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First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre rules summer music scene |
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Written by LUKAS SZYMANEK
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Thursday, 15 July 2004 |
Where in the city can you see Sting and Annie Lennox perform under one roof the same night? The answer is "just" 30 miles southwest of downtown Chicago, at First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park.
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First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
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19100 S. Ridgeland Ave.
Tinley Park, IL 60477
(708) 614-1616
Web site
Tickets: Ticketmaster, (312) 559-1212 |
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Actually, with the concert on July 18, you will have probably missed out on those two power names, but one of the wonderful things about the Center is that it hardly stops at one highlight concert a year.
The Amphitheatre used to be known as the Tweeter Center and before that, the New World Music Center. Built in 1988, the Amphitheatre continues to be one of the largest outdoor stages in North America. It has a massive stage, a multiple-section crowned seating area and a bare lawn area in the back suitable for big bands and even bigger crowds. For those sitting in the farthest spaces oversize video screens provide close-ups of what’s happening on stage.
Traveling to the Amphitheatre can be a hassle, as the late afternoon work and concert traffic can get heavy. The gates open from one and half hours to two hours prior to show time, and the parking is open even up to two and half hours before a show. Regular parking fee is usually included with the ticket price. For $20 you can purchase Premier Parking, which will allow you to leave your car in the reserved spaces in the front of the parking lot, then use the priority entrance and avoid the main gate crowds.
Emergency services are present, and accessible seating and parking is also available. The Center does take some mandatory and off-putting safety measures as to what can be brought into the theater, from the obvious (fireworks, cameras) to unnecessary (umbrellas, bags.) Due to the size of the audience the notorious ban on food and drinks upholds, but lawn chairs and umbrellas - defined as potentially unsafe - are not allowed for those settling for far back seats on the grass, either.
The Center does not cancel or reschedule concerts due to rain. In case of such bad weather a 2.75 Rain Check feature purchased with a lawn ticket will get you another lawn ticket to a different concert, if do not attend the original show. If you choose to attend the concert, however, make yourself comfortable on the grass and if a downpour breaks loose during the performance, I suppose you can either soak it up, or slide off the wet ground back to your car.
Nevertheless, the upcoming highlights of the Tweeter Center include Alanis Morissette teaming up with the Barenaked Ladies for a concert July 21, and Toby Keith bringing country flavor to the big stage on July 31. The Curiosa Festival on Aug. 12 will feature such artists as The Cure, Interpol, Muse and Melissa Auf Der Maur. Then Rod Stewart and Jimmy Buffet rock the audiences in late August, and Norah Jones in September.
Tickets can be purchased at the Box Office up to half an hour before a performance or during regular hours Mondays through Fridays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can also go to the Ticketmaster Web site or locations in the city (including Tower Records and Carson Pirie Scott) or www.cc.com.
Photos courtesy of the Tweeter Center|
Steven Tsantis
Written by Guest on 2007-06-09 23:16:17
Looking for a list of concerts.
tsantis82004@yahoo.com | Reserved Seating
Written by Guest on 2007-07-05 20:06:59
You didn't mention how many of the 28,600 person capacity is reserved seating. |
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