Drink prices are way off the charts, bend over please. didn't and wont buy a drink here!
Drink prices are way off the charts, bend over please. didn't and wont buy a drink here!
Drink prices are way off the charts, bend over please. didn't and wont buy a drink here!
Drink prices are way off the charts, bend over please. didn't and wont buy a drink here!
Yet another thing that Detroit does right (albeit this is well outside of Detroit). Â You can actually drink real beer (Michigan or non-Michigan) and I love that the Union Woodshop has a stall here. Â That whole picnic table area where the aforementioned are is stellar (when the weather cooperates, of course). Â The venue is great as a place to hear music and I am okay with concerts not spilling past 11pm (especially on a weeknight). Â Parking is never too far away, as well. Â My only regret is that I wish that I brought a lawn town to lounge on in the lawn section.
Review Source:Love this enormous music venue. I've come here for a variety of shows and have had the opportunity to sit in various parts of the venue - every time I have had a great experiences. You should be expecting overpriced drinks; but that goes without saying with a venue like this.
I do recommend bringing a blankets or lawn chairs if you are planning to sit in the "lawn" part of the venue as it is a big hill with grass; its nicer to sit cozier.
The restrooms facilities are clean and the number of restrooms are adequate to accommodate the rush flow during intermissions.
At first glance parking may seem like it could be a nightmare, on the contrary, the staff manages the flow of traffic so that cars can quickly make their way out of the premises.
In short, I really enjoy coming to this venue for any type of show. Most of the time the shows are reasonably priced and provide great entertainment for the beautiful summer evenings.
Had an amazing night last night at Pine Knob--yes, I know it isn't Pine Knob anymore but indulge me for I am old. Â
We went to see Rob Zombie/Marilyn Manson here. Â Now, you just got a picture in your head of what kind of crowd goes to see these two and therefore what kind of crazy experience I had at this venue.
And you would be completely wrong. Â
Security was a very present force, keeping everyone who had lawn seats from standing near the pavillion. Â They kept walkways clear and were at every aisle into the pavillion, checking tickets and keeping the peace. Â The entire five hours we were there saw not one incident of drunken debauchery or fisticuffs.
The restrooms are large and were amazingly clean for the amount of people who attended the concert. Â Sure, the vendors were vastly overpriced, but hey, that is how it is. Â It costs money to have fun. Â
As it was the last event of the season, there was not much variety of food to be had. Â Mostly hot dogs, kielbasa and a few different snacky foods in bags. Â I bought a bottle of water and had to watch it being poured into a plastic cup. Â The lady explained that there were no bottles allowed for the evening. Â I immediately had a memory of a Manson concert somewhere where a fan threw a full bottle of water at the man and made the man not too pleased. Â I figured that might have played into the fact that I now had to carry around a huge plastic cup half full of water in my gloved hands. Â I felt like a toddler, I can tell you. Â
We had lawn tickets. Â Now, for anyone who has yet to attend an event at Pine Knob, they use the word 'lawn' loosely. Â It is more like a hill set to the back of the pavillion (the bowl encompassing the stage and the normal seating area) and you can bring in chairs or rent them. Â Last night, however, everyone was standing and there was not chair one to be seen. Â Lots of room to dance on the hill. Â
The only downside to the entire evening was as it is outside, there were a lot of people smoking. Â Uh, cigarettes and erm, maybe a funny-shaped one here and there. Â
There are two large screens on the top of the covered pavillion that are pointed out to the lawn area so that us poorer folks can get some close-up glimpses of our favorites on the stage (did I mention that lawn tickets are vastly less expensive than pavillion?) Â
So, to sum up--don't be afraid to go to Pine Knob to see a concert. Â Yes, it is a huge venue but parking is easy, the staff is awesome and accomodating and you will have a great time.
I love PINE KNOB..yeah you heard me. I will forever call it that. I make it a point to come here a couple times a year, it does't even matter who I come to see either. Summertime, Beer, Music, and People Watching..Can't get any better than that. Um hem, well the drink prices, a bit outrageous. For the price of a beer ($9) I can get a Long Island ($10) and feel like I got something worth my money. A small personal pizza and a water ($11) I was raped on that one y'all. Â The people watching most definitely makes up for that by far...trust me, you won't be disappointed ;)
Review Source:I love this place!! Pine Knob it will always be to me!!! There is always a positive energy in the air and everyone has a great time. I love being outdoors rocking the night away! I always get drinks from the VIP lounge, the bartenders are friendly and efficient. The drinks are a little pricey, but not much more than other bars.. I wish the bathrooms had fans or a/c...on a hot summer night, you can almost bet it will be at least 10-15 degrees hotter than outside.. Most of the staff are helpful as far as finding your section and/or seat.. Music always sounds great!! I'll be back for years to come!
Review Source:Ok so the vendors are way over priced and the noise ordinance keeps the bands from playing one minute past 11pm, but we like this venue. Â Though we usually get pavilion seats, the lawn seats are alright if hanging with a group of people. Â
Plenty of restrooms to accommodate the large crowds. I have yet to try the lounge or VIP.
I've sat on the lawn and, most recently, under the pavillion for Jim Gaffigan. Â Both are a great way to see a concert. Â Outdoor venues are hit or miss, especially in the summer... and if you don't like to sweat.
Our seats (and all seats actually) were close to the concessions (which take credit cards) and the Women's restroom (yippee). Â Parking is a breeze, and it wasn't crazy getting out afterwards either. Â Clean grounds, both before and after.
Had decent seats up toward the stage, really enjoyed the concert.
Traffic flow entering and exiting was very smooth, especially for the amount of traffic departing.
The location and setting of the music theater is fantastic. Â Refreshments aren't priced way out of line.
All in all, I really enjoyed my visit to Pine Knob.
Went to DTE to see the Beach Boys (who by the way put on a great concert!) Â Energizer Bunnys they are.
DTE is set up very well. Â It's in a nice wooded area, kinda residential around it but still secluded. Â Easy to get to from I-75.
Parking was very easy and I got a space which was only a two minute walk away from the gate. Â This was about 45 minutes from the start of the concert. Â
The facility was very clean, plenty of vendors, restrooms well spaced (although they needed some attention, but hey lots of guys in and out - what do you expect).
There are two permanent screens for the people in the lawn area. Â My seat was 9 rows back and decently comfortable. Â
My only complaint was security. Â There were a couple of guys, one older and one much younger off to the left that should have been told to sit down and stay down as they were up and down all through the concert with their friends coming up and hanging out with them. Â I'd have been really pissed off it I'd been behind them, but they were to my side and were just annoying. Â The dark haired security guy with glasses never did anything even though some of the people behind them were yelling for them to sit down.
If they restrooms were constantly being cleaned / mopped and security had been better, 5 stars. Â As is 4.
I just want to point a couple things out here....first off DTE will always be Pine Knob and second, the grill near the rear entrance where the cocktail counter is, has some bomb ass cheeseburgers. For $5, I got what must've been almost a half pound cheeseburger that was the jam even without any condiments added. The cheese was melty American goodness and the meat was tender and freakin' delicious. It was better than any fast-food burger I remember and it was still passed through a window. I'll opt for these over their hotdogs any day. You rock Eddie Money!
Review Source:This is a nice place to see a summer concert. It's open air and the feel is very nice from when you walk in with all the plants and trees etc. The sound is really good here too. I would recommend to try to come early though so you can find parking. I think it's a really nice place to see a concert!
Review Source:I love seeing summer concerts here. Most of the time I just go for lawn seats because the vibe is always cool out there. But the pavilion is fine too if you want to be closer to the artists or just don't want to worry about finding your own place.
The sound has always been good no matter where I've sat and I have been at the very top of the hill off to one side or the other. The screens are a nice touch and I like that they are permanent so you always have a screen for any concert. I recently saw Bob Seger at The Palace and sat way in the nose bleeds and he didn't have any screens at all. That's not a complaint since the sound, which is the most important thing, was great but it is something I like about DTE.
The parking is fine, and yes you should get there early. Getting out is a pain but not so bad that it would ever make me not want to go to a concert. Plus once you are in a flow its not too bad and the freeway is really close.
The drinks are expensive and so are the shirts but thats true everywhere not just here. Try going to a ballgame or a festival or even a nightclub. I payed $7 for a beer yesterday and $5 for a lemonade and to me that is in line with everyplace else that I listed and cheaper in some instances. There is also a good enough varity of food for sale like pizza and snacks and stuff. The shirt I bought was I think $40. Again to be expected. No one forced me to buy it and I'm so used to it by now it seems normal.
The facilities were kept up and the bathroom was clean and the line moved right along. You can bring blankets, coolers (no alcohol), and low leg chairs. You can also rent chairs for $5. If you are sitting on the lawn you may want to sit in the middle. If you are at the very bottom of the hill there will be people standing at the railing the entire time which may be annoying for some concerts where most people are sitting down.
I'm writing this review after seeing Jimmy Buffett last night. Everything went super smoothly and the show was great. Before the show there tons of tailgaters in the parking lot. There were moments on the lawn where a strange smell appeared, almost like some sort of burning herb. Oh well I guess I'll never know what exactly that was. During the concert Jimmy also kept referring to DTE as Pine Knob which every loved. Anyway it was another great show at DTE/Pine Knob. A great summer tradition!
I wanted to update my previous review to say that , after 3 more concerts this summer, DTE held up as being a great place to see a show, regardless of where you sit!
Parking is a cinch, and if you give yourself enough time, you will have no problems, rather if you wait too late to go and get caught on the highway, well that's just on you, and certainly not the venues fault!
After all there are many thousands of people going into and out of this parking lot!
I will say that Kid Rock was the busiest of all the shows this summer, and we were out of the parking lot and back in Livonia in less than 40 minutes!
My worst show this season was John Mayer, simply because he rambled on and one with his self important self absorbed nonsense for a good deal of time, and for one of his overly long 7 minute run-on tunes he had spot lights shining into the audience the whole time...you couldn't even see the stage!
His warm up "Train" was 100 times better (imagine that)!
But even with this crummy performer, and his zombie like cult following that sang along with every obscure and ridiculous song, I still rate the venue high.
As summer winds down, I look forward to the 2011 lineup and enjoying as many shows as I can at DTE (aka Pine Know)!
Ok I haven't been here to see a concert since ohhh Van Halen with David Lee Roth, that's telling right there!
Green Day put on a really amazing concert and did a very fine job of working their crowd. Â Bringing tons of people up on stage and shooting out Tshirts. Â Lots of fun.
Parking was a breeze, we were not exceptionally early and still had easy in and easy out.
Tailgaiting was everywhere and all seemed to be having a great time. Â Bathrooms were clean and the line moved with barely a wait. Â Concession stands were very nice and the price was to be expected. Â $8 for a beer, large beer but still a beer.
We had a great view from the spot on the hill and the sound system was AMAZING, very nice surprise. Hill tickets were dirt cheap (pun intended). Â Weather that evening couldn't have been better for a concert enjoyed from "the Hill"...it will be PINE KNOB forever, THE place for a summer concert in Michigan.
I always have a good time when attending shows at DTE. Â Tailgating is common place and as long as you aren't being stupid, the staff won't give you a hard time about it.
As far as outdoor venues go DTE has to be in the top tier. Â When you consider the private bar and common area / refreshment court behind the hill it has really improved over the years. Â I think service at the counters to the left and right of the stage has gotten much faster and they are pretty good about churning people in and out.
You might come to find an issue with the bathrooms but I haven't had much difficulty lately. Â The men's bathroom seems to maintain a constant flow and I don't think I've waited more than a minute or two during the last few shows I've seen there.
Overall an enjoyable venue. Â You have to remember that most issues with cleanliness and service depend on the show. Â If you see a sold out show you can expect longer lines and more of a mess.
After enjoying Kid Rock's concert last night, I thought I'd put my 2 cents in on this place.
Come early to ANY show here. Â As most know, the roads leading to the venue are not spacious. Â Traffic jams happen and DTE seems to have the worst situation of all the major venues in MI. Â If you try coming here 30 minutes before the show, what do you expect?
Tailgating is fun here. Â As long as you are not obnoxious, the staff will leave you alone. Â Ample room to allow you to set a table, some games, etc. Â Pack a cooler, mind your business and have some fun.
The seating area is fine. Â The space between rows is adequate to walk by people to get beer or go to the bathroom without stepping on their toes. Â I've never sat in the lawn here and I don't think I'd enjoy it. Â Maybe if I was in my teens or early 20s I would've been obliged, but now, I think I'll pay to stand on concrete and not have to deal with the youngins in the lawn.
Bathrooms are what you expect when you have 15000 people drinking beer and having a good time. Â The Guys has never looked like war zone and the line usually moves really fast.
Concessions have improved over the years. Â It's been a while since I've been here and I don't really remember the situation, but I think they have added more stands/lines/people to attack the problem. Â I shuddered when I walked up to a line yesterday, but it really only took one song to get a beer and come back. Â Not bad if you ask me.
Leaving the parking lot can be a chore. Â I suggest you wait 30 minutes or so to let the traffic die down a bit and then go on your way. Â The staff doesn't pressure you to leave right away, so take your time getting to your car, take a seat, and wait. Â It'll make your departure a hell of a lot easier.
We have attended events here in the past and do not remember ever having such a problem getting in or out. Â The venue seemed to be unprepared for the size of the crowd for last evenings Brooks & Dunn concert.
We were able to find a back way into the venue after encountering a backup on I-75 that was over a mile southbound and even longer northbound. Â We still missed the first 30 minutes of Gary Allen :(
After the concert we waited about 20-30 minutes before even starting to walk out to the parking. Â It was total mayhem! Â No organized effort to keep vehicles moving orderly. Â Drivers had no idea which way to head to get out and were driving in every direction until there was gridlock.
Initially, we were excited about the improvements to the theater and the concession area. Â But, the walkways were to narrow to accommodate the movements of a crowd of the size on this particular evening. Â It took way too long to get from the pavilion to the beverage concession all for a $9 BL! Â Blah!! Â Almost missed the opening of Brooks & Dunn!!!!
We would definitely think twice about returning to DTE!! Â When you live in mid-Michigan, there are a lot of other venue choices for most acts and not as many crowd control issues.
I really just don't like this venue and I feel like a crabby old person for saying it. The seating area is pretty gross so I would never go without sitting on the lawn where you can have way more fun, except when there are wasted 17 year old girls sitting in front of you who managed to sneak in a bottle of jager. OK fine, that's entertaining and that's what I get for going to see Backstreet Boys at the age of 23. ShutUP!
Parking is easy to get into but HORRIBLE to leave, especially when it's raining. And especially when you're going to see Backstreet Boys at the age of 23. It's really just dreadful. Getting in off 75 is also a disaster but that's what you get with pretty much any venue. I just don't like this place.
The only good part is that the sound and lighting is excellent. It's literally as if you're listening to the radio. However, the hassle of getting in and out, the overall environment and dirty feeling that surrounds the whole event sort of ruins it for me. Maybe I need to drink more.
I'm on the fence about this place. I usually have a good time when I go here, but it's very VERY dirty. The seats near the stage are pretty nice and sitting on the hill is probably more fun and you can also see the concert or whatever performance just fine. The parking is alright and not too far away. Like someone else said, always be prepared for rain. The food isn't the best and is pretty expensive for what you get (quality and portion wise).
Review Source:Visited last year for the Mayhem festival. Had a great time.
Sufficient parking and a great area with plenty of space. For this festival they have multiple stages that they create in the parking lot. In total there were 3 stages and the main stage. Again, plenty of room and amenities.
Great price for a great time.
We got seats for the main stage, about 10-15 rows in from the back. One word of caution... if it rains, expect those with yard seating to pick up the turf and throw it into the seated area.......
Fortunately we had coats and were expecting this, yet if you are unaware of this it could ruin your experience.
All in all a great time, will be back if the price stays good for the
I'm old school too... this is Pine Knob in my head!
Prior to going to see The Fray in concert last week, it had been at least a decade - probably more - since my last visit... but I was pleasantly surprised to see that besides the name change, not much more had changed.
Parking was a breeze and the music quality was fine... We had lawn seats and enjoyed the big screen as well as seeing the stage from a distance. Â It was funny to see that not only were there plenty of beer vendors on foot, but (maybe because of all of the teeny boppers at this specific show), there were also vendors on foot selling cotton candy, snow-cones, etc...
The night we went it was a beautiful MI night. Â Just like my memories of going when I was a little girl!
As everyone has already mentioned, this will always be Pine Knob.
Now that that's out of the way, it is a decent place to see a show, at least for the types of shows that are usually there. We were able to take great advantage of some company pavillion seats and saw a wide variety of shows. Everything looks great from the twentieth row!
If you're the sort that drinks and wanders off from the group, be sure and have a central meeting place in case things end and you're not with your group. It's easy to take longer than you plan stopping by the restrooms and getting munchies and drinks.
I have seen countless concerts here. In fact, Pine Knob (sorry I'm old school) often was the backdrop of any monumental teen summers. Â Heck, my best friend slapped the boy I liked across the face because he was sitting with some other girl.. um hello YM moment-- I was mortified.
Regardless, while I agree with the other yelpers likes and dislikes, I really agree Parisa-- if you are going to "DTE," then chances are you are seeing a bigger name (mainstream) band so the intimate setting is lost. My question to Michael C is, where else would you want to see a summer concert? At the Palace? I feel like that's even worse.
And with seeing a mainstream band, chances are "mainstream" prices are going to come with it. It's a basic rule of business: if there is high demand-- jack up the prices and make bank... well at least that's what corporate America chooses to follow.
My advice is this:
1. Go early (like Libby said) and tailgate.. that is, if you are planning on drinking, it's a sure-fire way to save you some bills. Just don't hit the bottle too hard or you won't even get to watch Rod Stewart from the big screens on the lawn. Oh and pick a DD-- don't be stupid.
2. Â If you are seeing someone you REALLY like-- splurge on pavilion seats. I have sat in the Pavilion a number of times and it's definitely a different atmosphere. It is more about the music than the socializing on the lawn-- which is equally fun if you just "enjoy" the band and could care less about seeing the sweat drip down Rod's face.. or is that his face melting? Either way..
3. If you are sitting on the lawn-- don't wear something you wouldn't want to get dirty-- I made that mistake in my teen years and wore a white skirt. Unfortunately for me it rained that day. That's what I get for being an idiot-- so.. don't be an idiot like I was.
4. Do you really need that  $30 Hootie and the Blowfish t-shirt? If the answer is YES, I do NOT want to hear any complaining about the price. Get over it.
5. Have fun. Pine Knob is a place to "take concerts lightly," as I like to say. Typically it is someone I couldn't care less about, but go for a good time. Personally I prefer more intimate settings with bands.. but that's me.
I'm going to whole-heartedly agree with Parisa K. Â DTE (or Pine Knob which it will forever be referred to as by everyone born before 1980) is a great, great outdoor venue for seeing top acts perform.
As Parisa stated, it's all about the music.  I saw The Police  w/ Elvis Costello last night.  The sound was great.  The lighting was great.  The large screens were perfect for viewing from the lawn, where the real action is.  Ever been to a Jimmy Buffet concert here?  If you have, then you know what I mean.  I've seen The Police about eight times and this was my second favorite venue for them (First being Chrysler Arena in Ann Arbor back in high school in the 80's).
Yes, beers are very expensive, but that's what tailgating is all about. Â Fill up ahead of time and then buying one beer is not too bad.
Also, by getting here early you can get a prime spot and position yourself so getting out is easy. Â We had no problem at all! Â Speaking of parking, it's included in the ticket price; one reason for higher prices that Michael C. complained about. It is not highway robbery like the parking fee at The Palace. Â Lawn seats for The Police were around $44. Â That's cheap if you ask me, considering this very well may be their last tour ever!!
Pine Knob, er, I mean DTE is an awesome place to see concerts. Â You will have a good time here, trust me.
I'm a fan of DTE's lawn, so I'm a fan of DTE. Â I agree with a lot of Michael's complaints, but these faults are a dime a dozen when it comes to music venues. Â Sure there are the cheap, more intimate hot spots, but those generally draw specific artists with much smaller fan bases. Â If you want to see any big name performer, you're pretty much going to have to spend a lot of money for tickets far away from the stage, a lot of money on parking, and a lot of money on drinks, souvenirs, food, etc.
What I like most about this place is the lawn. Â Sure it is sort of a free for all, but I have been to many concerts at DTE, and I have always found the atmosphere in the lawn to be quite jovial. Â It's just fun sitting (or standing or dancing) outside and hearing good music among others just like yourself. Â Yes, it can be hard to see the performers, but if you are going to a concert at a place like DTE, you shouldn't be going for the theatrics, just the music anyway.
I have sat in the pavilion on a few occasions, but really the lawn is the way to go. Â It's generally quite significantly cheaper, and everyone is in good spirits. Â I give this place four stars because it is my favorite outdoor venue that can draw any type of musician. Â I will admit, though, I may be biased because I grew up going to concerts here. Â Whatever misgivings you may have, if you do go to a show at DTE, I'll bet you have a good time.
In short, I'm not impressed with how this venue is run.
It's hard for me to enjoy a concert here because of the price of the event is usually so high that I would rather save my money. Tickets are separated into lawn "seats", which are just find-yourself-a-spot-in-the-grass seats so far from the stage that they have cameras of the stage that are projected onto giant video screens, and the pavilion seating, which is about double or triple the price depending on how close to the stage you are. Even if you get lawn seats, expect to spend at least $30 per ticket.
The lawn seating seems silly because of the video screens. It's like paying for a really expensive movie instead of a live performance.
But even before you get in the door, you absolutely MUST pay for parking. If anyone has any neat hiding spots in nearby streets, please let me know. So before you've gotten out of the car, DTE EMT has taken $10 from you.
If you plan on drinking at the show, then bring a credit card. Drink prices here are as bad as ball games. Expect to pay nearly $10 per cup of beer.
The bands seem to cash into these higher prices by raising the prices of their merchandise as well. I remember shirts being between $25-30 the last event I attended here. That's way too much for a souvenir shirt!
Honestly I can't think of a way "around" the venue - if the concert you want to see is at DTE EMT, then you're pretty much stuck seeing it there. But I will say be extra careful with your money. It'll go really fast in this place.
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