Being raised a Yankee through and through, I was immediately shocked and sad when my favorite aunt announced that she, her husband, and two sons were moving down south. How could she? Doesn’t she realize that living in Michigan is the best place to live in the US? Why would she move my cousins so far away?
Well, they did end up having many good reasons to move (despite my selfish motives). Her husband was offered a job with an excellent salary to relocate to a sleepy little town called Griffin. It was almost a culture shock when they first moved down South as her husband was raised in Ohio, and she in Michigan. It took a while for them to learn how the general public adjusts to the Georgia way of life.
But you know what? They ended up loving it there. Their home in Griffin (a suburban town located about an hour south of Atlanta) was something you would see in the movie, “Gone with the Wind” – it had gorgeous antebellum architecture with a large front porch complete with rocking chairs and a bench swing. Even their neighbors sounded like the people portrayed in movies with that old southern drawl. Surprisingly, this Yankee was transformed after many visits with my family in Georgia, and I started to love the South!
For example, one of the many times my mother and I spent time visiting there, my aunt bought me concert tickets to see country artists Brooks and Dunn with her neighbor’s daughter, who was the same age as I. Wow, I was blown away by seeing a country artist play in the South at Atlanta’s impressive outdoor concert venue, the Coca Cola Lakewood Amphitheater.
It was a beautiful place to see a concert, and according to Lakewood Amphitheater, “Spanning 75 beautiful, wooded acres, Lakewood Amphitheater (Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood) is with little doubt the finest music venue in all of Atlanta. The amphitheater has 4000 seats for reservation under pavilion roofing, 3000 reserved seats under the starlit sky and a large lawn with enough space for 12,000 more happy music lovers to enjoy their preferred musical performances,”.
While Atlanta was a fantastic amphitheater to see Brooks and Dunn, to me, nothing beats seeing a good ole rock and roll concert at Pine Knob! Affectionally called “The Knob” by us locals, the amphitheater is located at 33 Bob Segar Drive in Clarkston, Michigan.
From 313 Presents, they say, “Pine Knob Music Theatre – ranked among the top amphitheaters in the world…Pine Knob Music Theatre is a preferred venue for many of the nation’s top touring acts. Ranked #1 in the world in Pollstar’s 2022 Year-End Rankings, the venue plays host to world-class entertainment events, concerts, comedy, family shows and community functions. The venue’s summer concert season typically begins in May and concludes each September or October,”.
I cannot even tell how many concerts I have seen at The Knob, but my favorite artist seen there so far was Santana. Maybe it’s because he is an amazing guitarist backed by an incredible band, complete with a full percussion setup and a horn section. Or maybe it was because we had second-row seats? Either way, it was one heck of a show!
But don’t take my word for it! Let’s see what the experts have to say at Rolling Stone Magazine about the best amphitheaters in the US:
- Ravinia, Chicago
- Greek Theatre, Berkeley, California
- Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre, Wantagh, New York
- Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, California
- Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, Wisconsin
- Greek Theatre, Los Angeles
- Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Maryland
- Gorge Amphitheatre, George, Washington
- Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles
- Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, Colorado
What is the most famous amphitheater in the US?
Here we go again, not acknowledging The Knob; how could they? All jokes aside, Red Rocks Amphitheater is at the top of the list again. With their fire red rock sunsets setting behind the band; how could I not want to see a show there? Vinyl Mapper talks about Red Rock as the most famous amphitheater in the US by sharing the following, “Story has it that indigenous tribes used the perfect natural amphitheater of Red Rocks for moonlit rituals for thousands of years. Can you blame them? Then, in the early 1900s, promoters came along and decided to formally incorporate the land into a music venue, building a stage and 10,000-capacity arena seating between the two enormous 300+ foot tall, red sandstone rocks. It opened for shows in 1941 and exploded during the 60s and 70s, beginning with the publicity brought by The Beatles’ performances. Ever since, Red Rocks has been flooded with season after season of concerts from the best bands in the world,”.
Vinyl Mapper didn’t mention us, but according to Wikipedia, “Pine Knob ranks among the top-selling outdoor concert venues in the world and has won dozens of awards in the industry, including Pollstar’s Best Major Outdoor Concert Venue (2000), Billboard’s Top Amphitheater for attendance (2011) and Pollstar’s Top Amphitheater Venue Worldwide for total tickets sold (2011, 2019, 2022),”.
Some artists have had outstanding working relationships with them and enjoyed playing at Pine Knob, so much so that there are unofficial records for how many times they have performed there. Here is a short list:
- Eddie Money opened the concert season each May for more than twenty years (except 1995), beginning in 1989, and he played his last show in 2019 before he died.
- Chicago has appeared at the venue 82 times, more than any other act
- Linda Ronstadt also performed there nearly every summer throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s
- Bob Seger has played more than 33 sold-out shows at the amphitheater, including eight in 1977, a record for most performances in one season
- Kid Rock matched Segar’s record in 2013
- Kid Rock beat Segar’s other record in 2015 with ten consecutive sold-out shows
Best outdoor concert venues in the US
In conclusion, while there are many wonderful outdoor amphitheaters in the US, some of my favorites are right here in Michigan. We are home to many, including the Meadow Brook Amphitheatre, LaFontaine Family Amphitheater, Wildwood Amphitheater, Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill, The Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre, Goudy Park Amphitheater, Clio Amphitheater, Pine Knob Music Theatre, Mitchell Amphitheater, Sterling Heights Amphitheater, Howell Courthouse Amphitheater, Heritage Park Amphitheater, Phoenix Center, Rouge Park Amphitheatre and the Riverfront Park/Summer Concerts.
And let’s not forget what our homegrown rocker Bob Segar says about putting on a live show in Michigan, “I was reading in ‘Rolling Stone’ magazine the other day where they said Detroit audiences are the greatest rock and roll audiences in the world. I thought to myself, shit, I’ve known that for 10 years,”.
Carlos Santana Photo by David J. Littell | For The Saginaw News