I covered my experiences with the Frank Erwin Center last month and found that it helped quite a few people make some decisions on seats, parking, and what to look forward to when heading to the venue. This month I am looking at Austin’s newest member to the massive family of venues, the Austin360 Amphitheater.

I was ecstatic to hear Austin was bringing in an amphitheater, and when they announced it would live right in the middle of the Circuit of the Americas F1 racing grounds and I couldn’t wait to check it out. Sometimes when you hold such high expectations for something you end up being disappointed. Let me be the first to say this is not the case for the Austin360 Amphitheater.

My first visit out to A360 was the venues debut and Kenny Chesney was taking the stage. Though I will admit $20 for parking was a bit lofty for me and the walk can get pretty far depending on the lot you have to park in, the staff goes out of their way to make up for it. First of all I have never been to an event where the traffic flows with such ease upon entering and exiting. Along with an extremely friendly traffic control staff the venue offers a free shuttle to and from the entrance (as well as an army of pedicabs).

Seating Chart for Austin360 Amphitheater

Having seen Chesney twice before at the Erwin Center and FC Dallas Stadium I knew the show was going to be good regardless of the venue. Like I said before, the 360 Amphitheater did not disappoint. I had lawn seats and my only suggestion for this section is if you are a stickler about being in the front get there early because it fills fast. Don’t worry if you don’t get there early enough because the lawn is elevated so you won’t have to deal with me (the tall guy that stands in front of you at every show). The grass is thick and lush making for a great seat (even though most everyone in the lawn stands for the whole show) but blankets and seat-back chairs (chairs that don’t have legs) are acceptable. My most recent visit to the Austin 360 Amphitheater was at Dave Matthews Band, I didn’t sit in the lawn but noticed an additional riser with tables and a full service bar which would have been hell-a-nice at Chesney. The view from the lawn depends on where you get situated at but the sound is just as good as the front row. There are giant screens on each side of the stage and they are plenty big to satisfy your viewing needs. All in all, the lawn is a great, cheaper way to get in on a great show. I already snagged two lawn tickets to the Mumford & Sons show in June and can’t wait to get back to the amphitheater.

Dave Matthews Band at Austin360 Amphitheater

Last time I had tickets to see DMB was in 2009 at ACL, the year it poured all weekend and led me to leave before getting a chance to see one of my favorite bands. I was not about to miss Dave the second time around. My wife and I sat in the back of section 105 on row U and it was amazing. I know what you’re thinking too, it was your favorite band of course you thought it was amazing. Well you’re right but that doesn’t mean the venue didn’t have a role in my enjoyment as well. The picture at the top and to the right were both taken from my seat to give you a perspective of the view from section 105. The 100′s sections are all very similar so you can expect the same view in 101-107. The 200 section is a bit further back but still not bad and all the seats are roomy and comfortable (for amphitheater chairs).

My biggest complaint is the price of the booze. Domestic 16 oz. beers were $8-8.50 and the imports were a dollar more and after everything you spend to get into the joint nobody wants to pay that much for a beer. There is a solution though and I have seen tons of people taking advantage of it so far. They allow tailgating in the parking lot prior to the show. Tents, beer pong, washers, and corn-hole, I have seen it all out in the parking lot which is cool because the concession stand will win the battle with your wallet.

The Austin360 Amphitheater is a great place to catch a concert and I keep telling people to go check it out. With Mumford & Sons scheduled for two shows in June, Wiz Khalifa & ASAP Rocky in July, Maroon 5 & Kelly Clarkson in September, and Lil Wayne & T.I., Train, and Keith Urban in between there are plenty of good times to be had at Austin360. Check out A360′s full schedule and get tickets to your favorite artist.

Having lived in Austin, Texas for the majority of my life I have become quite acquainted with our largest indoor arena, the Frank Erwin Center. I have seen everything from basketball games to concerts at the Frank Erwin Center; I even proposed to my wife at a John Mayer concert back in 2010. I have sat in almost every area of the venue and you might be surprised to hear which seats gave me the best experience during my time in the audience at the Erwin Center.

Before you get into the Frank Erwin Center you have to find a place to park, but don’t worry because there are plenty of garages within an easy walking distance. The closest non-reserved lots are on Red River and are literally right next to the venue, but get there early if you want any chance at snagging a spot before the crowd shows up. The rest of the parking garages surrounding the Frank Erwin Center are all approximately the same distance with the exception of a few that are more south on Trinity. The majority of the parking is between San Jacinto and Trinity. These two roads run parallel to each other creating block after block of parking garages. There are also some parking garages on the University of Texas campus at Red River and Robert Dedman Drive that can be used as well. Prices to all the garages vary but offer a much better alternative to calculating how much money you need to give the pay-to-park meter in hopes that you’ll be back before the time expires…because it will expire.

The first concert I went to at the Frank Erwin Center was Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers in 1999. The show was a part of their Echo Tour and I was far too young to get 80% of the undertone in all of their songs but I loved the music. The only thing I can accurately recall from our seats is that we were not at the top but the floor was not in front of us which leads me to believe we were in the arena seating. I was 13 at the time but I can remember being able to see Tom Petty fairly well. I wouldn’t say they were the best seats I’ve had but they were not the worst either.

Another concert that is a bit fuzzy in my memory is Shania Twain. I do remember being on the floor but in the second to last row in the first section. I was young so seeing over 6 foot plus people was a much larger task than it is now. My recommendation for floor seating is to go big or get in the telescoping risers. If you’re not in the first ten or so rows of each of the floor sections visual acuity will become somewhat of a challenge due to the lack of elevation. The risers however offer the perfect elevation per row and are a great spot to enjoy the show from. I caught the John Mayer show from the section 43 arena risers and could see everything pretty vividly. Though the seats were good enough for a proposal to my wife, they were not my favorite.

My most recent trip to the Erwin Center was March of 2013 to see Eric Clapton and the Wallflowers. I took my brother-in-law and we sat in the arena level’s section 34. In looking at the map you might think that a spot all the way on the right side of the stage is the least compelling of all. I did too until I saw the show from that perspective. I know that this is almost 100% opinion but for me being able to see the entire band interact was one of the best concert experiences I have had and will lead me to get more seats on the side of stages. The view from the arena level provides enough clarity to see the performance and not have to decipher little fuzzy people to tell who you are watching. Sitting on the side of the stage versus sitting directly in front of the stage allows you to view the stage with depth and the ability to catch all the interactions between the bands set. I would agree that this will vary depending on the show but if you ever get a chance to catch a show from stage side I would still recommend it.

I’ve had many memories at Frank Erwin Center and am excited to continue to make more. There are tons of good acts coming through Austin in the next couple of months including Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney & Bruno Mars and now you know where the best seat in the house is.