FireLake Arena — Attraction in Shawnee

This place has so much unrealized potential. It could be a five-star facility but it is poorly run. If the Citizen Potawatomi Nation has the right management in place it would be a legendary mid-size venue.

Let’s start with the positives: • easily accessible from all directions • plentiful free parking • fast-moving entry with exceptionally friendly staff • comfortable seating • great sightlines from the entire room • outstanding acoustics/sound crew (this is a big deal) • smoking is not allowed inside (positive for me - negative for others, I concede)

There are more I’m sure I’ve forgotten. Unfortunately the negatives are enough to truly leave a sour taste.

So, they do sell beer and wine. It’s cash only - so be warned. Because the ONE single ATM in the building apparently communicates with the bank via WiFi and on the evening we were there it could take 10-15 tries for it to actually dispense cash. The rest of the time it “timed out” leaving customers frustrated. And thirsty. Why do I feel that it’s far easier to get cash at the nearby casino?

So, say you bring plenty of cash. You have a choice between three American fizzy, yellow lager light “beers”. Mich Ultra, Coors Light, Bud Light. And that’s it. Not even the King of Beers is an option much less a Shiner Bock or a tasty local ale. And that is a shame. Even more tragically laughable - halfway through the show they had run out of one of these.

Time to get to the seats! Good luck. For whatever reason they’ve failed to do what every other arena has done: adorn the walls with signage indicating where your particular section might be located. And there are no ushers. Only CPN lighthorsemen who not only don’t know the answer - they clearly do not care. Because they are gearing up to run traffic after the show in order to ensure a seamless and smooth flow of cars to the nearby highways.

Ha ha! Actually that’s what they SHOULD be doing. But they aren’t. It’s an utter free-for-all in that parking lot after the show. Every car for itself. And it takes a LONG time because nobody is directing traffic and the timing on the two traffic lights on Hardesty Road is a horribly unfunny joke. If I were a customer at the Bowling Center or Firelake Casino, I would be very unhappy. As unhappy as the concert goers stuck in unmoving traffic.

Again - so much potential. If CPN chose to remedy these issues I would be a frequent patron. As it stands - until I hear they have - I will...

My husband and I had appointments this morning to receive our covid vaccinations. We drove from Tulsa. We had been told how organized they were. We were so impressed from the very beginning of how efficient their procedures are. We waited in our vehicle for a few minutes until it was our group's turn. The socially distanced line moved quickly and both of us were there from driving in to our departure only 1 hour and 15 minutes. The organization and efficiency would be a great example for other sites that take so much longer. My 89 yr old mother-in-law had an appointment in Tulsa this morning as well. She had to stand in a line both outside and inside for 2 hours before she was vaccinated - shameful. We are so glad a friend told us about how wonderful your organization is - a well oiled machine indeed. Everyone worked in efficient...

My wife and I are frequent concert goers and not just locally but across the U.S.A. We went to see Gary Allan and Wayde Hayes on Jan 22 and what a HUGE disappointment. We pay to HEAR the artists sing and this venue's sound system sounded like a bad home stereo. The vocals on both were muffled and poor. It was sooo bad we left 4 songs in while Gary sang. It wasnt him or Wayde, it was the amateur sound system, etc...we will NEVER pay $$$ or set foot in that miserable venue again. On a side note, forget standing in line to get an adult beverage as they had one line and only 3 people serving. We watched and people were literally in line up to 40 minutes to buy a beer. Beer can be served from carts, commom sense. No need to have the same people serve beer from cans and make drinks at the same station. Rediculous. Love live music?...