i have seen dozens of shows here, and dozens at other amphitheaters. Â hence, the low-ish rating.
riverbend has an awesome location, an awesome annex venue (pnc pavillion), an awesome lawn - and a terribly designed pavillion that obstructs views like no other.
i like hangin' on the lawn, but i will not go see a show at riverbend unless i am in the pavillion. Â if that makes me a snob, so be it. Â i am a live music snob and have the credentials to back it up.
so there.
the sound, it should also be noted, is terrible on the lawn.
i have NEVER, in my life, been to a venue where the pavillion and lawn experience were SO different. Â tear down the pavillion and start anew. Â after all, everything else is super cool at this place.
I saw Radiohead here a week ago and enjoyed the show. I was on the lawn and was able to hear the music fine, but it wasn't as loud as I would have liked. I could also barely see them as they were so far away for what I expected to be a more personal venue.
The staff was not the friendliest and the exit strategy was pretty clogged. I didn't mind the beer prices and this was something I was afraid of.
Overall, it was a positive experience and I enjoyed my time. I went with a bunch of CouchSurfers so that made for a fun show.
Purchased tickets to see Radiohead on 6/5/12 back in March.
I had been looking forward to this concert for the longest time.
As far as the performance, Radiohead was amazing, there are no doubts there.
However, this venue treats its patrons like absolute SHIT.
No re-entry, was the first problem. I felt like Wayne on Wayne's World - "NO STAIRWAYYYY?" I forgot my glucose tablets and a blanket in my car, so I had asked to go back to the car to get them. These five 20-something women were just plain telling me "No," and called over a supervisor, who was the biggest bitch ever. She demanded to check my bag and still refused me re-entry. I walked away defeated.
Not many food choices, whatsoever. This was a problem for me, being that I have juvenile diabetes and wasn't aware you could bring snacks into the venue.
I had to settle for a hotdog and a water bottle.
The woman who sold me the items said she was taking the cap to my waterbottle; what the hell? I asked why and her only explaination was "Because." Um, okay.
OK, so I had lawn seats.. my sister and I were there early enough that it wasn't a problem to find a seat on the lawn with a good view of the stage, being that the steel awning was so f*cking huge and obnoxious! It literally blocks the entire stage if you sit on the lawn, which was not OK.
Also, the "grass" or "lawn" is turf - semi cool, but for the smokers who stomp on their butts, it smelled of burning plastic.
My sister and I had to sneak to different areas of the concert to manage to get a better sound, which worked temporarily, until our tickets were checked.
Riverbend sucks, and I will never be back to see a concert here, especially after seeing them treat everyone like a small child.
Riverbend is just not a great place to see a show.
The sound is pretty poor. Not only is it not loud, it's muddy. I don't need it to be ear splitting loud, but I like to be able to make out all the parts, and in an intricate show, it doesn't stack up. It doesn't project well, and considering we were about halfway up, we should be able to make out the lead singer's voice, which we couldn't. This has been a problem for probably 10 years here, and I have no clue why they don't invest in some better sound equipment.
The main problem I have with Riverbend is the layout. For one, the lawn just doesn't slope enough. You can easily be blocked by somebody 100 yards in front of you, which isn't a problem at most outdoor venues. In addition, the pillars are terrible. They aren't possible to see through or around, and I'd guess probably 35-40% of the stage is blocked by this. If you get there early it isn't too much of a problem, but the lawn gets packed if you aren't behind one of the pillars. Â The screens on the side would probably be good, except for the show we went to (Radiohead), they were turned off most of the night or frozen on an image.
The prices are in line with everywhere else where you can see a show, so no complaints. They have a decent beer selection and plenty of vendors. Bathroom lines were good if not great.
I did like the changing to artificial turf. No mud or grass stains, no allergies, no pesticides - that was a bonus. It was soft and well kept. I'm sure it's blazing hot during the day, though.
Riverbend has made a few significant upgrades since most of the other  reviews:
1) The lawn is now artificial turf. It was a dry, cool evening when I went. It wasn't bad at all, but I understand it gets very hot when the sun is out. Time will tell whether this was a good move or not.
2) There are now screens on the sides, making a much wider of the are of the lawn an OK place to see a concert.
3) They've added Skyline, LaRosas, and a number of Beers on tap and bottles of microbrews.
They kept the restrooms relatively clean throughout the show, and it was packed - Dave Matthews :) -
It takes forever to get out of the parking lots, and the ticket prices are outrageous, but that's true for all venues of this size. Â The screens could use an upgrade, I'd bump it a star if they did, and it;s a non-issue in the pavilion.
Great place to go for summer concerts...got to try and get the Jimmy Buffet ones (sell out as soon as concert lineup announced).....Came down for WEBN's "Easter "Keg" contest (supposed to start at 6pm, but the event was over WAY before I got there @ 5:30! Soooo, next year planning on being here @ noon!
Review Source:I went ahead and gave Riverbend 3 starts although I am tempted to give it 2. The actual venue itself isn't that bad....the sight lines are good, the two large screens in the Pavillion work well. There are also large screens on the outside over the lawn seats.
The sound is OK. In the pavillion it is very very good but on the lawn not so much. Projection just  could be so much better with some upgrades.
What isn't good is the planning. Â The way the venue faces does put the setting sun in your eyes. I understand the appeal of placing a large venue on the river but when the Pops are in a quiet moment during the score and a barge horn sounds you immediately understand why this might not be the best idea.
The concessions within are average at best. Â The addition of LaRosas and Skyline hlep but the beer selection is horrific. I understand a Morleine contract may be in the works and possibly one with Graeters which will help immensely.
During cold weather however there are still not hot drinks and the restrooms are not heated.
Riverbend can book some good acts! Every year they get Jimmy Buffet, Dave Matthews, Warped Tour, and many other huge acts. Riverbend can host huge acts like those in the main stage, but they also have PNC Pavillion in the same space that is all indoors and can host somewhat smaller acts that would not sell out the huge event lawn.
Seeing the show inside the pavilion is good, but much more expensive.
As for the lawn.... It is a terrible place to see a show. I have been to the Verizon Wireless Music Center in Noblesville, IN and it blows Riverbend out of the water. The grass at Riverbend is always in terrible shape. Not sure if this is a result of their ability to fix it, or if most amphitheaters have the same problems. Only about 2/3 of the space in the lawn can view the stage. Huge steel beams block the stage for 1/3 of the space so you will notice huge gaps in the crowd on the lawn.
Furthermore, the sides of the stage don't have access to a TV. Large TV screens sit in the front of the lawn, but from the sides you cannot see them, so you are stuck with the distant view of the stage to see anything. Even on those sides, you can see the front of the stage, but not the back where half of the lighting and fun special effects take place. This leaves about 1/3 of the lawn as a good spot to see a concert.
If you get the lawn, go in early so you can enjoy the concert. Otherwise you will be struggling to see the stage the whole show and not enjoy yourself.
I have a lot of great memories of shows from Riverbend. I grew up going to shows at this amphitheater. But now that I have lived away from Cincinnati and traveled to other venues across the country, Riverbend has to be one of the worst around. The sight lines from the lawn are just terrible. The roofing support beams block nearly 1/3 of the view. The bathrooms are terrible and concessions lines can be really long. The only time I will go to a show here now is if I upgrade to the pavilion seats and it has to be a show that I really want to see.
Review Source:Great music performance by Cincinnati Pops and Idina Menzel. Â Worst venue we've ever experienced and the RsVIP club is a joke. Â You get better parking, filthy rest rooms and the food is just plain awful. Â Service disorganized and most staff hasn't a clue.
Venue presents hard seats, so so sound and some idot (probably a redneck) in a screeching power boat who interrupted the performance at least three times. Â Passing barge traffic, however, was quiet as a "church mouse".
Bottom line is if you've ever experienced Tanglewood, SPAC, Ravinia, Wolf Trap and more, you're in for a rude shock  The only way to correct the venue is to tear it down and start over.
While this venue seems to be a Cincinnati institution, I'm afraid I don't have much nice to say about Riverbend. Â Sure, it offers a large variety of concerts and brings in some major acts. Â I'm just not sure the inconvenience and discomfort are worth it. Â
One plus I suppose is the lawn. Â For cheaper tickets, you can stake out your spot, bring your lawn chairs or blankets, and have a picnic. Â If you're into that sort of thing while attending a concert. Â Which I'm not. Â You can opt for reserved seats, but they have got to be the worst I've ever sat in! Â While the venue itself has a decent sound system and good sight lines, you're packed in so tight, it can be uncomfortable to actually enjoy yourself.
I'm not likely to frequent concerts here. Â If it is someone I really want to see, I'd be more inclined to travel to a nearby city with a better venue.
Visited Riverbend for the first time to see john Williams conduct the Cincinnati Pops. Â Parking was easy in one of the main lots and no long line at the gate left good first impressions. Â Then we got to our reserved seats; were they designed for 12 year olds? Â They are so narrow that even average size adults can't sit next to each other without literally rubbing shoulders. Â The large guy next to me took up all of his seating space and some of mine, so that I was pretty much forced to lean into my wife for the entire show. Â
Beyond that, sight lines and sound were very good. Because John Williams is a personal favorite on my wife, we went for the reserved seats and even reserving seats as soon as they went on sale, we were more than 30 rows back (row EE), with the front section seats all apparently being reserved for corporate groups and VIP's.
Overall, the lawn seating may be the way to go here, as I don't see them tearing out current seating and reducing capacity by installing adult size seating.
Cincinnati is not known for bringing in many good national acts. The venues are either too big or too small for anything but major-label music or poor traveling artists. Riverbend usually falls into the major-label category. I've seen some pretty incredible acts there, I've also spent the evening thrashed, sitting on a blanket on the lawn
area with friends instead of using my 7th row tickets. Events can be fun if you plan for expensive food and drinks, gross bathrooms, mud fights, losing your friends in the crowd and the mosquitos that are common when you are close to the river.
Bring sunscreen, hydrate and don't lose your ticket. If you are really lucky or really dumb you could end up kicked out after crowd surfing and find yourself surrounded by the tour buses during Ozzfest like my friend Mike. You could also just be dumb, drink too much beer in the summer heat and fall asleep in the sun like I did. Avoid Dave Matthew concerts unless you can deal with lots of drunks, lots of drugs and no one listening to the music.
Everybody has a story from Riverbend because it's the big summer concert venue here. Â Mostly these occur on the lawn. Â Like the girl who, for some reason, found my shorts to be incredibly desirable to the point that she almost removed them. Â Or when it rains prodigiously and folks start sliding down the hill on boxes, plastic bags, or soon-to-be-ruined shorts.
If you want a more serious, private experience, you can pay more for seats in the pavilion, but why? Â As long as you can find a standing spot not obstructed by the pillars, the lawn is the place for the people. Â Concertgoers of Cincinnati unite!
Riverbend Music Center offers a plethora of musical options to the Cincinnati area every summer. Everything from the Cincinnati Pops to the rock band of your dreams does a concert here.
The interesting thing is how Riverbend juggles from one concert to the other. One night there will be some death metal band for example and the place gets trashed, the next day there may be a symphony concert with a completely different crowd. It is really hard on the grass and if it rains between the two, the lawn can turn into a giant mud pit. It can be a crazy place on the lawn or in the mosh pit for these more 'popular' concerts and a completely different 'family' experience at the Fourth of July symphony concerts.
One thing has always bothered me about where it is located. If you have lawn seats and you arrive before sunset as is the case with most evening concerts. The damn sun is RIGHT in your eyes until it goes down. On a hot summer day, it can really be insufferable. Good thing you can bring coolers in with your own drinks and food for a picnic!
Riverbend now features a smaller venue called the National City Pavilion, I haven't been there yet, but I hear some exciting bands will be playing there this summer!
Almost every summer for the past fifteen years, a show at Riverbend has been on my agenda.
My most memorable show was Poison and Whitesnake circa 2001, where my friends and I went on a photo scavenger hunt for the concert's best mullets. We nabbed rare varieties such as the Kentucky Waterfall, Skullet, Fem-mullet, Mullhawk, Rat-Tail and other, unclassified species, all in their natural environment.
My three complaints that have knocked Riverbend down a star are the perpetual turf issues on the Lawn, lack of clean water fountains (paying for bottled water gets old in 90+ degree heat), and the overall nastiness of the restrooms.
Riverbend Music Center is the best place to see live music during hot Cincinnati summers.
The venue itself is nothing special, as the earlier reviewer wrote, it seats 4,100 people in actual seats but provides room for additional concert-goers on the lawn behind the amphitheater. Â More often than not, big time acts play Riverbend in the summer, last year I saw Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, and Rascal Flatts (no, it's not only for country acts, Dave Matthews and Jimmy Buffett also visited last summer). Â
Concerts at Riverbend are a whole lot of fun, especially if you choose to purchase a "Lawn" ticket (usually $30). Â The lawn is really one big party, it's your best bet if you want to make your concert an event with a group of friends. Â You are allowed to bring blankets and towels to sit on but don't expect to-everyone stands on the lawn for the whole concert. Â Parents be warned: Â if you take your kids and sit on the lawn you WILL witness drunken behavior and upchucking in the crowd. Â
One particularly unique aspect of Riverbend is that it is on the Ohio River, meaning that boaters can pull up behind the stage and listen to the live music without having to pay for a single ticket! Â I have friends that have done this and say it's great, especially because they don't have to pay $5.50 for a beer (Ice-cold 20 ouncers, in Riverbend's defense). Â
This summer Riverbend promises to host Tim McGraw, James Taylor, Chicago, Rush, Tom Petty, Jimmy Buffet (I WILL get tickets this year!), Vans Warped Tour, Dave Matthews Band, Poison, Rod Stewart, Kenny Chesney, and Journey. Â Get your tickets through Ticketmaster.
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