Whatever you call Tampa Bay’s largest concert venue can truly show your age

It can be hard for a newcomer to get acquainted with their local live music venue, and in the new issue of Creative Loafing Tampa Bay on stands now, we mention must-visit rooms of every size from small, to giant, like the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, located at 4802 U.S. Hwy-301 N in Tampa.

Sound: Country, rock, rap, 97X’s weekend-long “Next Big Thing” festival

The scene: An outdoor venue with 9,900 covered seats (in addition to a small pit area in front of the stage) and an outdoor lawn that holds 10,000 people. Located at the Florida State Fairgrounds, this venue has a large parking area that’s free if you self-park (although valet and premium parking are available, too).

The scoop: What you call Tampa’s resident amphitheater can truly show your age. The MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre opened as the Ford Amphitheatre in 2004 and went through various name changes like collectively-hated Ask-Gary Amphitheatre and Live Nation Amphitheatre before settling on its current name in 2013.
The amphitheater, which is located on Florida State Fairgrounds, has played host to a variety of local music festivals—from the now-defunct Big Guava festival (which boasted a legendary alternative-pop lineup) to 97X’s weekend-long Next Big Thing.

With almost 10,000 seats inside and nearly the same capacity on its outdoor grassy area, MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre is known for its affordable lawn seats, summer parking lot tailgates and multi-stage festivals.

Once a year during its “Concert Week” promotion, parent company Live Nation pairs up with the venue to offer $25 tickets to several of its upcoming shows to ensure a packed-out lawn section all summer-long. A few big acts headed to the ampitheater’s stage this summer and fall include Lynyrd Skynyrd, Fall Out Boy, Snoop Dogg, Post Malone, Rob Zombie and Smashing Pumpkins.

Overpriced stadium hot dogs and $16 beers and aside, the old Gary amp offers a variety of concerts and concert-going experiences for just about any music lover. The various festivals it hosts throughout the year also offer the unique experience of enjoying music from four or five stages throughout the venue and its surrounding property.

And if you want to save yourself some extra cash and avoid ticket purveyor handling fees, you can always buy tickets in-person at the ampitheater’s box office (which feels way more satisfying then scanning a barcode on your phone anyways).

Similar venues: Amalie Arena gets pretty close when it comes to capacity (18,000 people were in downtown Tampa for a recent Blink-182 show), but the amp is the last stop for artists before moving to Raymond James Stadium.

Upcoming shows at Tampa's MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre include Mudvayne and Gwar, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Fall Out Boy.


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