Ak-Chin Pavilion

Don’t listen to any belly aching. This is a cool place to see an outdoor show (went for Dave Mason, Doobie and Journey). Yes beers are pricey (same as every event/​sport venue). Pre-​party and/​or have a few in the car then. Arrive early to get good lawn seat.
Food is just for fuel.
Yes, leaving can be a 15 to 30 minute wait (everyone is leaving at once!). Again that’s why you need beverages in the car for post concert.
Bring in liter each of water no matter what.
They do need more Porta a Potties for the lawn though.
Rockin!

Parking and exiting the parking is excruciating. The traffic control by a bunch of teen age girls was terrible. We waited 35 minutes to exit the Journey concert 5÷14÷2016. We stood motionless for 20 of those 35 minutes. It is so bad, we will never attend another concert at Ak-​Chin Pavilion, trying to leave the parking area completely spoils any good experience you might have with the concert.

Amazing venue! Saw the Doobie Brothers, Dave Mason and Journey and could not have been more pleased. Everything was fantastic from the employees to the parking to the seating. Lots of leg room, staff was pleasant, no lines at the bathroom (only negative was no air conditioning in bathroom). Sound system was excellent. Will definitely return for another concert.

Great venue that always has the best bands come through for shows, which is great since the weather in AZ is normally nice enough for an outside show, minus a few summer months, but oh well we are spoiled the rest of the year. Also, they are now serving Giggling Marlin Tequila, which is also the sponsor of the country music mega-​ticket this year, so that’s a huge plus. Great bands, awesome drinks, and good times to be had.

Went to this place for the UFEST 2016. This review is mainly goinf to be FYI’s for those of you who have never been as this was my first time.
Parking is a joke… as is with every event no matter where you go. Be prepared to just sit and wait. We didn’t even try to get out of there, took about 40 min for the parking lot to clear out.
Drinks and food is expensive. The best idea is to buy the souvenir drink for 8.00 and you get refill all day. Beware, I went to a different stand other than the one I bought the cup from for a refill and she had no clue you could do that and marked my cup saying you only get one refill… which is wrong. We didn’t eat, it was too expensive for what the food was.
Seating wise we sat in the 300’s section. Never ever again will we be sitting there… there is a walking gap between the section and the rest of the seating in front so people are constantly walking in front of you. Which I didn’t mind so much, but they stop and watch the concert which is bogus. You have a seat now go sit in it. There was ONE security guy who was awesome! He was the only one out of the 8 we saw that would tell those people to move along. Behind the 300 section was the lawn, the crowd back there started 3 – 4 fires that night and they get sprayed. Unfortunately we got sprayed as well, which is ridiculous. So beware of that!
Also with sitting in the 300 section you are in the sun until it starts to set, so bring sunscreen!
Overall this place was less than okay.

Pretty cool arena, with the exception of the bathrooms. They get clogged and backed-​up.

Ak Chin is a phenomenal concert venue!
Dude and I had the pleasure of being dome rocked by Gary Clark Jr. and Foo Fighters back in September on the lawn.
I’m not going to gripe about horrible parking and traffic, because honestly, it was a piece of cake.
Heck, we arrived 20 minutes before the opening act took the stage and we still got in smoothly through an efficient security line and found our friends Shannon E. and Aaron quickly.
$ 15 beer aside, what better way to spend a summer evening than swilling beers and rocking out on a lawn? Pure Arizona, baby!
Pleasant concert going experience. I’d come back for another show, for sure!

We had a pretty good time seeing Florence and the Machine at this venue. I have been here just a couple times in the past 10+ years and I have yet to have a terrible experience. We sat on the lawn and were able to hear the music just fine, plus the huge screens allow you to see the artists pretty well. I guess my biggest complaint would be with the price of the beers. $ 15 for a Four Peaks?! Youch. Plus they stopped serving at a certain time before the show and there was still plenty of music still to play. Finally the parking lot and exiting routine was nuts. We had taken an Über there and when we exited it was a crazy mess of everyone trying to leave at once. I’m not sure if there is just the one exit but that’s all everyone was using that night and it took FOREVER. We were planning on walking out of the mess, somehow, and trying to get a cab to pick us up outside of the lot but that seemed dangerous once we were out there and by some crazy luck we ran into a friend that took us to our hotel. There should be a safer way to exit on foot. Other than that all the employees were very friendly and helpful from security at the gate to attendants by the lawn and the food/​beer vendors. So just bring plenty of money, a comfy blanket to sit and have a ride on-​call and you’ll have a good time!

Loved the setup of the pavilion and was pleasantly surprised by the large overhead covering and giant fans. Slightly annoyed by the «no water bottle caps allowed» rule (must be a west side problem?). Don’t sit in the grass unless you’re there for the party more than the music. Get craft beer early, they ran out quickly of the popular ones during the Florence and the Machine show.

Came here all the way from cali to see Florida Georgia Line. They were playing in CA too but I really wanted to experience phoenix. Really liked this venue. It was a very hot night and they had the huge fans inside the Pavillion going. Great sound and great views of the stage. Easy in and out. Everything was organized and orderly. Concessions are average for an event venue. I’m not sure what all the gripes are about on here but this is an awesome place with an intimate feel. I have a feeling that the people who are complaining either had cheap lawn seats (what did you expect?) or has never been to a major event venue before if the concessions are considered a sticker shock. It’s an event venue, of course the food and drinks are going to be marked up 500% compared to retail, why is this such a surprise? I’ve been to major venues in cali, vegas, East coast, etc and this place provided a very good time!

«your name here» Pavilion is probably one of the best places in Phoenix to see a concert as far as sound and stage view goes, and I have seen several here. The one major complaint I have is that even though the venue is great for sound and to see the band the beverage prices are flat out robbery. I’m totally good with paying a little extra for a beverage at a concert or sporting event and I expect it. But $ 15 for a Beer and $ 6 for a bottle of water is just flat out ridiculous.

Worst experience ever zero phone reception and Internet reception. Not to mention you purchase a water or any drink and they take your lid.
I recently attended a concert Jason Aldean at Ak Chin Pavilion in Phoenix, AZ on ⁹⁄₂₆ To pay almost 35 dollars per ticket and pay $ 6 for water in which they don’t even give you a lid is absolutely ridiculous.
Do you realize that even as a woman myself it’s dangerous to put your drink down with no lid on which if unwatched someone could taint my drink. Someone could seriously be hurt if not that it’s an inconvenience

Saw Foo Fighters and Gary Clark Jr. on 9÷25÷15. Sat in section 204, row NN. Pretty good seats. The lower the number, the closer to the middle in this section. Sound was good, I think there may have been a few mic problems we noted. We were under the roof. Luckily, there was some wind and there are some fans too. It was still pretty hot outside, but overall, not too hot. Very enjoyable Phoenix night. We enjoyed the venue overall. I cannot imagine an event between May and August however. Painfully hot.
The parking is pretty tough as others have said. We parked in the mall and walked. There are people directing traffic but of course, there were a bunch of obnoxious drunk pedestrians walking into traffic and holding up everyone else. Because they are more important than the rest of the world. :)
We also agreed that prices were on the steep side. We went knowing it is a concert venue, prices are high. It was $ 15 for a pint of Four Peaks. There were some mixed drinks also, but very limited. I didn’t see vodka, just dark alcohols. The water was WAY too much. Especially since it is necessary in the desert. I would bring a bottle of your own (you were allowed one) and refill at the water fountains.
No, there was no tailgating, but there are restaurants in the area to visit before hand. I wouldn’t completely avoid this place just because there is no tailgating.

Wow. the prices for food and beer are pretty outrageous. Even the ballpark has better prices. My only positive is that I really enjoy the lawn area (with the exception of the huge columns that block your view). What really bothers me about this place is the sound. They really need to crank the sound up here. You can barely hear the music. Also add some screens so we can see the stage from the back. Other than that I only see a show here when I get a cheap ticket off groupon.

Wow. the prices for food and beer are pretty outrageous. Even the ballpark has better prices. My only positive is that I really enjoy the lawn area (with the exception of the huge columns that block your view). What really bothers me about this place is the sound. They really need to crank the sound up here. You can barely hear the music. Also add some screens so we can see the stage from the back. Other than that, I only see a show here when I get a cheap ticket off groupon.

The bands are great… this place COULD be great, but unfortunately they took away tailgating! What is the point of opening your lot 2 hours early but not opening your doors to match? We were warned by two young kids (they were doing their job, its not their policy) that there was no tailgating and that we would get fined by under cover cops if we continued. Fine. We packed up immediately but instead of going on their way, they stuck around and watched until everything was packed up… so that was annoying on their part like they had something to prove.
Anyway as far as the venue goes its pretty standard. But to me, taking away tailgating is huge and makes me not want to go to their venue ever again.
By the way — it doesn’t say anything on the site about not being able to tailgate… we checked before hand and even while we were there because we mentioned it to the lot attendants that it didn’t say it anywhere. If you are going to cause such a huge scene about no tailgating… don’t you think its a good idea to make it visible to the people you are doing business with? Something like that needs to be printed on the ticket as well. A lot of people, including ourselves, planned ahead to be able to enjoy the nice weather with a couple of beers and some good food and tunes, but that was shut down and we were forced to either sit in our car (are you fucking kidding me?) or stand in line at the venue (again, are you fucking kidding me?).
It just seems like bad business and poor decisions on the owners part. I am all about not tailgating as long as I know about it ahead of time, but to do that they did is just poor taste.

Wow this is the absolute worse place in the world to come to a concert. NO TAILGATING!!! You have got to be kidding me! Never again will I come here. Even for Dave Matthews. Epic let down.

The lawn is a pretty cool experience. Be sure to go a bit earlier to snag a nicer lawn spot. Grass is nice, but be sure to bring something to sit on. Stage is a bit far away… Can’t see performers face.

Saw Slipknot /​Lamb of God/​Bullet for my Valentine/​Motionless in White last night freaking amazing show! Parking was free and easy but we were an hour early. Security did good getting us thru… pat down and made us take all lids of water bottles. We were general admission lawn and lots of space to stretch out. Clearly there’s gonna be pot smokers everywhere. we were fully surrounded and people never asked to put it out at any point. People were lighting up and roaming around with it in broad daylight. This generation seems to have no fear of the law. Guess they knew security wasnt going to be around. .during the whole 5 hour experience we saw security just once escorting someone out and medics walked by twice. Good time good venue!

When I lived in the Phoenix area, we were here frequently for the many great shows performed here. There are paved lots for those who arrive early enough with a non-​paved overflow lot across the street.
The pavilion holds a good amount of seating along with the general admission lawn seating. Like every other event center, the concession prices are a little high but we can all expect it. The staff at the concessions were all friendly with generous pours for mixed drinks.
The security team didn’t like the fact we had a GoPro recording some of the show. It’s hard to understand the difference with people recording with a phone. They didn’t have any issues with phone recording… or pot smoking. I didn’t see one security man tell the people around us to put it out. Its unfortunate for those of us who don’t care for that type of thing.
During those hot summer months, be prepared with plenty of water because it gets really warm in the midst of all those concert goers. There are misters and fans near the concession areas.
Otherwise it is still a great place to see your favorite singer.

Ak-​Chin is a great Phoenix venue that is all outside. I have been here several times and bought lawn seats. Up on the hill, there are no complaints from what I can see. It is a little tough going to an outside venue during the summer months but worth it by who is playing!

Fabulous place to see a concert. I can’t imagine a bad seat anywhere. We had seats in 101 and 303. The rows start with the letter C as row 1 in the lower 100 section. Because the venue is smaller than JobIng/​Gila River, getting any seat including 303 is comparable to a floor seat at a bigger venue. Plus it’s stadium style so you can see over everyone’s head — even better. The 303 seats were the very last row before the lawn. They were about $ 25 each plus fee. If I had to count, I’d say they were probably row 50. Again you can’t beat $ 25 for what’s considered a floor section at any other venue. In section 101, it includes about 13 rows then it’s box seats. I don’t think that was clear on map. Seat 1 starts on the right if you are facing the stage.
Downside is the timeshare people and State Farm selling insurance… but if it helped contribute to reducing the price of parking or tickets, ok… I can accept it. Also, if you buy beverages at venue, they have a policy to keep cap. Bring aquafina caps.
Tips: it appears you can bring bottled water into concert. Advice… bring 1 to drink, 1 frozen per person. It will save u $ 12. If they change this policy then you’re only out a bottle each. Chug one down so you’re hydrated before you go in. Also, we missed the first parking entrance and ending up going into a second entrance further down the street. That parking lot was pretty quiet. It was free, we got in and out quickly. Don’t do VIP parking.

Saw Train and The Fray last night. The good:
–Parking was fairly straightforward and free. When arriving, we took Loop 101 south, then Thomas east to 83^rd south. Absolutely no traffic problems at 5:30 on a weekday. Much better than trying to fight rush hour on I-​10 west. Getting out of the lot took about 10 minutes as we were parked right next to the west gate.
–Sound system was perfect. We were in section 204 and everything was crystal clear. Decent view of the stage for this large of a venue. This was my first time here. I prefer venues like Marquee and Club Red which are much smaller, but for big time national acts Desert Sky does the job.
–Concession and bathroom lines were almost nonexistent. Though based on the crowd composition I’m going to take a guess and say the women’s room line was much longer than the men’s room ;)
The bad:
–Concession prices are out of this world. Plan on spending $ 11 – 15 PER BEER (!), $ 6 for a 1 liter water, and about $ 9 – 12 for an entrée food item (I had a personal size pepperoni pizza which was decent, but not $ 9 decent). You’re much better off pregaming somewhere else before coming to the show. This bullet point loses two stars alone. Vegetarian options are spartan: looked like just cheese pizza, a black bean burger, and a loaded nachos, plus a few other snack type items.
–Some of the seating sections carry 60+ seats in a row, so it takes some work if you need to get out of the section from the middle seats.
–The two outside sections and the very back of the seating areas are not under the overhang, so take this into consideration if you’re coming to a daytime show.
Would I come back? Yes, if there was a band I *really* wanted to see. But I would do my eating and drinking elsewhere for one third of the price.

Saw Lana Del Rey here the other night. I spent $ 20 on premium parking and there was a giant line of cars. Once they opened the gate they didn’t even bother to scan the parking slip or verify that anyone in this line of cars even had this special parking so it was a waste as it wasn’t used.
I paid $ 200 for tickets and couldn’t even see the artist on stage. She was a blur. People were standing on their seats in front of us and when you asked them to get down they just death glared you.
It was a very dark and dreary day in Phoenix and the wind was really bad yet they had the over head fans on really help whip up the wind.
Her opener, Courtney Love, didn’t come on stage until an hour after it was supposed to start. We all just sat there growing more impatient. It was kind of a joke.

Went with fellow mom/​friend and took our daughters to see 5sos last night. I haven’t been to Ak Chin Pavilion in eons so I was excited to check out the venue again!
All I can say is «Perfect». Any place that can handle that amount of swarming, screaming teens and do it without complication is a place I don’t mind going to. Parking was a breeze, both entering and leaving. Absolutely no waiting at all. There are plenty of restrooms and concession stands. The only line that noted was the T-​shirt line– to be expected.
We had lawn seats and had a great view. Of course we were a distance away from the stage, but we had breathing room and they had big screens :)
I would definitely see a concert here again and I would opt for the lawn seats!

Went to the Blake Shelton concert here, the facility is excellent to watch a concert, not a bad seat in the house! If you are going to buy seats in section 300, you should just buy general admission so you can hang out with friends.
The parking here is free, however it absolutely sucks! If you pay for premium parking it actually takes you 2 – 3 times longer to get out! Prepare for at least 45 – 60 minutes to get out after the concert.
The venue is also all outside so any concert there May-​September be ready to sweat, it’s very very hot!

Relatively new to AZ (3 years) so we’re still learning all of the music venues here. After trying Comerica Theatre a couple of weeks ago and being disappointed we came to Ak Chin last night for the Blake Shelton concert.
A little background about us:
Couple, Mid 30’s, travelled across the US to different music venues.
I had read all of the previous reviews about access to Ak Chin so we expected traffic. What we didn’t realize was just how bad it would be. Coming from the north we picked up I-​10 at the 51 interchange and we rode through bumper to bumper traffic from downtown Phoenix on. I was sure it had to be an accident causing it but nope, it was the concert. That’s 10+ miles of traffic folks!
We finally got to the off ramp after the concert was 45 mins past it’s start and the lines were still ridiculous. We were dropped off at the gate and made our way inside.
Good
— Restrooms just inside the gates because you know you’ll need to go after that drive!
— Plenty of alcohol choices. Prices weren’t outrageous either. $ 11 for a 25 oz beer.
— Aisle space in the seating area. Didn’t have to get up for people when they passed by us.
Bad
— Traffic, hopefully you caught my drift on that one.
— Seating setup, we were in section 203 which was dead center under the pavilion. I can’t imagine paying for a 300 level seat and being exposed to the elements?
— Prices, yeah it’s a concert venue but gouging people for bottled water when it’s 100+ degrees outside is a bit much.
— Temperatures, the sun was down and it was still hotter than you know what. Sweat pouring off your body hot!
Overall
Definitely won’t be back. We’ve seen concerts at too many venues that were ten times better than here and I’ll never fight with traffic like that again. Just not worth it. Also, early September is still too early for an outdoor concert. Their season should be Oct-​Mar.