A Journey cover band is playing tonight called "Stone in Love". Doors opened at five and the amphitheater grass filled up fast. You should head there and pick a spot first, then go exploring till the band comes on. You can bring chairs, blankets and your own food. They do have food carts, well known restaurants, beer and wine. Margaritas and other types of canned drinks, too. Definitely event pricing on all of it. The zoo is open so you can see the lions, elephants and lemurs. Lots of volunteers to answer questions. It's it slim pickings on sightings, being so hot, but well worth the $26 ticket price. This is a wonderful family friendly event! read more

See all

My first time. Definitely worth going!!! Even in the rain! Highly recommend especially great for kids. read more

Basically, the loss of star is for the price. I went 2 years ago and the same GA tickets for the same concert was now $20+ more per ticket! I seriously began rethinking my decision based on the price but honestly, the experience is so great so decided to go again. The concert I attended was on 8/6/2019 (The B-52s, OMD, and Berlin). I won't review the bands because they are AWESOME! What I will review is the sound and it is incredible! Great sound system. Here is what people complain about on previous reviews: Too many tickets sold so when they arrive at 5PM (when gates open) it's already packed. Learn from that mistake and don't show up at 5PM. Honestly, try and show up an hour in advance and bring a book and your chair and just chill in line until it's time to go in. I will admit that the space has gotten smaller since I was last there since they added a second group of reserved seating. That pushed the GA further back. Food carts: I tried the Ethiopian cart's sampler plate and it was DELICIOUS! I wish someone would monitor the eating area because people were sitting there throughout the concert versus allowing people to use tables to eat. Beer stations: I learned that not all sell the same thing so walk around and hint, hint, don't just go to the first one at the gate. It will always have the longest line! Dance Area/Mosh Pit: You are allowed to go to the front of the reserved seating and dance or really, stand and sway. It gets pretty crowded. You have to be aggressive and push your way through if you want to get towards the middle, but it's still fun. Take a sand chair (low chair) and a blanket. Or if no blanket, take the chair! I bought mine for under $20 at Fred Meyers and have used it at many concerts and beach/river. Worth it! They have better ones at Costco and REI. It's a great investment. Take Sunglasses! The sun will be shining on you. Also, maybe one of those fans that spray water, although they do have misters at 2 different areas. Parking Kitty App: Easy to pay for parking and helpful throughout Portland. May as well get it. Overall, a GREAT TIME and I look forward to going again. read more

See all

My first time here and I thought it was a nice outdoor venue. A lot of different food and drink vendors. All expensive of course! We actually waited in a long line to get our drinks but then we went to get something to eat inside. I think it was the cafe? It had chairs and tables and plenty of places to sit. It was definitely a plus for me as it was hot that day so it was nice to be inside for a little while before we headed out in the heat. I noticed the people who attended the concert were very chill. They didn't even stand when the band came out. I wasn't used to that at all. You also get to explore the zoo before the show. I think we got there around 5pm and walked around until 6:30. read more

See all

I love this venue and this series! So much fun. I love the zoo AND concerts. How fun to watch a beloved band while also watching the elephants. The price is right, band selection is pretty amazing for a zoo. Outdoor setting feels great in the summer . Public transportation is close by. There is nothing not to like ! read more

I love outdoor music venues and prior to my Portland trip I heard good things about the Oregon Zoo Summer Concert Series. The series runs every year from June-September and features a variety of musicians. 2012 showcased artists like the B52's, Grace Potter, Buddy Guy, Rosanne Cash, Chicago, Ziggy Marley and Melissa Etheridge. Located inside the zoo parking is a pain. A lot of people take the public transportation known as the MAX to avoid such. But once inside it is very cool to be walking through the zoo grounds on your way to the back end of the zoo where there sits a grassy knoll and outdoor amphitheater. You are allowed to bring in a picnic to enjoy on the lawn (no alcohol allowed inside and liquids must be sealed) and blankets and short style lawn chairs. No pets. The Oregon Zoo sells alcohol like beer and wine. You can buy wine by the bottle for prices between $25-$30. The proceeds go to support the zoo so you are paying money for a good cause when you buy alcohol at this event. Any tips you may try to leave all go to the zoo. I saw Robert Randolph and the Family Band play. The place was PACKED. The area is small enough for it to feel intimate but big enough to fill quickly. Get there early to get a good position. It was such an enjoyable experience. I only wish I could have gone with other people and brought a picnic. This is really the joy of this place. When the sun sets over the trees you will feel in a peaceful state of bliss. read more

Zoo Nights - Music Venues Near Me - Portland, Oregon

See all

The new seating venue is cool, but even with reserved seating, you couldn't see the performers very well. I think that they should put the seating further up. The venue is nice though. One of my biggest gripes about these concerts has always been that they shut down before 10pm. So, when a big performance like Pat Benatar comes into town, they only play for a little over 1.5 hours. It is disappointing. So, a lot of money and time waiting for not much payback. Also, don't pay for the parking. You carry the ticket with you, so what are the odds of them checking? I've never gotten a ticket from parking there. I like that they have summer concerts, but may not go again for I'd like more bang for my buck I guess. Selena read more

We are very lucky here in Oregon to have this Zoo. Our zoo is really gorgeous and well maintained. If you decide to go, I highly recommend spending the entire day. There is so much to do and look at. Usually, I go once a year for a zoo concert of some kind. I have yet to do the smart thing and go during Zoo opening the day of the concert because you can get into the zoo and spend the day wandering around looking at the zoo and then go to the show. read more

Went to see Rosanne Cash at the zoo. This was the first time I've been to this venue, and it's okay. I don't really care for "bring your own chair" concerts. People stake out their own little patch of grass in willie-nillie fashion. Folks end up weaving through the blankets and baskets with beers and snacks precariously balanced and often spilled. I also don't like kids at concerts. Their parents are usually pounding down booze in mass quantities, making me nervous thinking about who's driving home. Yikes. The sound is okay and the stage is easy to see from just about anywhere in the place, unless you're stuck behind a tree. Anyway, those are my only complaints--except for the $7.50 beer price. If you're going to a concert at the zoo, I highly recommend taking the MAX into the park. Easy breezy, unless there's also a Timbers game going on the same night. Get there early, too. The general seating fills up fast. read more

I went to go see the Swell Season/Black Francis shows here 8/20/10 for my birthday. I've never particularly enjoyed this venue because I am old and I don't like sitting on the ground, but because it was for my bday and I had the chance to see such great performers I was able to overlook the agony. The concert was awesome, especially at the end when the two bands combined to rock the elephants with a stirring rendition of "Where is my Mind?" The problem with this venue, is of course, the prices of the booze on site. $24 for a bottle of Woodbridge? $6 for a smallish plastic cup of beer? Um, no I don't think so! So, overall I would give the concert itself 5 stars, and the venue 2 stars, making the rating a fair 3 stars. Bottom line: make sure when you go, that you REALLY want to see the performers or it just aint worth it. read more

We attended the Chicago concert Friday. We arrived at 5 which was the time they said the gates open. By the time we got down to the venue General admission was completely full.a little rediculous when they allow people to line up at 1pm! Totally over sold GA tickets we sat on the cement and there was the people who arrived after us who made 4 rows of chairs so you couldn't get out to save your soul. Also the security was a farce some were letting taller chairs in and some were measuring we were 1/3 inch over and had to take our chair back while we sat in area where a lot of chairs were taller than 10 inches..I measured myself! For $50. A ticket this was an awful experience.Food trucks were way overpriced as expected, and since we were so far back could hardly hear Chicago play.Totaly disappointed.Never again! read more

This used to be my favorite venue to see concerts at due to its intimate setting. Now that the zoo has tripled the amount of tickets they sell per show this is no longer the case. Thank God we got there three hrs early to get some grass to sit on. I couldn't believe the number of people who paid $40 general admission to spread their blanket on a piece of concrete. To make matters worse, no one accounted for this increase in concert attendees with regard to the food and beverages access. The lines to get a beer and/or food were 45 minutes long and you wasted the entire concert time in line where you can't even hear the music. People were eating ice cream for their dinner bc it was the shortest line to wait in. This is very disappointing and I will be taking my concert money elsewhere until this is improved. read more

I have been to many shows over the years and used to really like the venue at the zoo. This time I was so disappointed with the changes of not allowing people to bring picnics and food in with them. The costs of the food trucks were astronomical. $12.00 for a cheese quesadilla and $10.00 for a beer. What is this a Blazer game? I Know the money goes towards the zoo and animals, but it makes me not want to go. It changs the feel of the show and I find it offensive. It said on the tickets there would be a bird of pray show which they have always a had and they did not do it. There is no shade with all the so called upgrades and there is an elehant right near the stage. I kept wondering if elephant enjoys music. I doubt it and it seems kind of cruel. Im dissapionted in th zoo. BE BETTER and do better. read more

The zoo concerts are not at all what they used to be. We were disappointed to find out that you can no longer bring in food for a picnic. Instead, you can wait in a huge line and get a soggy quesadilla that costs $12. You can no longer buy a bottle of wine to share. You have to pay $9 for a small glass of wine. Also, they are selling more tickets, so the venue is much more crowded. The setting is still pretty, but it is too bad that the zoo has become so cheap that they are trying to just get every dollar they can out of you. read more

Love our zoo, but DO NOT BOTHER w the higher priced terrace seating (unless you have to or choose to stay seated throughout the entire concert). We go to a lot of concerts & are flexible with different types of seating & views, but this was by far the most disappointing. We were asked to sit down because the people behind us were having a hard time seeing. REALLY?? It was a rock concert, not the symphony! When the main act comes on, people stand up & dance! I've NEVER ONCE had venue staff tell us we had to sit down. And NO ONE in the general seats were asked to sit, they were ALL up & enjoying the show. So our experience & view ended being terrible because a couple people behind us didn't want to stand up. Crazy. The zoo won't be getting our business for those seats again. read more

There are few events better than a concert at the Oregon Zoo on a sunny day. If sitting on the lower lawn, the sound is excellent. The upper lawn is not as good, but better for kids who want to run around. The AfriCafe has a bacon, rogue smoky blue cheese, pear hamburger that is one of the best burgers I've ever had. Beer and wine are sold on site and are expensive (where is booze cheap unless you are serving it at home?) You can rent chairs if you forget your low profile chairs at home and picnics are allowed except for beverages. They only allow sealed bottled water. Parking is a pain so either arrive early or take the Max. read more

This is a terrific venue with a lot of potential. We saw KD Lang last night and her performance was incredible. Now we know what happened to Elvis, he came back as KD Lang. Her voice was pure like filtered wine and her interaction with the crowd was playful, genuine and without a trace of wear on the voice that has been performing for 28 years. Yes, there are operational issues at the venue. Yes you must get there very early if you want to put down a blanket and yes, if you are not a "crowd" person you probably are going to be miserable. But if you plan ahead and get there early, the setting is wonderful. The front of house sound is well done and the security and zoo staff while diligent in enforcing rules are at least respectful, polite and friendly about it. The "Dance Floor" is SRO and really is the best seat in the house if you can hang with the hardcore enthusiasts. No blankets allowed down there, and you are expected to stand. Take the Max for sure and check out a show here! read more

I recently attended a concert with vip tickets. Our vip tickets included dinner and drinks. Dinner consisted of a garden salad, a spinach salad with peaches, vegetarian baked beens, roasted red potatoes, bbq chicken legs, and pork ribs. Water and iced tea were available, but my friend and I opted for the Columbia-Crest chardonnay. We had great seats for the concert, and enjoyed the show and the atmosphere very much. read more

Zoo Nights - Waiting for the show to start. - Music Venues Near Me - Portland, Oregon

When i was here I had a great time.. time by myself just to look around and enjoy everything. I sat and watched a concert, the elephant show, and just relaxed and watched the animals. The only thing I was sad about is after spending a good portion of the day there taking photos n all with my phone.. I needed a charge up. Phone went dead. They need to put in a USB/ELECTRICAL charging station(s) now that everything is going wireless. read more

Having grown up going to zoo concerts with family and friends, coming back in 2017 has great nostalgia and the zoo offers great lineups. That being said, the zoo has done quite well ruining most things that made coming to these concerts wonderful. I wish I could still bring in a picnic. I wish it weren't so crowded (got here over an hour before the show started and couldn't get lawn seating). I wish they still left room for people to dance. I wish I could buy water while purchasing a sandwich instead of excuses about Pepsi contracts. My biggest gripe is that prior to leaving to go to the zoo, we carefully read the website to make sure everything we brought was going to be allowed. Upon arrival with our chairs and bag with blanket and jacket, a security officer approached us and told us our chairs were not allowed. She was very rude to us while telling us that the website says you cannot have any chairs that are inflatable in any way because they might blow up and enter an animal exhibit. The website says no such thing as of the date of this review. When asked to show where this rule is located, she and other staff were unable to do so. Still were not allowed to bring chairs in. She continued to argue while I had to go check my chairs in at the tent of shame where all unwanted chairs live during zoo concerts. Ended up sitting on a concrete walkway because there was no room left on the lawn. As a reasonable person, I have no issues with venues having rules and I am willing to abide by them. But if I have gone to the trouble of finding your rules, have abided by them to the best of my ability, I'm not ok with being met with rudeness and flippant behavior. Having been to zoo concerts as a child and now as an adult, I don't see myself coming back. I don't need to be on the receiving end of poor customer service, packed in like a sardine, and forced to struggle to buy water. read more

Such a great venue for hearing live music when it's warm out. The only thing frustrating, which is like any venue, but it's SO EXPENSIVE for refreshments. We saw Aimee Mann here though and LOVED IT! read more

A wonderful date night! We attended the Head and the Heart at the zoo on 7/20. We were able to get to the zoo right at 5 pm when the seating area opened, which proved to be a good thing because we were able to get great spots in the main concert lawn. Boy did the area fill-up quick though! We brought in a picnic dinner because we thought the food on the inside might be spendy. We did share a couple bottles of wine with friends. While the bottles were on the expensive side ($30), it was great that we could buy whole bottles so we didn't have to walk back and forth across the crowd 10 times. There were also decent varieties and quality of wines. We also spied some good ol' Portland Food Carts, which we will sample next time we attend a Zoo Concert. Overall, people in the crowd were polite and nice. Our spot did seem to be the walkway in and out of the concert lawn. But we engaged our inner go-with-the-flow attitude and didn't let it bother us. The main event was really wonderful. The Head and the Heart put on a great live show and we enjoyed the songs we knew and a few new ones! Even if you aren't familiar with their music, anyone would appreciate their lyrics and beautiful musical sounds! I would really recommend making it a priority to get there early and enjoy some top-notch people watching, wine (or beer) and food before the music starts. Bring some friends and the two-hour wait will fly by! From here on out we will probably make the Zoo Concert Series an annual summer event. Combine great music and some elephants and we are there! read more

Well 1 hour early wasn't enough. 2 hours next time?? Terrible venue for viewing. No high back chairs but I am sitting looking at high backs. Went & bought a chair just for this. Should of brought my regular chair. read more

Zoo Nights - My view of what is that? I think it is the stage. - Music Venues Near Me - Portland, Oregon

See all

We arrived 20min before the gates opened and ended up sitting so far back that we couldn't see the stage. The speakers in the back were not working for the opening act. Most venders only take cash and there was no mention of that on the website. If you want to actually see the band, get there about 2 hrs before the gates open to get in line. The venue is clean and there were lots of security, alcohol monitors and park employees to keep the peace. They also walk around with rulers to measure the chairs and make you stick to the "low chair" rules. read more

One And Done. We went to the Chris Issak concert. The weather was beautiful, but my god , the crowds were huge, parking was a nightmare and the food and drinks were EXPENSIVE. Are you kidding me, $30 a bottle for no name wine?!?!?!?!? Lines for drinks were out of sight. The only saving grace for this venue is Chris Issak was GREAT and the zoo staff was friendly and helpfully as they could be. The animals were not all in cages. read more

For those who might not know this: When you buy a family pass to the zoo you get to go to the Wed concerts free. This is probably only useful for people with kids. We pack a dinner, go early, enjoy the zoo, set down our blanket at the earliest possible moment and enjoy. We've seen the Holmes Bros, Hugh Masekela, the Wailers (who play the Wed concerts every few years), Carolina Chocolate Drops, and many others this way. For this reason I give a 5. The acoustics are good, the feel is great, all ages, and the Zoo is a great venue - and a great way to introduce your kid to good music. I can, however, sympathize with those annoyed by long lines and costly drinks! read more

Last night I saw Amy Helm and the Handsome Strangers, Patty Griffin and Mavis Staples. The performers were wonderful but the guy running the sound didn't seem to know what he was doing. Several times the performers tried to signal to him to fix it (the guitars mostly overwhelmed the singers and even the keyboard was too loud at some points. He just made it worse or didn't fix it. He seemed to subscribe to the "loud is better" notion without any idea of balance. It was too bad, as these were fabulous performers whose performances were diminished by crappy soundboard running. I saw Pink Martini last summer and it was some of the finest sound I've ever heard. But not last night. read more

Still not impressed with the music scene. We came on a Sunset Evening and paid full price for the family, $54.50. They said there would be nocturnal animals...not so much. They said there would be gourmet picnic baskets and food carts. Nada. There was one grilled cheese cart and that was it. The beers were $8 each. The place was pretty bare bones. The music was hard to hear. There was a weak attempt to engage the crowd with a kids howl/ meow contest. Not what it used to be. I get that the zoo is remodeling and making improvements for the animals. I hope to come back next summer and have a better experience. read more

This review isn't about the quality of the concerts, rather the noise, which can easily be heard and felt (low bass) way up on SW Patton Road. I doubt everyone appreciates dealing with it on an otherwise relaxing home weekend, especially if they don't like the bands. The sound takes on a somewhat surreal quality as it echoes up the Marquam trail south of Hwy 26. Also, is it fair to subject the zoo prisoners (I mean animals) to that racket? Surely they must be affected and spooked. Odd place for a concert in my opinion. read more

Amos Lee was so personal with the audience. He likes to get his audience involved, which I love. This was just a great experience all around, from the venue to the food to the warm summer evening. Zoo concerts are the best! read more

Need more staff and vendors for food and beverages. One hour in line is ridiculous for a medium sized venue. Love the setting!

You can no longer bring in a picnic to the concerts which is sad. But, they have a wide variety of food cart options that are quite tasty. I went to 6 concerts at this venue this year and really enjoyed all of them. For several I bought Terrace seating and that was wonderful! It included dinner which helped to offset the increase in price for the tickets. read more

John Prine was awesome but their paid security are less than helpful. My friend with a broken leg got kicked out of ADA seating by them twice before they finally got approval from the zoo people to let her sit there. You think they would have done that before shuffling us around so much. read more

Went to see Pink Martini and was disappointed at the performance and the venue all around bad. I have seen Pink Martini two other times and they were fabulous. First of all China Forbes hardly sung and she and her voice make the act. Instead they had a fill in and it was not what I was expecting. It was dry and boring. And in between each song it seemed like Thomas tried to kill time by having these little skits. It did not work. The venue was even worse they sold way too many tickets to this show. I showed up 2.5 hours early and got a good spot on the grass but it was way too packed by the time the show started. There were not any rows for people to walk so dozens of people step over you during the show. It is very distracting. Proof that too many tickets had been sold was evident when we tried to leave the sidewalks and every ware was clogged with people that were standing because they could not even find a place to sit I would think twice before going to another show at the zoo. read more

A Great Big World opens for Phillip Phillips and Matt Nathanson. Says rhey'll be at the merch booth to sign. I go to the merch booth before they are done singing to make sure I can buy something to get signed. There are no signs, no one saying, Hey, this other line if you want to meet and by the way, only 20 people can get in it. Long story short, only people who disn't actually spend money got to meet them. With 20 people in that line, security told me no one else could get in line. So...15 minutes in the merch line and 50 bucks later, I can't even stand in line for another 15 to get my t-shirt signed. And...the next musician disn't even start until 20 minutes after that!! This was AFTER they didn't open the seating doors until 10 minutes after they were supposed to. Will never buy concert tickets here again. read more

I am a total sucker for an outdoor concert. I know a lot of people bitch about seating, because it's not assigned and there are high back chairs and low back chairs and people who have spread out blankets. You kind of have to expect to roll with the punches. You can't be too uptight. We have seen a few concerts here. If you don't go early, then you will be in the very back which doesn't have the greatest view, but you also don't have people walking all over you and there is a concession stand back there so the lines are not nearly as long as the stands in front. My suggestion is to get yourself a little low-back chair, cop a squat and enjoy. Prices for drinks were not that bad. Of course, we didn't go to drink. We went to hear the music. Beer was all we needed. We take our own food. We bought teriyaki once and it actually was not too expensive. Super fun. I wish they sold a pass for all the concerts. I would go to every one if there was an all-Summer pass sold for a small discount. read more

I thought this experience was awful, and had high expectations so maybe that made it worse. Went to see Lyle Lovett. Got there an hour b4 the gate opened ( 2 hrs before the show). Security at the gate threw out my sealed diet coke. Said only sealed water was allowed, not even gatorade. The line from the gate through the zoo out the back was really really long. We were told to wait in it and would have not gotten any lawn space if we had just gone in as instructed. Our friends didn't have chairs so walked right past the line, through the gate and put down large blankets on the lawn to save us all space. Only bz. they ignored all procedures were we able to get a spot as they said it filled up in about 5 minutes. Sound was ok, concert itself was great but not worth the hassle factor. Dont' go expecting a nice picnic and concert, but if you are willing to stand to hear a great band, just showup when it starts and stay in the back. read more