Austin360 Amphitheater

Austin360 Ampitheater is just ok. It’s about what you expect for a completely outdoor, non-​covered ampitheater: crowded. I’m just glad I was there on a relatively cool day rather than baking in that hot Texas sun along with everyone else.
I picked up lawn tickets, which were fine, but not great. Sound was excellent, though. The drawback of a rain or shine venue is that if it rains, the grass will be soggy. And it had poured that morning, so although I had a blanket, it was not the most comfortable of lawns to bask in some good music.
The bathroom situation was horrible: only one bathroom for each gender and the rest port-​a-​potties with portable sinks that ran out quickly. Can we say ew?
The parking was not much better: you can pay a premium to have VIP parking or you can park on the far end of the ampitheater like I had. There’s a lot of pedicabs around looking to make an easy 10 bucks as well as shuttles, so those who don’t want to pay VIP or walk, there are options for you.
I didn’t get snacks or beverage, but from the looks of it, they were pricey too. A lot of food trucks were out and about as well.
If you’re not from the area, the venue is actually not in Austin proper. It’s aallllll the way in bumf*ck nowhere, which granted, has the space for such a thing, but plan for a long drive or ride.

Let’s get the expected complaints out of the way: $ 17 for two beers and then the traffic exiting the venue is atrocious. But one has to expect that kind of stuff from large venues.
What I didn’t expect was that the lady who was manning the metal detector deem my novelty keychain a weapon and made me throw it away. It was a novelty batarang (yes, as in from Batman — who’s the only person who could actually make this item a weapon) that was only a few inches big, connected to my keys, and she told me I couldn’t bring it in. I pointed out to her that it was nothing but a keychain bottle opener, but she stayed on her high horse and made me throw it away (I wasn’t going to walk all the way back to my car when I’m practically already inside the venue). I should’ve pointed out that my actual keys would have made a more dangerous weapon than the keychain would.
I’ve had this keychain attached to my keys and have taken into multiple venues around Austin, not to mention the multiple flights and airports it successfully passed through (BECAUSE IT’S A KEYCHAIN). If TSA repeatedly didn’t think it was a weapon, I see no reason for anyone else to assume so. You may be thinking, «but it was only a key chain», but the principal of the situation is what’s so upsetting. It was a completely unnecessary power trip by someone with only an iota of power.
Then towards the end of the show, I heard a member of the event staff say loudly about the performer, «It’s 10:45, she needs to go already!» I understand it’s probably been a long day and that staff member was ready to go home from work, but it’s pretty unprofessional to express that so loudly in front of multiple paying customers.
The show we saw was amazing, but everything about the venue left a bad taste in my mouth. Not to mention this was my first visit here, which just adds to the disappointment.

I have seen 2 concerts and a comedy show. This is the worst place to be in summer. As everyone says absolutely NO SHADE. NONE. NOTHING. The sun is either blazing on your face or beating on the stage driving the performers crazy. If it’s the rainy season, concerts still go on so be prepared to get wet or sit in water.
I keep reading where people say the sound is great. THAT IS A STRAIGHT LIE. Maybe the sound is good after a 6 pack of WTF is is but any other time, my dog barking sounds better. It is unbelievable that an expensive venue like this would have a terrible sound system. The speakers all sound like they are blown out. Journey concert last night was atrocious. The performers looked fantastic. And the few times the sound came in clear they sounded great. So it wasn’t the band, it is the venue.
And don’t get me started with their version of big screens. I was on the lawn for the first time ever and people had binoculars with them. You can’t even see the screens well from the lawn.
Everyone is correct food and drink is incredibly expensive. We haven’t had to pay for parking at any of the three events so I have nothing to say about the parking situation. We have parked in lot A all three times and while the walk is lengthy it’s no different than walking around a theme park. Getting out of the parking lot has vastly improved from the first concert 2 years ago.

The worst music venue in Austin. No shade anywhere in sight for a music festival on a brutally hot day in the middle of summer, because they chose to clearcut the entire property when building it. You pay $ 25 or so for the privilege of parking at least half a mile away from the venue, then have pedicabbers hoping you’ll pay more. It has to be a band I’m desperate to see before I’ll go to this place.

I’ve been to several concerts here and I think they finally got it together on the transportation from parking to the gate. If they would let you park in A it wouldn’t be so bad, normally its H or F that is free and it’s super far there are little train cars that come by to pick you up. The F parking is terrible it’s in the dirt and there is a giant ditch so you have to use the bridge. H parking is okay but it sucks getting out at night. They should figure out the parking better, unless you pay for VIP parking it sucks.
The music is good though, it’s all outdoor, but the sound is good and there is seating as well as the lawn, and the sides around the bowl that is first come first serve. There are food trailers that line the concert venue. There are some good nacho places, the pizza and sandwich I wasn’t too impressed for the price. The kettle corn is always a must for me because it’s fresh. They do come around and sell you drinks as well during the show. The seats aren’t staggered too well in some areas so if you are short like me you might get screwed with a tall person in front of you and you can’t see the stage unless you sit all weird.
Overall I’m glad there is another venue in Austin where bigger name people will come play shows at.

I am surprised so many people have given lower marks to the venue. Perhaps it is the nature of reviewers to lean toward the negative side.
Saw the Zac Brown band Sunday night, it was my fourth time out there and I have loved each time. Yeah you have to park a ways off, but then there are shuttles and the venue is conveniently located off the toll road for those of us in the Round Rock, Pflugerville, Georgetown area.
Beer and snacks cost a million dollars, but they cost that much at my local movie theater too!
Zac Brown, Lionel Richie, Maroon 5, and Brad Paisley. Loved every concert. No mater where my seats were. There really isnt a bad seat in the place. Its cool when the moon rises above the tower in the background too. Makes for nice pics.

I sympathy voted you 2 stars because I like Aziz and Cirque Du Soleil in your parking lot was pretty fun. But really, I think the Amphitheater is just a cover for a covert social experiment to see how much humans will pay for discomfort and poorly managed experiences.
Either that or they entered into a Worst Venue Ever Contest hoping to win in the following categories:
1) Squeeze as many humans per square foot as possible onto a raised lawn. Safety regulations need not apply here. Bonus points if the air is 100% saturated with marijuana by judging time.
2) See who will wait the longest in line for a $ 10 bud light or $ 12 hot dog. Bonus points if they run out of the food customers want by the time they reach the top of the line. Minus points if getting to the top takes them less than 40 minutes
.
3) Make the most inefficient parking lot ever and really maximize the amount of time it takes to leave the facility. Average frustration levels must be kept above a ³⁄₅ rating at all times.
4) How many people are able to get lost walking to the mystery entrance? Bonus points if the walk is at least half a mile.
5) Figure out how few bathroom facilities you can offer before people start peeing over fences, in grassy areas, behind trash cans, or worse — attempt to covertly do so in empty drink containers and cups…
6) Serious Competitor Award: Big points for each couple that has sweaty, loud, drug-​induced sex in a port-​a-​potty after dark while bystanders wait in line outside for their own super fun and clean turn using the bathroom.
I think when I went for Oddball Comedy Festival this year they must have been the top scorer in each category — good for you Austin360 Amphitheater! The only way you could do better would be to physically locate yourself in downtown Austin with absolutely no dedicated parking, sort of like your amigo the Frank Erwin Center. But that’s alright, I know you’re trying your best out there in SE Austin against lots of other fierce competition! You’re such a big winner in the Worst Venue Ever Contest that I just totally can’t understand why senior level management keeps turning over. You’ve clearly got the best and the brightest!

I love this venue for outdoor concerts. I have been here at least 6 times and it has always been well run. TONS of restrooms (port a potty AND regular bathrooms, of course you know which has a shorter line). Staff is friendly all around. Great place for a concert. We usually do lawn GA and bring a blanket to sit on. Sometimes you can sneak a beer or 2 in or a flask but good luck with that. Read the list online of what not to bring, its long. Overall a great venue. (one time they did run out of food at Willie Nelson picnic, so get your food early just in case)

Seen more than a few shows here. I can’t really complain about this venue. It is always clean, staff is always friendly and quick. Now the parking on the other hand is ridiculous, unless you pay extra for VIP parking. The wait to get out of the parking lot can last up to a hour depending on the size of the show you attend. They do have shuttles to take you to the front entrance and back to the lots, however it can be annoying when trying to leave. The cost of beverages and food is a bit pricey.

My brother and I visited here for the first time yesterday to see Slipknot, (they kicked serious ass btw) and we throughly enjoyed our experience. First of all we took our usual road down 35 N to Austin which is an hour from San Antonio, and we were pleasantly surprised that we didn’t hit any traffic going to this venue. It does take a toll road to get there but that isn’t a big deal for me. It made the ride over more enjoyable. My brother purchased a premium parking ticket close to the venue (Lot C to be exact), and I highly recommended it on a hot day in Texas. Be prepared to get a full body search and a full purse search on check in… no big deal for me either. Food trucks are everywhere and expect to pay $ 10.00 and up. I had a tasty BBQ Sandwich and my brother had Pork Tacos… both very tasty. A 24 ounce can of Dos Equis is 9.00 and premium liquor ranges from 14.00 to 18.00. We opted for the beers. Our seats were comfortable and I love how the beer and water guys were around to sell their beverages so you didn’t have to leave your spot. A cup holder accompanies you at your seat so you don’t have to hold your drink all day. It Texas and it’s hot, so you will bake to a crisp if you stay in your seat… lol. Stay hydrated since we did see a few people pass out from heat exhaustion. Overall, it doesn’t have a bad seat in the house. Oh and they have air-​conditioned bathrooms too so you don’t have to visit the port o potties. Check this place out when a good band comes around!

Second concert. Easy to get in, easy to get out. Free parking that’s a plus. Free bus from lot to gate and back after. The park is clean and well staffed. The bathrooms are maintained during performances. I always felt safe and well fed. I really had a great time both concerts I went to. Plenty of beer, water, Gatorade food vendors.

We just got back from seeing Fall Out Boy, and I’m so glad we had also seen them at the Cynthia Mitchell Pavilion two days prior, because I did not like this venue at all.
1. It is way too far from the actual city of Austin to be associated with Austin. We took Über, and it cost about $ 40 to reach the venue. At least we didn’t have to deal with the parking, because the staff that we did have to deal with were very rude.
2. Ten dollars per beer is just too much.
3. Ten dollars per beer and having to drink it in the burning sun is way too much. Seriously, haven’t they heard of shade in Austin? We got there at 4 p.m. to meet the band and waited two hours in the heat and sun before we got to actually see them. We were pretty ripe. And then afterward there was nowhere to sit unless we wanted to sit in the sun, which I absolutely did not. Finally we found some bleachers and climbed into those and sat on the stairs. My butt is still angry about that.
4. My boyfriend bought a Texas cheesesteak and threw it away, it was so awful.
5. If I pay for front-​row seats, I do expect to be in the same zip code as the band when I’m in said seats. Seriously, the pit area is so vast, the seats start about 100 yards away from the stage. I could’ve dealt with the rest of the negatives, but this was really a deal-​breaker for me. I would not go back unless it was absolutely the only choice.

After reading previous reviews I did not have high expectations for this place but after visiting tonight, I was pleasantly surprised. We went to the Chicago and Earth Wind & Fire show; we had lawn seats.
Coming up from San Antonio, it is rather annoying to pretty much be forced into taking a toll road to get to the venue. Traffic after the exit moved slow but steady up to the venue. We bought premium parking in lot C for $ 25 and saved us what looked like a solid mile walk from lot A.
Once inside the venue, there was ample room to walk around with a good variety of food and booze available. Of course food and drink was outrageously priced but they let you bring in one bottle of water per person so long as it’s sealed. The lawn is a great spot in my opinion. You can see the stage plus there’s big screens and unlike reserved seats you’re not stuck with the people around you. Annoying guy nearby on the lawn? Just get up and find a new spot, no problem. This might be difficult for sold out shows but tonight was a large crowd but not sold out.
The sound tonight was good with a pretty even mix for so many musicians on the stage. I will definitely return to this view and it encourages me to see more shows here. Ignore the whiners who say it’s too far outside of Austin or that food/​drink is too expensive (sadly the norm everywhere now).

Okay, let’s just start this out by saying a venue this far out of Austin shouldn’t really have Austin in its name. Unless you live east of I-​35 and very far south, just getting there will be a hike.
Once you reach your designated parking lot, following the frantic arm-​waving of the parking lot attendants who could certainly be hired to direct 747s, you will have another long hike to reach the actual amphitheater. It will feel like entering Six Flags or Astroworld, complete with lazily rotating shuttle buses that are scarily packed and smelly. Enter those fire-​hazard pickpocket grope-​fest vehicles at your own risk. A walk is healthy. If you’re going to pay one of those guys $ 10 a person one way to bicycle you in his cart to the door, you might as well have paid the $ 20 for VIP parking closer up.
Allow 15 minutes to walk from your car in the standard parking lot to the gate and by all means ladies, wear flat shoes! Do not think you’re going to wear that cute rocker concert attire you spent hours picking out to see your favorite band. You are going to hike, you are going to sit outside under the hot sun, and you are going to sweat like a pig. If you bought a seat, and you should have, at least no one will be rubbing up against you against your will during the show. The lawn at the recent Rush show was soggy, packed to standing room only, and mostly filled with men. So on second thought, if you’re there to meet people, maybe a lawn seat isn’t so bad. I silently thanked God as I snaked through the sweaty lawn crowd that I had spent the extra 20 bucks for a numbered seat.
The sound system is good, not overblown, but somehow the sound still echoes around just like at the Erwin Center. How did they do that? The food is overpriced just like the Erwin Center as well. No outside food or drinks, you’re sweating, and a bottle of water is $ 4. Um…
Oh, and the bathrooms consist of port-​a-​potties. Yes. And they stink to high heaven, even at the beginning of the night. It’s like the last day of ACL Fest.
The ticket prices are usually fair, considering the extra hassle to attend a concert here. So the venue has that going for it. Just eat first, try not to have to pee, and treat it like a day hike or a camping trip to see a band. That’s my best advice on the matter.

I hate this music venue for many reasons.
1) It’s so far away.
2) Parking is NOT cheap — you can buy a whole other concert ticket for the $$.
3) Staff is awful. I saw one GRAB the arm of a two year old child and pull him back. A CHILD. They kept on coming up to me to ask for my ticket. I got asked by the same staff member SEVERAL times to show my ticket to prove I was in the right seat — which I was, every time.
4) I was front row in the seated area… ON THE FARTHEST RIGHT SEAT. I could not see ANYTHING. The stage was so far away (even from the first row of seats) and I was so far over… it wasn’t fair that I paid the same price for my awful seat as the person a few seats over. Ugh.
5) Several times over the past few years my favorite artists have come to this venue (Paramore.Drake) but I have avoided it because that’s how crappy this place is. Not worth my money at all… because unless you’re down at the pit, there’s not a good view of the stage at all.
Disappointing on so many levels.

I was worried after reading the reviews, so I had low expectations going in. I was pleasantly surprised on my recent visit for the Dave Matthews Band.
It’s true:
— it’s probably an average 30 minute drive for most folks to get there from Austin.
— drinks are pricey ($ 8-​$ 9 for a 16 oz can of beer, $ 6 for iced-​tea, $ 5 for a soda), but that’s expected for concert venues and movie theaters, right?
— it’s weird they obviously put a ton of money into the venue and ended up with «jumbo» trons the size of the TV most folks have in their living rooms these days.
— you can’t take in chairs with legs, and you have to do some detective work to figure out if blankets are allowed or not (it depends on the show).
The venue in terms of close-​up seating and sound quality is excellent. I envisioned terrible general lawn seating, but we were able to perch ourselves on the stools lined up in the back and from there it was a great view of the stage (albeit not super close, but I don’t really care when the sound projecting all the way to the back is crystal clear). If I were to do the lawn GA again, I would hope for the stools but if not I’d be prepared to stand the entire concert (it’s too cramped an area to remain seated).
Maybe they’ve worked out some of their kinks, because I thought the parking deal was pretty organized. Although the standard lots are far there is a shuttle that runs back-​and-​forth or you can enjoy a walk around the stadium. I was there on a drizzly evening and we left before the encore, which may be why it was a breeze getting out of the parking lot.

Two stars probably serves right for this greedy venue. Greedy for parking, greedy with beverages, cheap with porta chemical toilets. Seriously? Only porta potties in the only F-​1 circuit in USA?
I have visited the main circuit once and now the amphitheater.
The facility is brand new and the sound is excellent. The parking shuttle is a plus. Hence the two stars. Screens were very small for such a huge venue. And what is with that ugly aluminum tower blocking so much view.
They oversell tickets for the lawn area. Moreover, they have open gates several hours before the event to make profit on severely overpriced beverages. ($ 10, really?)
Food trucks scene is disappointing.
For the oddball comedy event they had allowed 4″ stadium chairs, beach towels and water bottles on their website and on call. Later I saw them confiscate blankets, water and were also asking people to close their chairs. Their event security management staff was so rude. They asked two old people to close their chairs, who were not bothering anyone or occupying any extra space. Just ridiculous. People argued that they followed the rules and past the security checkpoint with chairs, but they responded — «we can change the policy anytime we hit capacity» — NOT COOL!
They now have a monopoly with respect to major events in Austin, so they will continue to loot and harass people who just want to have a good time for a few more years. Think twice before booking here! You’ll have the costliest beers of your life!

My friend had VIP tickets for Sheryl Crow & Rascal Flatts. Ummm yeah… I’ll go!
The amphitheater is large (yet still fairly intimate) with a variety of seating areas: Stand up pit, seating pit, VIP, main seating, back seating & lawn. There are also special access areas with AC & cocktails/​food.
The acoustics were excellent. It does not appear that there are any bad seats. We walked around some and could see/​hear well from many different spots. The large video screens were very nice for close-​ups and for those with seats in the back section and lawn areas.
Outside the main area is a long row of vendors for t-​shirts, food, drinks, etc. The food options ranged from hotdogs, BBQ, Mexican food (yummy), to kettle corn. Vending machines were also available.

Overall this is a great outdoor large music venue. I found the seating to be comfortable, clean, easy to find, and well spaced.
For a large music venue, the parking was actually very well labeled, and easy to get too and out off. Of course, you must be careful to exit to avoid near collisions with impatient exiting drivers and people walking aimlessly trying to reconnect with their parked car, but I haven’t been to one large outdoor music festival that hasn’t been similar. Out of all the places I have been, this was actually one of the best parkingwise. If you don’t reserve parking in advance, the general parking is definitely a long trek to the amphitheater, just be sure to arrive early. There were buses and pedi cabs ($ 10 per person) hauling people back and forth, but it looked faster to walk.
There are actual brick and mortar bathrooms available along with the typical porta potties. The brick and mortar had super long lines, but the porta potties were out of toilet paper, so it’s a toss up.
The food and drinks are expensive inside. There are several different spots to choose from. They even had a Titos Vodka tent, Austin Scoops, and Booze Ice Cream vendor near the biergarten towards the back. I just planned enough time for food and drink before the show started.
Overall I enjoyed the great music show here!

The Amphitheater is pretty nice. Their seating is nicely spaced and from where I was there was not a bad seat anywhere. I have sat in the back on the lawn and in the VIP section for concerts and both locations were great.
They have plenty of indoor restrooms and they keep the place nice and clean especially when comparing it to many other outdoor venues I have visited.
The down side to this place is the location, it is a bit of a drive, the parking is far so bring your walking shoes and the drink prices are high! As with most concerts you expect to pay a markup for your drinks but for what they were charging I could have easily bought a bottle of liquor, ugh!
I will definitely be back since the fact that the seating, restrooms and over all cleanliness balances out the drive, parking and drink prices. This place is a solid outdoor concert venue!