Road Trips: Concord Pavilion

Have some of our other “Road Trips” installments been too far away for your liking? Love music and being outdoors like me? Then this blog is for you!

Recently, I took a short trip to the Concord Pavilion – basically the mini-me of Shoreline Amphitheater – to see One Republic play a show. It was a rare warm summer night; we sat on the grass, brought in sushi and enjoyed the show. Fitz and the Tantrums were the opening act and they were also very good. It’s a really fun place to hang out with friends, grab a drink and enjoy an outside concert.

One Republic is one of my favorite bands. This is the third time I have seen them – but the Super Bowl arena in downtown San Francisco didn’t really count since it was so crowded and with limited space. The front guy Ryan Tedder is extremely multi-talented. I didn’t realize until this concert that he wrote “Rumor Has It” for Adele, plus songs for Rihanna, Ed Sheeran and many more artists.

The Pavilion is bigger than you’d expect for a venue buried in the East Bay, holding up to 12,500 guests. When I was there, it was packed but didn’t feel suffocating.

Other acts on the schedule include country stars like Florida Georgia Line, Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan, as well as Janet Jackson. Kings of Leon, Linkin Park, Fall Out Boy and Nicki Minaj are some of the performers who have graced the Pavilion stage in the past couple years.

To get to the Pavilion, just drive up to Kirker Pass in Concord and follow the signs. It is a fun evening the whole family can enjoy!