"The Gorge" or "The Gorge in George" | |
 The venue during aSasquatch! Music Festival in 2006 | |
 Interactive map of The Gorge Amphitheatre | |
| Former names | Champs de Brionne Music Theatre(1986-93) |
|---|---|
| Address | 754 Silica Rd NW George, WA 98848-9466 |
| Coordinates | 47°06′04″N119°59′42″W / 47.101°N 119.995°W /47.101; -119.995 |
| Owner | Live Nation |
| Type | Outdooramphitheatre |
| Seating type | Reserved, lawn |
| Capacity | 27,500 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1986; 40 years ago (1986)[1] |
The Gorge Amphitheatre, originally known asChamps de Brionne Music Theatre and commonly referred to asThe Gorge, is an outdoorconcert venue inGrant County, Washington, United States. It is situated near theColumbia River inCentral Washington, nine miles (14 km) west ofGeorge. The venue is managed byLive Nation.
It is a nine-time winner ofPollstar Magazine's award for 'Best Outdoor Music Venue' and was voted as one of the 'Best Outdoor Concert Venues in America' by ConcertBoom.[2]
North ofInterstate 90, The Gorge is approximately 150 miles (240 km) east ofSeattle and approximately 130 miles (210 km) west ofSpokane.[3] The venue offers views of theColumbia River, Columbia Gorge canyon, and easternKittitas and western Grant counties.[citation needed] Originally, the land was planned to be used for growing grapes for wine.
The original amphitheater was owned and operated by Dr. Vincent Bryan and Carol Bryan, along with the adjoining Champs de Brionne winery, for which it was named. It opened in 1986 and seated 3,000 people, but had expanded to 19,000 by the time of its purchase byMCA in 1993.[4][5] The Gorge Amphitheatre was acquired by Live Nation in 2006.[6]
TheWhite River Amphitheatre on theMuckleshoot Indian reservation nearAuburn opened in 2003, directly competing with The Gorge. The venue is substantially closer to Seattle, offering a shorter travel time: around 40 minutes, as compared to 2 hours 20 minutes to the Gorge, depending on traffic. However, a columnist forThe Seattle Times noted The Gorge offers a preferable view and "experience".[7]
About 400,000 people attended concerts at The Gorge Amphitheatre in 2013.[8]
A documentary film titledEnormous: The Gorge Story was released in 2021.[9] The film focused on the venue and its music history.[10]
Apart from drawing big-name performers, The Gorge has also played host to an array of popular music festivals, includingArea Festival,Creation Festival,Dave Matthews Band Caravan,Endfest,H.O.R.D.E. Festival,Honda Civic Tour,Identity Festival, KUBE 93 Summer Jam,Lilith Fair,Lollapalooza,Ozzfest, Pain in the Grass,Paradiso Festival,Rock the Bells,Sasquatch! Music Festival,Uproar Festival,Vans Warped Tour, andWatershed Music Festival Above and Beyond Group Therapy.
As of 2025,Dave Matthews Band has played 79 shows at the venue, traditionally during their three-night Labor Day weekend run.The Gorge, a combination 2-CD/1-DVD set with highlights from their three-night 2002 tour closer here was released on June 29, 2004. Additionally, their September 4, 2016, tour closer was released asLive Trax, Vol. 44 on December 8, 2017.[11] Their performance on August 30, 2025, where they played their albumBefore These Crowded Streets in its entirety, will be released asTake Me Back: Live From the Gorge on February 6, 2026.
Phish has played the venue 22 times since 1997.
Brooks & Dunn's "Only in America" video was filmed at The Gorge on June 12, 2001.
Seattle-basedPearl Jam released a box set featuring their entire performances at the venue from 2005 and 2006, aptly titledLive at the Gorge 05/06.
Excision began hosting his annual weekend-long electronic music festival Bass Canyon at the venue in August 2018.[12] The second year of the festival took place on August 23–25, 2019, and featured artists such asFlux Pavilion,Zomboy,Wooli,Virtual Riot,Subtronics,Liquid Stranger, Excision himself, and many more.[12]
Beyond Wonderland an annual electronic music festival has used the venue since 2021.
Above and Beyond hosted their 250th episode ofGroup Therapy Radio at The Gorge on September 16, 2017, to September 17, 2017.[13] In January 2026, it was announced that they would return for Group Therapy 700 in September 11–13.[14]
On June 10, 2023, folk music legendJoni Mitchell headlined an event at The Gorge – her first ticketed event in more than 20 years.[15]
Fans can stay in the campground for 24 hours on the day of a single show, or until 12 noon the day after a run of shows ends.[16] Camping at the Gorge requires the purchase of a camping ticket, which can be included in the concert admission ticket price.
The campground at the Gorge sets aside spaces for one car with up to two 2-person tents or a single RV. There are very limited RV hookups at the Gorge campground. Sites are set aside by venue staff on a first-come, first-served basis. Potable water, flush toilets, hot showers, and a convenience store are available on the grounds. The campground also has 24-hour security.[16]
There are also other camping options near the Gorge. Notably, less than 2 miles (3.2 km) away is the Wildhorse Campground, which offers a shuttle to and from the venue that is included in the price of camping.
On June 17, 2023, during theBeyond Wonderland music festival, amass shooting occurred at a campground near the Gorge Amphitheatre.[17] The shooter killed two people and wounded two others.[18] In addition, a third person, a security guard, was bruised by a bullet that deflected off her eyeglasses.[19] A suspect, 26-year-oldU.S. Army personnel James M. Kelly, a native ofStrongsville, Ohio,[20] was shot by police and arrested.[21][22] The two fatalities were a female couple from the Seattle Area. The suspect was allegedly onpsychedelic mushrooms during the shooting.[23]
A private security officer responding to the report was struck by a bullet that deflected off her eyeglasses, according to the sheriff.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Authority control databases: Geographic |
|---|