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Nissan Pavilion
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Music:
- Live
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Sat, Sun
- Happy Hour:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Smoking:
- Yes
- Coat Check:
- No
39 reviews for Nissan Pavilion
I won't see another band here ever ever again*. In fact, I've traveled far off to see favorite bands rather than go to crappy Nissan. The parking lot vibe sucks, the venue sucks and it's a pain to get to.
Would it kill them to run shuttles from the Metro?? It would seriously reduce the parking/traffic issues.
*I reserve the right to change my mind depending who's playing ;-)
Nissan Pavilion, itself, is an excellent venue for music, and deserves to be host to the variety of acts it brings to Virginia each year. To its credit, the sound system is wonderful, as are the large screens to either side of the stage that allow folks in the lawn seats to view the performance in detail. That said, the Nissan Pavilion does have a bad reputation on a number of fronts which, in my opinion, has much to do with how we, as fans, utilize (or abuse) the venue.
So yes, Virginia, with a little forethought and planning, you, too, can have a great concert experience at the Nissan Pavilion.
Let's start by discussing the parking at the Nissan Pavilion. If you spend any time reading reviews on Yelp, you'll know that Nissan is notorious for bad parking lots. As of September 2009, many of those problems still exist, but it appears that the ownership of the Pavilion is constructing secondary exits to Wellington Road along the eastern parking lots. This will be a welcome addition.
In the meantime, concert attendees can do a number of things to improve their parking experience. Yet, very little practical advice exists on the internet about parking here and many reviews on Yelp are short on actual details.
This is your remedy.
First, note that parking on-site is "free" (the fee is included with ticket cost).
1) Cars are permitted to park along Wellington Road directly in front of the venue. In some Yelp reviews, this frontage along Wellington Road is referred to as "the hill when you go in." Park here, if you can, but arrive early as this area goes fast (1-2 hours in advance). Exiting will be a breeze from this point though, but keep in mind that Wellington east of Bayou Street only flows east after the concert and Wellington west of Bayou heads west. If you are not careful, this can interfere with your routing.
2) Cars are permitted to park in the grass along Bayou Street entering the facility. Park here, if you can (spaces go quick), but be aware that leaving *may* be difficult if you take your time leaving the concert venue. The difficulty will be due to traffic queuing to leave along this main artery.
3) Spaces along the entrance lanes to the main lots are also available and allowed. Squeeze in between the trees and rocks, and you'll save time leaving. There are staff members directing traffic once you reach this point. As a result, your options for WHERE to park will be somewhat controlled. Look for spots along the northern edge of the east lot as these will be along the exit lanes for departing. The last place you want to be is in the main parking lot lanes.
4) If all else fails, park where you can in the main parking lot rows, and take your time coming back to your car (5-10 minutes is enough delay). To minimize your time in the lot, try to head east (yes, this MAY seem counter-intuitive as you're going away from the exit) until you reach the eastern limit of the lot. Queue with the other cars and head north. Eventually, you will reach the north-east corner of the lot and turn to head north-west. Keep going. Generally, the venue places port-a-potties along David Williams Way, but you CAN turn right here and leave through an otherwise empty gravel lot. Do this, if you can, and you'll cut off a LOT of traffic. Nissan employees should be directing a small amount of traffic this way so you are not breaking any rules. Go for it.
Using my head and the points noted above, I left the recent Jimmy Buffett concert from the worst possible position in the eastern lot within 15-minutes. Weather was decent, but there were a LOT of people still standing in the lot slowing things down. I still managed to leave in 15.
Now, let's talk for a moment about entering the concert area (stadium).
Again, arriving early is key as entrance lines can be quite lengthy. This is due to a variety of reasons: line cutters, slow people and the "bag searches" before entering. Again, to its credit, Nissan is attempting to provide a safe environment for attendees, and they do simple searches on the way in. The searches are minimal and, yes, the whole affair really amounts to "security theater." Just indulge the Nissan staff when they ask to see in your bag. Better yet! Leave the 15lbs Mommy bag in the car and there won't be any need to search. That saves EVERYONE time.
If you must bring something in, don't be foolish and you'll be fine. Note that Nissan employees are searching for obvious problems: don't try to come in with a gun, a knife or alcohol. Don't bring your camera either - they WILL send you back to your car to leave the camera. Don't bring large chairs. Do bring tickets and blankets (if sitting in the lawn).
In conclusion, arrive early (30-40 minutes may not be enough) and have fun. Park using my advice above. Only bring the bare essentials to the entrance gates, but especially NOT a camera. Don't get in a rush leaving.
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I will preface this review by stating that the concert we went to was Kenny Chesney's Sun City Carnival Tour with Miranda Lambert and Lady Antebellum. That being said, getting there took forever. I have nothing but respect for Prince William County Police but the way they directed traffic wasn't efficient at all. It didn't help that there was basically one or two ways in and out and tens of thousands of fans were trying to get into the venue's parking lot. They don't charge for parking unlike some of the private lots would lead you to believe before getting to the venue. So don't believe their hype. I know I know, traffic is expected for a HUGE concert like this but there's got to be a better way. Especially for the $$$$ you plunked down.
After not moving for an hour with lots of cars cutting from the left lane into the right (two lanes into one) without any warning, we got to the venue. Watch out for some pot holes and deep crevices in the roads in the parking lots cause my girl twisted her ankle. *We went to the First Aid trailer later and they took care of her! :)
It's a nice looking amphitheatre with concessions, souvenir stands, and restrooms basically in 3 sections- Left, Center, Right of the main gate/ticket windows. Towards the right, kinda next to the pavilion was a VIP section where you can get food and drinks (beer, soda, water, and hard liquor). There were a lot of other company sponsored stuff you can participate in as well.
Concert tickets are expensive and I don't go to concerts often anymore but if you love country music, you gotta go to a Kenny Chesney concert. He puts on a great show and the crowd goes nuts for him. The roar of the crowd and the audience singing along with his songs gives me goose bumps.
Okay rating for the venue (friendly and helpful staff though), but OUTSTANDING FOR KENNY CHESNEY! IT'S A PARTY!!! WOOT WOOT!!!!
After reading the reviews, I looked toward the commute out to Nissan Pavilion with sheer dread. Still, I reasoned, this is for Depeche Mode! The guys have been touring for nearly 30 years - I can't let them down now. [cue "Never Let Me Down Again" from their Music for the Masses CD]
I figured if I brought a 3 day supply of water, dehydrated instant meal pouches from REI, and the Bear Gryllis Signature Series Survival Kit I would be in decent shape to survive the trip to and from Manassas to see my electronic music heroes.
What time do the gates open? 6:30. The opening act? 7:30. :( Traffic on 66 should be a parking lot from the usual commute. Oh well. I'll leave Alexandria around 5, hunker down, and make the best of it. DM probably won't start before 9. That gives me 4 hours. Off I went.
Without having been there before, I arrived at 6:30pm and parked without any problem. There were plenty of tailgaters ahead of me enjoying their favorite beverages and various substances. What? I made it here in 90 minutes? I couldn't believe it. No problem.
My first stop were the snack counters. I did stand in line here for a considerable time (about 20 minutes), but I expected to wait and that things would be overpriced. [$11 for hot dog, fries and a bottle of water] It's a concert venue after all - don't come here for the food. I just needed to eat something to fuel up for the show.
Someone commented that the restrooms were in pretty bad shape. While I wouldn't eat off the floor, the restrooms were okay and there was no line. In fact, the restrooms at Nissan are far nicer than those at Fletcher's Boat House or Great Falls Park - for example.
After the show, the biggest drawback was the parking lot on the way out. It was pretty chaotic and definitely cried out for staff support - to direct traffic within the parking lot. Still, I was out in 10 minutes and back on 66 shortly thereafter.
Most of the ultra bad press on Nissan stems from the infamous Radiohead show. First, the Radiohead show sounds like it was massive. The DM show was big, but not on the same scale. Also, aside from being ridiculously humid, there was no weather situation to contend with.
I can understand the frustration with the design of Nissan, and can appreciate that the road access might be inadequate for huge crowds. But for my experience, there was absolutely no problem.
4 stars - I've seen DM twice before, and as usual they put on a terrific show. The sound quality at Nissan was excellent and far superior to Merriweather and the Tweeter Center in Chicago. The food quality and lines at concessions were comparable to my other concert experiences. I had a great time, and I suspect that comparably-sized shows would be good here, too.
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Having attended the Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Lady Antebellum concert of 8/29/09, I have a number of observations about Nissan. The artists were great--of course. The sound system was great--crystal clear (though once in a while too loud ). The pavilion is beautiful and an architectural masterpiece.
The Chesney show was a sellout. This in itself caused a good deal of the problems we experienced.
Some of my quibbles with the venue itself could have been lessened, admittedly, if I had researched it better beforehand. We spent the afternoon in the nearby Manassas area, and decided to leave "early" for the concert--at 5:00 p.m., when the show was scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. Well. We got close to the pavilion around 5:30 p.m, but then it took us at least another hour and a half to crawl through traffic. At that point I started to seriously worry about running out of gas, either before or after the concert. (we actually wound up leaving Chesney's performance 30 minutes early in the end, because I wasn't sure I had enough gas to sit that long in traffic twice)
We had lawn seats, and so came prepared with umbrellas, ponchos, lawn chairs and so forth. We lugged all of this through the expansive parking lots and grounds, only to be turned away at the gate, because they only allow the very short beach type chairs in the venue. We didn't expect it, so were annoyed, but fair enough. Lugged the chairs all the way back to the car and were able to get in this time.
Bathrooms, in terms of number and cleanliness were pretty decent (at least before the show). Food and drink was plentiful, but costly ($4 for a bottle of water). Not too different from ball games or other shows I suppose. I *didn't* expect the vendor to steal the cap from the water bottle however. Apparently they're afraid of having people throw full, capped bottles at the performers. (which was ridiculous I think, given the distance we were from the stage, but whatever. )
The lawn seating was sloping and crowded, and the water was for my 10 yr old daughter. It was a pain to try to hang onto the water bottle for the next 3 hours, and keep it from being knocked over and running all over the ground and the pants of everyone around us.
The lawn seats are a whole issue to themselves. The ground is sloped nicely, so that you can see the stage--provided of course that everyone stays seated. (ha!) Of course, the performers from that distance are approx. the size of Polly Pocket dolls, so you don't see much, but the large sized projection screens are a nice feature.
The lawn seating was obviously oversold. The area was cram packed with thousands of writhing, dancing people, and by the time the show was well underway, there were no aisles or walkways left for traveling to bathrooms, concessions, or--heaven forbid, in the event of having to evacuate the area. (and yes, I am emailing the insurance company that covers the liability for this venue). The one center aisle that WAS there before the crowds filled in was eroded bare ground, and would have been a slippery, muddy mess, had it rained as predicted that day.
I have to say that the cost of the lawn seating, once all the fees are added is ridiculous. It was nearly $180 for the three of us, once all the various fees were added in. The lawn seats are open air, with no chance of refunds--no matter what the weather--which we discovered after the tickets were purchased. We were lucky that it only sprinkled lightly and briefly that night, and we came prepared with raincoats and umbrellas (too bad it was too crowded to use those!) I have to say that I would have been seriously unhappy if we had had to sit there through a dangerous thunderstorm or just been out the money.
A concert is a chance to party and have fun. Having said that, this venue encourages drinking to a fault.. Not only is it available all over the place, but they have commercials for it on the projection screens throughout the evening. The artists even promoted the alcohol consumption--both Lambert and Chesney at least. Many of the people I observed close up were clearly drunk (some looked underage to me), and should not have been driving home afterwards. Again-- I felt the vendors and venue were promoting drinking to such an extent, that they were seriously raising their own liability risk in the event of a tragedy afterwards.
I would have to seriously think twice about attending another show here, but if I did, I would do a ton of planning beforehand.
Three things to say about this place, which I went to for the first time on Sunday night:
1. WTF??
Whose frikkin idea was it to build a world class concert venue in the middle of frikkin Appalachia?
Whose frikkin idea was it to make it so that 23,000 people and 11,000 cars are inching their way off the one exit on I66?
Why doesn't anyone give good advice on how to get here?
I swear to God, even before we got there I was telling the Honey that even if U2, the Pogues, Morrissey, New Order and the Undertones came here to do a benefit concert for my 401K I still would not come back.
I swear to God, Manassas is very close when you think about tens of thousands of soldiers fighting there to invade DC and to strangle the country and the future capital of the free world at birth. But when you are leaving said capital of free world to go for a night out Manassas and beyond is pretty bloody far away. You need to plan - and I alone have your plan:
2. The solution to your problems:
Do not take exit 43, take exit 47 and go right at the Bull Run mall along Wellington Street and get in the back way. Do that one hour before the concert starts and you can park near the exit of the parking lot and you will get out first. If someone had told me that on Sunday it would have saved 4 hours of my life.
3. What an absolutely fantastic venue.
Brilliant food, drink and facilities , ok , $11 for a Yuengling is a bit much, but what do you expect? We had seats in Section 103 Row A. Right in front of the mosh pit. We were so close I could count Gwen Stefani's six pack with the naked eye. OOhh. It's a 12 pack. And oooh, I just put the words "Gwen Stefani" "naked" and "I" in the same sentence. That might be the best sentence I have ever written in my life. I might go to sleep tonite thinking of that sentence.
God it was a brilliant concert. some one once said that nobody does anything as well as Michael Jordan plays basketball, and that the same now applies to Tiger Woods and golf. I would put Gwen and the band right up there because they were moving, dancing, jumping, screaming, playing, singing, entertaining. It was bloody brilliant. And Let's not forget they are all a bunch of late 30s / early 40s people like myself.
They had some cool videos in the background, including a montage of the early days of the band. Lovely - just lovely. The guys in the mosh pit are those that are following the band around the country and they all had little signs and gifts for Gwen, one guy had a sign with "Hug Me " on it, and the way she took the sign from him, showed it to the crowd, then invited up on stage with a "Come and Get it" was theatrical fan management at its finest. It was a lovely moment and the guy was psyched and got her to take a few pics.
There was a woman who knew the lyrics to every song dancing beside me and I swear to God, Gwen saw her, waved and pointed at her and I thought the woman was going to die an ecstatic death.
Back to the venue - a wonderful summer night, 23,000 people in the open air amphitheater by the lawn singing , dancing and jumping to a great band - it is a beautiful sight - and well worth the minor logistics nightmares - and take my advice when you go and use exit 47 you will be in good shape.
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I attended the Depeche Mode/Peter Bjorn and John concert last week. While the performance itself was amazing the venue has some serious issues...
1. Access. Seriously! As long as this place has been open why is the only access to this venue on a two-lane road? Surely they could have widened the roads by now!
2. Concession prices! $8 for a small, warm plastic cup of boxed wine! $11 for a 24-oz Icehouse!? $18 for a BBQ sandwich, fries and soda!?! Talk about highway robbery! Prices here are outrageous.
3. Bathrooms are ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING!!! You're better off using the port-a-potties outside the main entrance in the park!
4. Leaving the venue was a nightmare. I drove up from the Norfolk/VB area so I accessed the venue by exiting at 152B off I-95 North to VA-234. So as I left the parking lot after the concert ended the police directed ALL the cars to I-66! WTF!?! That was complete b*llsh*t right there! I needed to go back down Wellington to Balls Ford Rd to VA-234, not to I-66 toward the Capitol Beltway. Luckily I was able to exit back down VA-234 from I-66 so I didn't wind up going too far out of the way.
I'll consider going back to this venue ONLY if a band I really really like plays there and they are not performing anywhere closer.
Blah blah blah, traffic, blah blah. IT'S A CONCERT VENUE PEOPLE. IT'S GOING TO HAVE TRAFFIC.
Now on to something worth complaining about that could be better controlled by the owners: the $16 WINE BASED frozen "margaritas" available in "16oz" size. NOT worth it. An insider told me they're wine based (no wonder it tasted like Chardonnay -- gross)... and $1 an oz is RIDICULOUS. They try to pass it off in a "souvenir" cup... which is just hard plastic that probably cost them $0.10.
God is this place overpriced.... I know they can probably get away with it cos there's really no other options for food and drinks and the nazis at the gates won't even let you bring in water (so yes, you have to pay $8 for a small bottle of purified tap water).
Hey management: why don't you use $15 from the $16 you get off the margs to fix the parking situation so I have an easier time getting home during the weekend when there's a concert cos I live literally 5 minutes away and don't want to get stuck in other people's good times complaining about how long it takes them to get in and out of a CONCERT VENUE.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/25/2009
I don't know what everyone is complaining about.... Nissan is one of the nicest venues for concerts… Read more »
Been here a couple times now....
Logistical.
Nightmare.
Leave 48 hours in advance, you might get there remotely on time.
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Yep, I'm going to say it: uUuuUuUUuuugh traffic. I'm so happy I wasn't driving. On the way in, it was pretty smooth sailing .... but when it was time to go home .... sort of late on a Sunday night (hi, I have to be at my desk at 7:30 AM!) .... it was a MESS. Why is there apparently only one exit?! Why can't people use their heads and their minds and their brains? Why is there so much road rage?! sigh.
I can't complain about the venue itself. We got cheap-ass lawn tickets ($10 + $15 fee from LiveNation?! screw you, dudes .... whatever), but were happy as could be with a good view and good sound, sitting on our blankets and chairs ... the happiness may or may not have been related to our consumption of $11 beers or sheer joy observing the rampant, trashy underage drinking. whee!
Concessions were EXPENSIVE and bathrooms were DISGUSTING and parking was a NIGHTMARE .... but No Doubt rocked my face off and I'd do it all over again just to see Gwen (or a handful of other amazing bands), as long as I don't have to drive.
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One venue that has been a standard in the VA burbs is Nissan Pavilion. The annual go to's have included DMB and Jimmy Buffet....but last night was incredible....just one word - Coldplay.
Getting in is typically a breeze but last night they parked us in a field when the gravel lots were not full at all. Because we weren't tailgaiting we didn't bother getting there early, but didn't expect to park in the middle of nowhere folks! Getting out is a whole different story. As organized an coordinated the grounds staff is getting you in your parking spot...at the end of the evening they've all disappeared and its a free for all trying to make it to a single exit area. When, oh when, will they step up and have a couple more exits from the remote parking areas? Come on LiveNation, pony up some alternatives please.
The facility itself is good, whether you are in the seated sections or on the lawn. I still think it is WAY overpriced for the concessions, really - it reminds me of paying for popcorn and a drink at the movie theater that costs more than the ticket to get in....really people, make it reasonable and I guarantee folks will drink/eat more and you WILL make a profit.
The restrooms (ok this is something I speak to regularly, but its important to me) are kept clean. It wasn't a full tilt attendance last night, but still there was someone checking on the ladies room on a regular basis and its greatly appreciated!
We paid to sit in the pit area (usually more costly) and when we arrived there were no seats! It was Gen Admin in the Pit so you stood for 5 hours....not exactly what I expected (row 6, ROW 6) as I found myself in a swell of fans stepping on my unprotected flip flop wearing toes.
Regardless of the outrageous concession prices, the banged up and bruised tootsies....the show rocked the house and I wouldn't change a thing!!
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I have seen No Doubt and Dave Matthews Band here and I can say that unless Jesus Christ himself is playing a show I probably won't come back.
PROS:
- actual venue is cool: nice big lawn, good views of the stage, 2 huge screens
- lots of bathrooms and concessions.
- they get some pretty good acts
- nice scenery.
- plenty of parking
CONS:
- traffic is a nightmare both coming and going... You would think after 14 years they might have some kind of system for getting people in and out of there in a timely fashion - they don't.
- it's expensive $9.50 to $13 for a beer, $6 for french fries and $11 for a personal sized pizza, just to give you an idea.
- you can't bring anything in, it's like going to the airport... according to the livenation website you can bring, blankets, chairs less than 9" off the ground, food that will fit in a gallon ziploc bag and 1 SEALED bottle of water 32oz or less.
- inconvenient location 35 - 40 minutes from DC with NO traffic.
Overall a big clusterfuck, not worth the drive out there.
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Decent area for concerts.. it's all outdoors though. I would recommend getting a lawn spot versus going to the auditorium.
Lots of parking.. there is always traffic when you leave.
Food is expensive.
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Date Attended: 06/14/09, Sunday
Came here to see No Doubt. As much as they make off of the concerts, you would think they would fix the traffic problem leading into and out of the place. But why fix it when people still choose to come right? Well, it was a 2 1/2 hour drive to park there when it should've taken maybe 30 and another 1 1/2 hour drive back with 1 hour at a standstill in their parking lot.
Great concert, nice facility, horrible traffic.
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We started driving at 630, arrived at 9, missing the openers. Left the concert at 10:30, didn't get out of the parking lot until after midnight. No parking attendants stop cars from hopping the curb to cut in the line to exit the parking lot, they just stand around talking to eachother and smoking. Beers are $12
No concert is worth going to this hellhole.
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I hate this place with an absolute passion. After a few painful experiences over the past few years, I can honestly say I will never, ever, come back here, no matter who is playing.
The actual venue isn't that bad... once you get there. If you live further than 15 minutes away, you should plan to leave 8 hours before the show starts just to make sure you get there in time, traffic is hell, especially once you get close to Nissan. Parking is hell. Getting out of the parking lot at the end of the show is even worse. One particularly horrible time here, the concert ended at around 11:30, we got to the car around 12, and didn't get out of the parking til 2:45. 2:45! What the hell!
Last time I was there, a few people decided rolling down the rock covered hill was a good idea... maybe they were drunk, maybe they just figured it was a better alternative than sitting in the car for almost 3 hours trying to get away from this place.
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I'll never be back. I wouldn't mind the long drive from Baltimore if the back roads weren't so congested in this small town.
The price for parking and refreshments are horrific. The sound quality of the 2 shows i saw here was not that great either.
I'm just not sure why big bands come here.
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Wow I am shocked at all the horrible reviews this place gets! For traffic? Come on, there's traffic ANYWHERE thousands of people are leaving at the same exact time. Overpriced nachos and beer? EVERY sports/entertainment venues overcharge food/bevs/and t-shirts. Smuggle airplane bottles of liquor in your pants like the rest of civilization.
Maybe living 10 mins away sans traffic is giving me a different outlook on it; but to me it's WAY better than Wolf Trap, Merriweather Post (ew), and the Verizon Center.
My first concert at Nissan Pavilion was Oasis in 1994 and I have been to a concert nearly every single summer afterwards. Rarely I get seats in the pavilion. I prefer lawn; the tickets are way cheaper and it's like one huge party! Can you see the stage from lawn? Yes, they have ginormous screens, but personally I always enjoyed LISTENING and singing along and dancing/jumping to the music rather than seeing what kind of hotpants your gay band is wearing.
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My fiance, my favourite coworker from my old job, a bunch of his college friends and I all made the road trip down to Virginia and this venue for a DMB show (my fiance and I trekked down because this was the only show even remotely close to us where Michael Franti was the opening act) at the end of June -- and we're lucky we did, because I do think that was one of LeRoi's last shows. :(
First of all, this place looks JUST LIKE Camden's Tweeter Center (save for the pleasant view of the Philly skyline, the lit-up bridge and the sun setting over the Delaware), which amused us more than anything. The folks working the concession stands were much friendlier than their Jersey brethren, so that's an extra point right there.
I don't recall having too much of a problem with parking (we came in two cars and got split up, so we just camped out at the car closest to the venue), and we had plenty of room on our hilly concert-watching spot.
As an out-of-towner, maybe I'm grading the Pavilion on a different curve. Or maybe we were too under-the-influence to care that much? Either way, I'd go see another show here if I ever had the opportunity. It's not the greatest venue I've ever been too, but I certainly wouldn't swear to never step foot on it again.
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Came here 6/14/09 to see No Doubt.
The actual concert venue was great. Good sound, pretty good view as far as lawn seats go.
BUT... I would never come back here for another concert. Getting into and out of the parking was just ridiculous. At least getting in, there seemed to be lots of workers helping out, directing traffic, and pointing to open spaces and whatnot, even though it was still very slow going. Leaving, however, was a huge mess. There were no people at all directing anybody anywhere. We sat for almost 45 minutes without moving at all, while people who just got to their cars were allowed to practically cut into the front of the line. As we finally got out of the huge mess, we saw a group of about 5 workers just standing around, not doing anything. THAT was the worst part.
Having a large venue with great sound isn't worth anything if it takes you 4 times as long as it should to get home. (2 hrs vs. 30 minutes)
p.s. I have been to quite a few other venues of comparable size and similarity in other states (for example Shoreline Amphitheatre in California) and have never had such a nightmare trying to get out after a concert or even much larger sporting events.
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I went to the Radiohead concert here in early May 2008 and I'm just now getting back home.
I ended up getting seats in the pavilion because I am old, I don't like people rubbing against me, and I am a coward when it comes to the elements. Unfortunately when it is raining sideways like it was at this concert, even folks under the roof were getting plenty wet. We were lucky in choosing the less-traveled route into the venue and we were actually able to get to our seats before Radiohead came on stage. However when entering the parking lot, the staff was directing everyone past two big empty lots to the farthest lot on the site... and this was during a heavy downpour. Reward the early comers with the longest and wettest walk to the venue? Thx, Nissan Pavilion.
As usual Radiohead killed it. They are one of the best things out there.
On the way out, since we were at the farthest lot, we were the last to get directed out of the venue. That meant a 2 hour wait in the car. Not 2 hours in traffic, but 2 hours of sitting in a parked car. Then when we were finally able to leave, we were siphoned miles out of our way into the sticks. I had to bust out my sextant, sea charts, and locate the Star of the North to figure out how to get back to civilization.
Perhaps if zombie John and zombie George reunited with Paul and Ringo for a one-time farewell show at Nissan I would go back, but for anything less I'm done with this place. Hell, I don't think I'd even consider buying a Sentra or Maxima or Z after this.
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Bands, unless you're sadists who hate your fans and want to drive polar bears to extinction, please play somewhere else (e.g. RFK or the Phone Booth). Nissan is 40 miles from DC, lacks public transportation, and the tiny roads require fans to idle in gridlock for ages.
Fans, unless you've got a flying Iron Man suit, good luck getting in and out of here. Not only does traffic suck, but Nissan sits on a hill with bad drainage issues. If it rains, the walk to your car is like those scenes in Titanic where victims slide helplessly to their doom while torrents rage around them.
That said, my Radiohead experience was much better than other people's. We did three things that mitigated the situation:
1. We got tickets for the covered pavilion, rather than the lawn.
On a nice day the lawn is probably more pleasant (and cheaper). But if it rains, you're screwed. You know those trench warfare flicks where everyone's caked in mud and dying of hypothermia? That was the lawn on Sunday. Besides, Pavilion tickets get you closer to the band.
2. We got there five hours early.
Long before Radiohead, friends have shared tales of driving to Nissan three hours before showtime, then sitting in traffic and missing the concert entirely. I thought they were kidding! Just to be safe for Radiohead, we packed books and cheese and crackers, and arrived at 3:45, a good five hours before Radiohead hit the stage. And we weren't even the first ones! Ok, maybe it was overkill, but I'm glad we did it, given that others who arrived later sat in traffic 3-4 hours only to miss the show. (As a bonus, arriving early meant we got the most out of our pit tickets -- we snagged a great spot near the stage).
3. We forked over $30 for premium parking.
$30 per car is infuriatingly high, especially since we'd already paid a $6 per ticket "parking fee." However, the premium lot is right next to Cellar Door Drive. So we stayed through the end of the show, and still rolled out of the Nissan parking lot within 5 minutes of getting in our car. Then we sat in traffic for 50 minutes on the road between Nissan and I-66. But 50 minutes is better than the 2-3 hours other folks reported. Given that we had to work Monday morning, the $30 was well spent.
Radiohead themselves were excellent! My (mostly out-of-focus) pics from the pit are here http://flickr.com/aon/...
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I'll upgrade to a 2 star rating due to the folks at Nissan offering a refund policy for their disgrace of a Radiohead concert. I still will never ever return here, but thought that offering a refund for an unused ticket due to their awful parking and traffic management was worth mentioning.
I'll be curious to see if the absurdly high fees associated with the ticket will be refunded. I'm betting they won't be.
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5/12/2008
The single worst concert venue I've ever been to. $6 parking fee per ticket, yet they cannot… Read more »
This was my first time at the Nissan Pavilion, and LAST!!
It was a almost a 2 hour wait from the 66 to the parking lot, and over a hour to get out.
I would rather drive to Philly for a concert than wait in that hot mess again, and I will be home sooner.
Update: Ok, I know 20 people had a really bad experience at one concert... I'm just saying, that was probably their biggest concert disaster this year, and not every show is this horrible.
Another update: I haven't had any trouble getting into the venue either. I'm sorry for all of you who didn't get to your show. I hope they give you a reimbursement.
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Wow, it looks like five (edit: twenty) people just joined Yelp to complain about this place. Weird....
I have to come to its defense here. Get covered seats and you won't be in the rain, leave before the encore and you won't get stuck in traffic. If the tickets are too steep, try Craigslist or eBay.... yes, I have found cheap event tickets on Craigslist.
I had one bad parking experience where it took me 3 hours to get out of the lot, but I had another good experience where it only took me 10 minutes. They do have some great names. I saw Toby Keith here and it was an unforgettable show, fireworks and all.
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I ALWAYS have a great time at Nissan and I have attended an average of 5-6 concerts every concert season for the past 5 years. I will admit the traffic getting out of there can be bad at times, but no worse than any other venue I've been to in the area. Just a tip... if you drive an SUV or truck and get there early enough, they'll usually let you park on the grassy hills going into the parking lot. Takes 5 minutes to get out of those spots.
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Never ever again!! I'm reading all the reviews for previous shows, and have to report that we went for Tom Petty which wasn't much better. Same issue minus the rain. Left 2 miles down the road for the concert 2 hours b/f show time, we still arrived 1/2 way through Steve Winwood (and had to park in the absolute farthest lot away). Gone are the days when you could get there an hour or 2 early and be ok. Now, all tailgateing is similar to going to see Jimmy B- an all day affair, b/c if not, you're not going to make it in time, and you're going to have to leave early. What resulted was a mix of kids who'd been there all day in the 100+ degree heat and were burnt in more ways than one, and big kids who got there seemingly early enough, and were less than enthused with the drunks. I was right in the middle of the group....not annoyed, but not having a wonderful time, either.
According to set lists, we left a total of 6 songs early (2 were the encore), and it still took 30 mintues to get out of the parking lot, and another 30 minutes to get to 66, and we STILL had 45 minuts home from there. What a disaster. Unless you have a limo, a lot of time on your hands, and don't have to work the next day, forget it. There's not enough booze in the world to make this bearable. Just typing that makes me feel old.
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Nissan Pavilion is just as bad as the others have described. That's why I don't go there anymore.
It's sad when I live in Prince William County and it would take less time to drive to Baltimore for a concert and back than to go to NP. I'm not sure why everyone keeps going. Go to a place that is easier to get in and out of.
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I thought my roommate was exaggerating when she described the parking situation at this venue. Sadly, there are no words to describe how horrible our experience was during last night's Radiohead show. It was my third time seeing them live and, knowing how amazing they are, I was willing to stand out in torrential rain. Bad idea if the venue is Nissan Pavilion.
Parking is very disorganized and the staff is not helpful at all. It's a long walk from the lots to the actual venue so be prepared for that. As far as amenities go, at least there are plenty of stalls in the bathrooms and they were surprisingly clean and mud-free. You'll also find the typical overpriced food choices ($4 soft pretzels, $7 beer, $4 coffee, etc).
I can't vouch for the seats, but the lawn area is very small and the hill is pretty steep. Needless to say I witnessed numerous people slipping and sliding helplessly down the hill, only to fall in an ankle deep puddle the size of a lake or smash into the railings. Comical and sad!
I've traveled far and wide to see my favorite bands perform so believe me when I say that not even Thom Yorke is worth this much trouble. Obviously the non-stop rain and wind had a lot to do with it, and were certainly part of the reason it took us close to an hour to exit the parking lot. In spite of that, this venue is not worth the hour-long drive from DC.
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I will NEVER I repeat WILL NEVER EVER ATTEND A EVENT AT THIS HORRIBLE PLACE!!! I read reviews so I figured ok traffic and parking I took the road less traveled and took the first exit so traffic was minimal the dirt road we parked on was terrible I got a rock in my shoe!!! Still that alone I would have rated them a 4. We had real seats in the Orchestra everyone was on there chairs so we had to get up there to. The show sucked 2 people that were scheduled to perform did not attend and we didn't know till after we sat there for 2 hours!!!!with no one performing. No refund because the main guy came which i believe to be bull **** this is not the way to do business at all!!! @2 hours of nothing!!!! the show started at 7 2 people came out for 24 minutes. At 7:25 nothing till 8:46 when an announcement was made that one of them were not showing then nothing till 9:15 when the main guy came out. I was pissed and did not enjoy the show at all!!! Buyer Beware!!!! LIVE NATION IS FULL OD MISLEADING ADS INCLUDING A REVIEW FOR THE SHOW SAYING THE PEOPLE THAT WERE NOT THERE WERE!!!!
i was really scared after reading all the reviews here, but thankfully i had a decent experience. went on wednesday night for a journey concert. maybe it was the fact that it was an 80's band on a weekday night with the median age of attendees being 38... but things ran smoothly. got into the parking lot no problem, got into the gate no problem, found a spot on the lawn no problem. got huge beers no problem.
my biggest gripe about this place is just the location itself. maybe it's not fair to knock them for it... but good LORD i hate 66. from 495 to nissan, i think it took about an hour.
my second biggest gripe is as i think some others mentioned in that the place manages to squeeze in tons of cars but there is only one way in and out. therefore, it takes forever to leave. we sat in the parking lot for a good 45 minutes before anyone on our end even started moving.
but the venue itself is pretty nice (at least on the lawn side). lots of people broke the chair rule and brought in their high folding chairs even though the website says chairs only under 9" off the ground are allowed. if i wasn't such a law abider, i would have brought mine.
also, i don't know why this threw me off so much, but maybe it's because of all the laws changing around here recently... but nearly everyone around us was smoking something without breathing a single breath of fresh air. mostly cigarettes but there was some other stuff in that mix too. drove me nuts.
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Worst concert venue I have EVER been to. Came here last weekend for the No Doubt show. Even though they rocked and put on an awesome show it didn't distract from this horrible venue. First, it is out in the middle of bum fuck and is a pain in the ass to get to. The lot seems like it is well organized when you pull in to the parking spot the staff directs you into, until you go to leave at the end of the night and it takes you over an HOUR just to get out of the parking lot. Before you enter the venue, your bags are searched and your ONE sealed bottle of water you are allowed to bring in is poured into a paper cup, NO bottles inside the venue! WTF? Once you are in it's just the typical annoyances of over priced drinks and food. I still can't get past the $11.00 beer, there is no reason a beer should EVER cost $11.00 unless it is laced with gold. Don't think I will ever be back here unless Bjork plays.
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I was refunded the entire face value of our tickets plus the parking fees. Which appeases me a little bit. But I still won't ever return to Nissan Pavilion!
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5/11/2008 First to Review
SAVE YOURSELVES! This is Satan's Pavilion of TORTURE, not Nissan Pavilion. Seriously...I've been to… Read more »
The worst traffic management I've ever encountered in my life, and I've lived in Los Angeles and a third-world country before that. Granted, there's a veritable city (25,000 people) trying to get in to the venue, but this is the claimed capacity and the venue should have an adequate plan to ensure that all 25,000 people who arrive at the venue in time for an event can in fact attend said event.
My occasion to trek to Nissan Pavilion was for the Radiohead concert tonight, but the car I was in (as well as hundreds of others) was turned away as there was simply no way we would even roll into the parking lot by the time the encore was done. We queued for parking at 7:30 pm for the band's 8:45 pm set and were guided (and I use the word loosely -- the signage and police presence to manage a crowd this large were too meagerly apportioned) in what seemed to be a circle.
We were still in the queue when we saw a parking lot at 10:30 and were turned away. The concert had ended. We had covered perhaps two miles in three hours, none of which included the quantum leap into the venue to actually watch the concert.
Where police were present they were less than helpful, and we sometimes just followed other cars hoping to somehow arrive at a parking lot -- there was no signage to reassure us that we were headed in the right direction. Also, while in the queue, passengers of other cars stepped out to urinate at the side of the road. Completely understandable, but this should be unnecessary.
I bought the tickets rain-or-shine (and with a $6 parking charge pre-appended), but what says Ticketmaster about 'inability to attend due to venue incompetence.' Pathetic.
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Updated 12 May: After calling Ticketmaster about a refund, I was directed back to Nissan Pavilion, where the switchboard apparently can't handle the traffic either.
Upon reflection, imagine what would happen if there were a concert and a legitimate emergency in Prince William County happening simultaneously. If the county can't deal with 25,000 people filing out of a concert in an orderly fashion, imagine how horrifying a time county residents (especially those of the tract homes we circled) will have as they are evacuated from a wildfire, biological attack, or some other life-or-death situation for which we depend upon (and probably take for granted) the very same public safety officers. In that light, every concert is a drill, and that they haven't figured out the traffic patterns yet is cause for alarm.
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Absolutely agreed w/the other reviewers. I was also one of those cars that left with plenty of time to make the 1.5-hr trek to get to the concert by 8 pm. We finally got in sight of the parking lot at 10:30....right when a guy was yelling "They're playing the last song! Only one song left!"...and hundreds of cars who sat in hours of traffic had to turn around. They had rerouted us without really taking into account the amount of people attending the concert...any idiot would recognize what a disaster that would create! I can't imagine the actual concert was at more than half capacity considering the hundreds if not thousands of cars sitting with us. And I never had to pee so bad.
I also will never ever ever go to a concert at Nissan.
Thank god I went to see the Cure on Friday...awesome show!!
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Now, I am not saying that I have not had to park in the back lot at Nissan Pav and waiting nearly 3 hours to /start/ moving from the lot, but it is on a concert-by-concert basis. For the recent Brad Paisley concert I was out of the lot and on my way in less than 5 minutes.
Since University Blvd opened recently, it has eased the traffic in the area (I live and work in the area, so I've seen my share). But to avoid some of the traffic, just watch what time you are showing up.
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AWFUL. I too sat in the rain last weekend....the only reason we stuck through it was for Radiohead. The trip from RIchmond took 4 hours and once we arrived at Nissan, cops were directing traffic away....I'm not even quite sure how we found the other entrance. There were NO signs whatsoever pointing us in the right direction. We had tickets in the lawn area so we were soaked to the core. After the show we sat in the parking lot for 2 hours...and didn't move more than 5 feet in those 2 hours. Honestly, if you are not going to cancel a show when the streets around the venue are flooded then you need to have a back up plan. Put up signs and have people directing traffic in and out of the area. The people who work here don't have a clue.
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f@#&!!!!! nissan pavillion!!!
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Agreed w/all. I think I said the word FUCK! about 50 times last night while sitting in traffic. 3 hours to get there, saw 5 songs, sat in one spot for 2 HOURS after the show. Got home at 2am. Not Radiohead's fault obviously, but they really should have cancelled that show. I know the ticket says rain or shine, but a flooded road is more than just "rain". When people pay tons of money to see the show and can't even make it into the venue, you gotta cancel. That is just so fucked up! Never going there again. Again, not Radiohead's fault about the weather, but they shouldnt have been playing there in the first place. Hey, here's an idea, why not play at say.....RFK? DUH?!?!? And Armenoush A....why are defending this place? I had covered seats, that didnt help me get there or get out of there any faster. I shouldnt have to leave the show early to avoid sitting in the parking lot for 2 hours to get out. And usually tickets are MORE expensive on craigslist. This place is awful, I dont care how good your Toby (America, fuck yeah) Keith show was.
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