Northwell at Jones Beach Theater — Attraction in Town of Hempstead

I've been here dozens of times for many different bands over the past 45 years. There are a couple of things you should know about Jones Beach Theatre before you go. First off this theatre can be the most fantastic or awful place depending on the weather. A beautiful summers night is generally spectacular and even the upper decks offer gorgeous ocean sunsets. However because you're right off the water a bad weather day here is often very intense and unpleasant. Obviously the only way to avoid a rainy cold mess is to scalp tickets close to the show time, which will cost you more money or just take a chance if you don't mind sitting in a storm or you aren't worried about losing money. Secondly there is a lot of tailgating in the parking lot. Hence getting into the lot and parked can take extra time if you don't go early. However one of the nicer things with this theatre is that the parking lots empty very fast after a show. The theatre intersects with 3 parkways and traffic gets out lightning fast at night (remember the beach can handle over 100,000 people and they are all gone in the evening, so the 16,000 concert-goers are easy to handle). Third, security is tight here. You are going through metal detectors and women can't bring in large bags so be forewarned. Fourth-I do not think the sound is great all throughout the theatre. I recommend a seat towards the middle of the stadium. In fact seats in the upper deck in the middle are my sweet spot. They are affordable, sound is great, the views of the ocean are wonderful. Yes there are closer seats to the stage of course, but I look for seats in section 22 on one of the aisles or as close to that area as possible. Fifth-Food and drink are ridiculously expensive inside, so just be prepared and don't freak out. Sixth-If you are downstairs at the main level and you are going to the rest rooms walk to the far end of the venue (away from the main exit) and you won't have to wait on line forever. Seventh-There are two elevators in the middle of the venue if you don't want to or can't handle the stairs to the upper decks. BOTTOM LINE-Jones Beach is my favorite outdoor venue for a concert. But don't forget it is OUTDOORS and bad weather can be rough by the ocean. But on a beautiful night there is nothing better- Shows I've seen here: STING, SANTANA, DOOBIE BROTHERS, STEELY DAN, COUNTING CROWS, DAVE MATTHEWS BAND, ROGER WATERS, THE DEAD, PETER GABRIEL, THE GOO GOO DOLLS, JACKSON BROWNE, JAMES TAYLOR, CHICAGO, CROSBY STILLS NASH & YOUNG, JOAN ARMATRADING, JACK JOHNSON, BONNIE RAITT, JOHN FOGERTY, BRUCE HORNSBY AND MY FAVORITE SHOW BOB DYLAN AND PAUL SIMON ON A...

As a Long Islander. I am a regular attendee of this lovely outdoor amphitheater. I try to attend at least two to three. Summer concerts. mainly/ Oldies artists. classic rock. in Jones Beach every season. And majority of the time. it always is a lovely experience. The food is wonderful. The staff are accommodating and amazing. But the main reason I am writing today and Why my review is only four stars, not 5. Is due to a little bit of a complaint I have with the. Recent renovation as of last year. Now I am in a wheelchair. With cerebral palsy And in the past. whenever I would attend concerts here. Handicaps evening was always in front within the first few rows But unfortunately. due to the recent renovation. the handicapped part of the front rows. What is most likely removed to accommodate more seats And not to be disrespectful, but that's kind of stupid. So last summer, both. concerts I attended. the only downside was. having to get a not so the best view from the Back of the outdoor arena/ Upstairs sections. But what made it harder was my experience. at the second concert My Viewing spot/ Three tickets with my mom and friend We're up on the Terrace To the point where not only did I have to take the elevator. But I also had to go on one mini lift. Because getting on the terrace requires climbing up. Three steps, which I can't do Now, hypothetically. What if there was an emergency and all the handicapped people were trying to. get out the venue or what if somebody had an emergency and needed to be medically evacuated? The terrace Section is not well equipped for Us wheelchair people. But what makes matters a bit worse is. As I was driving to my seat I was driving next to a gravel wall. and I ended up With a pretty Moderate Significant arm scrape. Luckily, wasn't too serious. but it did take over a month to heal. My main point of. this complaint is. Some amphitheaters./ Arenas and stadiums Need to make sure. everything is well equipped for the wheelchair Gamegoers and concertgoers like myself. But that doesn't mean I will not stop attending because, overall, it's always been a amazing positive experience. And luckily, even though I had to spend a little more for this season, my shows that I will be seeing are further up. further up and I will be able to view the concerts from...

The amphitheater at Jones Beach is likely my most traveled to venue for music. Through the years there have been improvements to the concessions. The sound is very good, no matter where you sit. Parking is ample as it uses beach lots. Parking is also free (aside from vip which is way overpriced). Food and beverage are fairly on par with what other venues charge. Jones Beach allows each patrons to enter with up to a 1 gallon SEALED water bottle OR empty container. Seating consists of several levels of folding chairs. Upper mezzanine, mezzanine, lower mezzanine, orchestra and if available "pit". There are box seats and a vip area which I've never been to, but hear it's not very good once the show starts. The entire amphitheater is outdoors, so you are subject to any weather conditions. Typically, only an electrical storm will be a reason a show is canceled. As this venue is on the water, it is more windy that regular places and the higher up you get, the more windy it becomes. Check weather, my wife and I have ponchos just in case. There is a slight overhang in the middle seating area which are the only seats that won't get wet if it rains. Tickets are always sold by ticketmaster from what I've seen, who are a total rip-off, but what can I do? The only other way to get tickets at a good price is if the show isn't selling well, Groupon offers tickets at a reduced price with no fee. Being outdoors makes it more likely bands will use pyrotechnics. There are also 2 large screens that project the artists. As of now, smoking is permitted on the ground level outside of the seating. Marijuana seems to be permitted anywhere. There don't seem to be as many ushers as other venues or compared to what I've seen in the past. Restrooms are plentiful and good sizes. They don't smell as bad as I remember them. Merchandise and food sales typically stop at 10. That I know of, there is 1 elevator located right in the center of the seating. The capacity is 15,000. They were smart enough to position the theater so at sunset, the stage has a shadow on it and the audience has the sun to their backs. I've been at festivals where they open an area for stage B....