Koka Booth Amphitheatre at Regency Park

Koka Booth would have easily been a 4.5-star venue a few years back.   As others have noted, the wooded setting, moderate size, easy-going staff, and (for us) low-hassle location are all positives.  

A couple of things have come close to ruining it lately.  

First and foremost, The Fence.  You won't find this mentioned in any reviews before last year, because it didn't exist until this season.   In some burst of belated post-9/11 fervor they decided to erect a 4-foot black steel monstrosity between the crowd and the stage -- completely ruining the sight-lines for the first 5-6 rows and removing any sense of intimacy between performer and audience for all.   We were excited to have front-row center tickets for Lyle Lovett earlier this year and found to our horror that we could barely see the tops of the performers shoulders above the fence.  (We are of average height; I can only imagine the view smaller folks get.)   After some confusion, the box office was able to swap our seats for the last row of the reserved section which were much better even though they had a lower list price.   It's really a travesty; I can't imagine there was a lot of aggressive stage-diving for the genteel acts that are booked here that would come close to justifying this awful thing.  

Matters aren't helped by the cheapo, low-slung folding chairs set up for the reserved section (without seat numbers, leaving patrons to count out and sort out who is sitting where).  

The second issue is the increasingly boorish behavior of the crowds -- the sale of season tickets means that lots of folks are there just for an evening in the park  rather than any specific interest in the entertainment; as such they seem to feel the need to yak loud enough to be heard above the music.  The Lyle Lovett show I mentioned was a charity event which included a "VIP" section in the back with free drinks -- the constant alcohol-fueled roar from back there was distracting even from the front of the venue and was visibly irritating the artists.  

Compounding this issue is, as others have colorfully documented, the strict enforcement of a very low sound level limit which both makes the crowd noise more noticeable and further encourages it (since the folks in the back can't hear anyway, they might as well chat).  I'm an old fart and don't need or want 120-decibel sound, but shouldn't a concert be as least as loud as a movie?  For rock acts, this also leads to compressed sound robbed of any dynamics and impact.    

So, in short - sit in the front and you can't see; sit in the back and you can't hear.  Other than that it's the ideal venue.

I have been to Koka Booth for many fun events over the years, Including the Great Grapes wine festival in April, July 4th fireworks and the NC Symphony and concerts. I have always had a really good time at these events.

The only drawbacks are lack of parking for the really big events like the July 4th celebration. You may end up walking quite a bit and getting more exercise than you bargained for! Also can be a hassle getting in and out for the popular events as there aren't many ways to exit and enter. Patience can be a virtue!

The area around Koka Booth is very serene. Lots of trees and a nice lake surrounds the amphitheater.

The wife and I have been to the Beer, Bourbon and BBQ festival here in 2011 and 2012.  The festival is split into a Friday night session and a Saturday afternoon session, and we have done one of each.  We both agree that the Friday session is better because it includes a BBQ plate from one of the vendors with your admission ticket.  Also, since the festival is in August, it is nice to have the weather cooling off at night while you are drinking it up.

The bourbons are varied and plentiful, as are the beers, but overall the beers are fairly generic for a self proclaimed beer snob like myself.   Nevertheless, the beer is refreshing versus drinking straight bourbon all night.  The food options were very good on both occasions.  The venue itself is nice with plenty of seating areas and usually they have some pretty talented musicians entertaining the drinkers.

Two tidbits of advice:  1.  get in line for the high end bourbon early and often  and 2. get a room at the nearby Marriott, which is in walking distance.

Cheers