Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre

Came here to see Linkin Park & Incubus. The restroom are clean. The venue is different, it’s outdoor!
Be prepare with parking, in & out, it will take about an hour or more since there’s limited amount of exits.

I love hate this place. and here’s the list
Love
Accessible parking a breeze ONCES you found it. since I’m not familiar with this place I had no idea where I was going I just followed the car and a parking person was kind enough to tell me where to go.
Accessible seating awesome to See Linkin Park and Incubus
It was actually easy to purchase merchandise
Hate
Are you freaking serious about how far this place is from Burbank. I might as well had gone to TJ
Traffic is HORRIBLE coming in and attempting to leave
People screaming at me to put my arm down while attempting to take pictures, excuse the F out of me for only being 5’0 and had to raise my hand to take pictures because I couldn’t see, Yes you Bittachh behind me. yes I did I kept doing it on purpose once I finally did hear her, ask nicely and I’ll apologize for not noticing I was in your drunken view. I’m 5’0 how much could you had not seen over my head?
Drunks… oh how annoying can you be when you show up to a concert with your team logo and start with the rival team you lost too. Grow up!!! One Raider win and they think they can shut up a Charger fans. Your in the wrong side of the tracks for that.
chances of me coming back. depending on the lineup and seating. High!

AWESOME VENUE!!! friendly staff and very clean bathrooms!!! Yay!
Just parking sucks because only one way in, one way out. We waited over an hour, and just sat in the parking lot for the traffic to die down until we could leave smoothly.
Came here to see Linkin Park & Incubus with MuteMath opening for them.

WORST venue EVER for a concert!
— Bad sound quality!
— Many obstructed seats!
— Overpriced food and drinks! to be expected
— Disgusting bathrooms!
— It takes 2 hours to get out of the parking lot after a concert because there is 1 single road out! Talk about bad design! I’ve gone to many concerts at the Staples Center and not once waited more than 10min to get on the road! FYI, those 2 venues have the same capacity.
NEVER again!

Outdoor stage with a great sound system!
To everyone who lives in San Diego, I envy you! Traffic was a bust and just getting there from OC took over 3 hours!!! wtf?!
Anyhow, it was a blast! I went for Identity Festival and I loved it. The place was packed up the ying yang but it was a great time. We decided to back out of a mosh and went near the seats for the first time ever and it was actually a great time. An outdoor stage made for great weather and a nice cool breeze to refresh you from all of the body heat from the crowds. The seats themselves were pretty roomie and gave enough space for dancing. They also had a side stage located in, what would be, their parking lot. It was a great concert, the people were awesome, the staff were all nice and friendly. One thing I thought was strange was that they sold waters without bottle caps so that people wouldn’t throw them around at each other… really? You’re concerned with bottle caps? haha whatever it was still a great time and I wouldn’t mind going back again soon.

Ah, where do I begin? First, I live in Chula Vista, so I want more than anything for my city to have a first-​class facility that brings some honor to an otherwise not-​respected city.
However, a few things prevent that:
TRAFFIC is absolutely HORRIBLE getting both in and out. Plan to arrive at least two hours before your show, and you might make it to your seats before the show is well-​underway.
PARKING is perhaps the WORST feature at Cricket… concert goers (especially ladies) all dressed up for the evening and then made to park out in some God-​forsaken dirt field with debris strewn about may find it very difficult to walk across this area to the show. At best, your car will be covered with dirt and dust, your clothes and shoes may not look too nice and you will feel like you just took a walking tour of a battlefield!
GATES do not open until 60 minutes before the show. Who in the world thought that one up? Don’t they want to pay the workers any more? You will end up in a HUGE line for entrance (due to the necessity to arrive early because of traffic) and WAIT for an extended time. By opening the gates earlier (Two hours) they would sell more food and beverages, more merchandise from the entertainers and eliminate much of the long line waiting to enter!
Once you are in, dust off your clothes and shoes and say a prayer for your car in the distant battlefield, the venue is very nice. The only negative I’ve experienced here was the audience members around me who TALKED through entire concerts! I think they were only concerned with «being there» and prevented those of us who came to see the artists from enjoying the music we paid so much to hear! What a shame!

I’ve been to many shows here, and I enjoy everything from the sound to tailgating to seeing outdoor shows.
I’m a simply guy. yeah the beer is overpriced but i’m good for one or 2 and it’s not like i’m here every night. Capitalism. make a buck. do your thing. Good on ya.
My only bi*ch is the traffic. I feel like the parking company has had ample opportunity to improve on entering and exiting. Rarely do I stay until 11pm because my traffic anxiety spikes around 10:45pm and the full sprint back to my car is on. Getting in sucks too. the staff IMO looks frusted and a confused every time I’m trying to park and leave. Please please improve the traffic situation.

Beautiful venue, but the staff for the most part seem overwhelmed and frazzled and like to take out their frustration on the attendants.
I felt that compared to other amphitheaters similar to this, this place had less food and while the prices were similar, the portions were much less generous. Significantly. Try to eat before coming here, and if you are able to, bring your own water.

After having been to the Weenie Roast up the freeway at Verizon Amphitheater in Irvine, I have a new found appreciation for Cricket in Chula Vista. Even though getting down there sucks all the cheap gas out of my car, it is well worth it. I come in the back way by taking 905 to Heritage Road, turn left and go past all the car junk yards and Brown Field. After a somewhat windy path down a hill, you end up – voila – right at the (quieter) back entrance to the venue. Hardly ever a line or a hassle.
Then there is the parking. If the lots fill up and Soak City is closed, you just go right across the drive way and park (free.) The weather is genuinely nice out there in eastern Chula Vista. However, for the Beach Boys 50^th Anniversary Tour, it was very windy and cold. If not for the charity of a nice man who offered me his blanket, I might have froze to death. This is usually not the case but I will now say this: even if it is nice out, bring a sturdy jacket and blanket – just in case.
For those of us such as myself who have a hard time getting around, this Cricket is perfect for offering a good long row of handicapped parking that is right near the entrance. The customer service booth right inside will adjust any regular tickets to handicapped, when presented with the proper evidence. Then it is just a quick hop over to ramps that take you right to your seats. Verizon in Irvine required much walking around and climbing to get to where you need to go. Thank you to Cricket for laying itself out in such a way as to accommodate ALL their customers.

I came here for ID fest back in September but I totally forgot to review it.
ID fest was my first rave/​music fest/​wtver, and I thought it was going to be some little dinky event. NO! It was huge! Probably not as big as a massive but still! The Cricket Wireless Amphitheater held a lottttt of people, and there are like 2 big stages. It was a little confusing to navigate when buzzin but my friends and I managed to find the stages. There was a «3^rd stage» but it was this tiny itty bitty little made up stage. oh well
What sucked was the parking situation. I guess they have real lots for people who have premium parking or something? Not too sure about that, but there was this makeshift dirt lot a little down the road that people made into a parking lot. It was poorly organized but I managed to find a spot (got lucky too, a handful of cars came right after me and had to leave)
As much as I had fun, this venue was wayy too far (from LA, and from SD). Too far south :[

Cricket Wireless… use to be Coors Amphitheater.
Located in Chula Vista.
All by it’s lonesome self.
I’ll start with the good.
* No parking charge.
* Cheap tickets, we saw John Legend and Sade for only $ 20 on groupon. Also they were selling Santana tickets for just $ 20!
* They rent out chairs for the lawn.
* The views from the venue face the mountain, and it’s very pretty.
* The lawn is chill and comfy… bring a blanket just relax!
Now the not so good.
* Traffic to get into the parking lot sucked nuts.
* They do have lawn chairs for rent, but if you don’t get there soon enough, they run out.
* The sound of the venue is not the greatest.
* It’s located in Chula Vista … there really isn’t really much out there in terms of food and events before the concert.
I still had a fantastic time seeing the super hot and talented John Legend! And Sade rocked it with her bangin’ dance poses and voice! This venue however wouldn’t be my first choice in concerts… but for $ 20 I can’t complain!

What a dump! Seeing Sade and John Legend was rad but I regret doing so at this venue.
If you can avoid this place, do so at all cost. Not worth the money or the hassle.

I’ve been here several times to watch several concerts over the years. My most recent visit is to watch my FAVE band, Maroon 5, and Train.
I like how the venue is a nice outdoor amphitheater, and on a clear summer night, perfect with a warm blanket and a warm body next to you.
I’m grateful for the large screens next to the stage since the bands are barely visible unless you’re front row. Unfortunately, there were some instances where there were some technical difficulties, but the projections worked overall.
What I really dislike about Cricket is the traffic and parking. It’s miles from the freeway and only one road that takes you to and from. Parking is free, but they instill a «facility charge» on tickets.
The parking situation could be a bit disorganized getting into and leaving the amphitheater. Hope this issue gets better the next time I visit.

My buddy and I paid Cricket Wireless a visit 2 weeks ago for 91X Fest. We went to see only Bush, though after Bush’s set we did end up staying for the majority of Incubus’ totally decent set too.
The Bush show was very good and very Sixteen Stone-​heavy. A shame that we didn’t hear a single song from Razorblade Suitcase – my favorite Bush album; it’s darker, brooding, more poetic – but I suppose that when a major band is given a mere 60-​minute set they stick to their big guns. I don’t know what 91X Fest organizers were thinking when they awarded Incubus the 100-​minute headliner spot over Bush.
Gavin Rossdale… WHEW. The guy has such a stage presence and can really, really sing. While watching him my 7^th grade crush came rushing back as if the last 15 years had never passed.
No doubt Bush will tour after their new album drops later this year, and when they roll to San Diego I pray to God they play at this venue again. Parking, atmosphere, sound quality, video screens – in my opinion no other large San Diego concert venue compares to Cricket Wireless.

Had $ 20 lawn seats to see Gavin DeGraw, Maroon 5 and Train and enjoyed the space and view we had even from the very back. The lawn area was maybe a little over halfway full which helped us spread out plus we brought blankets and low-​back chairs (which can also be rented there) to make it more comfy.
There was never a line for the bathroom or the concessions, but that could be do the venue not being at full capacity. The venue seems to literally be out in the middle of nowhere, which actually makes for a very pretty backdrop for a concert.
However, as with most venues, parking is a pain when it comes to LEAVING. If you find yourself in the back «lot» filled with strawish mulch then you are screwed come time to leave. There is no order. So, best bet is to enjoy the antics of those around you as I did. Case in point: middle-​aged couple heavily making out, girl puking out the backseat of the car, two cars bumper carring into each other. Carpooling is smartest. And patience is key.
I will have to go to another concert to see if the lack of lines is a consistent thing because I have never experienced that and it was awesome!

I have been to this venue around 5 times over the years for things like radio station concerts to catching artists on-​tour. The Cricket Wireless Amphitheater always has the hottest acts stopping by. I am not a huge fan of the paperless ticket as it leaves me with a blank spot in the concert scrap book.
I live around several different venues and this is the furthest away and practically resides in Mexico. You would actually be in Mexico if you miss the exit. The drive is a big pain but that’s what I get for living in North County right? I guess I am better off cruising to Irvine for a concert.
My biggest complaint about this venue is the irregularity for VIP entrance into the venue. The staff is always very ignorant as to when people will be let in and where they should wait in line. I have been fortunate enough to fin ¹⁄₁₀ people that know whats going on, but do I really need to ask that many times? I Am not the only one that has this problem and find myself having to tell other ticket holders once I find out.
Once inside the open-​air location you are better off gong straight for food if you ever expect to eat because you’ll be fighting off long lines of drunks at the concert break (if you wait that long :). If I know anything about arguing with drunk people, it’s that no one wins and if security has to get involved it’s as irritating as mosquito bites.
That being said, the only place worth getting seats for is the front or 100 level. Everything else is too far back to matter. you’d be better off in the parking lot listing to the artists album. The venue often sets the front area up as a «pit» but will also have seats. You never know when they are doing either so it’s a coin toss. There was a pit for 933’s hip hop concert and seats for John Mayer.
That’s all I have to say about the venue specifically. Getting a little off track, here’s a bit of info on the actual John Mayer concert.
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For our John Mayer Concert my wife and I arrived about 15 minutes after the event started but didn’t miss much as the opening act Owl City was quite drab. The weird on-​stage movements and awkward conversation with the crowd seemed to pair unequally to the type of music John Mayer plays. Perhaps something closer to the same genre next time?
Our seats were in a great spot in section 102 but to my surprise the pit tickets had seats! Had I known they would actually add seats for this concert I would have purchased those instead. I have to admit I feel a bit robbed. All of the other 3 concerts I have been to at this venue had a standing pit.
John Mayer rocked the stage with songs new and old until the day passed to night. Backed by a great band, large video screen and great videography, the concert is close to #2 all-​time. JM passed the time in-​between sets by talking with the crowd, something that not only personalizes the experience but makes you feel like you’re getting more than just a «concert».
Great experience overall and I would be more than happy to see John Mayer next time he is in-​town.
Favorite moment: John Mayer’s monologues were pretty comical in-​between sets. It kept the crowd entertained and made the night.
Opening act (s): Owl City– not sure what kind of mind altering drugs this singer was on but the act was very odd and forgettable. I give them credit for trying but it’s just not my style– very hippie modern.

Lawn seats are freakin’ awesome here!
We went to see John Mayer Wed. night [thanks for the tix Laura!] and brought a big comforter and set up shop on the front edge of the grass. There are a few places to buy swag, food, and TONS of places to buy alcohol… DO NOT not buy a mixed vodka drink from a Blondie girl @ «Liquid Aloha»…it’s watered down vodka and it was terrible. Beer = Good
All in all, very cool venue, great sound and I think the lawn seats are more comfy (not to mention more affordable). I think if you show up to lawn seats with no blanket they will upgrade you for free to fill seats in the front (HINT).
We drove from Carlsbad and the concert was at 7pm so we were obviously concerned about traffic. We took I-​5 south to the 905… wtf is the 905 you might ask? That’s exactly what I thought!!! Truth is, it’s just about where you stop seeing signs in English and Mexican flags are seen in great numbers. I was starting to think we were going to go a little too far and end up in Mexico… that would have sucked!
Long story short, we missed our exit somehow [after driving on the said 905] to the 805 and ended up turning off of this crazy weird freeway at one of the Subways… there are a million Subway restaurants out there, I mean, how much lunch meat can people eat???
How did we escape our almost sure demise in USA Mexico? My Verizon wireless VZ Navigator — THANK YOU VERIZON for short cutting us through the old Heritage road! I think that is where people stash dead bodies because it was really really creepy! Glad it was light out!
:)

Best part… we got free parking and it was kind of close. Worst part. the price for a beer, geesh!!!
First time here for Hunny and I, very easy to get in and out. Staff was friendly and helpful. Beautiful view too.
We went to see Slightly Stoopid but to our suprise Cypress Hill opened for them and I was transported to the «good ol’ days». They were great and snapped Hunny out of his bad mood for forgetting his «smokes» at home.
Getting out was a breeze also… we left a little early and was back home in a flash.

Meh is the key word.
We came here last night to check out the Eagles concert. Getting down here from Kearny Mesa wasnt too bad and there wasnt much traffic. We had to park in BFE in the last dirt lot. It wasnt too far away or anything but my wife was wearing flip flops and cruising through the hay/​dirt fields wasnt fun for her feet.
We got inside without any hassles and got some grub. 5 bucks for a small hot dog (x2), 8 bucks for a funnel cake and 6 for a lemonade. 24 bucks… expected to be pricey at a concert but man… the dogs were small and the funnel cake tasted like old oil. They coat the shit out of it with powdered sugar too and its like you are walking around with a mound of cocaine covering a fried dough item. It was windy as hell too so the funnel cake dust was blowing everywhere. Anyways…
We got to our seats a bit early which was cool because the seating here blows. I understand that its needed to be done but jesus… like 60 seats across in a row with no way in our out except to shuffle and excuse me past 30 other people either way you go. Our seats were awesome though (except the fact they were in the middle of the row) and that was the lone saving grace. Section 303 front and center right in the middle of the stage.
The concert began and the music was good. Im not the biggest fan of the Eagles but whatever… they have some good songs. Sound was awesome so they get props for that and the concert didnt have a bunch of douchebags so thats always a plus.
The reason this gets 2 stars though is the traffic getting out of this bitch. We seriously sat there from about 11 until 12:15 and didnt even attempt to start the car because nothing was moving. Finally at about 12:30 we got out of there. There is one way in and one way out. For that I call BS and it kind of ruined what would have been a really decent night.

I’ve been here the past two years for Identity Festival over the Summer :] I love this venue for its grassy field area at the very top of the amphitheater section. It has also never been an issue trying to find seats in the bleacher sections whenever I wanted to go down closer to the stage. The bathrooms are always clean, there has never been a line when I went nor were there super crowded areas to the point where you weren’t able to walk around without being shoulder to shoulder with someone you didn’t know. Parking is never a problem either. I’ve always had a great time here and the staff is friendly :]