Walnut Creek Ampitheatre

I want to love this venue, and for the most part I do. To start out, parking was a hot mess. They barely have any employees directing traffic, so it results in a haphazard mess. Then when we finally parked the guy separated us and the other car group by a lot, because he thought they were with the car behind us… Props to trying to keep car groups together, that was very considerate, but poorly executed. Then our app didn’t work to pull up our etickets. This wasn’t the venues fault, and I don’t blame them. What I do blame them for is turning us away and telling us they can’t print our tickets at the will call desk, when another employee said they could. Because of this we had to walk around trying to find signal for 30 minutes to pull up the tickets. Finally at 8, one hour after the concert started, we get in. The employees inside were much nicer. So I go to get a keychain and apparently they were only taking cash in the long line I was in, and I didn’t find out until I got to the counter. I called my friend over asking if she had 5 bucks. The guy then doesn’t even acknowledge me, but gives her exceptional service, calling her sweetheart a few times, and tells her to enjoy her keychain. She then told him its for me and gives it to me. Keep in mind that the lady before me thought he accepted credit and he made an exception for her. I’m glad all the stupid stuff happened BEFORE the concert, because as unhappy as I was with the service, the actual concert made up for it. Panic and Weezer were amazing live, and the venue was awesome. There’s something about sitting on a blanket with friends and listening to bands you love that just screams «perfect summer night.» We will be back next summer, but hopefully things improve greatly.

Okay I’ll start by saying its a gorgeous venue and well equipped to handle large concerts. HOWEVER, the staff sucks. To begin with we had VIP parking. They led us to the wrong spot, then when we asked if this was VIP they said yes. It wasn’t. So we proceeded to ask another man how to get to VIP and he sends us the wrong way. We eventually found it a half hour later.
The next thing that pissed me off is that I waited in line for 15 minutes to buy my girlfriend and I each a drink and when I went to buy it they told me I could not buy a drink and a beer. After I waited fifteen minutes.
And lastly they require you to have your ticket to get to the seat but meanwhile they gave me the wristband for the VIP section. I left my ticket with my girlfriend with no idea they wouldn’t let me back to My seat thinking that’s what the wristband was for. WRONG, they made me and my girlfriend miss songs to get me the ticket. Meanwhile they let an older senior citizen couple through with no tickets. It was profiling of younger people at its finest. Paid for VIP and was not treated like it at all.
I will not be giving any more of my money to Livenation ran events. It’s was ridiculous that all they are worried about is making their profit, keeping people out of seats and not worrying about making the paying customer happy.

Saw Kenny Chesney here on a Saturday night, it seemed to me that the concert was almost sold out. We arrived around 4pm and found no traffic getting into the parking area. It did fill up pretty quickly. For the entire gravel area (not VIP which is $ 30) there were only 2 porta-​potties. I would guess those two were serving hundreds of people, by 4:30 the line was 30+ people long and never let up. Not for the 3 hours that we sat out there and tailgated. I went in the line once, it took me 25 minutes to get to the bathroom. They really need to plan better and add more bathrooms!
Getting into the pavilion was a mess, for most people, everyone seemed to gather around the main entrance, however there is a second entrance if you walk all the way around, but it is not marked of course. Luckily we had no bags so getting in around 7pm was a breeze. Show started at 7:30.
As with any entertainment venue you’re going to find overpriced food and drinks, that’s just the way it is. You are not forced to buy drinks inside, you can cook and drink as much of your own food and alcohol outside of the pavilion beforehand so I don’t see why you would complain about the prices.
We got several beers and snacks. The nachos and pretzels were ok, what you would expect. The pizza was really good, $ 6 a slice but $ 20 for a whole one, not as bad as some of the other stuff.
The bathroom lines are super long, but there were a lot of porta-​potties as well so I never really had to wait long.
The staff manning the entrance areas and seats take their jobs a little too serious if you ask me. They were stopping people left and right asking to see tickets, they wouldn’t let people cross the rope even if their seats were literally one row behind it. It just seemed trivial to me, sure check the tickets but don’t check them every single time someone comes back in, it just causes a traffic jam on the walk ways.
Our seats were in Section F on the far left, row 5. It was an ok view, hard to see the artist if they step back towards the band. It did rain and we got a little wet because the rain was coming in sideways, so something to note when selecting seats!
Getting out was also pretty easy, we made our way towards the back as the concert was ending and booked it to our car. It took around 15 minutes, not too bad. But I can imagine that if you leave with the crowd you’ll be in for a miserable wait.

This outdoor concert venue is huge! We went to the Jimmy Buffett concert, Huey Lewis was the opening act.
If you don’t mind walking, best to park closest to entrance on the right. Exiting from here was a breeze! We arrived early for tailgating so traffic entering was manageable. Set up a tent, bring a grill and adult beverages and you are ready for margaritaville!
We did lawn seats as most people stand up and dance around anyhow. Lines to get in are pretty massive if you bring chairs, bags etc. if you want to avoid that mess, walk in empty handed and you will bypass the masses.
Expect to pay premium $$$$ to buy beer or food inside. Typical of these monopolies. Can bring in unopened water bottles.
They also have chair rentals inside. Bathrooms are hit or miss.

The performers and singers that this venue host are very good. However, the amphitheater itself if sooo frustrating. Instead of remembering how great the concert was, I just remember how awful the venue was. The bathrooms are always disgusting. Traffic is a NIGHTMARE!!! I have been to over 10 concerts at this venue and you should plan to be in traffic for over an hour each way. Unacceptable that it takes over and hour to get both in and out. The also do not have a good variety of food and beverage choices.

DO NOT GO TO A CONCERT HERE. The traffic and parking is an absolute disaster and they do it on purpose so you pay $ 30. We have been in traffic FOR TWO HOURS for a concert that’s not even half sold!!! Complete madness.

Good venue, wet bathrooms (yes, wet — I don’t want to know why, but you feel like you need rainboots to maneuver a stall), high beer prices. Exactly what you’d expect from a summer concert venue.

I’ve been to plenty of shows at Walnut Creek over the years. I will name some of them (can’t remember them all). Van Halen (most recent). Kings of Leon, Black Keys, Fleetwood Mac, Jimmy Buffet, REM, the Eagles, The Who… to name a few. During the Spring/​Summer/​Early Fall it is cool to see bands you like in the wide-​open great outdoors.
I have enjoyed the concerts I have seen there and my experience is that the sound and acoustics have always been good. I usually just get lawn tickets and the stage/​band members can be hard to see, but they do have the large projection screens on either side of the stage, so you can see close-​up that way.
My least favorite part of Walnut Creek Ampitheatre is and always has been the parking. Getting there and parking is usually ok, but leaving is terrible. There are no parking attendants when you leave, so you basically have to just get out the best way you can. It is always a mad house.
This place really hasn’t changed much in 20 + years except the prices have gone sky-​high for beers. (a tall bud light was I believe $ 14.50 at my most recent visit). I try to drink a few brewskies in the parking lot prior to the concert, and I always eat at one of the fast food places nearby instead of eating inside the venue. I say bring your own and indulge prior to the concert instead of giving in to the price gouging that goes on inside. Also the bathrooms inside are pretty bad, but I guess that is to be expected.
I will continue to occasionally visit Walnut Creek to hear some great music and bands, but I do believe this music venue feels really dated and could definitely stand some improvements and upgrades.

Only a one because it’s required. They turn away injured military at concerts. Never returning to a place that ignores the disability of our service members. No qualified EMTS on premises to certify disability. Horrible experience.

Not nearly as nice at Farm B in VA Beach and many similar ampitheatres, but same concerts and similar sound quality

I gave this place 3 stars because you can not bring chairs unless they are beach chairs and super low to the ground. Another reason when I went to see Phish the screens on the sides of stage that use to show a close up view where not working. I think this is new because they use to work. I had lawns seats, the place was packed, and it would of been nice to get a better view. Beers are expensive but I find that to be true for most concert venues. Another dislike the ticket fees for this venue are extra costly.
What I like: the bands, the venue setup, free parking/​lot experience. I have seen Warren Haynes, Slightly Stoopid, and Phish play here. All were great shows, and great sound. All in all I will be back if they have a good band playing. Beggars can’t be choosers.

I have to say that years ago I wasn’t as keen on outdoor concerts. I much preferred coliseum and 8n door venues. As I have gotten older, my opinion has definitely changed. Most likely because my ears have changed. I have a lot less ringing of the ears after seeing an outdoor concert.
All that being said, this is my favorite outdoor venue in North Carolina. Easy to get to. Easy to get around in once you’re here. Good shows. Good seats whether in a chair or on the lawn. Not an issue at all unless your neighbors are less than cordial.

Nice place to come see concerts but parking is a mess. Expect to wait quite a while going in and hours coming out. Fast pass parking helps with some concerts (Train) and not with others (Rascal Flatts). Not sure why.
Food at the venue is expensive and not too exciting but that’s to be expected. They no longer have screens on lawn area which makes seeing the performers extremely difficult.
Pavillion seats r nice and many have cup holders. Large screens in the Pavilion is nice for seeing the artists close up.

Last night I attended a concert at Walnut Creek Amphitheater. Keep in mind the first concert I attended there which was for the band, Train, was awesome. However, last night was the boys of zummer concert with Wiz Khalifa and Fallout boy. Given that this is a SUMMER concert there were lots of minors in this audience.
Walnut Creek Amphitheater allowed the rapper Wiz Khalifa to show a rather lewd video at the concert. There was weed being smoked, topless women whose bare breasts were shown, and drug dealers. If you want to have an adult concert that is fine. Especially for summer concerts where there is a HIGH probability that there will be LOTS of MINORS, many of whom were under ten, please put out warnings that the concert is explicit.
I have emailed the contact office at Walnut Creek Amphitheater and I am currently waiting for a response.

We love Walnut Creek! We have the County Music Megaticket, so we spend a lot of time here.
I would not recommend getting actual seats the lawn seats are perfect. It is an experience and such a fun way to watch the band. I would say that if you are looking for an intimate experience, the lawn is not the place for you. No personal space and people will stand in front of your chair or blanket.
All of the workers in the booths are volunteers for their charity or affiliation. They have no control over the policies. Recently, I have started buying the bottles of wine which are the way to go! They give you the bottle in a keepsake decanter. Do not loose your cup! I dropped mine and someone stepped on it– no one would let me get another cup without paying for it. So when you order wine, ask for extra cups!

Great show, this is our second time here. We were on the seats the last time, and this time the lawn. I think that as long as the weather is gotta the lawn is a great place to be! Just remember that you can’t bring normal size lawn chairs.

The reviews are a little harsh, but I get it. The drinks are inflated, the parking is questionable, and the screens for the lawn have been removed.
Those are all challenges, but you know what would be worse? Not having these musicians visiting. I feel that there is a disconnect between what we are hoping for and what is very common at these amphitheaters. They don’t make a ton of money from the actual shows, so they make it work and that might mean high beer prices and less traffic employees, but you know what the opposite is? Less shows for Raleigh and less relevance for us as a major stop.
Do you want them to hit Charlotte instead? No, so support all the local venues you can, and gain some perspective.

So… We have mixed emotions about Walnut Creek Amphitheater. While I really would have given this a solid Four Stars for ambiance and sound alone, there were some glitches throughout the evening that needed addressed by Walnut Creek Management to ensure a better guest experience for future visits.
We were here on 5÷22÷15 for The Dave Matthews Band. We purchased Preferred Parking (in advance), and I am so glad we did, we scored a great spot right up front and we also got right out after the show was over with basically no wait. That was excellent by itself (I highly recommend spending the extra $ 25-​$ 30 and buying the parking pass). *Please note, that while we saw most people tailgating in the lot, the website, itself states that the city ordinance and State of NC prohibit consumption in the lot (we were in from out of town for this show) so we did not bring anything with us. At home we have designated lots that we can consume in and we were just going by what was on the Walnut Creek website.
The gates were supposed to open at 5:30 and we had the Fast Pass and VIP Club passes. We walked up to the gate about 5:30ish or so, and it seemed like they were still trying to get organization among the staff. Gates for Fast Pass, guests in the Pit and Warehouse Members were finally opened about 5:45. But they opened the gate, let in a handful of people, then stopped people, made us wait, scanned our two tickets, made us wait an extra five-​ten minutes right inside the gate and said they were not ready, then finally got it together and opened the gate to let the rest of the line in.
We walked over to the VIP Club area to grab a bite and a drink before the show started. The show was scheduled to start at 7pm (with no opening act) and by now it’s about 6pm. All I wanted was a glass of Dreaming Tree Wine (yum!) — mind you there are Dreaming Tree signs all over… I asked the bar for a glass of Dreaming Tree Crush, and they looked at me like I had 3 heads, then I just said do you have any wine, they they told me what they had, and I said «no». We found a «Dreaming Tree Wine Cart around the corner so I just walked over there and asked for a glass of Crush, and the ladies working said the cheapest way to go was a bottle, I said I am only drinking one glass, so just one glass, please. Then they tell me, I can only buy it by the bottle for $ 54.00, or I can buy a split of some cheap wine I don’t know for $ 9.00, my response „Are you crazy, it’s $ 13.99 a bottle, your crazy if you think I am giving you $ 54.00“. So we passed… :-(
At this point we just opted to sit in the patio area and take advantage of the in seat service. The menu offered a variety of sandwiches and a couple of salads. I ordered the grilled chicken cesar salad and my boyfriend ordered the Carolina Cuban (cuban sandwich made with pulled pork). My salad was fresh and it was a decent size, I ordered extra dressing and I was glad I did, my boyfriend said his sandwich was good, but a little dry, and needed some sauce. Here is where I had my continuing drink issue… My boyfriend ordered a Bud Light, they are 25oz beers, $ 11.50 I asked for a Margarita, they could not make that, then I asked for a Stella Cidre (since the venue is advertising Stella and Stella Cidre — all over plus I was looking at a Stella Cidre sign on our table) — our server says she „thinks they don’t have that“ but she is going to check — she comes back and tells me they don’t serve Stella Cidre there…“I’m sorry, what???» So I give up and order a Bud Lime-​a-​Rita thinking it will be $ 11.50 like the Bud Light, but no, it’s $ 15.00 — OMG! Walnut Creek is certainly proud of the alcohol at their venue.
The VIP Club area is large, there are a couple of bars, a patio seating area (our server was excellent), it was not her fault the venue did not have the product they were advertising, and there are private restrooms (big plus). So I guess there are pro’s and con’s to the VIP area — but I would NOT PAY full price for this amenity. In my opinion, it is NOT worth it.
We went to our seats about 7:00pm…Dave was a little late going on… no biggie. He is always worth the wait. The venue itself seems very open and the grounds themselves are really nice and very well maintained. The sound was good, the video screen on the right as you were looking at the stage kept going out. We were dead center of the pavilion, so we had great seats, but we could definitely see the screen go off and come back on, especially after the sun went down.
Overall, I think this venue has a lot of potential, there seemed to be a lot of communication issues to get the venue open. They need to check their menus and make sure of what they offer and what they advertise is in sync, and get their menu prices in line. I know what I need to pay for a beer at an event, but $ 15.00– seriously, and $ 54.00 for a bottle of wine… get a grip your price gouging your guests.

Yes, the ground can be a bit wet after the rain. And yes, the ticket and drink prices are a bit on the pricey side (Did you expect anything less?). Somehow though, this place always seems to be packed. I always pick lawn seats, mostly because it’s just a more enjoyable experience for me. You get to see the acts you paid to see without some stranger basically standing on top of you.
There’s a nice line-​up — I went to the Fall Out Boy-​Paramore show and a Journey-​Foreigner-​NightRanger line-​up from a couple years back. The parking sucks — you end up parking way out in no man’s land. If you carpool, you end up getting a better space. The plus side of this though is that you can pre-​game in the parking lot, a fun alternative to paying the obnoxious prices for shitty beers.
The basics to enjoying your show here:
1. Carpool and get there early.
2. Pre-​game in the parking lot (The car next to us even brought a mini pool to fill with ice and water — double purpose: keep the alcohol AND your feet cool.) .
3. Pack light, but bring something to sit on.
4. Sit back and enjoy the show.

Yes, it’s overpriced and the women’s bathrooms lines are unfairly long. (There also tends to be confusion about which is the entrance and exit for the bathrooms). But the ushers were nice and we had great views of the stage. I really enjoyed seeing Keith Urban here. We tailgated before the show, so the only thing I bought inside was water. It didn’t take long to get out of the parking lot (admittedly, we got a head start by leaving during the encore).

I have seen many good shows here over the years. They get the larger acts that tour the country. Some of the very memorable shows were Metallica, Van Halen and Ozzfest. Yes it gets crowded and the drinks are expensive. I prefer to sit in the seats instead of the lawn whenever possible. Since I live in Florida most of the year, the heat has not been an issue for me, but it bothers many folks, because the air can be very stagnant here.

PROS:
1. The sound was pretty good for an amphitheater.
2. Though some will complain about concessions, they looked pretty good and prices are to-​be-​expected high.
3. If you’re on the lawn, the offer chairs to rent that meet their height regulations.
4. The seats were not full, so a few minutes after the first act began, they gave out tickets to people on the lawn to fill the seats.
5. We chose not to take the tickets because, to my surprise, I really enjoyed the lawn. You’re not cramped up beside crazy fans or getting stranger sweat on you. It was made for a relaxing evening.
CONS:
1. Beware if it has rained recently. There was a patch of soggy grass that made victims out of several people – muddy shoes, muddy shorts. I thought they’d put out a sign, but they never did.
2. Parking. It really is a bit ridiculous.
3. If you choose lawn tickets and expect to lay back on a blanket or sit in a chair and be able to see, you’ll be disappointed. If everyone sat, everyone would be able to see, but humans are quirky. The young crowd at our show stood as soon as Paramore got on stage. We couldn’t see, but we didn’t mind much.

Whoa! Why all the bad reviews. It’s been a few years since I’ve ventured to the Creek to see a show and boy was I blown away by the performance last night. We scored last minute tix last night to see Maroon 5 and Kelly Clarkson.
After seeing multiple shows, of late, at Red Hat, due to it’s favorable location and size, I have to say, Walnut Creek delivers in sound. The bass is amzing. They have a great stage. You really get a true concert experience with the lawn.
Now, I agree with everyone else it’s a nightmare to get in and out of there. Parking is a disaster. We could barely find our car and we were sober. The lots are poorly lit and the food is pricey. $ 6 for fries? Are we in Disney Japan?
Well, I don’t often go to shows like this, so thank goodness I got $ 116 tix for $ 40, otherwise, this evening would have easily cost $ 150. Definitely, not worth it for seats in the back. Still, the sound was awesome, which is really what you’re paying for.

Sometimes live music is just the deal you need to enjoy a warm summer evening and the TWC Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek is a great spot to make it happen! I definitely understand the complaints but have seen several shows here and mostly enjoyed the experience. The parking lots are free but there’s a LONG walk to the front gates. Then you gotta wait a bit for security and the ticketing. Once inside they’ve got some half-​decent beer and food stands but it’s all a bit dated now. Beers are $ 10 — $ 13 each which is very pricey and they card everybody. Once you head on into the seating area, you go through a large lawn area that seats about 10,000 and then to the seats in front for another 6,000. Only about half of those are covered.
Acoustics and the stage at TWC Music Pavilion are both pretty good, however their line-​ups have been weak of late. Definitely not my type of music so I haven’t had a good reason to come here. And yes, LiveNation-​Ticketmaster runs the venue so you’ve got your usually outrageous tickets fees and they don’t even mail (or email) you physical tickets! Total joke, for the fees charged. In the end I’ll probably still come back from time to time but agree with most that this venue has not kept up to date with the service levels and concessions of other Triangle event spots. Add in the excessive fees and beers and well, TWC Music Pavilion is definitely not on the top of my live music list.
Which is unfortunate because I have done some decent concerts before at a decent price. Those days seem long gone, unfortunately…

I’ve been to so many shows here over the years, and unless it’s an artist or band that I really really want to see that isn’t playing anywhere else nearby, I will take a pass on going to any more here.
Obviously it is an outdoor amphitheatre, so most of the shows are in the hot summer. If you sit in the covered seats, it can be super hot, with little to no air blowing around. If you sit in the back in seats that are not covered, it’s the luck of the weather-​draw. The lawn can be a decent option if weather is on your side. We were at the Heart/​Jason Bonham Led Zeppelin Experience this past weekend and it was the first time I’ve ever seen them «close» the lawn. Everyone with lawn tickets were given upgrades. I don’t know if it was because of the rainy forecast or because the show hadn’t sold well. Probably the latter, because they sure wouldn’t let us upgrade from our not-​covered seats. We just got wet. (The bands were excellent, by the way… just would have preferred seeing them in a more comfortable venue).
I seriously dislike the bathrooms. The floor is usually very wet and slippery. Time going carefully or you will end up standing on that wet floor for a long time in a long line.
Food and drink prices are, of course, ridiculously expensive. Many of the booths, however are manned by school groups and non profits, so at least you can pick who you’d like to contribute to.
The VIP experience, if you want that can be a plus. Only you can decide if it’s worth the price.
Parking sucks. There are no signs of any kind to help you remember where you park. Good luck.
And one last dislike… their website. Fairly useless! All I wanted to know before we went was do they charge for parking these days, and if so, how much? Couldn’t get an answer. I can tell you we did not have to pay for parking. Also wanted to know if upgraded parking was available for a fee. No answer for that either.
I leave you with a TIP: I think the Rock Quarry Road way to get there is easier than Poole Road.

Went to the American Roots festival over the weekend. The music was awesome, but the venue wasn’t all that great. They ran out of paper towels in men’s and women’s restrooms. Overpriced food and drink.