Metro Centre

Home of the Rockford Ice Hogs, we saw a hockey game at the Metro Centre on the super cheap. Eight bucks for tickets and the seats weren't terrible.

The Metro Centre on the whole is clean and laid out in a way that makes sense. It's not as large as some places I've been in, which is nice since even the nosebleed seats weren't that far away.

I'm not as kind as Edward, apparently! I also drove out for Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin and Flyleaf.

PROS: Smaller venue than I expected. I was picturing Allstate Arena or something, but this was a nice size. Big enough to have some professional staging with fire, but small enough to get a good view and good audio quality.

CONS: Concessions were no where near prepared to handle this crowd. It did literally take the ENTIRE time between bands to use the bathroom and order a beer. This, in itself, is annoying. But when people who already drank too much are forced to wait that long in poorly-organized lines, tensions can run high. I was accidentally hit in the head twice by some guy who was on the verge of a fight with someone behind me in line. Staff did nothing to create a more orderly, efficient ordering process.

OTHER: Parking in the ramps was $10. I wish I'd known that there was a ramp with a covered walking bridge into the venue, instead of having to walk outside a block or two.

All in all, I'd go back for music, but I'd drink beforehand and just avoid the concessions completely.

We went to see Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin and Flyleaf here.  I  live in the Chicago area, so this venue is "quaint" to me.  The view of the stage was GREAT, and it appeared that it was great from any seat for a concert.  The concessions were decent, but were severely overcrowded.  No chance of getting beer between bands unless you leave your seat before the band is done or wait JUST until the next band is starting, thus missing the first song.  They needed more stands, but I wasn't terribly surprised though.  Decent beer selection for a place like this.  Food?  Only had the fries, but they were really, really good.   Overall, a pleasant experience, it would have been a better experience if I could have had a couple of more beers :)