White River Amphitheatre

I read the reviews before going to the RUSH concert at the White River Amphitheater, and was a bit worried as I saw NO good reviews. But I had an AWESOME experience. We left home early and were 4th car in line before they opened the gates. They opened the gates when they said they would and it was smooth getting in. I asked for handicap parking and the attendants were a bit clueless but they kept leading us to the handicap stalls without problems or having to double back. Parked and got in line at the ADA handicap/ early entry line. I was a bit perplexed when they told the handicap people tp move out of the way for the early entry people when they clearly had an early entry line separate from the handicap line, (with a barricade rail between). But they did give us early entry when the early entry people were done. Some of the staff weren't very knowledgeable, but every one who wasn't was very helpful and polite and got us to the people who were, in a timely fashion. The service desk by the main gate had a shuttle to the seating area for disabled people, and even though we got wet from the rain on the roof coming down, we laughed with the driver, who also got wet . She was very nice. We planted ourselves on the lawn in our beach chairs, (don't take high back chairs) right up front. I was happy that the lawn wasn't steep like a lot of others. My only problem with the seating was that the covered seats were RAISED and they actually blocked our view when they stood up, forcing us to stand as well. No biggy. The sound was awesome and they had screens on either side and then a main screen behind the stage. I still saw the band. When the concert was over, we got shuttled back to the main gate and waited only about 30 minutes or so for the parking lot to empty before deciding to head out. I thought the roads were going to be a pain since the main drag is only one lane each way, but we were rerouted easily with the help of police and signage. Very little traffic. I thought they did a good job and kept traffic moving. We had an awesome time and I will definitely be going back for more concerts there. You just have to be prepared and patient and not in a ""rush"", when attending a major event. I've been to places in California where after waiting an hour to get out of the parking lot, you still have to wait in traffic another 2-3 hours. White River was a breeze. Just have a good time and enjoy the entire experience no matter where you go. more

Ok, so I just bought tickets to a show at the Amphitheater. THEN I find these reviews. I looked up the venue on Google Maps. I'm NOT excited about the parking. Good news for me is that I've got almost 2 months until the concert, so I can scope things out a little better. I'm thinking of parking a mile (or more?) away and just walking. Either that or I'll find a place to go 4 wheeling by the river in the morning and just work my way as close as possible. Pros: Don't know yet Cons: Apparently the parking. more

I've seen a couple shows here, and have nothing good to say about this place. If you get lawn section tickets, it's my opinion that you should just stay home and watch a DVD of live performances by whatever artist you're going to see. The lines are long, had to stand in them for longer than expected, once you get to the front they open ALL the unopened water bottles and soda bottles they say are allowed in, and take the caps. One guy in front of me brought a case of water bottles for an all day show in the middle of August and they opened all the bottles and took the caps. Food and merch prices are high, but then again, they usually are at shows. Getting out there from Seattle is such a pain too, usually having to contend with non-show traffic as well as show traffic. THE PARKING LOT IS ACTUALLY ONE OF THE NINE LEVELS OF HELL. tens of thousands of people crammed into a pit area of parking with one way in and one way out. No signage, and THE MOST UNHELPFUL/INCOMPETENT STAFF I have ever witnessed. The ""parking attendants"" stand around after the show with their hands in their pockets and thumbs up their @$$es doing nothing constructive. The fact that they include parking prices in my tickets was beyond insulting. This place is such a headache to me that I've actually bailed on concerts I'd already paid for just because I didn't want to deal with the BS. Having read through all the reviews of this place to date, I can say I agree with them, the only thing I haven't noticed is the ""farm smell"". Pros: Big name bands... Cons: Parking, staff, conflicting policy, parking, prices, locatio more

the Pig Farm next door has fans designed to send the stench of feces into the theater to make your experience less enjoyable because the farmer does not want the venue there. Like so many others I have seen 1 performance at this pathetic excuse for a major venue and will never return for a plethora of reasons. Artists, I urge you to make sure your agent DOES NOT BOOK YOUR NEXT PERFORMANCE IN SEATTLE AT WHITE RIVER!!! Cons: Location, Lack of ""pit area"", Parking, the list goes on more

I went to see No Doubt on 7/19/2009 and the show was great, the venue... not so much! Pros: bands put on a great show Cons: Parking, chair confusion, water bottle/cup waste more

Santana Concert 9/6/08: Pros: Good Bands Cons: Enjoyment of good bands ruined by bad venue. more

My review will sound quite similar to those listed below, but i wanted to make sure you people really understand how terribly organized this place is. I believe clusterf#%k is the most appropriate word. yes, i bought ""premiere parking,"" & was made to wait with the thousands of people at a stand still, in the rain with no info, even though my car was 100 yards away. yes, once i got to my car it took 2 hours to get to my hotel in auburn because of the traffic, plus some detour that they made us take. thank goodness we had a 1/2 tank of gas. yes, we had to drink in something they called a ""beer garden"". there were only 2 picnic tables on a concrete slab, so we had to stand the whole time....definitely not a garden. i don't know about you people, but doesn't it seem like the drinkers now get punished for drinking yet, they can still charge us $8 for a MGD tall boy can. what i didn't see mentioned in the other postings was that the place was run by bunch of people that seemed to have no idea what was going on...i had to tell them that their website states that food & small lawn chairs can be brought in. also, if you bought a bottle of water, they took the cap...god, what grade are we in? lastly, although all the food & drinks were cash only, there was no ATM. WTF? Pros: The sound was good Cons: parking, traffic, staff, prices, beer policy more

Saw Radiohead at the White River Amphitheatre last night and it will be my last time out to this venue. We spent four hours in our car, commuting to and from downtown Seattle. It occurred to us that we would be better off seeing the band in Vancouver. We paid the extra 20 bucks for premier parking, and it did not benefit us at all--not recommended. Pros: sound Cons: parking, commute, visibility from seats, convenience, expense more

I will NEVER go to the White River Amphitheater again. I went with 2 other friends to see Radiohead 8/20/08. I'm not sure if this is the Native Americans' way of getting back at the general public for past wrongs, but if it is, it's ingenious. We decided to take the buses that left from the Supermall to avoid traffic. Getting on the bus was great, but we got separated in the huge crowd after the concert and ended up waiting for 2 hours in the cold rain to meet up with our friend who got stuck in a massive clusterF*** trying to load the buses. If there are 98 buses, why not line people up and load all the buses at the same time? They loaded one at a time. Also, the only beer options were BUDWEISER and BUD LIGHT in a CAN, no less, for EIGHT FRIGGIN' DOLLARS. Our lawn chairs were confiscated because they were ""too tall"" (even though everyone on the lawn stood for the concert) and we were unable to find them & get them back. I just couldn't get over the complete confusion of traffic after the event. Who in the world thinks that 16,000 people can be triple and quadruple parked with NO signage or guidance to get out of that parking black hole? I can't believe that they're still in business. Like one other reviewer said, good thing Radiohead fans are laid-back, friendly, and have quirky senses of humor, or otherwise, there were multiple opportunities for panic attacks or riots with NO security or police presence. Cons: any pros were far outweighed by the cons more

What a Cluster F*! Went for Radiohead 8/20/08 and had a great show (besides typical rip off prices). Used the web site advice to take the long way from seattle (I-5 to 405 to 169 to 400th St) and got there quick. Supposed preference to carpools of 4 or more (that was us!). Parked in by parking attendants who flat out lied to us about how traffic flows out. After the show, in the rain, took over an hour to get out of the lot, and I think we were lucky. THERE WAS NO SIGNS, and NO TRAFFIC DIRECTORS for 20000+ people within the parking lot proper. I wound up directing traffic myself, in the rain, trying to get my party out of there. It shaved maybe 15min from our wait. Will never go back unless *maybe* Elvis rises from the dead to play there, with Jesus on tambourines and Muhammad on drums. Wish I had looked up city search first! Pros: close to seattle? Cons: parking ""lot"" - i think of it more as a parking pit, with the water rising and every man for himself more

This place is a nightmare. I will never go back. Went to RAdiohead last night...despite the fact that we left hours early we barely got there in time to see the show because traffic was so backed up getting there. What kind of idiots thought 20,000 people could get into this tiny town with about 15 traffic lights on a one lane road??? The show was great but the worst was yet to come. And I'm not even talking about the parking. Once I got to my 20$ rip off 'premier parking' it only took about 5 minutes to get out and onto the road ( i did not go back through Auburn). No, the worst was that me and about 300 other people were NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE THE AMPHITHEATER and go to our cars but were penned into an exit area for an HOUR, standing in the pouring cold rain, so crammed in that we couldn't turn around and go out another exit, and no one was telling us why we couldn't leave even thought people were yelling and freaking out. The only reason it wasn't a dangerous situation resulting in people getting trampled or squashed was because the Radiohead fans were incredibly goodhumoured, if overly passive about being trapped for no apparent reason. When I finally got to the exit there were two roped off lines leading no where...we finally went under the ropes and were free to walk to our car, about 100 feet away. I think maybe the lines to the shuttle and the general people trying to get to their cars got mixed up, but it was HORRIBLE. Pros: Any pros are ruined by the cons Cons: So badly run it will ruin your experience, in the middle of nowhere more

Saw Radiohead there on 8/20/08. They were good, but the traffic was so bad leaving it ruined the entire event for me. Wish I had read these other reviews before going. Will never go to the White River Ampitheater again. You shouldn't either! Pros: nothing -- anything good was outweighed by the bad parking Cons: parking more

Saw Radiohead in August 08 at White River. It's true, 2 hours of waiting in your car with police directing traffic that don't give any information. We sat in the parking lot for 1 hour before we could even start our car to move. The concert ended at 11 and we weren't back to Seattle until 3. LAME for a work night and really ruined our experience. more

I have been to many venues here. I have driven there in may car. Big mistake!! Waiting in traffic for hours! I have been dropped off by taxi witch was ok but hell getting the parking stf to let taxi back into event. The best way is to travel by bus...yes the bus! Park at the mall by red robin to get on the bus they come about every 30min. The ride can be crazy but fun. it can take up to half hour to get there depending on anynstruction along the way. After the concert all the busses are waiting for you up front so just pack in and away you go. Yes you could be sitting next to someone you don't know but it is sure better then waiting in line for hours burning you own gas!!!! Pros: Good sound Cons: parking more

Went to the Iron Maiden concert on 6-2-08. This is one of the worst places iI have went to see a show! The concert started at 7:00pm and Seattle rush hour is from 5:00pm to at least 6:30pm. There was working people trying to get home with concert goers trying to get to the amphitheater. What a nightmare! It took longer to get there than the show lasted. When we arrived my son and I stood in line for concert t-shirts as the people took their time helping (ripping off) people. There were so many drunk people trying to buy shirts and there was a bunch of people using credit cards holding up the lines. There should have been seperate payment lines ones for cash and the others for credit and debit cards. I had a $100.00 cash for three t-shirts at $35.00. It came out to $105.00. So I gave him my debit card for the $5.00 difference. I was in a hurry because we were already five songs into Iron Maiden so I signed the slip and rushed to our seats. Whan I got to the motel room that night I checked the reciept and the guy charged me $105.00 on my credit card and took my $100.00 cash. I can only imagine how much that guy stole from the concert goers plus his employer that night. He got me for a hundred dollars and I was not even drunk! Pros: Covered seating area. Cons: Congested roads, bunch of drunks who cant hold their liquor! more

The shows are great, but the post-show parking exit is miseable. You will sit in your car, not moving, for 2 hours (honestly), almost no matter where you are in the lot. It will ruin your show experience. The police don't help, either. Frankly, it's boggling how poorly managed the lots are. Cons: terrible parking, bad parking staff, no organization more