Riverbend Music Center facts for kids
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| Full name | J. Ralph Corbett Pavilion |
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| Address | 6295 Kellogg Ave Cincinnati, OH 45230-7118 |
| Location | Coney Island |
| Owner | Music and Event Management, Inc. |
| Operator | Music and Event Management, Inc. |
| Capacity | 20,500 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | June 2, 1983 |
| Opened | July 4, 1984 |
| Renovated | 1999, 2009 |
| Construction cost | $9 million ($26.4 million in 2022 dollars ) |
| Architect | Michael Graves |
| Tenants | |
| Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (1984–present) Cincinnati Pops Orchestra (1984–present) |
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The Riverbend Music Center is a cool outdoor concert place in Cincinnati, Ohio. It sits right by the Ohio River. This big venue can hold 20,500 people! There are 6,000 seats under a roof and 14,500 spots on a grassy lawn. It was built for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra so they could play music outdoors in the summer. Riverbend is right next to the Coney Island water park. A famous architect named Michael Graves designed the building. The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra owns Riverbend. A company called Music and Event Management Incorporated (MEMI) runs it. They also work with Live Nation to bring in awesome shows.
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Riverbend Music Center
When Riverbend opened in 1984, it was one of only 16 outdoor music places like it in the whole United States. It really helped bring big concerts back to Cincinnati. After a sad event in 1979 at another venue, many concert organizers stopped bringing major acts to the city. Cincinnati even made strict rules for crowds. But Riverbend changed things! Promoters decided to give the new place a try. Fans were super excited to see their favorite bands again after 1979.
Riverbend cost $9 million to build. It sits on 15 acres of land that was given by Coney Island amusement park. This land used to have two popular rollercoasters called The Wildcat and Shooting Star. The Shooting Star was taken down in 1971. Because Riverbend is so close to the Ohio River, parts of it can sometimes get flooded. This has caused shows to be canceled. For example, a Pearl Jam concert in 2003 and a show with Oasis and The Black Crowes in 2001 were both called off due to flooding.
Famous Shows and Festivals
The very first performance at Riverbend was on July 4, 1984. It featured Erich Kunzel & The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. Special guests included the legendary singer Ella Fitzgerald and even astronaut Neil Armstrong! The British pop group the Spice Girls played a show there on July 18, 1998, during their Spiceworld Tour. On July 4, 2000, The Pops performed a concert that was shown live on TV by PBS. It featured famous singers Rosemary Clooney and Doc Severinsen.
The Dave Matthews Band played a show on June 26, 2000. They recorded it, and it later became a live album called Live Trax Vol. 16. Sting performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on July 20, 2010, as part of his Symphonicities Tour.
Riverbend has also been home to many big music festivals. These include Crüe Fest, Lilith Fair, Lollapalooza, the Mayhem Festival, Ozzfest, Projekt Revolution, and the Vans Warped Tour. In 1995, The Alan Parsons Project also played live there.
Jimmy Buffett's Long Run at Riverbend
The famous "Gulf and Western" singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett played at Riverbend every single year from 1988 to 2022. By 2008, he had performed for 41 sold-out crowds in a row! There were only two other places where he played more shows. His huge fan base in Cincinnati started at Kings Island's Timberwolf Amphitheater. That's where the term "Parrotheads" (his fans' nickname) was first used.
Every year, tickets for his concerts at Riverbend sold out in minutes. They were some of the hardest tickets to get in Cincinnati! Because his shows sold out so fast, he played two shows in 1989. As more shows kept selling out, Buffett became one of the few performers who played multiple nights at Riverbend. He played two shows in 1989 and 1990, three in 1991, four in 1992, and an amazing five nights in 1993! He continued to play multiple nights through 2000.
In 2001, fans were a bit sad when he only played one show that summer. Even though his shows still sold out super fast, he only played one show each year from 2001 until 2022. Jimmy Buffett passed away in 2023. During his two-night stay at Riverbend in 1990, he recorded live songs for his album Feeding Frenzy.
PNC Pavilion
| Full name | PNC Pavilion at Riverbend |
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| Former names | Riverbend Pavilion (planning/construction) National City Pavilion (2008) |
| Owner | Music and Event Management, Inc. |
| Operator | Music and Event Management, Inc. |
| Capacity | 4,100 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | May 2007 |
| Opened | May 24, 2008 |
| Construction cost | $6.8 million ($9.6 million in 2022 dollars ) |
| Architect | GBBN Architects |
| General contractor | Messer Construction |
Riverbend also has another concert area called The PNC Pavilion. It's right next to the main box office. This pavilion can hold 4,100 people. It opened on May 24, 2008, with a performance by Cincinnati's own band, Over the Rhine. They played their entire Ohio album on the opening night. In January 2009, the pavilion's name changed from National City Pavilion to PNC Pavilion. This happened because PNC bought National City bank.
See also
- List of contemporary amphitheatres
