Wine Amplified

I found this be well, organized my first concert that started on time, in 30 years of concerts. Love the wrist band for payment, keeps everyone honest. My favorite part was the food truck options. I ate a lobster roll, turkey leg, hot and ribs. OMG so good. I feel like it was over all one of the best food and entertainment values so far in Vegas. I felt safe and secure at the event as well.

I’m perplexed as to why the Wine Amplified festival has received so many negative reviews — I had a great time! I was able to snag a pair of free tickets to this concert for one day (Panic at the Disco headlined with Passion Pit the day I went). Discounted tickets were also available through Groupon. The festival was held at the MGM Resorts Village.
I parked at Mandalay Bay and hoofed it to the Village to avoid parking fees. Entry into the festival was pain free and there weren’t any lines to speak of. Once I was fitted with my chipped bracelet, I was able to walk right in after scanning myself in. Plastic wine glasses could be picked up at one of the first booths you see when you walk in. The first glass is free, try not to lose it!
Since this is a «cash-​free» festival, funds have to be loaded onto bracelets in increments of 10. I loaded $ 20 and was able to make it last throughout the night. I had $ 2 left over, and just gave it as a tip to one on the wine pourers so it didn’t go to waste. If you want a refund, there’s a $ 5 processing fee. The cashless thing kind of blows, but it seems likes it’s a trend among large festivals…
There was a mix of local food trucks and weird carnival food at the event. I ended up going with Slidin’ Thru’s caprese sliders. Yummers! Food prices were average concert prices (nothing to be upset about). As a self-​procliamed wino, I was in heaven at Wine Amplified. There were rows upon rows of wine vendors at the ready. Each booth carried at least 2 – 3 wines. Samples started at $ 2, and glasses started at $ 6. I liked just about every wine I tried.
While I can’t say I’m a fan of the lineup, I still enjoyed the music and overall vibe. Andrew McMahon put on a surprisingly good show. The main stage was amazing and actually better than the stages at Life is Beautiful. Two large screens were placed next to the stage — you could see the concert going on from eons away. I loved that green turf was laid out over the asphalt, allowing concert goers to sit and relax while watching the show.
Besides the main stage, there was also a «Rave Cave» bumping EDM and a «speakeasy» playing live tunes on a more intimate level. The speakeasy was a nice touch because the area was filled with couches, chairs and two bars. The only thing missing was A/​C!
My only complaints are that there aren’t any ‘real’ bathrooms available and that the cashless system is not my favorite. Other than that, I’d highly recommend checking out Wine Amplified!
Unilocal 100 CHALLENGE 2015: #257

I did get my money back via PalPay like I was promised but I’m still not happy with the way everything went down.
If they get ride of the «cashless» system I may consider going next year.

Used to LOVE this event. Sorry never again. I paid for tickets then found out I could have had them cheaper or free. What happened to the wine? Oh wait you now overpay for it. For what I spent at this «festival» on teeny tiny samples of wine and over priced food — I could have gone to a good concert. At least then I would have expected the gouging I got. The party at the beach was awesome. Wading in the water for the concert. Good wine free food, great bands — not this overpriced asphalt jungle.

I would have to concur with my fellow Unilocalers that this place is not worth the hype and money it tries to generate. Even though I appreciated seeing 50 Cent and some good entertainment, the ripoff mentality when you enter this arena leaves you feeling very cornered and on the defense. I felt as if I was thrown into the Colusseum of Rome like a gladiator fighting for his life. The following are just a few examples:
A) Passes — At nearly $ 100 per person for a two day pass just to enter is outrageous; coupled with the fact you’re not going to a concert where you have the choice to sit down and watch. There is artificial grass to create hand prints and add to back problems for those who decide to sit there. Then you can’t see, because everyone decides to stand and block your view. Thank god my entry was free.
B) Currency — Prepaid cards? Really? You must preload your wristbands for cash and when you do decide to purchase something from a vendor it is OVERPRICED. I remember seeing $ 20 for a lobster roll that consisted of 3 bites from Cousin’s Maine Lobster. What a joke. Then, they have the adacity to ask if I’d like to tip — both at Aloha Kitchen and Sierra Gold; it was so sickening the greed of these vendors. Felt as if I was in a Timeshare meeting.
C) Parking — Isn’t the idea to be convenient and easy to get to at any venue you go to?! Had to park at Mandalay Bay and walk half a mile to the event. It was that or pay $ 20 to park a quarter mile closer… no thanks.
Sadly, I never come to this event or any event they host ever again. What a complete ripoff… feel sorry for the tourist who don’t know any better.

As one of the original Rock and Roll fans I am sad to say Wine Amplified/​Rock and Roll Wine has hit rock bottom. Back when they started there was quality wine, small venue, quality music, quality location. Today they have inflated prices, average to below average wine, music that does not match with wine crowd (actually really bad music), large venues, everything costs extra, etc. It is obvious that the founders are chasing the dollar and their venture is at an end. They lost focus on the customer or should I say wine customer along time ago. We are done with this mess!

I went to Wine Amplified on Saturday. Several shuttle venues were listed on their website. We decided to park at the Luxor because of its proximity to the venue. When we got to the garage we were told that only guests could park there (obviously not the norm). My friend and I ended up parking at Mandalay Bay to take the shuttle from there. The website lists the hours of the shuttle but no real clue as to when they will come. We got to the pickup location a few minutes before they started. After 20 – 30 minutes the shuttle came and off we went. We were guided to will call to pick up the tickets. Once we got the bands and entered the festival there really wasn’t guidance on what to do. We needed to get a tasting glass, over 21 arm band, & load money on the wristband. The cashless system is a bit ridiculous. You could only add money in $ 10 increments. If you have unused money that was added by debit card you have to fill out a form giving these people your bank account information and wait 2 weeks for a refund minus the $ 5 fee they take for giving you your money back. Most of the vendors had issues using the system considerably slowing down transactions. Fortunately the venue never filled up so they had that going for them. With an actual crowd it would’ve been awful. The free water stations were out of water, but they had plenty of $ 5 a bottle water. When we were ready to go we asked the security guard at the shuttle area approximately how long the wait was. His response was, «they come when they come. «This festival seemed like it was put together by someone who has never done something like this before. There was a real lack of organization and information. We ended up leaving before the headliner came on because we were bored.

This was my first year going! I had a great time, terrific music, great variety of food, and the wines were awesome! I’m definitely going back next year.

Never again! Bring back the Mandalay days. Disorganized, $ 10 hot dogs, $ 5 water, come on Wine A, you used to be better than that. Remember when we had Wolfgang Puck nibbles? Train by the pool. Those were the days. Looks like a circus carnival now. Even the bands couldn’t save this event. At least last year all vendors were local trucks and there were bales of hay to sit on and staff didn’t beg for tips, we tipped because of service, no service at this event.
After paying for two tickets, which I have done for the last 5 years, I find out through fillaseat we could have gone free. The refund on my wristband better come fast, and you can keep the $ 5 processing fee and buy someone a water.

I had the displeasure of paying for 2 days entrance for this event. After speaking to some people at the event I was pissed to find that ALOT of people managed to get free tickets whilst I paid $ 155 for 2 bands and both days. Wine is just the same wine you can get at Walmart for $ 10 pet bottle and not $ 6 for a SMALL GLASS. Servers asking for tips. First server I asked for a little extra since I has given a $ 2 tip for a $ 2 taste of wine with the response of «hell no». Hmm no more tips.
I wouldn’t attend again even with a free ticket. Totally not worth spending any money on. Food was also way overpriced. Vendors would only take money from wristband which forced you to put money on the band. Really disappointing.

I preface this review by stating that I actually had a really great time at this festival. That being said, if I had actually paid for a ticket I would have been highly disappointed…
I was able to snag free tickets for both nights of Wine Amplified this year. I was excited to see the lineup despite not being overly enthused by any one band in particular. Upon arrival on the first day, the line was a clusterf$*% with employees not totally sure what they were doing or how to retrieve reservations and tickets. They were able to get their crap together after a while and the lines started moving a little quicker.
Once inside the festival there were stations to load money onto your wristbands. I don’t love this system as that just seems to force you to stand in more lines and try to guesstimate how much you plan on spending for the day. The disclaimer being that any unused funds would only be refunded with a $ 5 charge… um, thanks for letting me know that I have to pay $ 5 to get my own money back that you forced me to place on the wristband in the first place… I realize this is a growing trend in festivals, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it.
The lines for food were reasonable and I was glad about that since I hate standing in line for overpriced and mediocre food. Everything was incredibly overpriced at the event. We learned our lesson based on day one and ate before we came for day two. You receive a complimentary plastic wine glass for tastings, but I heard more than a few complaints from event-​goers that had been in the past about them now charging for samples of wine. I didn’t partake in this part of the event so I can’t really comment, but looking around at the booths, the wine selections were unimpressive.
The concert was great and since that was the only reason I went, I had a blast. Staff kept the stage area clean and safe and each day we found a great spot to sit and enjoy the show without issue.
I would definitely come back next year if they offer free tickets again, but I don’t see myself spending the money to attend this event.

Wine Amplified used to be about good music and good wine; however, now it has devolved into a venue for second rate music and tier two wine with vapid servers who couldn’t tell you the difference between a Malbec and a Merlot. Where once the wine flowed freely from the bottles, now the participants must pay premium prices for a half ounce pour into plastic glasses while the servers shamelessly demand tips. It is obvious that the promoters of this event are just interested in getting every last dollar into their pockets and any concerns they ever had about wine has long since left their thoughts.

Went to see Blink 182, Better Than Ezra, and The Pixies — killed it. The bands, weather, and big screens were awesome!
The wine event — eh. They had plenty of ok labels but, I stuck with Deep Eddy Vodka — ruby grapefruit.
So here’s the scoop — the VIP tickets provided access to better restrooms and some non alcoholic drinks. Other than that, viewing area was better in the general area. Not really worth the extra $$.
The main problem was the pre-​charged wrist bands. You had to load them with cash for every purchase and after the event it was a big hassle to try and get our balance back. Many emails and a few weeks. They did make good on it but, for anyone who wasn’t persistent, maybe not.
Nice event, would I attend again, nope.

Went on Friday, October 10, to see Train and Better Than Ezra. I was totally bummed I didn’t get to see them in LA this year but it turned out to be a blessing because I went to Wine Amplified instead, which was much better!
This review is strictly for the general admission concert. I can’t drink wine and I didn’t want to eat there, so I can’t review the quality of the wine and food. There were tons of wine booths and food truck though. They used cashless wristbands, so you couldn’t pay with actual cash, you had to load up your wristband. This seems to have caused a lot of aggravation and frustration to many.
I liked the venue, it wasn’t too crowded, it was outside and had a very cool vibe. There were more than enough park benches to eat, drink and sit. The standing room only area by the stage wasn’t too crowded. If I wanted to get really ambitious, I could’ve elbowed my way to the front when Pat Monahan was taking selfies with the audience. But alas, my old age stopped me. BTW: Train put on a great show.
The use of the big screens were great and I like the laid-​back lineup. Yeah, it was filled with middle-​age wine drinkers but that’s ok! We need to have fun too! Saturday had Blink 182 and Violent Femmes, I’m sure the ambiance was vastly different. I don’t know what wine drinkers and Violent Femmes’ fans have in common, but I digress…
There were two other stages playing and two areas that look like a bar.
Tons of free parking, we parked at the Tropicana and walked over, but I think Mandalay Bay would’ve been closer. Tons of porta-​potties too. Overall, I thought it was a nice set up. It’s unfortunate that the cashless wristbands were a bust.

One star for the total disappointment for management of this event. I will applaud them for their entertainment however that is it! The vendors ran out of several wines and so did the food trucks on the first night. We were excited for this event, we added $ 200 on our wristbands (the ticket price includes nothing except the entertainment and $ 10 in festival bucks)
You have to pay for all wine tastings, really anything at the event which was very over priced
They clearly advertise any unused funds will be automatically refunded after the event, since this was the case we freely added money at the event, wish we didnt… after loading $ 200 on our bands we had a balance of $ 88 which management is refusing to refund saying it’s their bonus bucks from our tickets, the math doesn’t add up… we have receipt for $ 100 for the last upload at the event which clearly the remaining balance is from that, NOPE NO REFUNDS
Do not go next year, waste of money