Demon Hunter New braunfels Concert reviews
Michael McDonald and Doobies was awesome - venue not so much
The Mid Florida Credit Union Amphitheater is the worst venue in Hillsborough/Pinellas County FL, with a different crowd than anywhere else. Some acts only appear there, so attending is necessary to see the artist/band. It is a free for all to leave the parking lot, despite having free parking with many people guiding cars in, and it can take literally an hour or more. People in front of me have the only standing, and same people leave their seats 6-8 times in a couple hours, taking the focus off the music. I had to focus on people in front of me not to burn me with their flying cigarettes (ushers please?). Not sure about beer prices but drinks are easily 14-22 dollars each, with my can of water at the Demon Hunter costing $4, in line with other venues. This concert was rescheduled 3 times, and 2 years ago, I had a medical issue and purchased limited mobility tickets. The real downside is there is not much of a grade to those seats, so having someone in the first row in front of you sitting up on a mobility scooter or wheelchair totally blocks your view of the stage.
The worst thing at this concert was the people that couldn't sit still finally decided to leave early, and we had a seat on the end with a drink in the holder. Even though I stood up to let them pass, they knocked it out of the holder and left without missing a beat, no apology or acknowledgment - a fresh $22 drink gone. Another issue was a woman in the last row of the first section waving her arms literally the entire concert in front of security, blocking the view of people in wheelchairs in the first row of the second section. I could not believe the ushers said nothing, and the venue allows people to dance and loiter between the two sections, knowing the lower rows behind cannot see the stage. I temporarily moved seats to see the stage but returned to look at arm waving and neck of heads. The Ushers also allowed a very drunk woman about 65 to dance in that walkway between the 1st and 2nd section parallel to the stage with her bra and breasts out, but did speak to her, and her companion retrieved her so she stayed.
Michael McDonald, when with the Doobies, helped create some of their best music, so it was a pleasure to hear him, and his vocals were still on par and great. The entire band did not disappoint and was a great show. Recommend Amalie Arena, Ruth Eckerd, Capital Theatre, and Mahaffey Theatre over the amphitheater.
I hope the amphitheater rethinks their policies and has ushers/security that watch out for ALL the patrons and don't let one or two people spoil the show for dozens more.