seemed loud and clear to me. I think perhaps this is something they've worked on in the last few years. The floor slopes gently towards the stage, making it easier to see over taller patron's heads. The best part is tickets here tend to run in the $20 range, some a little more and some a little less. They also have a free concert series in the summer called Fridays After Five, a great way to check out and support local music and very family friendly.

They usually have great beer available - Budwiser and Bud Light for standard beers but usually have some variations of Starr Hill and local beer as well. The bathrooms are huge and EXTREMELY clean. Which is amazing considering the foot traffic that comes through each year.

Tips:

* When you enter the pavilion, if you hang a left there are a number of food trucks INSIDE for your snaking pleasure, often including Mellow Mushroom. Awesome!
* If you are over 21 ordering beer, there are a number of steps involved. First, show your ID to the wristband staff, obtain wristband.  Move to ticket table, purchase beer tickets from either the cash only or credit or debit lines. THEN proceed to the beer carts.
* If you're watching the show and want to bring your over 21 friend beer so they don't have to leave the crowd, you can buy two beers at one time. ONLY two.
* Will call is to the right, entrance lanes are to the left.
* It gets VERY WARM under the Pavilion in the crowd. It might be November, you might want to wear a jacket to walk to the pavilion, but you are definitely going to want to have some place to stash it once the show starts.
* Be respectful to the cops and security - they are incredibly helpful with things that are not their jobs (pointing you in the right direction, helping you locate lost items, suggesting nearby parking). They are also VERY good at their jobs - I think I've seen one fight here ever, which was broken up almost immediately.

Not the best acoustics and the sloping concrete floor makes it difficult to stand (especially if you've had a few). Still, a nice spot for outdoor music.

Located at the end of the downtown mall, the Pavilion is a great smaller music venue. Usually the variety of artists that roll through have made their way across the country, but you are able to see and hear them in a smaller setting. When combined with "Fridays After Five" the mixture of people is enjoyable. I'll be perfectly honest in saying that I have no problem finding a comfy spot outside the pavilion but still within the downtown mall to hear the music without paying the $$ and going inside the tent. Only on those special acts where visually I wanted to be entertained as well do I pay...  Willie Nelson (Saturday...07/24), Thievery Corporation, Phil Lesh, Wilco, Widespread Panic..etc..etc.   Check out this venue for something different outside the larger city locations. ~