The only reason I'm giving it two stars, is that you think you're buying assigned seating. Come to find out, it's first come first serve. The show was great but need to get there early, to get seats. Even though, they were flimsy lawn chairs, zip tied together. Have to say the crowd was well behaved, considering the amount of people and alcohol. Never got any seats, by the way. Had to stand the whole time.
Review Source:The seating is actually quite nice - one star only because we purchased front row seats and the minute the music started security vanished and everyone came rushing to the front. Â Why pay for good seats when you can buy the least expensive tickets and still be in the front row. Â
We left after maybe five songs - on our way to the parking lot my husband asked  the couple in front of us if they had been there to see the concert.  They replied they had and left because they purchased front row seats and were pushed back.  They were able to find the head of security who told them there was nothing they could do.
This was not our first rock concert but certainly the first time security was not able to control the crowd. Â
If you plan to attend a show here save your money and buy the lowest price tickets you can find, it won't make any difference.
Came to see Diana Krall perform and what a great performance it was! Â We were on the side bleachers and had a great view, but we did have a hard time originally finding our seats since the section wasn't marked with signs. Â We had to ask the ushers for help. Â Also if it's GA tickets, as long as you're sitting in the row, that's good enough as there are no seat numbers on the bleachers although your ticket may have a seat number.
The 2 screens on the side made it easy to see too. Â The prices for drinks were reasonable. Â Only downfall is the loud noise of buses and trucks that occasionally drive by in the casino parking lot since this amphitheater is right next to the casino main entrance. Â Also after sitting for 2 hours, my butt was really sore from those bleachers. Â Some people were smart and brought their seat cushions. Â Great place to watch a concert on a summer night though.
Came all the way from SJ to see Earth Wind and Fire at Thunder Valley and REALLY enjoyed the venue! It was a perfect summer night where you could still wear shorts and enjoy the concert under the stars.
The crowd was great, there was not a bad seat, they had plenty of choices for alcohol and food, and even when you are at your seat there is a waitress to order from.
I loved the entire experience!
I have gone a couple of front row concerts and most of them have been fun. Except, at the Brent Michael's concert. Six fans walked up to me and wanted my seat. Â I told them this is my seat. I have been here since Night Ranger. Then they would push me and call me a bitch. One of the fans decided to stand by the aisle next to me (the fans blocked the aisle. This is a safety issue). Â This fan kept harassing me (pushing me and calling me a bitch). I asked security for help. They told me they couldn't help me. She is with the band. (She wasn't wearing a band pass). Half way the show one of the security finally asked me if I am ok. I told security "no, I am not ok". I explained to security what I am going through. Â I texted my girlfriend to come back to her seat. Â I had three fans saying they were sorry that I am being treated this way. Â Five minutes later the fan harassed me and started to charged at me. Â Security grabbed her around her waist away from me. There was two security officers talking to her and her friend. They moved them to the other side. My friend showed up and there were five fans in her one seat. They went away after she shows up to her seat. It took my girl friend five minutes and to be escorted to her seat. Â Then there were two guy fights punching each other. When Bret played his last song. Tons of fans went behind us and between us. So not cool! I feel bad for Bret!!!!!!!!
The person that thinks this is funny! I hope they take your $150.00 front row seat from you.  So, you know what it feels  like.!!!  :-)
i didn't see a show here, i went to the casino. the place is ok. not enough regular slot machines. almost all of them are digital slots which aren't really my thing. it's cool to stop by here, but i really won't go again at all. i didn't get to try the food, but the place is interesting to say the least.
Review Source:OK, the outside amphitheatre is pretty nice. We have saw 20 concerts outside. The heat in the summer sucks.
WE like the outside bars but sometimes they are cash only which sucks!!!!
You do smell a not so great smell from time to time if the winds not blowing right! LOL
We loved Chicago, Frampton, Tony Bennett, Huey Lewis to name a few. Hall and Oates not so great.
I have seen three shows to date here. Â Adam Lambert, Melissa Etheridge and KC & the Sunshine band. Â The sound is great and I love that it is such a small venue that ALL seats including the bleachers are pretty close to the stage. Â They also have big screen tvs so that you can see even closer.
I have one major complaint that i have heard people complain about at EACH show. Â The seats are WAAAY to small. Â They are white fold down seats that are all zip tied together. Â I am a larger person, but I hear even small people complain. Â One lady last night even said that they were kid sized chairs. Â They cram way too many people into each row as it made it difficult to dance even when we were standing because the seating is just too close to one another. Â Next time, i will definitly plan to sit in the bleachers so that we have MORE room!!
All in all, it is a TERRIFIC place to see live music....if they changed the seating, they will most definitly get five stars from me.
Parking is free, plenty of drink stands and food.
Caution: outside auditorium, check the weather to dress appropriately. Â The venue is small and makes virtually any seats perfect for seeing the stage. Â As always the closer the better - if you're willing to pay the VIP rate. Â The stage is faced towards the sunset so the sun doesn't blind the audience waiting for the show. Â Acoustics was as expected with sounds coming directly from the stage and in the middle of a parking lot. Â I docked a few stars because the seats were too close together and sound wasn't as powerful as other concert venues.
Review Source:I came here for the Gabriel Iglesias show. HILARIOUS! I love Fluffy!!
Anyways, about the setting. The amphitheatre is outdoor and the weather was perfect that night. We had to ask around where the amphitheatre was but the staff were really helpful with that. Â
The seats were fold out chairs; not too comfy but not too bad. They also have bleachers along the back for the audience that purchased "lawn seating". My only complaint was that you can hear all kinds of outside noises. Cars revving, motorcycles passing, helicopters flying by, people yelling at one another. It was distracting. Even Gabriel brought it up. He's like WTF! Can people STFU outside! We're trying to put on a show here!!
Overall, nothing fancy about this amphitheatre, but it was clean and it did the job. I had a great time here.
I read a few reviews before writing mine, specifically Joe E., and I understand his frustration regarding the outdoor amphitheater that recently hosted Gabriel Iglesias and his fluffy sized crew. Â Thunder Valley hosted its first ever outdoor comedy show and even Gabriel was hesitant of the outdoor venue.
Nevertheless, I was impressed at the organization of the casino for this event. Â Parking was free and there was more than enough to go around. Â The line to the entrance of the amphitheater was long but it went by fast and there was a corral selling food and drinks. Â People with general admission tickets were seated on the bleachers and those with reserved seating sat on the "floor" with what looked like plastic patio chairs.
The amphitheater had two bars, one on each side and one accepted credit/debit and the other did not. Â The area did smell like shit, but in all seriousness, look where we were. Â It was funny hearing the comics comment on the smell and getting heckled by motorcycles, a freight train and a commercial airplane. Â All in all, it was a great time, in my opinion. $25 to see four or five comics plus Gabriel Iglesias doing a 90+ minute act in the cool summer breeze. Â
Thanks Fluffy!
'just saw Gabriel Iglesias and his troupe of comedians this weekend. 'had to ask the casino staff where the concert was because there were no signs. (of course my wife pointed out the tickets stated "outdoor amphitheater)
The theater is as described. The floor seating was accomplished with flimsy plastic folding chairs. This might be fine,... never, but in this case it was especially wrong. Gabriel caters to a more, shall we say, "fluffy" crowd and many of the patrons were larger than me ( I'm husky). When we were all seated, it was quite uncomfortable.
While an outdoor amphitheater is nice, the smells from the nearby landfill, and the passing traffic noise, were very distracting.
Needless to say, I'll be watching Gabriel at an indoor theater next time.
(Casino review will get more stars)
Saw Train here a few weeks ago, and LOVED it! Definitely helps that Train is a great group and puts on a good show. The amphitheater itself isn't fancy, let's just get that out of the way now. We've been to true amphitheaters, and this just isn't one. That's ok though, the whole experience is still good. They have a great little outdoor courtyard where you can buy food and beers, super expensive, but still convenient. The bathrooms are fabulous! Yes, I just said public restrooms were fabulous. Go in and take a look, trust me you will agree.
The keys to maximizing your experience are: Get middle seats. Nothing too close and nothing off to the side, right smack dab in the middle. Drink up in the hotel/casino portion of the place. Once you get out of those glass doors and head into the concert area prices double! No joke, beers were $3-3.50 inside and $7+ outside. Also, if your looking to eat, get there early. Restaurants were full and the food court was super busy.
Yes, this is an outdoor casino theater in Sacramento. Keep in mind that this is not the Hollywood bowl or the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. With that in mind, this isn't a bad venue. The set up reminded me a bit of bleachers, but then again so did the price. The prices are not bad and the sound in the stadium is pretty good regardless of where you are sitting. Not bad for a concert on a warm summer night.
Review Source:enjoy coming to stay and play at Thunder Valley now that they have
beautiful, functional rooms in the hotel.
Food is great too. Â Had been to their buffet and enjoyed eating there.
Machines were good on weekdays, I could really pick and choose
and enjoy playing without people waiting for me to get up and
take over the machine. Â I love playing the slots .25 and $1 Â I win
sometimes and deposit there too at times.
There are more bathrooms now too, unlike x number of years ago
where the waiting was as bad as waiting for a slot machine on
weekends.
Love this place.
I saw the amazing Joan Jett here and would definitely come back for the right artist at the right price.
I had bleacher seats, and still had a pretty good view. The sound was impressive from the first note. Joan's voice was crystal clear. I only wished the crowd had been a little more enthusiastic because I wanted to stand up and rock out, but I didn't want to be a dick and block everyone behind me.
The nice thing about this place is they really don't care what you do. You can stand in the aisles on the floor if you want to get closer up. The staff was friendly and the concession stands were surprisingly affordable: $5 total for a Rock Star energy drink and large bottle of water.
Unless you get seats right up front, I'm not sure it's worth it to pay for an assigned seat rather than the bleachers. The stage is set high up, and I could see how it would hurt your neck craning to look up from the seat the whole time.
Parking was free. The bag search was just a quick peak. I'm sure you could sneak some food and drinks in, no problem.
Minus 1 star because: There were no signs inside the casino leading to the amphitheater. It's like they want you to give up on finding your way out so you'll drop some cash on the slots. And, that stench! The casino is downwind from the landfill. Hope you like the smell of vinegar and garbage!
So, let me start by saying I stayed in the Thunder Valley Casion Hotel and absolutely would recommend it. Â Plush accomodations even in the entry-level 2 double bed room.
The "amphitheater" plush? Â not so much. Â I think by definition an amphiteater is out of doors. Â You may get visions of the Concord Pavilion or the Shoreline Amphithater... you might get those visions but don't. Â Let's be clear - the Thunder Valley theater is in the casino parking lot. Â
My friends and I were going to spend the weekend up there for my birthday and planned on just hanging by their brand new pool. Â Then they got wind that Tony Bennet was going to be there the very same night so we jumped at the chance to see the living legend. Â
We sat in general admission area not in the stands in the back nor the "exclusive" section up front. Â The rows of fold-out seats were cramped. The night we were there, they had a little food bazaar and garden setup before you entered the venue... looked like an odd flea market with a couple vendors selling chatchky type stuff. Â Not selling Tony Bennett gear... just seemed out of place.
I enjoyed the show and could appreciate the seat I was sitting in as it was close to the booths on the side selling beer and wine. Â Think they even had margaritas. Again, the execution was sloppy - it was like plywood carnival booths that were in plain site of the audience.... how about a little respect for your starring act! Â (i got my drink before the show started but othere did not bother with that kind of ettiquette)
I have to give the venue props though - they've managed to attract big names - Montgomery Gentry, Lionel Richie, Tesla... well, maybe used-to-be big names.
Would I go back again? Â Only if the headliner is someone I can truly appreciate in order to overcome the details lacking in the venue presentation.