We’ll get into the actual amphitheater a few paragraphs down, but let’s start with first impressions.

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The Parking

The parking. It’s a disaster.

We selected the N3 lot ($22), which is close, but not as close as N1. It was sold out. We found out the Blue S lots were premium parking, but even after visiting the website, we still don’t know what the Green S lots are. Maybe gravel lots?

Anyway, on our parking pass, there are ‘Getting There’ instructions. It didn’t take us to our lot. It took us to the premium lot on the opposite side of the theater. Like countless confused people sitting in a log jam in the Druid Hills neighborhood, we had to ask someone where to go, which was back through the neighborhoods.

Also, if you navigate it on your phone, it takes you to the theater, not your lot—a big difference. And if you don’t know, it’s not connected to Top Golf or Protective and Uptown. It’s 6 blocks away in the heart of the neighborhood, with the biggest thoroughfare being Carraway, a couple of blocks away.

When we did arrive at the lot, it was a 7-story parking deck that the cars were crawling into at a snail’s pace to find a spot. The whole process of arriving at our destination and parking the car took at least 30 minutes. And as you can imagine, exiting the lot took another 30 minutes as we crawled back down from the top with all the other cars.

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The Venue

By the time we went through the security gate, our nerves were a bit on edge from the hassle we had just gone through. Not the mood you want to be in after spending over $300 for two tickets.

Moving on. The first impression when you enter the seating section is that it’s huge. It holds over 9,000, but feels so much bigger because it has a very shallow slope, so the seats feel so far away from the stage. Our seats were in section 105 just behind the pit, so they were pretty close, but they seemed pretty far. I imagine being in the 200 and 300 sections would seem like in your in another state, and you’d be completely dependent on the screens to see anything.

The acoustics were good. We saw James Taylor. There was no shortage of bars (two glasses of wine were $38 plus tip), but we only saw one section of restrooms that were in the middle of the place. It was fine, but for so many bars seemingly every 20 feet, you’d think you’d see more restrooms.

One nice element was the planes flying overhead. It certainly gave it a unique, memorable touch.

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The Final Verdict

It’s impossible for any Birminghamian to not compare it to Oak Mountain.

And I’m sorry to say there is no comparison. We loved the idea of a downtown amphitheater, but its location in the heart of a dilapidated neighborhood meant the logistics of getting in and out were brutal.

Oak Mountain’s easy-in, easy-out was so nice. And even though they’re the same size, it doesn’t have the intimacy of Oak Mountain. There’s no doubt a steeper pitch in the seating would have brought the scene closer together.

It just didn’t feel like enough of the planning was thought through, and too many corners were cut. Our thought leaving was Come on, Birmingham. This was a moment to create something new and exciting. Something we’d hope would compete with The Orion.

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But what are your opinions? We’d love to know. Feel free to let us know at info@abouttown.io

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