It’s no secret I’m one of those “will travel for shows” type of music fans. If an artist I love is performing within five hours of Jacksonville, I’ll be there. Because I live in Jacksonville, we often get passed over for some big tours (that’s another blog for a later time, maybe), so I’m pretty used to traveling for concerts. However, with the addition of the new Daily’s Place Amphitheater in Downtown Jacksonville, I have a feeling I won’t have to travel very far. The venue opened Memorial Day weekend with some guy named Dave Matthews, and based on the concert schedule for the rest of the summer, they’re showing NO signs of slowing down.

I’ve been to my fair share of venues, so believe me when I say Daily’s is impressive. When I hear the word ‘amphitheatre,’ I often think 15,000+ people and a lawn section in the back, and depending on where your seats are you may or may not be able to see the artist without the help of huge video screens. Daily’s Place is definitely NOT that experience since the seating capacity is around 5,500 and they built the venue up in levels instead of out, which means there is only about 150 feet between the stage and the seat furthest away. Simply put: THERE’S NOT A BAD SEAT IN THE HOUSE!

My first concert at Daily’s Place was Judah & the Lion, Jimmy Eat World (yes, they’re still around), and Incubus, who I last saw two years ago with the girls in Tampa. They all sounded great and it was cool to be at the stadium for something other than game day. Our seats were in section 104, which was perfect since I’m too short to be in the “pit” for shows like this. If you don’t mind the sun, the left side of the venue (when you’re looking at the stage) usually has the most seats available since those who don’t want the sun tend to scoop up what in the right side quickly. I could see it being a problem throughout the summer, but when the weather starts to cool it’s really going to be a great experience.

In my opinion, Jacksonville needed a smaller concert venue since not many (non-country music) acts can sell enough tickets to pack out the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. Hopefully with a new option this means more tours will pick Jacksonville as a stop, which would really give my Mazda a break on mileage 😉