Gila River Arena

Really shouldn't be charging a seat for an INFANT that will only be on my lap! Our child is only 6months old and would never even be heavy enough to sit in one of the chairs! Absolutely insane. You've officially loss business from my entire family who would pay full price for adults plus beers, souvenirs, and food.

No re entry? No smoking section? This place is so dumb. No one that works here has a clue about customer service. Ask everyone why we can't walk out to the public open air to smoke and come back in and they are all clueless. Dumb place for a venue.

It's a basic arena. Nothing really special about it. Nothing really wrong with it. Chairs are padded both seat and back. Acoustics were good for The Lumineers concert. I had only previously been in this arena for NHL Coyotes hockey.

One minus is that Westgate shopping center charges $15 for parking during concerts and other big events at the arena. However, if you buy something at Westgate and give them the parking receipt, they will remove the $15 from your bill. My friends enjoy happy hour prices at Bar Louie right across from the entrance to the area arena and get the $15 of their bill.
I prefer to simply park slightly farther out by the Outlets and walk. I also find it saves time leaving after the concert also. The closer $15 parking lots do not have workers after the concert helping to make the traffic flow efficiently. It took over 20 minutes for them to get out of the lot nearest the stadium.

Staff is very rude here. Went to look for a smoking section and staff acted as if we were crazy for wanting to smoke. Rude people who don't understand customer service.

Been here many many times. I like that it is closer to home, but wow parking is crazy and $$$. They did give us a coupon that we get $15 dollars off if we ate at one of the establishments listed. But be prepared to wait in long lines at any of those establishments. The bag policy and each of the people working there have different options. WHAT? I checked the bag policy on their website and measured my bag prior to going. And I had to ask the security person before I got into the line is this bag ok, because I still had time to run back to the car. Entering the metal detectors, I was told my bag was not permitted. I told them that the staff member directing crowds said it was ok and she measured my bag with a paper her had.

Came here again for a Muse/Evanescence/Highly Suspect concert on 4/3/23. The arena has since been renamed Desert Diamond Arena and the Coyotes no longer play here. Oh well. Our experience was great, except for one small snag. No draft beer. Went to 5 concessions and all they had were the gigantic cans...which since we aren't power drinkers (sorry Baccus-Badgers) didn't really work. Now worries, took a big beer for the team. Concert venue gets high marks. Although the GA floor never did fill, which looked at bit odd and might have left performers wanting,,,more? Clean restrooms a plus. Well stocked and no overflowing trash cans like other venues. Security staff Q's efficient and parking was a BREEZE in and out. Venue holds 18,xxx and the crowd was definitely loud. Muse was epic, so we're the opening acts. Acoustics worked great from section 119 row N for a couple of old farts like us. Seats were comfortable for tired knees. Views were acceptable from our $150 seats. Ticket prices are out of hand but better with three artists on the bill. Cup holders in the back of seats in front of you a nice convenience. Do not bring a purse, satchel, or backpack. No go here. Pack light and charge your phone. Cell service was decent for most of the concert so we could stay social relevant. All in all a nice experience. Final note - book your parking online for $10 in Lot G for quickest ingress/egress pre/post event. Cheers! We will be back.

For Father's Day, I had gifted my husband tickets to go see the band, the killers at the Gila River Arena in Glendale. We arrived late to the concert but were still able to park at the hotel, Renaissance valet parking. You can also pre-pay for parking through your Ticketmaster account, but I wouldn't wait until last minute because we did that and it was already full. The valet at the Renaissance didn't take long at all and it was $30. It's a pretty easy arena to navigate. Straight forward. What I didn't know ahead of time is that you can only bring in a very small purse. My purse was small and I only had two items in it and they still made me check it out a locker for $10. However the locker service does go to veterans so that made me feel better. I was actually more upset about the extra step before and after the concert. I got my husband a $40 T-shirt and an eight dollar Gatorade because we weren't drinking alcohol, however alcohol is served and if you're getting a beer, you can go to the Heineken tent for draft beer or you can get a tall beer. They do that so you don't have to keep going back. They have a bar for cocktails and wine and seltzer as well as non alcoholic beverages. The ushers are very helpful. There were people sitting in our seats when we got there late and they helped us out. Overall, the venue is nothing too spectacular, a basic event venue. I would go return for another concert. It's located in the Westgate entertainment center which has tons of entertainment. Shopping, restaurants, Dave & Buster's, etc. You could make a day of it if you had the time before the concert. I would definitely go back to see another show. I know that they are in the process of renaming to Desert Diamond Arena. Look at the bag policy!

Disappointed that the venue allowed the sale of obstructed view tickets without them being labeled obstructed view. But according to the staff you can see a piece of the stage so it's not obstructed.

As of November 24th 2021 they have HUGE issue getting fans in with paperless tickets.

Current bag policy at Gila River Arena is a joke! Prior to any event, I diligently check the COVID policy and bag policy. The current bag policy includes measurements for PERMITTED clutch style bags. These measurements are pretty standard for most venues. I have a crossbody clutch that I take to all events with this same bag policy. Upon entering the metal detectors at Gila River, I was told my bag was not permitted. I pointed at their printed diaphragm of permitted bags and was told that my bag is prohibited because it has a strap. Lame! If straps are not permitted, that should be added to the bag policy information.

Side note: My boot laces were longer than my purse strap. I'm sure there were people inside the venue with belts longer than my purse strap.