Eat to the Beat Concert Series

During food and wine festival at Epcot they have the eat to the beat concert series which occurs each night. There are 15+ acts during the entire season of food and wine, they play three shows a night and each act is there for two consecutive nights sometimes three. The show times are always 5:30, 6:45 and 8:00pm. These make for intimate concerts you might not normally see with certain bands.
The bands are mostly acts from the 80s and 90s some are more popular than others. Boys to Men and Hanson have people that line up for the shows hours in advance. They open the seating area about 30 minutes to show time. Epcot is now doing fast pass for the shows as well as a dinner
option that includes priority seating.
The lineup is different every year with about ten acts that come every year. The list of who is playing comes out about a month or two prior to the start of food and wine.
The stadium is outside and uncovered so if it’s raining hard expect a show or two to be canceled until the rain isn’t so bad anymore. My only complaint is the sound is not ideal. Microphones sound fuzzier than they would elsewhere but overall regardless of who you see it’s a good time. Obviously some acts are better than others and the concerts only last about 25 minutes. Be careful not to sit behind a tree and do not go out in the middle aisle to dance or take pictures because you will be asked to return to the bench unless you’re leaving. Everyone is great about pictures and video being taken.

3 shows a night of D list bands during the Epcot food and wine festival. They do a half hour set. If you get a fast pass for the event you can walk right in and get a seat right up front. The shows are good only a half hour so just enough time to play their biggest few hits.

38 Special is tonight’s headliner. Missed the Pointer Sisters last night but I ended up getting my souvenir swine Glass and a slightly expensive buzz

Yes and No!
Yes, they probably «Stole» the «title» From «Blondie» (Deborah Harry, Punk Band) and (Titles may not be protected, I’m guessing they are NOT?)! «Eat to the Beat» was a Blondie Song Title AND title to an Album of Songs (1979)…
No I do NOT salute them stealing from Blondie, though I do NOT charge that against my Unilocal star rating of this LIVE Music Event!
Surprised at the Acts they had lined up, some very famous and some very good! The lesser known Bands were better! Best part about it (other than the Food) were the Crowds of people! Worst part about it were the Crowds of people and the later it got the Drunker it got! Hard to see performers unless you got there at the right time!
One of the Bands was «Boyz II Men» Old Skool Boy Band! I do not remember this! I do remember «Big Bad Voodoo Daddy» and they were Very Good even though I had never heard of them! Some other Bands played too though I’m not sure if they were part of this event, they played around the World Showcase!

A free concert while you’re drinking wine and eating around the world? Oh yeah!!!
Every year this is my destination during Epcot’s International Food and Wine Festival. Food, music and wine and then do it again the a few days later with a different concert. During the festival there is a different group playing for 3 days every couple of days. I’ve seen Peter Noone (Herman’s Hermits), Rick Springfield, Starship the Guess Who and now Mark McGrath w/​Sugar Ray. They play 3 30 min. shows a day so if you miss one you can see it again in 1 ½ hrs.
Beware!!! For the most popular groups the line can queue up a few hours in advance. Be sure to wear your dancing shoes!

Over the last couple of years when planning my trip (s) to the Food & Wine Festival, I’ve always perused this concert series and they’ve had some really great performers. We always make plans to make it down for certain shows, but for some reason that never plays out. Timing was finally in our favor and we got to see Big Bad Voodoo Daddy in the finale weekend of this year’s fest.
It’s definitely a short set of songs; don’t think you’re settling in for a normal show. However, at least the show we saw, they play a good mix of the hits with a few hidden gems mixed in. While most of the crowd enjoyed the show from their seat, we did have some dancers, but the stage is set up in such a way, that no one’s view is ever really obstructed.
Depending on the group, the line can get long really quickly (and really early), but the stage & seating area are huge. There’s plenty of room and there’s not really a bad seat in the house. Also depending on the group, I think their policy may vary, but for certain shows they will ask you to exit the venue and re-​enter with those already in line for the next show.

Dennis Deyoung of Styx tonight. Good to hear those songs again! Great weather tonight. Dinner at Food and Wine Festival.

My favourite time of year at Epcot is the Food & Wine Festival which happens every fall. During the Food & Wine Festival, Epcot has the Eat to the Beat Concert Series going on. This means they have artists performing live each week (sometimes two different artists in the same week) at the American Gardens Theatre during the entire Festival.
I really look forward to this concert series every single year. Most of the bands that play are from the 80s and a few from the 90s. But, I am a child of the 80s, so I couldn’t be happier. When Rick Springfield performed for three days back in 2010, I was at every single concert. I am very happy to report he will be returning this year (2014)!
Some other great artists I have seen perform here are .38 Special, Sugar Ray (I got a hug from him), Starship, Big Bad VooDoo Daddy, and Billy Ocean… just to name a few. I also got a hug from Rick Springfield back in 2010! Whoohoo!
There’s a good amount of seating, but it is limited. For most of these concerts, you do need to come and get in line early to get a seat. For the more popular performances like Rick Springfield and Boys II Men, you’ll need to arrive a couple of hours early.
It’s not necessary to get a seat though. You can stand back and hear the music from anywhere near the American Pavilion. Also, depending on where you stand, you can still see the action.
Thank you, Disney, for bringing all these great 80s artists for me to enjoy every year! I love, love, love it!
The line-​up for the 2014 Eat to the Beat Concert Series has already been released and here it is, Yeeps:
Sept 19 – 21 — Jo Dee Messina
Sept. 22 – 23 — The Pointer Sisters
Sept. 24 – 25 — Rick Springfield
Sept. 26 – 27 — Christopher Cross
Sept. 28 – 29 — Hanson
Sept. 30-​Oct. 2 — Air Supply
Oct. 3 – 5 — STARSHIP starring Mickey Thomas
Oct. 6 – 8 — Sugar Ray
Oct. 9 – 10 — Fuel
Oct. 11 – 12 — Sister Hazel
Oct. 13 – 14 — TBD
Oct. 15 – 16 — Billy Ocean
Oct. 17 – 19 — Night Ranger
Oct. 20 – 22 — Smash Mouth
Oct. 23 – 24 — Jim Brickman
Oct. 25 – 26 — Los Lonely Boys
Oct. 27 – 28 — Wilson Phillips
Oct. 29 – 31 — Dennis DeYoung, original member of STYX
Nov. 1 – 2 — 38 Special
Nov. 3 – 5 — Boyz II Men
Nov. 6 – 7 — David Cook
Nov. 8 – 10 — Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
PS: You can bet I’ll be there both days Rick Springfield is performing! :D

The Eat to the Beat concert series is one of my favorite parts of the fall. It’s always so much fun. In the spring Epcot brings in entertainers that were popular when your grandparents were young, which doesn’t interest me. In the summer they have cover bands, which also do not interest me. In the fall is when things get interesting. If you like silly 80’s and 90’s pop music you will think you have died and gone to heaven with this and it’s included in your admission to Epcot! All of the singers I’ve seen were not lip syncing. The performers play three sets a night, so each set is a brief thirty or forty minutes long. That’s not necessarily a bad thing because Eat to the Beat takes place during the Epcot Food and Wine Festival. Between sets you can go find some interesting food to sample from the festival, which is always entertaining.
Last year (2013) my favorite performer was Dennis DeYoung of Styx. I’ve got a Styx greatest hits album, but I wouldn’t have called myself a huge fan before that night. He sounded great and really gave a great performance each set. I had a blast (badly) singing along to so many hits. It was the same way with Billy Ocean. I was humming his songs for days after his performance. Off the top of my head I can list The Go-Go’s, Howard Jones, Night Ranger (not by choice), and The Pointer Sisters as other acts I’ve seen.
It’s frustrating that the concert area isn’t covered. If it’s sunny outside you are baking in the heat and if it’s raining you’re getting wet. The nice thing is that even if there is no seating left you can still find plenty of places to stand in the sections around the concert area.

How can you NOT be a fan of a free concert? As part of Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival, the outdoor amphitheater at the American pavilion comes to life with has-​been rock bands. While I was visiting in 2013, I got to see Survivor, Smashmouth and Wilson Phillips for free. People line up super early to snag the small amount of seating, but you can hear the concert from pretty far away. Expect super short sets because the bands only play their «greatest hits.» I wouldn’t go out of my way to attend one of these concerts (unless you are a huge fan of whomever is playing), but if you are already at Epcot, stick around and enjoy.

Great event during the International Food & Wine Festival at Disney’s Epcot. It’s a great venue quality line up that will remind you of the awesome times you had in the past. Got to see Boys II Men and Night Ranger both were excellent performances. I did not wait on line because I did not need or want a close up seat. You can defiantly hear the music and see the show from the back with ease and I’m only 5’6″. The shows on the weekend are packed. Lots of locals like to come for the events during the Festival.

Always love looking at the lineup for the International Food and Wine Festival each year. Seen Boyz II Men a couple times (they still put on an awesome show), Richard Marx, Starship, and plenty of other 80s and 90s acts. Going to see Edwin McCain tonight. Always a great time. The venue is open and usually you can find a decent seat. The artists really interact with the crowd and they’re quite funny when they do so. Guess something is keeping them doing the circuit long after their glory days. Always fun!

Sure the bands are older, but there is probably one there you grew up listening to. I was always a huge fan of Belinda Carlisle when I was in high school, so I was excited to see the Go-Go’s in the lineup this year. With a little help, I was able to sit in the third row for one of the shows. The concerts are short, but just enough time to play their hits. Long enough to hear the best songs, but hopefully short enough for your kids so they don’t complain too much. lol

Oh boy was i upset when Hanson played and i had to work! but it’s a new job and i couldn’t play hooky yet. BUT — I got to see Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and they rocked the house like nobodies business. One of my husband’s fav bands, i wouldn’t have even known about had it not been for him.
Fierce modern swing that even makes it on the radio and not a single foot wasn’t tapping. I wish i could have gotten up and danced but it wasn’t that kind of a gig. Everybody bobbed their heads, clapped when they were asked to and otherwise stayed seated.
I had an awesome time and was thinking about just staying for the second concert as well but didn’t want to hear the same songs again and either way, we had margaritas to go to.
If they come to town outside of EPCOT, I’m first in line to buy concert tickets.
This Eat to the Beat is a really nice chance to see some semi-​big ticket people for free and get a little taste of a concert atmosphere. Well done EPCOT!

Howard Jones at the Food and Wine Festival! It doesn’t get much better than this!