FirstBank Amphitheater — Attraction in Contiguous United States

Don’t say you were not warned. This place is a complete joke of a venue. Be aware it is located down a two lane road in the middle of the country miles off the highway. It is so difficult to get in this venue it has caused a disturbance to the people who live near it (Google it if you don’t believe me) because the road is not designed to handle this much traffic. People everywhere had little signs in their yard about this. Since we had so much time to kill I started researching it and found a wealth of information on the internet and the issues that this venue has caused. There is actually a committee that has went up against this venue). Home prices have plummeted, and people cannot get through for HOURS leading to and after the concert or event. We paid premium price for concert tickets and got gridlocked on the road just merely 3 miles from the venue. (I wish I could post videos on google reviews for your entertainment). Despite leaving about an hour and half BEFORE the concert started (we were lodging in an Air BNB which should have been a solid 7 minutes from the venue) to get deadlocked in New York City style traffic. People were upset, blowing horns at a complete standstill for 7 miles away from the entrance. What should have been a great experience turned into an expensive nightmare. When we finally reached the parking lot/field/arena/bowl of death (insert your own noun here) instead of directing parking they motioned us into a field were it was utter pandemonium, on the parking, people parking sideways, blocking each other in, slinging mud and gravel, double parking and whatever else goes. Finally getting parked 50 minutes into a 2 hour concert we then had to trek up a road, winding, steep with no lighting. That’s right, I couldn’t believe it either. We then had to fight traffic coming off the blind curving hill in the depths of the night. When we finally got to the gate, (bring your own flashlight if you do decide on this venue for your safety because they clearly cannot afford to light the place up outside) we were told they were in the middle of the concert break. People were infuriated all around us, and the poor staff had to take the heat from thousands of pissed off Puscifer fans. We went to the ticket box to ask for our money back (obviously in vain I knew they would not oblige) and I refused to go in with 40 minutes left of the concert. I am just warning you- buy tickets at this venue at YOUR OWN RISK. We have been to over 90 concerts and this is by FAR the most unprofessional and overrated venue. Unfortunately we lost our money and we did not get to see the band that we love play this year. You will get NO WARNING when you buy tickets from this train wreck of a venue, on Ticketmaster or anywhere else, so if you have not been hot this venue before THIS is your WARNING that we did not get. Take it run with it, but run away from this venue! Even if you have to go to the next town to see your band, you will thank me later. Please see photos in pic 1 depict traffic in front of us, backed up MILES, and in pic 2 backed up miles behind us. Have fun and good...

UPDATE!!!! To be fair, the venue responded by email and phone to our email request for a refund by Tuesday following the concert! They offered either a full refund through Ticketmaster or a credit towards a future concert at Ascend or FirstBank. During our conversation, I was told that management held a meeting on Monday to discuss what happened, go through the comments/complaints/constructive criticism, and make a plan to address the problems that occurred. They’ve had some huge growing pains, but I have only positive things to say about how they have taken responsibility for the situation and how they have responded so quickly and fairly! They earned my business back, and I’ll be happy to give them my business again! I’m adding 2more stars for their amazing response and encourage other reviewers to do the same! I’ll come back after I attend another concert to make a final update! Here’s to emergency floodlights, PA system, lit signs, and visible employees! Thanks, FirstBank Amphitheater! If I could give it zero stars, I would! This review is based on the way the emergency evacuation of the Harry Connick ,Jr concert due to lightning and storms on August 29, 2021, was handled. No PA system in 2021 is a disgrace! If an announcement to evacuate was made from the stage, those of us passing through security were not aware of it because there is apparently no PA system, Our information came from people walking up the ramp. Employees were not clearly recognizable because it was dark and they were wearing personal raincoats so they blended in with everyone else. Evacuation was dark and dangerous because there was no emergency lighting to override the ambient landscaping lights. Good for everyone who could cram themselves under the overhanging porch and bathrooms next to the security tents, but no way Covid19 or not, will I stand 15 inches from someone’s open mouth. No lit message boards anywhere to act as emergency message system. Social media is just that… Social, not emergency management…. You can’t quickly evacuate in the dark, in the rain, dodging lightning, avoiding crashing into other people, and jumping deep puddles while scrolling through Twitter and Facebook (neither one to which I belong)! A lit message board with real-time updates might have kept people from leaving. It is First Bank Amphitheater’s responsibility to communicate effectively and efficiently with their customers and employees. Social media - such a childish way to manage a crisis. Hire some adults! Updates were not clearly given, employees and security told people to evacuate the venue, there were no safe areas (the lodge and VIP areas were not made available) for people to shelter from dangerous lightning so thousands of people had to walk through dangerous thunderstorms back to the open, muddy fields where they had parked. The concert began 2 hours late after most people had left because we did not get updates for over an hour. Refunds????...

My husband and I attended the Tears For Fears concert a few nights ago. It was our first concert at this venue, and we had a fantastic time! I had heard there were traffic issues in the past, but new roads have recently been built and getting in and out of the parking lot was a breeze. We arrived an hour before showtime and ordered peach-prosciutto pizza and banana pudding. A friend I ran into there let me taste her hot-chicken tenders, too. Everything was delicious, this isn’t your typical ballpark or stadium fare. There’s also a barbecue concession, a place with gouda burgers, and all kinds of drinks, beers, cocktails, Icees, etc. We had this really good mountain spring water I had never heard of, it comes in a can. We sat at the outdoor tables as the sun was going down and felt like we were at an outdoor cafe. It was a weeknight and we had worked all day so I liked not having to figure out where to eat dinner before the show. The amphitheater itself is stunning - it’s naturally carved out of the surrounding rock cliffs so the acoustics are great, and the rocks are illuminated by the bands’ lighting crews, it’s super cool to see. If you’ve ever been to Tuocahn in southern Utah, it’s kind of like that. Our seats were 20 rows from the stage. There isn’t a bad seat in the house. I like that it’s a small venue - I think around 7,000 people were at this nearly sold out show - so it doesn’t feel crowded or overwhelming. It’s a peaceful atmosphere with all the trees and hills. There’s plenty of room to dance and move around. After the concert we walked through nature and past the quarry with its waterfall to the parking lot. And the bathrooms are swank! I was worried that “amphitheater” might mean “port-a-potties” but no, these restrooms are large and clean! I want to say thank you to all of the staff who were so friendly and helpful during our visit. About a week before this concert I was at Disneyland with my daughter, visiting her friend who works there. Disney staff (“cast members”) are very well trained to provide top-notch service for their guests, and the staff working at the Amphitheater reminded me of them. The free coffee in the parking lot is a nice touch, and we were back home in downtown Franklin about 30 minutes after leaving the concert. I almost want to keep this place a secret, but it was such a good experience I felt I should share. Thank you FirstBank Amphitheater for creating this awesome place for us to...