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Amphitheater At Clark County
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- Good for Kids:
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9 reviews for Amphitheater At Clark County
Hey, the upside of enjoying a show at the Clark County Amphitheater is that you get to drive away from Washington. You get to pass by the Birkenstock hut and the 'Couv, which boasts a shopping mall and a bowling alley, and hightail it all the way to your real life in Portland. Of course, if you have happen to live in that nebulous region between Ridgefield and the Oregon border, then you don't get to do this. Maybe that is OK with you. That's cool. Thank goodness it's not me.
The ugly sides of watching a concert at the Amphitheater, in case you haven't checked the overall star rating, are myriad. The parking situation resembles the herding of car cattle. This is par for the course for big outdoor venues, but other places don't hold their audience members captive in the parking lot for hours after the lights have gone out. Fortunately for me and my rumbling tummy, we only had to wait about 20 minutes. Maybe Clark County ousted the asshole faction of their security force, or maybe they had the day off. In my experience, it's always been easier and cheaper to take public transportation to any even that takes place in an amphitheater or arena setting, But since this venue forces you to navigate the backroads of Washington in order to find it, you need a vehicle. Seriously, use the shuttle service or the YES carpool program. It will help you hate the place slightly less.
Then there's the matter of the stage being lower than the lawn. It's probably pretty infuriating when you go to a place that bills itself as an intimate outdoor concert experience and you get to hear a few electric belches and the pixelated image of the band you want to see on a relatively small screen. On the other hand, if you're able to hit the lines early, you can make a beeline for the closest center spot on the lawn right at the concrete walkway that separates the patricians from the plebians. And you'll see a bit, as long as you stand. But if you can afford a seat and get a ticket in time to snag a center seat, you're in good shape. Plus, you get the added satisfaction of standing up and blocking the view of all the common folk in the grass. Sure, I may be a snob and a whore (at least according to Kade M's text), but I'm also barely 5'1. I never see anything at concerts, no matter where I'm standing.
But what about the prices and the lines and all the stinky people, you might ask. Well, you did sign up for a large outdoor concert. In case you're new to show-going, that's just how it is. As long as you have some foresight, you won't *need* to eat for the hours you spend in the Amphitheater. And if you are like me and feel a small part of your soul die when you fork over nine dollars for mediocre beer, once again, the theme is planning ahead. Airplane-friendly bottles of liquor and surreptitiously-placed flasks exist for a reason, the least of which is to offer a brief reprieve from the thought of having to get out of the parking lot and away from Washington later.
I will preface this review by saying wholeheartedly that I understand the hostility directed to this venue. For any number of reasons, you are all correct. For myself, I have to really want to see the show in order to go.
So, okay, you may ask, why did you give this special Circle of Hell 2 stars? I will tell you. Like so many other places, if you know the tricks you can make your deal with the Devil a little more palatable.
1) Get your tickets early. Yes, the acoustics suck the depths of Satan's ass, so you must buy tickets that place you in one of the first two tiers in front of the stage. If you go too far to either side or too far back (yes, the grass is too far back) then the acoustics (and I use the term loosely) will bounce the sound around in such a manner that you will have a hard time making sense of what you are hearing. I had 3rd row seats to a show a few years back, but off to the left of the stage...it took me almost a minute to figure out what I was hearing from a band whose catalog I was very familiar with...never again.
2) You can take one of two approaches to parking. Follow Joe's advice and game the VIP system with a carpool/premier pass and arrive very early or arrive just before the show (or even after an opening band you don't care about has started playing) and you should find yourself getting parked fairly quickly and can also get out relatively smoothly so long as you don't stay to the last note.
3) Yeah, the food is generally shitty and overpriced. The fries aren't bad and the burrito cart will be missed.
I will be going to the upcoming Pearl Jam show (one I would have skipped as I tried to get tickets too late to get good seats). Lucky for me a friend called and had an extra...and yet the first thing out of my ungrateful mouth?
Where are the seats???
200 section dead center? Love to go!
I really miss going to the Gorge Amphitheatre for shows...except for that long ass drive, it was damn near the best outdoor venue outside of Red Rocks that I've ever been to...
Solid 3.5 stars. I had a completely different experience than most of the other reviewers I guess. Saw Pearl Jam at the amphitheater and didn't really have any issues w/the venue and/or parking. Having been to a good number of amphitheater/stadium shows in my day I pretty much expect parking to be dreadful. As a result I always look for any type of shuttle service which thankfully the amphitheater has! Here is the link to the information:
http://www.amphitheate...
The shuttle service runs from the Salmon Creek Park and Ride (exit 7 off the I5) quite frequently and is only $2 a person. We got to the parking lot close to the start of the show and it was full but we were given a voucher to park at a nearby Fred Meyer. Within 10 minutes of arriving and easily parking at Fred Meyer we were on a bus headed toward the venue. The bus dropped us off at the back of the venue and we were happily inside within a couple minutes. After the show we headed right back out and caught a bus back to the lot with barely any wait. No trouble and/or issues at all.
The venue itself is ok. I agree that the acoustics weren't perfect, in fact we thought they were a bit muddled. After the show we talked quite a bit about how Eddie Vedder's voice was lost by the instruments in some of the songs and wondered whether or not it was the acoustics or just the band itself. Having never seen the band before I cannot say for sure but I am hesitant to say the acoustics were great. We had good seats, about 25 rows from the stage so no complaints there. We were also quite close to one of the giant screens so all was good with visibility. I know several other reviewers mentioned having trouble with visibility but we really didn't have any issues.
Overall 3.5 stars. Ok acoustics, easy access to/from the venue with the shuttle, no line any of the times I went to the restroom, and an overall great time. Stars deducted for them not letting me have the cap to the water that I bought (I guess they have trouble with people throwing full water bottles up on stage) and for the ok acoustics.
I'm not sure that 5000 characters is enough space for me to spew the correct amount 4-letter words to embody the sense of utter vitriolic hatred I have for this place and the people who designed it, run it, manage it, work it, or have anything to do with it.
I was held hostage in the parking lot of this Amphitheater for a full two and a half hours after the end of the Tom Petty/Trey Anistasio show here a few years back, and I will never forget it (and will never return). It was because of poor planning and INSANELY FUCKED UP POLICIES that I was held hostage. I know this because... well, let me tell you the story.
I went to the concert with my wife and we did enjoy the show. The Amphitheater has kind of a shitty design - seating up front, grass in the back. Amphitheaters of this size should be General Admission. Period.
We arrived before the bulk of the crowd got there, and were directed to park way in the back, at the other side from the entrance. I would have been wary about this, but we were parked right next to the exit on the other side of the vast field of parking lots.
So we saw the show, and left after the first song of the first encore. We venture into the parking lot to find a packed lot full of people attempting to escape before the rush. We hop in our car, drive over to the line (we're about 10 cars away from the exit to our lot, which exits to a road that bisects a long group of lots, and has outlets at both ends - one of the ends we are right next to). The management (effectuated by some Clark County cops that have been hired as security) blocks off the end we are near, and forces everyone to exit out of one end of the connector road, thus placing our lot (of people who got there early) at the end of a LONG line of tens of thousands of cars.
So after sitting for about 30 minutes a group of agitated drivers (mind you, we haven't moved an inch) march over to the group of cops standing there to ask what gives. Apparently, this exit is a VIP only exit, and they have been (and I will loosely quote here, but this is almost exactly what they said) "hired to make sure that we don't drive out that exit unless we have paid for VIP parking."
Um, ok... now wait a minute. The VIP lot is now empty, and the FUCKING SHIT FOR BRAINS ASSHOLES that are directing traffic are actually blocking traffic from the back lots to allow the front lots to empty. Something is going terribly wrong. So as you can guess, we're just sitting, not moving. So we have to sit here and just wait? "Yes" reply the cops.
So we sit. For an hour (I timed it). Sit in our car, waiting. People are getting pissed. We have not moved an inch. We can see on the horizon that the lots way in the front have started to empty, but that's many lots away from us.
So we start scheming. All that stands between us and freedom are some large rocks that form an intermittent barrier-system between the lot we are in and the road that could take us to freedom. Inevitably, some drunk guy comes over to start pushing a boulder aside, so we can just drive out. This springs Officers Unfriendly into action. They come running over and tell him "if you move that rock, we will arrest you." Drunky McRockinmover stumbles sullenly away back toward his car.
This is when we start getting really pissed. Hundreds of cars, sitting held hostage by some asshole cops (these guys were being total stereotypical dick cops - just like Clark Co Sheriffs are known to be) for now over an hour and a half... we all start honking. Just laying on our horns. Yelling at the cops to let us free. BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP
"LET US FREE YOU ASSHOLES!"
(yes, we were swearing at them too)
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP
This continues for a good 30 minutes and is when I take action. I begin to egg on the drunks in an attempt to rally them to move the rocks and attempt escape. "They can't arrest us all!" I say confidently. Some are taking the bait, but not enough to effectuate a mass exodus that I can hide in, and escape from.
The tour bus is now gone, and the lights in the amphitheater are off. It's 2 hours after concert end, and we have not moved. The cops are laughing (and I assume the amphitheater management is too). Haha, the joke is on us. An exit to the venue sat empty while we all waited.
The honking, yelling and sneering continue for another half an hour (2:30 total), until we start to move. Once we finally get out on to the roadway, the cops go home. Job well done. Nice policework there, Lou. Fuckers.
I will never, ever come back. I always warn others away. I should have sued them for imprisonment. Fuck this Amphitheater and double-fuck the assholes that run it. You stole 2:30h from my life. I want it back. And I was right. 5K characters is not enough to express the utter rage and distaste I feel when I think about this horrendous experi
I know parking is a bitch and leaving the arena can be a nightmare if there isn't any careful planning. I do have some advice for those who would like to get out of the arena in less than 5 minutes time. Yes, you heard correct; My group and I were out of the auditorium that quick. Here is the secret
1. You go to the ampitheater website. http://www.amphitheate...
2. Print a carpool parking pass (does not require payment either)
3. Slap that baby by the front window for easy viewing.
4. Arrive at the auditorium very early, say 2-3 hours before the concert starts.
5. Stay in the middle of the lane and the parking attendee will let you through to the VIP section.
6. Park in the back of the auditorium and make sure Premier Pass is present in the car.
7. End of the show, go to car, and the "special" exit will be present for you to leave.
We were very shocked when we managed to get out in that short amount of time. I did notice that "special" parking will get the "special" exit treatment. If you arrive just before the show starts, expect a long ass wait. Food is expensive and don't taste that great. There are less vendors now than they were last year; I was very sad when the mexican burrito stand was not present. There is no air conditioning in the dome area and if you sit in the 200 level section, the sun will still get ya.
I thought White River Amphitheater was bad. In fact there is only one thing that could make any venue worse than White River and Clark County has it. The sound system SUCKS. I'm pretty sure the lead singer was talking to the crowd but I wasn't at the "Charlie Brown's Teacher" show, I was at a rock concert. Didn't understand a word.
Parking here is the same as at White River, Not so bad to get in but a NIGHTMARE to get out. We avoided this by parking at a friend's house that live across I-5. The 20 min walk each way sure beat the two hour wait in the parking lot.
Add The Amphitheater At Clark County to the growing list of Washington concert venues that I won't be going to.
Seriously people, STOP going to shows at these crappy amphitheaters with sub-par sounds systems and nightmare parking lots and the bands will stop playing them.
If John and George were re-incarnated, the fab 4 reunited, and I had free front-row seats, I still may not go because this venue is so intolerable.
1) Horrible Sound
2) Horrible seating, poles everywhere, hard, narrow uncomfortable seats.
3) Traffic nightmare, if you don't leave during the encore, you may not make it back to Portland for breakfast the next morning.
Related to my hatred for waiting in line is my hatred of crowds. That is why i like outdoor concerts. I can spread out my blanket to form a visible "do not cross" barrier for the swarms of beer sloshing humanity. The CCA in fact offers two options for crowd haters. Pay big bucks for your own reserved chair under the canopy, or sit in the (incredibly lush) grass on your larger than necessary blanket.
Since the CCA is located in Washington (just north of Ridgefield), and not downtown Portland, the parking is plentiful (and FREE. at least the times i've gone.)
Also, James Taylor is the greatest. If he played here every day, then I would give this venue 5 stars. But alas, he does not. A gal can dream.
Before I start knocking this venue, I'll give it credit for decent seating selection (as long as you're not on the far end viewing the stage from an angle). Seats were covered to shield from sun or rain and they had open grass area to chill on a blanket, if you wish. Overall good sound and it was an enjoyable concert.
Now the real reason why I'm writing this review ... It was an absolute nightmare to get in and out of, unless you're one of the tax-dodging Vancouverites not traveling to/from Portland. My biggest problem was trying to leave and dealing with the chaos of drunk people with road rage. Seriously, is it necessary to honk your horn repeatedly when your sitting in bumper to bumper traffic? The Amphitheater should promote shuttle buses instead of individual parking to avoid the issue. Ok, back to the venue ... concessions were weak; not enough micro-brew choices and outrageously expensive (Fat Tire was the best I could find and nothing was local). There was one ATM on-site (that was functional) and the line was 30-minutes long. Most vendors were cash only - so be prepared.
All-in-all ... I won't be back unless Joe Strummer resurrects from the dead to play a final Clash concert. Dealing with the white trash and culture-less Vancouver area was not worth it.