haven't been to this venue in years and i suddenly remembered why tonight. Â parking is ridiculous. it is the wild wild west. the parking "staff" are college kids who could care less. Â getting out of the lot was a NIGHTMARE. took an hour to get with no help from the parking staff. i turned my engine off a few times since we were literally going nowhere.
it's a long walk from the parking lot to the actual venue and a steeper and even longer walk to get to terrace/lawn areas. do not wear heels unless you have strong calves. it is a climb.
bathroom lines by terrace/lawn was insanity. even the guys were lining up down the hill. it took 30 mins to use the restroom. they have security staff outside the restroom since the lines get out of control.
security made people with blankets/chairs/snuggies go back to their cars. Â they didn't include any of those items in their prohibited items signs so alot of people got turned away once they got to the entrance.
boo. i hate this place.
I am extremely upset with the concert I attended last night at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine. Â My friends and I had lawn seats and throughout the ENTIRE night, there were people throwing fireworks into the crowd. Â Three times I almost got hit by a fire cracker! Â These people were throwing fire works into the air and into the crowd hitting people, but yet I never saw one security come by to investigate! Â What type of security does this place have?! Â There was even people swinging fire balls in a circle numerous times AND NOT ONE SECURITY EVEN TRIED TO STOP THEM. Â That is extremely dangerous! Â If i had gotten actually hit or burned there would have been a lawsuit. Â My friend finally found security and asked them to at least stop the people swinging the fire balls and the response we got was "we can't do anything or it'll cause a riot". Â Really? Â That is going to be the response? Â People are allowed to throw fire works into a crowd and swing fire balls in a dense crowd, and there is nothing anyone can do about it? Â We ended up leaving early from the concert because we were tired of being scared of getting hit by anymore fireworks or hit by a fire ball. Â THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!
Review Source:Went to the Wiz Khalifa concert yesterday. Â Outside of the actual seat/venue, everything else about this place sucks. Â Parking is free, as in free for all. Â There is no parking management whatsoever and people are literally inches away from your car, from all different sorts of directions. Â The parking here is Dodgers stadium bad and that's really bad!
The sound system is good and you have a decent view no matter where you sit. Â But I don't think it's worth the hassle of dealing with all the other stuff. Â I still prefer Staples Center or Nokia. Â Even Gibson Amphitheater.
I came here last week for the atmosphere and slightly stoopid concert....I was disappointed with slightly stoopid, I wish they played more of their old songs, but atmosphere KILLED it! It was definitely a fun experience, don't know if id see slightly stoopid again though.
Anyways enough about the concert and onto the venue. Overall its not a bad venue, I like that they have a lot of seats that are semi-close to the stage, I'm from northern California and always go to the Shoreline Amphitheatre so the set up threw me off a bit. The lawn seats are so far up compared to shoreline. What I didn't like, was what a FAR journey it was to go to the bathroom, I always drink at concerts, soo peeing is a must, and to have to walk so far to go kind of sucks. Good news was that the line to go to the bathroom wasn't that long, the venue is also pretty far from the parking lot. So I definitely recommend buying your alcohol when you get to the main area where the seats are located, so you don't sober up walking to your seats. I did like the amount of stands that sold food and drinks. Unfortunately its pretty expensive for anything there so I decided to spend my money on the goods (beer). Wasn't bad overall! but I definitely like Shoreline Amphitheatre better =)
Worst Venue ever. and ive been to most of them.. on the way in, it wasnt much of a problem.. but its such a hike from the parking to the booth to get the tickets. then another atleast 2 mile hike up to where the stage is at.. why couldnt they have built a road to take you straight there in stead of making you walk ALL THE WAY AROUND. Â If you dont have a ticket for that section they wont let you through.. which makes for no cutting across to your seats.. the staff is unfriendly and unwilling to help you out. and the sound system is garbage. Â WOULD NEVER COME TO THIS VENUE AGAIN, EVER.
Review Source:Love coming here for shows. It is right off the freeway, parking is easy and cheap, and the facility feels safe. Note that if you are in the lawn, it is a long walk up there and there are no people movers, escalators, or elevators. Everyone enters stage left, so plan accordingly when buying your tickets.
Now for the bad parts. The speaker system was going in and out the entire time we were at a show one time. It was ridiculous! Also, the staff can be a bit rude but I guess they deal with rowdy crowds all the time so they have to be. Anyhow, hope you get a chance to catch at least one show here!
I have been here several times for different types of concerts and have had mixed  experiences. I came this time for the 4th of July show to see the Pacific Symphony (which I will review separately). The show itself was good, but the venue not so much.
We had lawn seats and arrived two hours early and had to wait 30 minutes in a very long line. Once inside, it's a hike and a climb up, up and up to the lawn where every inch of grass is taken and people are packed in like sardines. The lawn has a steep slope and everyone sitting on blankets slowly slid down the hill throughout the evening.. weird.. and very uncomfortable. It is nice to lay under the stars and listen to good music, but I won't do this lawn again.
The place has trash everywhere and the trash cans were overflowing with smelly piles of trash spilling into the crowed walkways. The staff here is RUDE. At the gate the woman in front of me ask the man, "Can you tell me how to get to the lawn seats"? His response.. JUST LOOK FOR THE GRASS LADY. Seriously! Â And then, while hiking UP to our seats people are hawking their promotional items and this one man was selling seat warmers and shouting at us as we passed, we just kept walking and he shouted, YOU CAN IGNORE ME IF YOU WANT TO, BUT I AM STILL HERE. Â I am telling you, this staff is RUDE. Â
After the show, it took 30 minutes walking in an exit walkway that was was just thousands of people elbow to elbow shuffling slowly like zombies. Once in the parking lot there was NO meaningful parking management and it was absolute chaos with long line of cars moving inches at time and tempers flaring. All in all it took more than an hour just to exit the place after the show.
Cons:
Rude Staff
Trash
NO Parking Management
Terrible crowd control
Bad sound system
Lawn too steep - poor design
Pros:
Outdoors under the stars
Good music
Reasonably priced
One of the best places in orange county.
You feel like you are far away from the evil irvine machine once you enter the venue. Classic place to see a summer concert. Also, the crowd(attendees) is better than any other large venue i have attended.
The lease is up in 2015, so enjoy it before irvine co. destroys it. Its sad the irvine company is taking away all the fun spots that made the area unique. Wild rivers yesterday, Verizon tomorrow. But hey, they gave us a floating ball to make up for wild rivers :)
I came here for Weenie Roast 2013 and I loved it!!
I came early for the side stage bands - there was plenty of space for everyone to crowd around and watch and even if you decided to go to the back to get a drink or use the restroom, you could still hear the bands playing.
The main stage was great too! It was visible from where I was sitting, the audio was good, the only thing that sucked about the day was the waiting times but I knew that it was going to be a hassle arriving at the venue.
It took a long time to get a chance at the port-o-potties (which is never a good idea to use but you don't always have a choice). The wait at the drink and food stations weren't as bad though!
I thought the drinks were a little over-priced - at $6 for a big cup of lemonade & $4 for a water bottle and I don't recall how much the carne asada fries I bought were but I remember thinking it was a bit much. I expected that going in though!
Overall, it's a great place to see a show! Just expect long lines and bring more than enough cash for snacks and drinks!
Went for KROQ Weenie Roast 2013. Arrived with no issues and parked somewhat close to entrance. Cool venue but the lack of traffic control while leaving would prevent me from ever coming here again. We left during the last act thinking we would beat some traffic but by the time the concert ended 30 minutes later we had only moved 20 ft. After about an hour, cars came from all different angles trying to get out of the 2 exit lanes. Took 1.5 hours to leave.
Review Source:I went here for the SBS KPOP concert back in November and I'm finally going to write a review! (sorry for the long delay).
I've never been to this venue before so everything was new to me. To start off, I didn't have the concert tickets when I came so that meant I had to pick it up from the ticket office in the front. The lady at the ticket window was really nice and not just "oh, here's your ticket. Thanks. Bye". She had an upbeat and friendly attitude, it was pleasant customer service!
We needed to find our seats and the staff directed us to our seat section. That meant we didn't get lost! yay! The directions they provided were easy and clear to follow! There were lots of staff there so it wasn't difficult at all trying to find someone for help.
Once we got to our seats and the concert started, the sound quality was beyond superb. I was amazed. There wasn't the occasional screechy echo, annoying vibrations, etc.
Afterwards when the concert concluded and everyone headed out to their cars, there was lots of traffic! But there were again lots of staff on hand directing traffic in all directions. It was a pretty hectic night because the concert was awesome!
Really excited for hopefully I can go to another concert in the future!
This was my first time at the amphitheatre and we went for the KROQ Weenie Roast 2013. KROQ sent out an email with a list of allowed/restricted items a few days before. Allowed was a gallon clear ziplock bag of food and one factory sealed water bottle. They restricted blankets and chairs, even though the venue allows them for certain shows. Doors opened around 12:30pm, but we arrived later and came around 5pm. By this time, the people at the front didn't even care to check what you have in your bag, so you could have easily snuck in alcohol, blankets, etc.
It is definitely a hike from the front to where you sit near the main stage. a lot of stairs/uphill to get to the lawn seats too. The lawn seats weren't bad. You can still hear the bands, and see a decent amount since it's stadium seating. Bathrooms were gross because the floor was wet and it took a ridiculous 25 minutes for the girls line. Thank god we decided not to drink because I would have hated going back and forth in the bathroom line. Since we brought food, we didn't have to buy food, which saves a lot of money. Beer was $10-12.
Surprise guest was the Stone Temple Pilots! Towards the end of the night, it got a little chilly. not super cold, but slightly cold. Bringing a light jacket was a good idea. We left a few songs into the last act because we didn't want to get stuck in the cluster fuck of cars trying to leave the venue at one time. We successfully maneuvered out of the lot with minimal traffic and called it a night. Awesome bands. Awesome show.
Access and parking are both difficult, and the walk from the car to the entrance, from the entrance to the marketplace inside, and from the marketplace inside up up up to your seats is CRAZY. Â And there are thousands of people making the same trek all at the same time. Â It's laid out so very badly!!!
Review Source:Absolutely the worst traffic management I have seen. We arrived one exit away 45 minutes early (6:15)for a (7 PM) Chris Tomlin concert and it took and hour and 15 minutes to go that last 1.5 miles. 6:15 to 7:30 for a mile and a half. By the time we got in it was 7:50
Nobody directing traffic. Poorly managed parking. Then it took forever to get to our seats. Hugh long uphill walk.
We missed the opening act entirely.
Sound system... awful.... only pumped bass and drums. vocals sound all mid range. Couldn't tell the guitar from the keyboards.
Verizon staff rude, pushy and poorly trained
Looks like this is run by San Manuel Casino now, and it is very poorly managed. Nobody picking up trash, all the receptacles were overflowing, there was the stench of some bad smelling food being cooked for sale.
We will not attend another event there, and will tell everyone we know about the experience and let them decide.
I've been here twice - for KCON and the SBS KPOP Concert. Never had a problem with parking. On both occasions I was able to park as close to the entrance as I could get. A bit of a walk, yes - but not insanely far. Getting out after the concert can be a bit of a wait, but that's to be expected.
I love the location. Easy access to the freeway, no crazy traffic, and it's a lovely alternative to LA venues for someone coming from San Diego. The layout of the compound is also a bit different from, say, the Hollywood Bowl. There's a long, uphill driveway that's only accessible to the public by foot - and once you get past the gate you're welcomed into a wide, open space dotted by concession stands, booths and restrooms. Speaking of restrooms, theirs can use some updating. They're really old and ghetto. You'd only wanna be there cos you NEED to be there.
Staff, from security to concessions, were pleasant and courteous. One event staff member even remembered me from a previous event! I also got to talk to Andrew from Box Office and he was really helpful with putting my tickets on will call.
Going up to the amphitheater itself is a bit of a trek, too. If you're going up to loge with a throng of people, good luck. As it was in my case, I felt like sheep being herded up a steep mountain. Baaaaa-aaa-aa.
Once seated, you'll discover that the view ain't that bad. I've been in Loge 6 and 7, row BB and RR, respectively. The jumbotrons are a big help when you need a closer look - that is, if you don't have binoculars or a camera with long zoom.
The sound system was sufficiently loud. I felt my heart literally pounding on some occasions because of the strong, heavy bass. At times though the sound seemed to have exceeded the decibel limit, ending up all scratchy and scattered all over the place. But that can be attributed to human error.
Pack a sweater or a jacket as it could get chilly at night (except in the dead of summer, I guess). I've seen people bring blankets.
So if your concert's here, go. And don't forget to have a great time!
I had the wonderful opportunity to pop my concert cherry by attending the Super K Pop concert here. I would like to say that i absolutely love the location of this amphitheater. It's in Irvine so traffic isn't terrible. It does feel a bit weird walking through the place because you need to walk through some hill area to get to the theater.
It's an outdoor theater and includes a lawn section all the way up top. Sadly, the Super K Pop concert was not sold out. This proved to be a boon for us since everyone was allowed to sit closer. Thus, we got $100 seats for the price of $50.
One disadvantage of this place is that it gets extremely cold (or hot) depending on the season and time of day. While there, I froze my buttocks off; my knees felt like frozen popsicles as I walked up and down the stairs... It may behoove the attendee to bring a cultist blanke- er, I mean snuggie to a winter concert.
My biggest grip with this place is that the bathrooms were grimy. There's even ant trails scattered in some of the stalls. However, these bathrooms were super warm in comparison to any other place on the premises. It must be because of all the steaming hot piss. Yum!
I had an absolute blast and wouldn't mind coming here for a concert anytime.
P.S. Parking was free. =P However, it does take about 30-60 minutes to get out of there so it pays to chill and play pin the tail on the donkey with your friends or something.
So I went to KCON, the very first American K-Pop convention that ended with a concert. While the convention was a disaster (the concert part at least made up for it), the staff working for the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater were SO TERRIBLE.
Other people that went to KCON would complain about the volunteers and staff of KCON being rude and stuff, but they're not relevant to this review because they were merely working for only that one event (but FYI, they were pretty terrible and unorganized).
The regular staff however at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater (the ones wearing the uniforms of the place), gave me sass right off the bat. Upon entering the parking lot, I drove up to the first parking attendant and told him that my name was suppose to be on the parking list, so I gave him my name. He told me that my name wasn't on the list and I told him that I was told it would be. Upon me telling him what I was merely told, he snapped back at me and said again that my name wasn't on the list. :O I then told him that if my name wasn't on the first list, then I should proceed to the Podium in which he then gave me some harsh directions on how to get there. Geez, one hour in to work and this guy has already had it. :T
Proceeding to the Podium, another Verizon worker asked me for my name in which I gave it again. Once again she said my name was not on the list. She asked who put my name on the list and I told her, in which she repeated it with disbelief and a condescending smirk. :l She finally went to the Podium and procured the envelope with my tickets and the parking pass, and then told me where to go.
Finally the KCON worker at the VIP entrance told me I had to move my car...even though I was told to park there by the parking attendant...the KCON worker just said they didn't know what they're doing. :C Upon asking the parking attendant in the VIP parking lot if I had to move it, she said she didn't know...she also didn't find out for me until I had to ask again. All in all, it was a pretty terrible first 20 minutes of an otherwise VERY long day. The facilities are pretty nice I guess...only one good water fountain though. Food was expensive but I've been to the Hollywood Bowl enough to have already known that. XD
Meh it was just those darn workers that left such a sour taste in my mouth.
So I came here for KROQs Weenie Roast this year. I come early almost every year and try to make a day out of it. This year, I came late and it sucked in more ways than one. Â Mostly this review is about parking.
First of all, we were instructed to go to this mystery lot. This lot has sandhills, bumps, rocks, sand. You name it. It pretty much ends up at the back of the concert stage. (which is pretty cool if you don't have tickets as we saw a few folks just sat outside of their cars). Â The people who worked there to instruct us parking I believe were people who failed working at Disneyland. We ended parking on the side of a hill, my car was slanted. Â
We were actually pretty close to the entrance via side gate but the security told us to go the long way.
Concert itself was rad , everyone had a tribute to Beastie Boys, due to passing of one of its memebers.
Upon leaving, it took us over an hour. When I got home, my tires had shred marks from the glass/bottles and rocks that cut it up. Now my car drives like crap. No thanks to the crappy parking lot and attendants here.
Verizon Wireless Amphitheater? What's that? This place is the Irvine Meadows, and always will be in my mind. Such a better name, Irvine Meadows.
I've been coming to concerts here for 15 years and I love it. Tailgating before a show here is so much fun. Everyone is so relaxed and ready to have a good time. You can walk around and meet tons of people.
I don't mind taking a little walk to get to the theater, adds to the experience. But if you're a lazy bum, go to another venue for a concert.
I have only eaten here a couple of times. Don't do it if you can avoid it. It's definitely not what they are known for.
There aren't enough bathrooms for how many people go through them in one night, and they aren't taken care of very well, but what do you expect at a concert where people are drunk out of their minds?
I've sat in almost every section. I love the lower orchestra or pit if you can afford it or find tickets. I also love the lawn when you're going with a huge group of friends. Just be sure to send someone in early to grab a section of grass to plunk down in!
The sound sucked,,, could not hear the band tried to tell someone with Live Nation and was blown off. Â My wife and I moved several times but it was the same. Â Left 20 minutes into the show after getting stepped on by concert goers and by staff. Â This place could have been nice but it was ruined buy not being able to heat the band. Â
i will never return to this venue again.  It is one thing to have to hike to your seats, pay the huge drinks prices but to miss the concert because of the sound  SHAME   Very disappointed and feel like I was  BONED because we drove 200 miles to see the band bought our tickets in May and was really looking forward to enjoying the concert.  The worst part is there are so many people involved it will never get better and we are out a weekend of expenses for something that was not our fault. Â
Save your money dont go here THE GREEK ROCKS AND KICKS THIS PLACE'S"S ASS!!
After reading tips from my Yelper Helpers, Hubby and I took all the great ideas .....listened and learned.
TIPS. Â Park near ....no AT...... the exit. Â
     Get there early and enjoy the experience. Â
     NEVER wait in line at a bathroom ...there are tons of empty ones
     To the right as you are walking in. Â
     Wear comfy shoes...yes you have to walk!
     Bring ear plugs or get free ones at guest services. Â
We saw KISS and Mötley Crew!!  Was great!!  We got there an hour and half early, parked at the exit and pregamed for about 1/2 hour.  The walk in is longer than most venues but we knew and expected this so no biggie.  We ate before we went but there was options for food after getting inside the gates.  They had about 6-8 food trucks there pizza, burgers, dogs, BBQ, coffee truck, burritos, tacos....lots of beer, Jack Daniels bar, froz margaritas, wine.  Don't stop at the first place you see.  Walk around and scope it out.  After you get into the gates and trek up the hill you have options.  We stayed until the end, walked back to our car that was parked near an exit and was to the 405 within 10 minutes.
Ok, so usually I give music venues very low ratings. I always find something very wrong with them. Normally I get upset about the acoustic design or the lack of food options or the stairways being too narrow or something. Not here. The place used to be called "Irvine Meadows" (some of us still call it that) and true to it's name, theres a ton of grassy areas to chit chat, to picnic, whatever. You can arrive hours before a show and not be bored. Theres lots of food vendors and they invite some of the gourmet food trucks in to cater to the crowds. Theres plenty of beer/liquor vendors so you don't have to wait in line so long that you finish your first beer before you can even get your second one. Theres several booths for merchandise vendors also, and they're of the island with windows on all 4 sides variety so the lines are never too long.
The amphitheatre itself is really nice too. seating is arranged so that theres no spots that have a jacked up view of the stage (even the lawn is pretty good, unless you're way shorter than the person in front of you.) The sound is excellent. Now true, I've never heard a symphony orchestra perform here, it's usually just Iron Maiden and the like, but still, better sound that pretty much everywhere except indoor theaters.
Now some of you might be asking, "If you love it so much, why only 4 stars? why not 5?" the answer to that is the parking. It's an absolute nightmare. Not quite as bad as San Manuel Amphitheatre (the former Glenn Helen) but close second. If you didn't park near an exit and want to leave within an hour of the show ending, I suggest you leave before the show actually ends. There was 0 or very little organization in the actual parking, so cars were oriented every which way (the lines on the ground apparently don't mean a damn thing) and even after leaving, it's a battle and a half to get onto the freeway after, unless you just drive way the hell away from there before looking for an on ramp.
Parking aside, I choose this venue over all the other outdoor, and even most indoor, so cal venues for any kind of rock/metal type show.
Can we just continue calling it Irvine Meadows?
I was surprised to find they really did not charge for parking! Yeah and handicap is nice and close, but completely ironic as the walk to the stadium is a distance. They really need to put up a few porta potties near the enterance, as if you drive a distance, drink anything on the way there, then have to walk to the restroom you might not make it. lol Not how you want to start your experience.
This time our concert was KISS and Motley Crue.
As far as the show, well I saw MC 20 years ago when they were much better. We joked that Vince Neil sounded like Joe Peshi, just unpleasant as a singer. They had to add bimbos onstage to keep anyone interested. The drumset trick was also pretty eh, for whatever reason it was way more impressive in the 80's.
KISS is always a great show. Especially if you have never seen them, so much going on. just crazy and amazing.
The audience seemed a little dead, but it was 100 degrees that day and a Tuesday.
Get there early and the parking, little hike and vendors were all perfect. Short lines, almost no wait. Leaving was not too bad for us, but felt like cattle. If there was anyway to add another exit route, it would make the place 100% safer.
They did not search very well, and no metal detectors. So, it would be easy to bring in a knife, but not a bottle of water (in the 100 degree temp). Yeah, they make you throw out all food and beverage so they can sell you a $1 bottle of water for $4.50. lame
The overall show is usually great, sound is fine, view not too bad (unless you are in the lawn which just sucks if you are over 30 years old) But, on a hot summer night you might want to pick an indoor venue over dying of heat and paying too much for water.
What I liked? Well, I guess I still love this place because I have always had a good time here. 20 years of concerts at Irvine Meadows, mostly Oingo Boingo's Halloween shows, but many other great shows too. Lots of great times here. Just get in good walking shape, this place is not couch potato friendly.
IRON MAIDEN.
Parking was fine and we left before the last song to avoid waiting. No problem there.
There were electrical problems during the concert. The big screens kept cutting out and the microphone cut out sometimes too.
Lawn seats are pretty awful. You are standing on a slant the entire time. My feet were killing me within an hour.
There were bonfires all over the place and that made me very nervous. Is that even allowed? They use the plastic bottles and other trash to make the bonfires. It smells disgusting and is amplified by the drunk people throwing their empty bottles into the fires. I'm not the party girl I used to be...
MEH
This place is a decent concert venue but I have some issues.
Last time I was here (2012 KROQ Weenie Roast) they have a major delay letting people get to their seats. It got to the point where people were crowded together and it almost ended up a stampede. Very dangerous.
The area where you sit is a long walk from the parking lot.
Another issue is the parking. If you don't leave before the show ends, you'll be in a traffic jam for at least an hour.
My last issue is that the bathrooms are a far walk from most of the seats.
Oh, and food is very overpriced for what you get. That's it, I promise.
My mother is new to town, so one of the things I've been trying to do is find new spots to entertain us on our mother- daughter outings. One of our favorite activities used to be going to the Hollywood Bowl or the Arboretum to hear the symphony play.
By sheer luck, I saw a Living Social deal for the Pacific Symphony at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre. I moved on the deal quickly and scored 2 tickets in the 8th row. Not bad for cheap last minute tickets. Â Parking was $20 for preferred but you'll definitely want to do this so you can park close and not have to worry about long lines exiting the lot.
The property itself is beautiful. It is definitely a long walk from the entrance to the seating area, but along the way there were plenty of booths to sell you wine, food, and various other asundries. The layout was reminiscent of the Hollywood Bowl excluding the nice boxes where you can exclude yourselves and have a picnic type of meal. No matter because it seems everyone else just picnics on the grass here or like the old couple in front of us, they bring their wine glasses and bottles to their individual seats and crack it open.
The show was beautiful, the venue was a bit older but still comfortable seating. Staff was helpful and parking was easy. All in all, we had a lovely time. I'd return to check out what else they host at this venue.
I bought tickets to watch the Pacific Symphony at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre for July 4th. We drove from the Bay Area to Irvine just to watch the Pacific Symphony.
There is a $10 general parking fee. I believe it's about $15 for preferred parking. When we got to the area, there was already three lines forming in front of the gate so my family chose one of the lines. However, after waiting to be lead into the area, one of the staff members notifies us that there is only one entrance into the area so that all three lines will end up merging anyway. The staff member said it was best to get into another line. Well, the lines were already long as it was so we just stayed put. I wished that they had told us before the lines were formed.
The walk from the entrance to the amphitheatre wasn't what I expected. I noticed that there was a golf cart service to the amphitheatre but I had no clue about it. It would have been nice to ride one of those since we had a toddler.
Now if you're up in the lawn area, expect a hike up a steep hill. If you thought the walk was bad, the hike up is far worse, especially if you're carrying lawn chairs or whatever. The lawn itself is pretty steep as well so be careful not to roll downhill. I also noticed later on that there was a sign all over warning about snakes in the area. That's not something I wanted to know. If you have tickets for the lawn, it's better to get there early enough if you want a good piece of lawn. The later you are, then it's hard to find a vacant piece of lawn. You can bring your own food and beverage as well since the food vendors weren't available.
The view from the lawn was nice though. We could see other fireworks around the area. I have no problem with the Pacific Symphony. They were fabulous and we enjoyed our time there. Even though it was summer, the temperature dropped so we had our sweaters and blankets on. During intermission, there will be long lines to the bathroom. I waited till during the show to go to the bathroom.
Since there was a fireworks show, we had to wait for about 5 mins or so before we were allowed to leave. The process was a bit slow with everyone leaving and we looked like a bunch of cattle with the way that we were bunched up. I don't believe I saw any gold cart service back so expect a long walk to the entrance and back to your car to just be stuck in traffic trying to get out of the place. The attendants were just flashing lights to were you need to go.
For sure, I would watch the Pacific Symphony but I think I would rather go to another venue to watch them.
We went to the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre on July 4 for a Pacific Symphony summer series event. Â It took one hour from the freeway exit to the point where I had to pay $10 to park. Â Thank goodness that I had tickets in hand, the will call line was nuts. It was a 10 - 15 minute walk from my parking to the venue. Â If the concert hadn't started 15 minutes late, we would have missed the start. Â There were hundreds of empty seats at the start for a sold out concert. Â I guess that buying a ticket doesn't ensure that you will get to see all of it. Â That is unless you get there a couple of hours before it is scheduled to start. Â
The concert was very good. Â I will never go to this venue for any event, even if it is free.
Before we get into this, I want to make sure that this review is a reflection of the Amphitheater and NOT the Pacific Symphony Orchestra or any of the performers. Â The Pacific Symphony is wonderful and always performs at a top-notch level. Â I highly respect and treasure the dedication and talent of the performers and am a frequent concertgoer at their "real" home, Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall at the Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa. Â
Now, for Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. Â For classical concerts, this is truly an Orange County wanna-be Hollywood Bowl. Â The picnicking, lawn seating, television screens, luxury dining in the orchestra section, and VIP boxes all cry out "Hollywood Bowl without the drive."
That's where the similarities end. Â Holy crap, this venue needs help. Â There is ONE entrance/exit to the facility from Irvine Center Drive. Â That means traffic backs up clear onto the southbound 405. Â Once you get in, the will-call line is over 30-minutes long... the line to purchase tickets was shorter, but who is going to pay for parking without knowing that there will be available tickets?!. Â The entrance to the amphitheater is almost a half-mile away from the ticketing area. Â There is ONE entrance/exit to the amphitheater (separate stairs available for lawn area, though). Â If there were ever a disaster in this venue, everyone would be trapped.
This place is the WORST if you are mobility challenged. Â They offer a golf-cart service to shuttle people a half mile to the amphitheater entrance. Â WARNING: For first-time visitors, they DO NOT tell you about the long walk. Â So, you're halfway there and you're stuck... they won't stop and pick you up halfway. Â Ok, now you've learned about the long walk and decide to wait for the shuttle after the concert. Â It takes between 15-20 minutes to leave the amphitheater itself. Â Then, once outside, you get into a line to wait for the golf cart service. Â The line is FORTY-FIVE minutes long. Â If the concert ends at 10:15, you are lucky if you make it back to your car by midnight. Â
We attended the Pacific Symphony's July 4th celebration concert. Â The concert was so good that it tempered the horrible way that the amphitheater is run. Â The staff members were really nice, but no one knew what was going on. Â Clueless. Â I think the Pacific Symphony needs a new summer home.
For an outdoor venue, it's not bad at all. Came here to check out Def Leppard and Poison and I really had a great time. Based on my fellow Yelpers' helpful reviews, I did the following and it probably greatly contributed to my positive experience:
1. Do NOT park on the premises - avoid at all costs. The majority of the complaints about this venue seem to be about the parking. As much as I'd hate to give this tip away, there is plenty of parking at the various office/business parks across the street. Yes, it's a bit of a walk and I know SoCal people aren't big on walking anywhere. But if you've got on comfy shoes (ladies - PLEASE leave the stilettos at home. You'll only look dumb and not sexy, trust me) and you don't mind a brisk walk, you will save yourself a ton of grief. Also, if you live around the area, take a cab! I saw a lot of people doing this and it's definitely something to consider. There were also lots of cabs waiting outside the place towards the end of the concert.
2. Don't wait in line at the first set of bathrooms you see. There are tons of bathrooms and while there may be lines at all of them, the longest lines are for the ones you see as soon as you enter the lot and the ones you see as soon as you walk away from the seating areas.
3. Eat before or after the concert. The food is grossly overpriced (naturally) and gross to boot.
Parking and bathroom issues aside - this is a GREAT place for an outdoor concert!
I've been coming to this venue since I saw the Scorpions play here in 1993. Am I biased? Maybe, but we have so few places in Orange County where big acts can play in an outdoor setting that I don't get how anyone can hate on this place.
I've been to over a dozen shows here over the years (would've been more but, honestly, they had a long period of booking nothing but crap) and every seat in the house is a good one... unless you're on the lawn, where it's a Mad Max style wasteland of lawless ruffians and burning mosh pits. I recommend everyone experience something like that at least once.
In 2008, I had backstage tickets for Iron Maiden along with my Orchestra seats. No, nobody from the band actually hung out in their VIP area... but they did have all the Newcastle I could drink. Sloppily headbanging along to their classics, out in the open, with plenty of booze made for one of those nights you never forget.
I'll be sad once this place is gone, and I think most people won't recognize the void it'll leave until that's happened. The lease is up in 2017, at which point I'm sure the Irvine Co. will tear it down to make room for more cookie-cutter homes that won't sell. It's a goddamn shame, and if I thought more could be done about preventing it, I'd be doing it.
I experienced the same problems (and more) that I see others commenting on here at the Beach Boys concert on June 3rd.
The traffic control was nonexistent, except for a couple parked police cars apparently watching multiple lanes of traffic squeeze into the driveway. Â Once pas the squeeze of the entrance, we finally reached a couple poor kids, overwhelmed kids trying to keep people in their lanes. Â
We drove up and down a few rows and finally found a space near the far corner near the former Wild Rivers site, about a half mile or so from the actual venue gate and then the long walk inside to the seats.
At the gate, and after that long walk...we were informed that backpacks were not allowed at this show. Â (Mine was smaller than many purses I saw admitted, and a lot smaller than the beach chairs some folks carried in). Â It held my binoculars, iPad and jacket. Â But, there was no reasoning or discussing with the stormtroopers guarding the gate. Â So, I was forced to walk an additional approx. mile round trip back to my car to stow the bag.
This information was not on the ticket.
Nor was it posted anywhere prior to the gate.
The ridicules walk that I was forced to make ultimately cost me the first 7 songs of the set.
The show was okay. Â The sound system solid, but the house video system is relatively small and low res compared to many other venues in the area. Â The place is just not that special. Â
Of course, if you thought getting in was bad...wait until you try to leave...
We spent 90 minutes sitting at our car before we even bothered to try and move the vehicle.
I'm not some kid who is new to the place. Â I've likely attended at least 100 shows there over the years and average 3-4 shows a month at various venues in So Cal. Â But I think this experience was the final straw. Â I'd rather drive to Phoenix, San Diego or Las Vegas then attend another show in this train-wreck of a venue (and parking lot).
The lease for it's existence ends in a few years and frankly I can't wait for them to just level it and build another generic tract of houses there.
This place has the WORST PARKING EVER. They have only one entrance and they let you in in 4 lines of cars that then merge into one and they don't direct traffic or parking well at all. Other places would tell you where to park and make sure everything is organized but you just have to circle around for ages and try to grab a spot wherever you find one. It took us over an hour just to merge into the main lane and longer than that to find parking (we ended up paying 20 for priority parking which was unmarked - we paid the attendant in cash so I'm not even sure if it was or wasn't a scam)
Same with leaving, we were stuck at a standstill in the parking lot for over an hour.
Other than that the venue is okay, gets real cold at night but the lawn is really steep so you can see okay even if you're really far back. I came for KROQ's weenie roast 2012 and it was fun but it was just so poorly coordinated that I'd never come back.
Basically, this venue sucks.
There is only one entrance/exit into the parking lot and when thousands of cars are trying to get in to park, it turns into a huge cluster-fuck of a traffic jam with impatient drivers.
It's quite a hike to get to your seats, especially if you have lawn seats. However, the one thing I liked about the lawn seats was the view. It's a very slanted hill so no matter where you're standing, you have a good view of the stage (unless, of course, you're short and standing behind someone tall).
In general, wait for the artist or whoever you're going there see to be at a different venue.
Save yourself the frustration.
I am giving this place 1 star because of the PARKING situation! I was there to see Drake last night & everything was great, show was off the hook & I was pretty satisfied with everything overall... As we walked down this dirt road to get to our car, we were debating wether to attempt to get out or sit & wait in our car.
We waited for 1 HOUR AND A HALF stalled in the SAME spot with the rest of the attendees!!! WORST experience! They need to come up with a better system for parking!
After 1 hour & a half, someone driving a big truck decided to off road towards the back and everyone followed and we finally made it out!
We should have never had to find our own way out! Security should have been at every location where there were parked cars! It was Chaos! and we had no clue of what was going on!
1 hour and a half of waiting kinda killed my hype about the concert!
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