Experiencing a concert at this venue is incredible. You have to arrive when the sun is still out, so you can watch the sun set beyond the plateaus. Most people camp here. I did not and got a hotel in Ellensburg. Yes, you need a car. Plenty of porta potties or bathrooms around. They actually have hand washing stations! Lots of walking. The hill is steep. Bring picnic blankets. They have lawn chairs for rent as well as bright magenta free ones for T Mobile users. Lots of bars and food options. Plenty of water stations, so you can bring water packs. read more

The Gorge Amphitheatre - View on the left side of the - Music Venues Near Me - George, Washington

If you like your concerts served with a side of ankle-deep slip-and-slide action and calf muscles that scream for mercy, then The Gorge is the place for you! The Good * Awe-inspiring scenery: I will hand it to them--the view of the Columbia River winding through the massive canyon cliffs at sunset is genuinely breathtaking. If you can stop staring at the horizon long enough to keep your footing, it's a gorgeous backdrop for music. The Bad * Total mud bath: If it rains (or even if it just looks like it might rain), the lawn turns into an absolute quagmire. Be prepared to ruin your favorite shoes and slide your way down to the stage whether you want to or not. * The climb of doom: Getting down to the venue is a fun stroll, but walking back up that brutally steep incline after standing for five hours feels like vertical hiking. Your legs will hate you for the next three days. Bottom Line: The view is a 10/10, but the physical endurance test and the mud swamp knock it down to average. Bring hiking boots and a lot of patience! read more

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After 40 years of putting on concerts you'd think they would have it figured out. I've been here multiple times over the last 30 years and every time it's a sh!t show. This year is no exception. They restrict bringing chairs but sell out of rentals before the gates open. How does this happen? They also ran out of napkins before the opening act. How is this possible when you are selling a $12 corn dog? At least the view is nice. read more

The Gorge Amphitheatre - Music Venues Near Me - George, Washington

DREAM RUINED. *steps on soapbox* Me and a group of friends traveled from Texas to go to this venue. We waited in line in our car for 11 hours to get in to our camping spot (we were some of the lucky ones, others we spoke to waited alot longer). We started at 3pm and got to our spot at 2am. Not being prepared for such a line I unfortunately had no place to use the bathroom, it was horrible. LiveNation had no bathrooms along the way and no one was directing traffic. We saw several fights break out. After about 6 hours the police arrived to direct traffic, we spoke with them too, they said they had never seen the traffic like this. When we got to security the people we spoke to said they had been working for 18 hours, the dogs too. They were all exhausted and had no reprieve in sight. The dogs were so tired, the handlers were being mean to them and they were damaging peoples cars. They ran dogs through the inside of every vehicle. I have been to prob around 50 festivals and have NEVER exp anything like this abuse to workers and attendees. The next day we tried to rally and decided to wait an hour after gates opened to miss the rush of people. Little did we know we were going to stand in line for 3 hours waiting to get into the venue (that was the fast lane). Security again told us they had been working excessive hours and were in full sun. Most of my group got sent to 2nd searches (both days, not sure how they didn't find the 1 can of beer I had in my backpack both days, maybe they were trying to be nice, but it did not make me feel safe). Once in we climbed the hill and got to the top and the view was stunning however I will not give the greedy monopoly corp any props for a natural view nor will I say all of what we went through was worth it. The 2nd day and last day they magically wised up and opened gates earlier. We decided to wait several hours after gate this time. We also found out that GreedCorp aka LiveNation sent out a notification that they would be refunding our camping fees and they also sent a slap in the face email with $25 coupon to use at an event, with an expiration date of a month (or so I was told, I never got the email). I would also like to let people know that if you want to eat healthy food while there, bring it yourself. The vendors had no healthy options at all and the only veg option we saw was grilled cheese. I personally will NEVER go back to this venue for an event. I am also going to start supporting more local non LiveNation events and do my best to boycott LiveNation but we all know how hard that will be if I ever want to go to a bigger fest or show again. *steps off soapbox* read more

Extremely concerning experience. After staff inspected my RV, a prescription medication was missing. Two inspectors denied opening my cabinets, despite having removed my medication bag and other medications from inside. I reported it immediately, but Guest Services never responded. Jamie, wearing a K-9 jacket, also promised a response and never followed up. I'm now 3 days without medication and face the full out-of-pocket cost for a replacement because insurance won't cover an early refill. If guests aren't allowed to be present while their property is searched, there must be accountability and safeguards for their belongings. @LiveNation, this needs to be investigated and addressed. @gorgeamphitheatre @davematthewsband read more

Stood in line two hours carrying the chairs we brought with us... the chairs we've brought to other concerts at this same venue. Went through the check-in for ADA (my wife is handicapped), finally got to the security entry; "Oh, sorry, you can't bring those chairs in. There are chairs you can rent for lawn seating inside. So I hiked back to the car to put the chairs back, finally made my way up to security where my wife was waiting and we went in. NO. CHAIRS. AVAILABLE. You have to reserve them when you buy your ticket. Having been part of the Lumineers fiasco a couple years ago where we ended up missing 90% of the concert, this is very upsetting. I will be turning down opportunities to come to events at The Gorge in the future. read more

The Gorge Amphitheatre - The blanket on the ground that people who were not told they can't bring chair have to sit. - Music Venues Near Me - George, Washington

I was able to experience all three nights of "Labor Dave Weekend" this year. There have been/were moments where i didn't think I would go or stay all 3 nights as it were. After multiple events i repeatedly decided to do it all. No matter what happens, we have to remember that we are good people and always deserve good things. I am deciding to write this review because tonight is Night 3. I am going to keep my phone in my pocket and enjoy the show 1st hand. I recommend everyone to experience The Gorge Amphitheater regardless of what the draw is. It is an amazing venue. read more

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I got here at 7:22pm yesterday. It's 7:54am now, more than 12 hours later and still have not even reached security. We finally reached the person who does our tickets, and she has also been working through the entire night since yesterday. It doesn't appear they have any rotations to even give the staff proper work conditions. From what I heard, we have another hour before we reach security from here. read more

The Gorge Amphitheatre - Waited for over 12h to enter and still expecting another 1-2h wait. - Music Venues Near Me - George, Washington

Such an amazing venue. Iykyk! I have seen so many great bands and festivals here. I don't know if I've ever eaten here, maybe? Probably! Security gets people through pretty quickly. Port-o-potties are nasty. There is ample room to spread out in the amphitheatre area. I've been down at the stage too, but honestly, being on the lawn is the bestest! Seeing the sunset while you are listening to a favorite band perform is absolute next level! If you can go here, do. It's life changing. read more

I will never come here again. We sat in line waiting to leave Chris Stapleton for over an hour! I paid too much money to not be able to leave read more

BEAUTIFUL, SCENIC OUTDOOR VENUE - But do you want to deal with all the NEGATIVES to attend??? Came for the Imagine Dragons concert on 9/28/24 and have mixed feelings. If the review is just on the venue itself for a concert I might give them 5 stars! Very unique location but it comes with a BIG PRICE!!! This place is VERY REMOTE. From Seattle/Tacoma you are looking at a 3 hour drive PLUS TRAFFIC. We received warnings to come early due to ongoing construction so we came EARLY. Concert was to start at 7pm and we arrived at 4pm. Parking is free but is far from the venue. Some people purchase CAMP SITES and stay the night onsite. My wife and I do not camp so that wasn't happening! We walked to the entrance and doors do not open until 5pm and at 4:30pm a massive line had formed and it wrapped around the property and out to the street. 27,000 people fit at this venue and most of the seating is general admission so people come EARLY and wait in line. We got inside the event by 6pm and walked around. I was impressed with all the food options. It is like going to q big county fair with tons of options! There is something for just about everyone here. We purchased seats in "THE PIT" which is right up at the stage. Can't get closer to the stage and we stood just a few feet from the band. The bad thing with the pit is there are no seats, so you CAN'T SIT DOWN. Wonderful concert and the sound system at the venue is really good. Concert ended at 11pm and we made the long walk back to our car. It took an hour and a half to get out of the parking lot!!! Staff is unorganized and doesn't know how to direct traffic. Instead of getting a hotel we drove home that same night. No hotels close to the venue. Best stopping point would have been Ellensburg, WA but I just wanted to get home to my own bed. We had a great time but agreed we would never go back for a concert here. Only bathrooms are portable toilets here. Too remote and takes too long to get in and out of the place. read more

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This was my first time at the Gorge Amphitheater, and I went for the Glass Animals concert. Fortunately, we got upgraded to seats near the front, which was amazing. The concert itself was fantastic, with plenty of food options and water stations to refill your bottles. We camped overnight, and the weather was perfect, with breathtaking views to enjoy. One tip: if you're seated up front, bring earplugs. My only complaint is that the smell of weed was overwhelming at times, to the point where it made me feel sick. I wish smoking wasn't allowed everywhere on the grounds. read more

really great rave festival location that dropped your jaw and opened your eyes when you saw the main stage by the serene water, foliage, tan-orange mountains, freeing highway curve, etc at sunset time. genuinely the best part of the entire festival grounds because it housed a big number of people, and provided good amount of seating on the chairs or grass. even standing room for those who choose to go to the pit, but would be nice to have more trash can availability rather than just by bathrooms and vendors. should be by stairway where people will switch between the pit and the sitting areas. service was okay...no one or nothing that really stood out. but, I will say that whoever maintained the bathrooms were top-notch. it was clean each time that I used the portapotty and the trailer ones. would be nice to have the sinks by the portapotties, though! food was extremely expensive, which is expected. highly recommend that you eat before any festival and keep yourself covered. eventually the heat takes over and will last you throughout the night, so no need for anything heavy to wear. pretzel that I got was surprisingly soft...perhaps the softest one that I ever had. that food paired with the tap water at the hydration stations made for a strange taste, but at least no long lines there. I wish that there were more poster boards of the setlist for each day posted somewhere so people can reference it while they walk around. barely any signal, so it made it hard for those who wanted to see multiple artists who performed at the same time block to get going where they needed to go. cute photo-op moments sprinkled throughout the grounds that fit the theme, but again, practicality would have been an even better consideration and addition in the structure of this venue read more

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The prices are OUTRAGEOUS. In the 34 years of coming to the Gorge.. I HAVE NEVER, NEVER, waited 3 hours in line to get into the venue. LIVE NATION get your stuff together. Dis-a-freaking-pointing.. drive all the miles and hours, wait in traffic to park, then waiting 3 freaking hours to get into... only to wait another 2 hrs to hear music!? Come on.. you make so much money try some logistics and planning... thank goodness I don't come last week in the 16 hour waits! read more

Been waiting in line for several several hours and still waiting. while some ppl are getting in with in an hour because a road that was closed when we got here was opened recently and for some reason a security check line was also closed. Should learn how to host an event better and be better prepared. read more

Finally made it to The Gorge amphitheater! The Dave Matthew's Band playing three nights. I went for the Saturday night. Family had a camping set up and I was fortunate enough to join them. Wow! I'm not a hard core Dave fan but wanted to experience The Gorge. It is definitely an outstanding concert experience. And unlike other shows I've been too recently (Chateau St. Michelle), NO CURFEW! He played for three hours! It was insanely awesome. The sound quality at The Gorge is outstanding. Huge screens project the musicians and the light show super cool. Of course the views are fantastic too. The general admission lawn is first come first serve. We had some great people save a spot for us that wasn't too steep. Parts of the lawn are really steep. The bathroom situation was typical venue bathrooms. Bit for for sure decently clean. And flushing toilets in the "porta potties". The food and drinks super expensive of course. A white claw was approximately $27! Ouch! But pregaming in the campground and it was all good. We did not eat their food because of the prices but you can bring in a gallon ziplock bag of snacks/food. Of course a clear bag policy is in place. Security was smooth and as fast as could be for so many people going through the front gates. I loved this venue. So happy I got to experience it. Definitely worth the travel time and tent sleeping to stay at the nearby venue campground. But don't plan on sleeping much while there. It's party town. Everyone was friendly and the good vibes were flowing. Enjoy life! Dance often! SYOY! read more

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The Gorge is the most beautiful music/concert/rave/festival venue I've ever had the pleasure of seeing a show at. I attended Illenium 2024 and it was perfect. On top of the beautiful scenery, the gorge is employed by helpful staff, EMTs, security guards, and food vendors. There are free water refill stations so you stay hydrated. Staff are well-trained for different circumstances and know how to manage crowds of immense sizes. There is ample lawn seating and ample standing room in the "pit". Parking is free and the lot is huge. The sound quality is spectacular, and the lights are visually appealing as well. Our show even had fireworks which worked great with the beautiful backdrop in the night sky. The only downside is that there are no modern restrooms, only portable honey buckets. I didn't camp so I don't know much about that side of things at the Gorge, but it is an option. There are multiple tiers, some that include bathrooms and showers and some that don't. read more

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This is in my top 2 as top outdoor concert venues in the U.S. Iconic visual beauty. Beautiful sunsets, a huge lawn area for those who want to be on the lawn. A friendly environment by both the staff and the people at the concert. 10/10 experience. read more

I'll start by stating I love this venue, and I'm going to continue coming. I'm just disappointed. The monetization at The Gorge is now impacting comfort and enjoyment at their shows. The venue is gorgeous and we've loved every experience up to this year. The monetization is getting to extreme levels though. This year they implemented a "no personally owned law chair" policy, and require attendees to pay $21 to rent a chair for a single show, or $45 for a 3-day weekend show (Labor Day weekend). They gave no explanation for the change. We've come here for the past four years, and I purchased small lawn chairs specifically to bring here due to the steep incline of the amphitheater slope. I have pre-existing back issues (like many people I'm sure) and I can sit level with proper back support with my chairs. But the chairs they rent here force me to fight my butt from sliding down all night because they aren't designed to sit on a steep incline. There's also no way to adjust the angle of the back rest, so for me it's a continuous struggle, due to back issues and the fight for stability. The only options we have now are to pay a high price to rent chairs that are uncomfortable, or to bring stadium seats that are basically small pads with back support and sit directly on the ground. Some people commented that The Gorge prohibits those as well, but we got ours in as long as "they didn't have metal in them". It's unfortunate that the venue has gone to this length to extract this additional fee from the people who already pay high prices to attend. I'd rather they increased their ticket prices by $21 and allow us to still bring our own chairs... I honestly don't think I'd have even noticed the ticket increase if they'd done that. The "metal" comment from security at the gate made me think the change had to do with "safety", but that is a ridiculous reason because their chairs are large, bulky and made of metal/aluminum framing like most other lawn chairs. The few people I spoke to in line to enter and around us in our seating area only had poor opinions of this change. This might be an heavy-handed star review for this issue, but I feel that this is just a bridge too far for The Gorge to have taken. I understand that inflation impacts everything, and the venue has to make money. But this change directly impacts people's comfort and enjoyment at their shows and it is simply too much. read more

I can't even believe this place. The Gorge is the mother of all amphitheaters in the Pacific Northwest and to see a show here is just incredible. To be here for Labor Dave Weekend (iykyk) is straight up magical and an experience that is really hard to top and demands repeating. The backdrop of the Columbia River is gorgeous, especially at sunset. The gigantic hill makes for wonderful lawn seating, but come early if you want to be closer to the stage because this place draws massive crowds. And honestly, who can blame people for coming here in droves to enjoy live music in such a phenomenal setting? The Gorge is in the middle of nowhere, which for me just further adds to the appeal of camping alongside thousands of other DMB superfans and jamming out with your favorite band for three days. Be prepared for the sun and hot weather, bring a refillable bottle to use at the hydration station and grab a tasty cold one while you take in a show with epic views, glorious acoustics, and all-around good vibes. If you come here and have a bad time you're doing it wrong. read more

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We've been twice at White River Amphitheater and it was all the same. We thought that it was because of bad management of White River. We gave a chance to Gorge, and looks like problem is the Amphitheater as a concept. So it was the last time we go to any Amphitheater, which sucks, but I don't want to support venues that are poorly managed. We've been here on Imagine Dragons concert. And they started on 9:30pm but opening act supposed to start on 7pm and was delayed as well. Some people around us just started to leave concert before last song. Overall experience in The Gorge for us was bad. Parking is a nightmare. Not sure that we will come there again. Food price is incredibly high as usual on that types of activities and venues (no surprises here) read more

The Gorge Amphitheatre - Music Venues Near Me - George, Washington

Let's be honest. Getting into/out of most venues is a real bear. Add to it that The Gorge packs in 20k+ people and is located on a tiny back road and you have a recipe for disaster. (I'm looking at you White River Amphitheater) So, I was prepared to hate it. But, amazingly? I didn't. They do a double security thing going in. If you beep at the metal detector you go through advanced screening and they look through every nook and cranny of your belongings, including the card slots of your wallet. We went to three shows over 3 days and it took about 10-15 minutes to get through security each time. The venue itself is GORGEous! The event I went to had a small pit, some assigned seating, then the lawn. There really are no bad seats because have a beautiful view and the acoustics and production capabilities of the venue are amazing. That said, if you're further back on the lawn it can be hard to see the teeny tiny people on the stage, though they do have mega screens to project on to. We did pit one night and lawn two nights and, honestly, enjoyed both. The lower part of the lawn has decent views and is terraced making it a little comfier. The upper part of lawn has a slope that will make your feet ache. Food, merch, booze vendors and porta potties are well distributed throughout the venue managing lines. Plumbed hand-washing facilities near the porta potties. (wash yo hands people!) Pro tip: the facilities in the lower stage-right side of the venue were the quietest often with no line at all. My ONE gripe is that you either must bring in a factory-sealed water bottle (i.e. single use) OR you can bring your own up to 1 gallon bottle and fill at a filling station. Most people brought their own water/hydration pack but the lines at filling stations got intense. The first day we brought 32 oz nalgenes and a re-fill mid show was a 30 minute wait. The next day we brought our 3 liter hydration pack and went through about 3 liters for two people over the course of a show. We filled at the first filling station immediately upon entry and the wait there was about 10 minutes. Not bad but not great. The other filling stations had more shade but also MUCH longer lines. We camped in RV camping (will leave a separate review there) and had no traffic leaving the venue the next morning as people just headed out when ready. Loved this experience and look forward to doing it again soon! read more

Great place for a concert, but be sure to check traffic and weather updates and plan accordingly! We had heard some horror stories based on other reviews we've seen but we found the whole experience to be much better than expected. We ended up paying extra for the Star Plus Parking (formerly called Plaza Parking) -- while many forums say it isn't worth it, we found it to be great as we got the park right by the amphitheater and didn't need to wait in long security lines to enter, nor did we have to wait in long lines leaving the venue and needing to worry about lots of folks blocking the roads as they were walking back to their cars or campsites. The nice thing too is that they direct you to take Road 1 NW to get to I-90, which meant we pretty much bypassed the sometime long waits on Silica Rd (under normal traffic conditions the Road 1 NW route is about 15 minutes longer, but at least it's predictable). T Mobile customers get free chair rentals, so be sure to bring your phones and take advantage of that! read more

My mom is a huge Willie Nelson fan so I got tickets for her and a friend to go to the Outlaw Festival in August 2024. As a senior citizen with disabilities that had never been to a music festival, she was very anxious about attending. The Gorge is a unique venue and can be really overwhelming. I used the venue's website resources to help her prepare and also reached out to venue on her behalf to ask questions about accessibility. They provided me with helpful information and clear guidance so I was able to reassure her with a solid plan. And to my relief, she had an amazing time! They initially got into the wrong gate line, but staff redirected them and they were able to go straight to Guest Services and get an accessibility wristband for the ADA shuttle. After the show, the shuttle was delayed due to 2 medical emergencies so staff came to provide chairs and water to those who were waiting. Without the Gorge's ADA accommodations her experience getting around would be been really challenging and would have negatively impacted her experience. Thank you to the Gorge staff! read more

So let's get things straight, I had to ask numerous friends & search all over the internet to find out basically no information before arriving to the gorge. I'm not sure why but here's the scoop: First, if you're going to a gig here, it's not that cold during summer evenings which is surprising as the surrounding mountains even at not crazy elevation are very cold. Shorts & tank tops with jeans or a jacket for evening is perfect. Water inside the venue: you can bring empty bottles and fill them up. Camping is legit. Every review I read made it out to be miserable. We came for the last night of a three night show. We drove in the day of the event in the early afternoon and hung out and tail gated / set up camp. Those who have been here before have said that leaving the venue after a concert takes 3 hours bc of poor way finding What else can I say? The venue is unreal but you'll have to come see to experience it. I hope this was more helpful than all the info I found online ;) read more

The Gorge Amphitheatre - Music Venues Near Me - George, Washington

Outstanding!!! It was everything I wanted it to be...and more!! Dave Matthews for a whole weekend From the food to the camping..it was spectacular read more

The Gorge Amphitheatre - Music Venues Near Me - George, Washington

I get why it's won so many awards-- this venue is absolutely surreal. Watching the sunset over the valley is just breathtaking. I'm so glad we decided to visit on a whim. My friends and I drove out from Seattle for Beyond Wonderland. The festival is well-planned-- foot traffic is intuitive, wayfinding is clear, and water/bathrooms/vendors are plentiful. On top of an awesome lineup, the venue was decorated with whimsical Alice in Wonderland-themed structures and performers. I'd been to the LA and Bay Area Beyond Wonderlands before, but the Gorge definitely takes it to the next level. The atmosphere can't be beat. As for the Amphitheater itself, the placement on the ledge of a huge canyon is just insane. The view is picturesque, so much that my friends and I kept commenting it didn't seem real. Experiencing sunset in particular is unbelievably beautiful. Acoustics are great. My only gripe is that it can get deathly hot during the day (with little shade!) and cold as balls in the windy evenings. Bring layers, you'll thank me later. Side note: IMO it's absurd to me that music events are permitted in this space (so much sound/light pollution and potential litter in the wilderness?), but I'm sure they know what they're doing LOL. read more

As I've gotten older, I've accepted that I'm no longer a large crowds/festivals type of gal, which has been hard to come to terms with after years of festival/large concert going in my 20's. That being said, I still love to travel to legendary venues like The Gorge, and when I saw that Rufus Du Sol was coming here in October of 2022, my partner and I bought tickets the day they went on sale. There were quite a few things I didn't like about this venue, and I was a little bit disappointed by the experience. I likely will not return. My only piece of advice if you plan on coming to this venue is to get here VERY early. I'm talking a couple hours before the show time to beat traffic, get a good parking spot, enjoy the view, and get a good seat. 1. We flew into Seattle and it's about a 2 hour drive to get to the venue, which is in a very remote and rural area. We knew this beforehand and didn't mind making the drive, however it is definitely a drawback to this venue that it's so out of the way to get to. 2. The line of cars to get into the venue was absolutely insane. It's always frustrating to me when large venues like this do not have the parking/traffic situation figured out when they're bringing in thousands and thousands of people for large shows regularly. We waited in line for about an hour if not longer just to get into the venue. The staff wasn't very friendly in giving directions either, which I understand - they're dealing with thousands of people and I'm sure people aren't friendly to them either. 3. The venue was SO CROWDED. We got to the venue on the later side, but our spot on the hill was pretty uncomfortable to stand on because it was so slanted and there wasn't really anywhere for us to go. Leaving this venue was genuinely frightening. We were all packed together like sardines and could barely move because there was such a massive amount of people trying to exit at the same time. I would suggest leaving early or waiting quite some timeb after the show ends to avoid this. 4. As with every venue, food and drinks are very pricey. One of the good things about the venue was despite the crowds, food and drinks came out relatively quickly and they had enough bathrooms to accommodate everyone without waiting forever. read more

The Gorge Amphitheatre - Music Venues Near Me - George, Washington

I love the Gorge, it's a huge venue that offers a lot. The biggest problem is that it's decently far from Seattle and is a trek. Oh and also that it's basically in the middle of no where and is a desert. That might be a pro in itself though as that means the traffic will only be for the event going on around. Some technical difficulties on stage can happen and while that seems bad, the area really is just a vibe. Nice fresh air while you wait. Spacious with lots of room to walk around, sit, or just stand. As expected, vendors are pretty overpriced and there's nowhere close to go if you're looking to grab something before or after a show. read more

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beautiful venue - wonderful staff A special thanks to one of the employees, Mark, who helped my friend get to where he needed to be after the shuttles to our campground stopped. read more

The Gorge Amphitheatre - View from the Cliff House @ The Gorge - Music Venues Near Me - George, Washington

The gorge is definitely a one of a kind venue. The views are stunning and the vibe is unmatched. However the recent change to not allowing personal lawn chairs and being forced to rent chairs is a huge disservice. The cost of tickets, camping and venue services and now and extra cost of chair rental is absolutely absurd. As well, the rental chairs sit taller then the typical Tommy bahama chairs previously allowed. read more

I hate to make this review because the Gorge is an ABSOLUTELY SPECTACULAR venue. So I'll start with the good: - Views: 10/10 - Staff: 7/10 (most were wonderful and helpful and friendly. while some staff were either ill informed or just unhelpful) - Accommodation: 8/10 (I showed up with a group and they drove us to our spot and gave us lots of room) - Safety: iffy. I was told a couple days before that the venue had a shooting last year (my thoughts to those who were there ). and while the venue was high on security to prevent that horrible situation from happening again, it felt under prepped and still new, so to speak. I truly hope this only gets better in the future. The bad: I could say several things that were bad about the venue, but it was mostly with Live Nation. While I know other people that attended the event had horrible experiences, I can't speak for everyone. my biggest grievance was with the shuttles. A friend who attended the event with my had sprained her ankle a month. We knew the hike from the camping area to the stage was long and fairly difficult, but halfway through the walk she was really struggling. We found a group of staff and asked if the medic tent could help her (maybe give her a splint or something similar.) The staff informed us that we could purchase a shuttle pass so we wouldn't have to walk. It wasn't the most ideal but definitely helpful. My group purchased shuttle passes ($40/$45) for the weekend. The next day while waiting for the shuttle, we noticed attendees without passes that were given passage by the shuttle drivers. We thought that maybe the drivers were just missing a few, but the longer the days went one the more they let people on without passes. The staff had basically stopped checking people for passes. Rightfully my group and I were upset by this and after the event, we sent an email to the staff asking for information about how this happened and for a refund. It's been about a month and we've essentially been ghosted. Before the event, email responses were on time and helpful. And now it's been radio silence. I want to go back to the Gorge because it's an unbelievably beautiful venue, but because of this I'm really thinking twice. read more

I absolutely love this music venue for concerts and festivals. What's better than enjoying music and being out in nature overlooking the Columbia River? It's no doubt the best in the PNW. Camping is worth the experience at least once. Otherwise, the closest hotels are in Moses Lake and Ellensburg which is about a 30 min drive away. The main downsides I can think of that there are only accessible Porta Potties in the venue, and by the end of the day, it's usually gross. The signal is also spotty in some areas, with Verizon having the best coverage. Also, ticket sales and camping passes are booked through LiveNation only so there is no way of purchasing tickets at a box office. They end up charging a lot for fees. I've gone to the Gorge for several festivals already including ABGT, Beyond Wonderland (and previously Paradiso). Most recently Illenium. It's nice to take a break from dancing to chill on top of the hill where you can lay on the grass and still be able to see the stage clearly. It's always a good time out here. Especially in the early summer months, the weather is perfect without being too chilly at night. read more

The Gorge Amphitheatre - Lovely sky view - Music Venues Near Me - George, Washington

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I can see why everyone gives the Gorge a 3. You have about a mile hike to and from the amphitheatre from parking, there are no "real" restrooms, only Porta Potties, and let's be honest I don't use them when there ISN'T a pandemic. If y'all think you gonna have me use one now you out your damn minds lol If it wasn't for COVID I wouldn't have thought twice about how crammed we were but I had a mask on so (fingers crossed,) I hope we were all safe. If not there were 27,000 people there and they have 3 nights of shows there so that's a lot of potential exposure. The folding chairs on the "floor" were kind of a joke because once Dave got on stage people were knocking into them and they just collapsed like dominoes. The beauty is basically what the stars are for. 5 stars for view, 5 stars for DMB. Concessions were decent and prices were much better than the last venue I visited but the place looked like a frat party gone bad after. Cans and trash everywhere. Trash cans overflowing. I didn't see anyone cleaning anything up so I doubt it's normally much better. There weren't enough trash cans or places to recycle. One other positive was the "Hydration" stations, which allow you to fill a bottle or can or whatever with water. And a second positive was the amount of vegan food options from the vendors. Despite the number of people coming in and leaving, traffic was moving well and they had the traffic well organized. I'll definitely be back and definitely be using my car potty again!! I just wish they were 1-cleaner in general and 2-tried to make the logistics of the set up better. read more

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As a concert venue the acoustics are amazing. Each guitar pic is clear even in back of lawn seats. As an experience this place is unreal. Camp for the weekend and be surrounded by good people in a shared experience. TIPS. .Camp Gold level if you can. Steps from entry helps anyone with a hobble. At the end of concert it is still at walk but the closest camping. Friends can join you easily in Gold as the daily parking is right across. The low beach chair required is more of a guideline. Tons of regular camp chairs along back of grass. Keep in mind if you enter at 4:30 you are in that spot for 6 hours. Vendor lines are long so don't buy concert merch until the way out. And bonus is the poster won't get trampled! Munchies? Avoid 39 minute lines. Have early dinner before you enter and drink plenty of water. Then get an order of Poutines as you leave. Best at 11pm anyways! Bring binocs. The screen is not that good in comparison to other venues. I couldn't see the difference between Jack Johnson and Ben Harper, as an example. Have one in group enter with nothing in a fast pass line. This is shortest as quickest access in. That person could grab the best spot as the others catch up. Enjoy the moment. read more

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Look, this is in many ways the best place to see a concert: stunning views, great remote setting to make a community out of the audience. But in many ways, it's the worst: lots of ups and downs to get down (walking on hills), lost of narrow pathways jammed with people in, well, the middle of nowhere, an exit process that packs people so tight it should be illegal, a pit area that has insufficient security making it into an overcrowded moshe pit of humanity, a reserved seat section with individual folding chairs and no aisle-clearing security that turns the reserved seating into effectively what the pit should be, a steeply sloping lawn that is very hard to dance / move on, and -- the coup de grace -- if you're going to charge $20 for a 24 oz beer (and not let you buy a 12 oz one) -- then it BETTER BE COLD. It wasn't. I threw it out after about 6 oz. read more

Just freaking go. Literally any show and you won't be disappointed. I am a huge Dave Matthew's fan and make the pilgrimage for Labor "Dave" weekend every year and it just gets better and better. If you have the opportunity to camp. Hands down 10/10 would recommend. You can check out the Columbia River during the day or walk down to Cave B winery. The venue itself is breathtaking. The only bad thing are the bathrooms. They are weird Porta potty's and always dirty. read more

The Gorge Amphitheatre - Music Venues Near Me - George, Washington

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The Gorge Amphitheater is just GORGEOUS ! Came here for the music festival Magnifique 2016 and have to say it's one of my favorite venues till this day. It's in the middle of no where. So the closest motel/hotel room you can stay at is in Ellensburg (40 miles away) ~ Parking was fine, getting into the venue was a bit of a struggle. There was no organization, no line. Everyone was just everywhere like sardines. Idk how we end up getting in, but we got in. There's numerous food stations around the venue but restroom are a bit of a hike. If you're all the way down in the pit, you would have to hike back up to use the porta potties on the second level -__-" Theres only 1 stage, and it's located all the wall down the hill. The backdrop is the canyons, and once sunset hits, the view is just wow. Overall, I would come back here again if there's a festival that calls my name ~ read more

This place - it can get backed up by traffic very quickly but the drive is nice, scenic and calming. the sunset and sunrise from here is spectacular. If you ever get a chance to come here please do. Beautiful outdoor theater read more

Our family has made a tradition of going to Labor Dave Weekend for 20 years! It's all about DMB and their friendly, kind & fun fans. The camping area is under new management and it REALLY showed this year. Thank You :) Previous management hired gestapo folks from security entrance, to parking jerks, and general unwelcoming staff. We just held our breath to get through the unpleasant process up until this year. I asked the person who gave us a battery jump start after packing up Monday morning why everyone was so nice & helpful this year? He, Mark Simmons as part of new management team, said Customer Service, friendly helpful staff is the new mantra. Thank you for making our weekend even more memorable w/ your kindness, service upgrades in camp area; it all did not go unnoticed! There can never be too much 'nice' in our world today. Glad to keep camping there years to come. Thank you to New Management and hard working staff. Elizabeth B-R read more