Riverbend Music Center — Attraction in Anderson Township

We attended the Willie Nelson concert at the PNC Pavilion on July 12, 2017 and while the food and drink service personnel was courteous and polite ( I tipped them $10 on both of 2 trips) the security inside the Pavilion was ridiculous. A lady assigned to stage security and placed at center stage immediately began directing the crowd to remain seated after the first song and during the entire rest of the show until the last song when she began letting "selected" people come to the front who had not had a seat there all night only minutes after she directed another man back after he walked up. She was impotent as "security" as an elderly male walked up to the barricade, moved it and walked in behind her taking pictures with his phone camera. When she finally realized it, she freaked out, directed him out, and was sent a young man to sit at that spot to "assist" her. He joined in with directing the crowd to remain seated. I asked why and he said they were told to. I asked if it was the artist's request and he said yes. No notice on Ticketmaster, the tickets, no signs or announcement made before the show or by the performers. The lady working center stage also failed to see a red hat throw onto the stage from stage right. She allowed a group of three men to walk to the edge of the barricade and take pictures etc. It this point she had became so involved with the show (clapping to the songs beat, etc) that she took no interest in the girl that had been raised up and was sitting on the shoulders of a guy stage right. ABSOLUTELY the worst concert experience I have ever had. In fact, I was ready to leave after the second song, but my spouse wanted to stay. I understand that sometimes performers make certain requests and perhaps Mr. Nelson did request everyone stay seated. I've been attending concerts since 1973 and I've sen it ONE TIME when Bruce Springsteen on his "Devils & Dust" tour requested the crowd refrain from applauding during the first few songs. I attended a show from that tour at the US Bank Arena in Cincy and security didn't act like the gestapo when some audience members applauded. I understand the need for security. I understand the need for crowd control. But a crowd who is on the feet to watch a performance is hardly "out of control." In fact, most performers say they "feed" off the energy from the audience and perform accordingly. I've been to shows with older performers and those an older audience and if the crowd doesn't become engaged the performers coax them into it. The Beach Boys at Elk Creek Vineyard (Owenton) , Foreigner at the Taft Theater (Cincy), Three Dog Night at Elk Creek Vineyards (Owenton), Gordon Lightfoot at Singletary Center for the Arts (Lexington), The Rolling Stones at EVERY VENUE I've attended (And there have been many!) f Mr. Nelson requested the facility staff keep the crowd seated, so be it. But I maintain it was a failure not to provide that information in advance. And if in fact he did, it's sad he has abandoned the "outlaw" image that helped raise his to the legendary...

Saturday night my three friends and I went to the John Mayer concert. What was supposed to be a great night, unfortunately turned into a nightmare. You see I am in in a wheelchair and I always sit in the wheelchair section, which has never been a problem until this Saturday night. I was told I could only take one friend to sit with me. I was quite shocked since I have been to numerous concerts over the course of the past years and was never told this. So my one friend and I went to the section and was seated next to a girl who was in a wheelchair that was there with two additional friends. Then I looked around and saw another wheelchair person with two friends sitting next to her as well. This did not sit well with me, I did not understand why my friends cannot be with me, and their friends could be with them. It's not like there was lack of space either. I asked to speak to the manager and she came over, which is the same lady that has let me sit in this wheelchair section for years, may I add with up to 7 friends at a time. She told me that if no other wheelchair people came within 15 to 20 minutes into John Mayer's set my friends could sit with me. While I understand that you have to follow rules, I do not understand why she had to treat me like this. It really just ruined my night. For one of the first times it made me feel embarrassed that I was in a wheelchair, and that my friends could not be with me. I shouldn't have to jump through hoops to get the same treatment that other people get. I really did not like how this was handled and I would like someone to contact me about this. You need to figure out a different way in the future that people don't have to speak with managers or have their night ruined. Between my ticket, overpriced food and drinks, and merchandise I spent well over $200 to leave upset and crying. I already have tickets for the Brantley Gilbert concert, and I already have anxiety that I'm going to be in the same situation. It makes me not ever want to come back to RiverBend, which is really unfortunate because concerts is one of my favorite things to do. But because of your rude and uncompassionate workers now I have anxiety and stress about doing something that was at one time a...

The location is awesome, as are many of the performers, however the venue itself is just awful. It sits on the grounds of a very old water/ amusement park that looks stuck in a time machine from the 1960’s. It is way overdue for a major renovation / makeover. The parking lot is mostly gravel and where it is paved there’s a lot of potholes. The stripes on the parking spaces are so faded you can’t see them and the lights in the parking lot usually don’t work. The bathrooms are one step above an outhouse. Open venting with what looks like chicken wire above the stalls covered with layers and layers of peeling paint that looks like it’s been there for decades. Since they are open air, there are flies, moths and mosquitoes everywhere. The floors in the bathrooms are cracked, uneven and always floods. The faucets leak and the sinks are rusted. Concessions are a joke. Very limited menu, quality is horrible like bad carnival food and very pricey. It’s the worst food -seems like it’s been in warmers for hours. Stale bagged nacho chips with fake cheese. Hot dogs are 3 different colors and look like dried leather. The same goes for drinks. Overpriced. $10.00 for a can of beer. Near the concession stands are horrendously dirty old water fountains that are rusted.

The 2 venues for concerts (both the smaller PNC Pavilion and the larger venue are really an embarrassment. They both look like something left over from the 80’s. The red “towers” that resemble scaffolding with flags on top of the roof look ridiculous and are not functional. It’s really an eyesore. I think they finally got rid of the cheesy Roman Greco signs that look like Caesar. Everywhere is pastel paint that is peeling, and so noticeable surrounding the stage area. To complete the depressing atmosphere is antiquated dingy lighting, a very outdated sound system that is rather distorted. The viewing screens on both sides of the stage and in the back near the lawn area are way too small for the scale of the facility. They are definitely NOT anywhere close to being HD, ( or anything from this century ). Please get a sponsor for this facility and bring it into 2022 with a major facelift. It needed it...