Frederick Brown Jr Amphitheater — Attraction in Peachtree City

The Fred’s Venue A-Z page reads that, “All shows are rain or shine. In the event of severe weather conditions which require a show cancellation, the Fred will contact the ticket holder with details on rescheduled event dates or refunds.” After last night’s experience, I wonder what they consider “severe weather” to be.

My wife bought concert tickets for my birthday. We arrived at the Fred about 30 minutes before the concert was to begin. It was raining heavily, so we decided to wait a few minutes before going in. It wasn’t long before we began hearing thunder and seeing flashes of lightning. I checked my phone’s weather app and saw that the National Weather Service had issued a “Significant Weather Advisory” for the area, warning of frequent lightning. They advised people outdoors to “seek shelter immediately.” There were numerous lightning strikes in the immediate area.

I knew that NCAA rules require sporting events to be suspended for at least 30 minutes when there is lightning within 8 miles of a stadium, and I assumed that other outdoor venues like the Fred would take a similar common sense approach. I began checking the Fred’s social media accounts for news on delaying, rescheduling, or cancelling the concert, but clearly the concert was proceeding. We waited a long time after the concert began for the weather to let up, but if anything, the lightning was getting worse.

Finally, my wife called the venue to ask for a ticket refund. The person she spoke with was rude and sarcastic. She told my wife that there would be no refund because the concert had not been cancelled. My wife told her about the NWS advisory and that the NWS was warning people against being outdoors. An outdoor concert simply wasn’t safe in those conditions. My wife was told that the Fred had “staff monitoring the situation.” What qualifications did they have to judge whether it was safe for others to be outdoors? We’re going with the meteorologists’ advice! My wife was told that the Fred couldn’t issue a refund, and that she would have to take it up with the ticket seller. My wife called Ticket Alternative and got more rudeness and sarcasm. She was told that we should “just eat” the ticket costs.

I wouldn’t have a quarrel with the Fred if it had been just rain (we were prepared for that,) but lightning can kill. The National Weather Service’s Lightning Tips page reads that “NO PLACE outside is safe when thunderstorms are in the area!!” [emphasis theirs] and that, “if you hear thunder, lightning is close enough to strike you.” As I write this, thirteen people in the U.S. have been killed by lightning strikes so far in 2018, one of them in Georgia. According to the American Meteorological Society’s Statement on Weather Safety and Outdoor Venues, “In the U.S., hazardous weather kills attendees at entertainment venues each year,” and that “in many instances, organizers simply ‘hoped that we wouldn’t get hit.’” That certainly seems to be how the Fred handles it.

One person my wife spoke to on the phone told her that in her four years of working for the Fred, they had never cancelled a concert because of weather. Be forewarned that the Fred will proceed with a concert in dangerous weather before it will cancel it and have to issue a refund. Your options in dangerous weather are: stand outdoors in lightning or...

We attended the CCR concert the evening of August 3, 2018. The performance was awesome from beginning to end, so I have no complaints about the band. The acoustics were spot on, and there are no bad seats in the house. If I could give the band five stars and the venue one, that would more accurately portray our experience there that night.

Unfortunately, however, I have very little good to say about the venue itself. There was quite a bit of confusion over the tickets and seating. When we arrived and presented our tickets, we were told that they had already been used, and were directed to the box office. When we did get in and went to find our seats, they were already occupied, and when we compared our tickets to those held by the couple already there, lo and behold, the venue sold the same seats at least twice, if not more. We were asked to move because the people who also had our assigned seats had purchased theirs months before - so did we. We bought our tickets in March.

How difficult is it to maintain accurate records of which seats were sold? It reeks of a sloppy, amateurish, and quite possibly fraudulent approach to selling seats for a popular concert. I highly doubt we will ever be returning...

We've always loved going to the FRED. We've seen some of our favorite shows there & it's nice having a local venue that brings in quality entertainment. It's a beautiful setting and the people that work there are locals who just want the opportunity to contribute to an overall great experience for the community. They're awesome! The only complaint we have and hear all the time is that the lawn area has been allowed to deteriorate. There's barely any lawn left & rain makes it super slippery getting up and down the hill. They need to install some sort of steps or even railroad tie steps to make it easier and safe for people getting up and down the side of the hill. As often as it rains, it makes a very unsafe and challenging treck up and down the hill in the dark. Other than that, it's an incredible venue that we utilize often to enjoy some of the best entertainment around the area. Some of our favorite shows here? Mark Martel, Hall and Oates, Prince Tribute band, the Spin Doctors, on the Black Jacket Symphony & so many more! The list goes on and on. So grateful to have such experiences...