Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion

I attended the Dierks Bentley show on June 4^th and as always Dierks delivered a great performance.
However the venue leaves much to be desired.
Thirty porta potties for 10,000 people! I hit the bathroom twice and missed an hour of the acts. By the end of the show the units were at capacity ready to overflow.
Another added inconvenience was the beer stands not accepting credit cards. I was told by the vendor that «this is the only show this summer that we will not be accepting credit cards» I hope so!
The upgrade gimmick is also a bit annoying. One can buy lawns seats and end up in the pit by paying an additional fee at the show. Thus one gets a previously unavailable pit ticket at a discounted rate. However, the pit area ends up being jammed packed with nowhere to move.

Great place to see a show as long as you don’t need to go to the bathroom. I went to the Dierks Bentley concert on June 4^th and the wait for a porta potty was at least 30min. They needed to have twice the number of units they had. Porta potties are never sanitary but there were some that literally had a river of urine coming out of them. This was on the east side next to the river no less. Not a fun experience.

I have been to this venue twice. It’s not a bad place for a show. Most of the seated areas you can see well and the same with the lawn. The reason I am giving it two stars is because of the organization and price differentiation from the first time tickets go on sale, to the day before the show.
We purchased tickets a month before the concert. They were 70 $ for a lawn seat. Upon arrival at the show the lawn seats were 29 $. You can imagine my confusion. When we end to the box office to ask about the price difference, they said if the tickets don’t sell they drop the prices. We then paid to upgrade our tickets for 10 $, to the front section. We ended up paying what people paid the day of the show for the front section of seats. What is my incentive to purchase tickets in advance for this venue, rather than order them day of? I have never heard of this practice (maybe it’s a new thing) but it makes me feel like this venue is just about money and not about the actual enjoyment of music. When I choose to drive somewhere to see an artist, this place is almost two hours from where I live, I don’t want to feel cheated upon arrival. I will most likely choose to not come back to this venue, because of the drive time and the discrepancy with ticket pricing.
If you do go, park downtown, on the street, for free instead of paying 20 $ nearby. Also, don’t buy tickets until the day before the show, when they drop the prices by half.

I’ve been to this venue multiple times hoping it will be better, but it’s just not. I give two stars because I can see the improvements that were made (rocks under seating area), and I always find parking easily on a side road which allows me to get out of traffic quick. I’ve decided however that its a waste of money to actually pay to see a show here. I’ve been in many different sections of this venue and no matter where I am, I can’t see a dang thing. Last concert I went to there was Eric Church. He sounded great, but I couldn’t see a single person on stage all night-​and I was in the seated section. Heck, I think I saw better when I was standing on the lawn in a previous show than I did in the seats. I’m confident I would have the same experience at these concerts if I stood on the sidewalk outside the venue and looked through the blue tarp (it might even be better because then I wouldn’t feel so squished by people). I’d rather travel to another venue in New England to see an artist then come back to Bangor at this point. Unless this venue invests in some screens to be used at every concert, I will not be back.

Saw Ed Sheeran here, our first time at this venue. Parking was free and getting in and out of where we parked was a breeze. I made sure not to drink so I could avoid the long lines for beer and bathroom that I had read about. I was dismayed that there are thousands of tiny folding chairs that make up the seating. There were many very heavy concert goers that gave those chairs a workout. Spaced too tightly together, it was almost as bad as air travel. Many bottlenecks into and out of the venue. Stage view was nonexistent but thankfully Ed had tall screens that helped us enjoy a view of his performance. Would not recommend this venue to anyone used to Boston area venues, it’s a big disappointment. Yes, for the people in the Bangor area, it’s better than nothing, but if you can see your concert elsewhere it’s not worth the drive.

Bangor has been always been my second home. I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to see a show here. It’s an absolutely beautiful park, can get snug so I hope you don’t have any personal space issues. The impressive thing is, even for a short person like me, I didn’t find it too had to view the stage from the back of the venue when standing. The sound is great the only down side is there’s no real parking for the venue so if you don’t want to park out of the way you’ll end up paying like $ 20 for parking. I’ll definitely be going again.

Great spot and the rocks under the seating is a really nice upgrade. Gets very cold and if it rains you’ll get wet for sure. The music is always far too loud. In general, a great location though.

Honestly one of the worst concert venues I have ever been to in my life. The only positive thing I can say about it, is there is plenty of parking nearby and we even managed to park for free. I will not be back.

Worst venue ever for my 17^th Dave Matthews Band show. While the band was FABULOUS, the pavilion was NOT! Maybe to big of a show for them? Sound quality, the amount of people shoved in (and even for seated section), bathroom situation, did I say sound quality? and view to stage… All not good. Will not go back…

I attended the July 5, 2014 Don Felder/​Styx/​Foreigner concert, looking forward to an experience similar to other outdoor concerts I had attended in the past. I was sorely disappointed. The only people that could see anything on stage were the folks in the front rows, it was incredibly muddy in the lawn area, and the smoking policy was NOT enforced. This last thing is the one that caused me to give such a low rating. I left the venue with a horrible headache because I couldn’t get away from the smoke, despite the fact that I was all the way on the other side of the lawn from the designated smoking area, which wasn’t utilized.
So if you value your lungs, don’t come here for a concert. Spend a little more and go to a show at the Cross Insurance Center. I certainly will.

Just got back from a Dave Matthews concert. Exciting to have this band back in Maine. Sorry it had to be at this venue. From where we stood on the lawn the sound was poor, the ground we stood on was muddy, the lines for the single beer concession were ridiculous and we were not allowed to leave the lawn area to buy food. People talked about how intimate this venue was but not so for this concert. They must have increased the normal number of tickets. All in all a very disappointing evening.

The show I saw here was amazing. The event went fine. Two things however to complain about… one that really ruins the experience. I bought parking online… don’t do it. The garage is pretty far away and the is plenty of parking nearby.
The worst though were the seats. So close together I was squished by two big men the whole time. It was uncomfortable and distracting. Everyone was complaining. With the space and ticket prices they receive they could give a little more room between chairs.
I probably won’t go again unless I get an aisle seat.

There are some places in Maine that have slowly become «destination» spots after having previously been notoriously known throughout the state as being slummy. The waterfront area of Bangor is one such spot. I’ve heard from friends that years and years ago, NO ONE ever came near this area where the train tracks were an inviting spot for hooligans, transients, and other chav-​types who were into shady activities. I never got to see it that way… and now, I have a difficult time even imagining what that looks like given the now beauty and usefulness of this multi-​purpose space!
Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion — an open air amphitheater — has seriously desirable things going on for it: abundant parking (which — especially Portlanders will understand — can be a serious commodity at most outdoor events), nearly 60 acres of public park, and a visually stunning location as it’s on the banks of the Penobscot River (wave hello to Brewer while you’re there!). And it draws concerts from some seriously big names across all genres (think BB King, Bob Dylan, Ray Lamontagne, Def Leppard, Tim McGraw, Dave Matthews, etc.) as well as the now internationally acclaimed KAHBANG Festival.
If you get the chance to attend a concert or event here, I suggest you do. It’s only a two hour drive north of Portland and really has accomplished something quite beneficial to the downtown Bangor area.

Thank you Bangor for bringing the venue, and Bangor, to life! The entertainment choices have been amazing and incredibly varied.
Love the new set up. Sound is great from every corner, all though I would prefer all shows to be GA.
Thanks for bringing in local businesses for food!

I love having a concert venue in my old hometown… and especially one that has been able to bring in rather big names. The new set up for 2013 is nice and now that they finally dug up the smelly sod and replaced it with crushed rock it should provide for a much better experience. Parking rates for the shows in local lots tend to run about $ 10 which is a great deal compared to anything you’d pay for shows in the Boston area ($ 50 for parking alone at Gillette Stadium the last time we went to a concert). The views along the water side of the stage are beautiful. I am hoping in the near future they put in permanent bathrooms and eateries to fully complete the venue. Side note… If you ever are in the area and want to hear the show but don’t want to actually attend the show, you can easily stand along the water and jam out.

Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion is an open-​air amphitheater located within Waterfront Park, a 58-​acre public space. Constructed each summer, this venue can differ from performance to performance, including seating and general admission lawn depending on the show and need.
I love the location of this venue… situated right in downtown, on the water no less. Cool breezes ease the burden of standing in a field waiting for a show to begin. Compared to the ridiculously increased police presence outside the venue, the staff inside were excellent with concert-​goers. Enforcing venue rules, but being understanding and «cool» about them.
In learning though, that this place is constructed each summer, it is more clear to me now why my group ran into certain issues. Given the variability of each show and setup, it is likely difficult to predict what sort of problems can arise with certain construction. In the case of a most recent show, Phish on 7÷3÷13, there were a multitude of logistical issues. Beer lines were ridiculously long… port-a-potty’s were plentiful but placed so awkwardly that creating any sort of lines to enter caused unmanageable intersections and limited space. Leaving the lawn was a whole other issue. I walked around in circles like a trapped rat first trying to locate the way out, then waiting FOREVER to navigate the extreme bottlenecks that inherently formed from these limited exits.
The lawn itself, after a few days of heavy rains, was pretty disgusting but mostly unavoidable I imagine given the nature of this venue. Speedy Dry was in piles all over the field but ultimately did nothing in the end as simply standing in one spot would draw out puddles of water deep enough to soaks socks. My biggest annoyance? You can’t keep your cap for your purchased waters. When you are trying to get up front and don’t want to risk dehydration… rationing that water is key.
Carefully read the list of prohibited items prior to attending as you may be finding your way back to your car pre-​show to get rid of these items.

I am so happy that Bangor is finally bringing people to the community! Great shows and venue.

Great venue! Went to see Zac Brown. Parking within 50 ft in a local business parking lot for $ 10.