Venue info
Formerly known as:
Live Nation Amphitheatre at the Florida State Fairgrounds
1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre at the Florida State Fairgrounds
Ford Amphitheatre
Live Nation Amphitheatre is an outdoor concert facility, in Tampa, Florida, located on the Florida State Fairgrounds, adjacent to Interstate 4, in the eastern side of town. With a capacity of approximately 20,000, it is the largest outdoor concert-only facility in the Tampa Bay area.
Originally named the Ford Amphitheatre, when first opened by The Cure's Curiosa Festival on July 25, 2004, it was renamed the 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre when the naming rights were purchased by the lawyer referral service for a total of three years, starting on June 10, 2010.
The name change has not been well received. In an online poll accompanying an article on the subject in the St. Petersburg Times, 96% of people responded with either "I hate it" or "I think it's pretty lame".
The amphitheater has played host to music festivals, including The Uproar Festival, The Mayhem Festival, Crüe Fest and Crüe Fest 2. On the first Sunday of every December, it hosts 97x's Next Big Thing, an all day rock festival, mainly featuring alternative rock bands.
Bands that perform there must obey a decibel limit, due to noise complaints from residents that live close to the venue. A wall was erected in an attempt to help shield the noise.
Steve Lacy
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