White River Amphitheatre facts for kids

The White River Amphitheatre is a large outdoor concert venue. It is located in Washington state, near the cities of Auburn and Enumclaw. This venue is on the Muckleshoot Indian Reservation. A company called Live Nation manages it.

The amphitheatre can hold 16,000 people. About 9,000 of these seats are covered by a roof. It was finished in 2003 and cost more than $30 million to build. The venue has a special metal roof that helps the sound. There are also two large video screens on each side of the stage. These screens are about 30 by 40 feet (9 by 12 meters) big.

History of the White River Amphitheatre

The White River Amphitheatre first opened its doors on June 14, 2003. The famous band Heart, which is from the local area, was the first group to perform there.

Building the amphitheatre took a long time. Work on the site started eight years before it opened. There were delays because of concerns about the environment. People also worried about how much traffic the venue would create.

In September 2002, the Army Corps of Engineers approved the construction. This group helps manage water and building projects. Then, in February 2003, the Washington State Department of Transportation gave a permit. This allowed cars to access the venue from a busy road called State Route 164.

When it first opened, the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe helped run the venue. Two other companies, Clear Channel Entertainment and Bill Graham Presents, were also involved. Today, Live Nation operates the amphitheatre. In 2015, Live Nation changed the capacity from 20,000 to 16,000 people.

To help with traffic, the venue offers shuttle buses. These buses take people to and from the Auburn Super Mall. This mall is now called The Outlet Collection Seattle. The shuttles leave once they are full, with 42 people on each bus.

Famous Concerts and Music Festivals

Many famous musicians and festivals have come to the White River Amphitheatre.

• In 2003, singer Jimmy Buffett performed here. He even released a live album from that show called Live in Auburn, WA.
• The heavy metal band Iron Maiden has played at the venue several times. They performed during their Eddie Rips Up The World Tour, Somewhere Back In Time World Tour, and The Final Frontier World Tour. On June 22, 2010, their singer, Bruce Dickinson, said the "pit" (the area closest to the stage) was completely full. Iron Maiden returned on July 30, 2012, for their Maiden England World Tour.
• Sting performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on June 6, 2010. This was part of his “Symphonicities” Tour.
• The band Rancid played a show on September 2, 2011.

The amphitheatre is also a popular place for music festivals. Some of these include:

• Crüe Fest and Crüe Fest 2
• Farm Aid
• The Gigantour
• The Mayhem Festival
• Projekt Revolution
• Ozzfest
• The Uproar Festival

Since 2010, the KISW “Pain in the Grass” festival has been held here every year. The venue also hosted the Vans Warped Tour for five years in a row, from 2012 to 2016.

See also

• List of contemporary amphitheatres