Seeing Dierks Bentley in Charlotte? Go early to miss the parking fiasco

Angry Deadheads. TV news coverage. An elected official even referencing the cautionary tale from council chambers.

“PNC? That is a nightmare,” at-large Councilwoman LaWana Mayfield said from the dais Monday, referring to traffic and parking at Charlotte’s outdoor amphitheater known for summer concerts and tailgating.

With Dierks Bentley scheduled to perform at the PNC Music Pavilion Saturday night, ticket holders are worried about parking after people say they missed a Dead & Company show May 31.

Scott Callahan lives close to the venue and left his home for the show at 5:30 p.m., an hour and a half before it began. Two hours later, he was still on the road, his car trapped by others. Callahan, who says he’s been to every show at the venue, realized he would have missed almost the entire show, and went home.

“I work uptown and I left work a couple of hours early specifically to try to get to a show early,” Callahan said. “And then not to make it kind of makes it worse. Now I’ve wasted time off.”

Live Nation, the entertainment company that manages the venue and schedules shows, isn’t anticipating traffic concerns for Saturday’s show, and is working with local police to better mitigate traffic.

“We are excited to have another great show at PNC Music Pavilion this weekend,” a statement from PNC Music Pavilion provided to The Charlotte Observer says. “Like any show during our summer concert season, we encourage fans to plan ahead and arrive early to ensure they don’t miss the start of the show.”

Where is the venue?

PNC Music Pavilion is located at 707 Pavilion Blvd in the University City neighborhood, north of the intersection of University City Boulevard and Interstate 485.

There aren’t many public transit routes available to get there. The city’s only light rail line stops a couple miles south of the venue. Routes from areas of Charlotte that would take less than a half hour by car would take more than an hour through the city’s bus system with transfers.

Live Nation encourages fans to arrive early, carpool or use ride share services to avoid parking hold ups.

When is the show?

Gates for the amphitheater open at 5:30 p.m. The show begins at 7 p.m.

Who is opening for the main act?

“Ex’s and Oh’s” singer Elle King and Alabama country rock band the Red Clay Strays are opening for Bentley.

How does parking work?

Early parking begins at 2 p.m. General parking opens at 4 p.m.

Parking lots next to the venue are included in ticket prices. Premier parking at different levels between $25 and $100 is available at concerts.livenation.com.

But the free parking lots fill up fast with tailgaters not attending the show, avid music pavilion attendee Callahan said.

“They can just sit there and drink and you can hear all the music.” Callahan said. “It’d be nice if you had to show a ticket or something to prove that you actually should be in the parking lot.”

What’s the bag policy?

Clear bags and unclear bags no larger than 6” by 9” are allowed in the venue.

‘Expect delays’

Live Nation warns attendees to “expect delays” and give themselves plenty of time for every show at PNC.

Amy Steuer, who said she’s followed the Dead & Company since 1985 when the band still toured as The Grateful Dead, was devastated to miss seven songs at the Charlotte show after the parking lot was full.

“I paid around $375 for my ticket and to miss nearly half the show due to that venue being severely understaffed and clearly unprepared makes me wonder why they sold so many tickets,” Steuer said.

Ahead of the Dead & Company show, a portion of the parking lot was reserved for a jam band on “Shakedown Street” — which people attended even if they didn’t have tickets for the show, adding more cars to an already chaotic parking dilemma.

Callahan has been to many sold out shows at the venue, but noticed less signage and fewer police officers this year.

The problems didn’t begin with this show. Longtime resident Doug Caldwell hasn’t been to a show at PNC in six years because of the traffic and parking headache.

“I know the obvious answer is growth, but how can a venue that has been there for close to 30 years still be an absolute nightmare to get in and out of for most shows?” Caldwell said. “ I do love going to shows at Spectrum, the other venues at NC Music Factory and Neighborhood Theater, I just have to forgo any shows at PNC.”

Callahan isn’t that big of a country guy, so he’s not too worried about being late for the Bentley show. But for the Nickelback concert in a few months?

“I‘ll go ahead and get in line now and maybe I’ll make the September show,” he joked.

Rain or shine

Sunny weather is forecast for Saturday, but shows at PNC Music Pavilion go on rain or shine. The venue doesn’t offer refunds for sold out shows, according to its website.