Tara K.
Yelp
Peace, Love, WOODSTOCK! :-D
We were here for the first time a couple of weekends ago to see Steely Dan, a concert 2+ years postponed by the Pandemic. Bethel Woods is a trek for us, 5+ hours from home, but it was WELL WORTH the drive. What a beautiful concert venue!
Of course the Woodstock history is preserved and showcased here. The venue is on a hill, with the side of the hill where the original Woodstock stage was actually located now just rolling green beauty, with some signage about the '69 show. It's a sublime place to lay in the grass a bit, and soak up all those good vibes.
If you know anything about '69 Woodstock, it was a miracle the stage even stood, haha. Learning from those mistakes, the new modern amphitheater was placed on the other side of the hill. And it is really well positioned. We had general admission lawn seats, and were still pretty close to the stage. The visibility of the stage and the sound quality was great, even up on the lawn.
This has to be the best outdoor concert venue I've been to as far as placement of the vendors and facilities, too. Usually everything is corralled in one spot, usually far from the cheapest seats. But not here. There were food and drink vendors, and port-a-potties sprinkled all around the grounds, making every seat conveniently located near something. Really well done!
Even parking was done great here! Sure, the lot is big and long, and it was a bit of a walk to the gates. But I expected that. I also expected the usual slog to get out of the single entry lot. But nope! Perhaps it was the spirit of love and cooperation of the land, as people were very kind to flag other motorists into the lines. And the lot attendants kept each line moving along at a good pace. Nice job crew!
A few more things to be aware of if you see a show here:
* For lawn tickets, outside chairs are NOT allowed, but you can rent chairs inside; blankets ARE allowed.
* You ARE allowed to bring in two bottles of water per ticket holder.
* You CANNOT bring in bags larger than a pretty small clutch-sized purse, UNLESS the bag is clear! I did not know this, but luckily my pretty tiny concert purse was small enough to be allowed inside.
* Tailgating is permitted; we enjoyed a few libations we brought with us in the lot before heading in, as were several other concert goes. Please drink responsibly. :-)
Overall, we had a wonderful time here at Bethel Hills. The venue is both serene, and really well organized. And Steely Dan put on a great show, as they should since it was two years in the making! Even with the distance from our home in Buffalo NY, we would love to see more shows here again in the future. Kudos to Bethel Hills, for the love of the music, man! :-D