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Lawn Pass for 2020 concert season at Darien Lake offers a 24-hour presale Tuesday

By Billie Owens

Press release:

Los Angeles-based Live Nation Entertainment, the world’s leading live entertainment company, announced the return of Lawn Pass. for the 2020 season. Darien Lake Performing Arts Center in Darien Center is one of 29 participating venues.

For just $199 (plus fees), music fans get unlimited lawn access to concerts, including sold-out shows.

Sold for a limited time only, fans can get their hands on the Lawn Pass (use the drop-down menu to select the desired venue) beginning with a 24-hour presale exclusively for T-Mobile app customers on Tuesday, Dec. 10 starting at 5 a.m. The presale is available until 5 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 11

The general Lawn Pass sale will start at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Dec.11, and be available through 8:59 p.m. Eastern Time Tuesday, Dec. 31st or while supplies last, making it the perfect holiday gift for any music lover.

Each Lawn Pass purchaser will receive a custom laminate with their name on a lanyard that serves as their ticket on show day.

Live Nation Lawn Pass for 2019 on sale Tuesday --unlimited lawn access to all summer concerts at Darien Lake, even if sold out

By Billie Owens

Press release:

The Live Nation Lawn Pass provides unlimited lawn admission to all concerts at any of your local participating Live Nation amphitheaters throughout the 2019 season for one price. 

Lawn Pass will go on sale starting at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 4 and be available through Dec. 18 or while supplies last, making the pass the perfect holiday gift that can be enjoyed all next summer.

To purchase the pass, fans can go to lawnpass.livenation.com and use the dropdown menu to select a desired amphitheater. Each fan will receive a custom laminate with their name and unique barcode that serves as their ticket on show day. Once fans scan in, they are all set to dance the night away on the lawn.

The full list of participating amphitheaters found below. Pricing varies per amphitheater and further details and restrictions for the Lawn Pass can be found at lawnpass.livenation.com.

Sold for a limited time only, this pass will give fans lawn access to Live Nation concerts (even the sold-out ones!) at Darien Lake Amphitheater* for just $125 plus fees. In addition to guaranteed admission, passholders will receive Fast Lane access for speedy entry, complimentary lawn chair rental to chill out and enjoy the show, as well as exclusive ticket offers.

For pricing, details, restrictions or to purchase a Lawn Pass please visit lawnpass.livenation.com.

*Does not include pavilion only performances. Live Nation concerts only.

Live Nation has big lineup for Darien Lake, offering $20 all-in tickets

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

Last week, Live Nation announced "National Concert Week" will take place starting today, April 30, through May 8 with an exclusive $20 all-in ticket offer for fans to celebrate the kickoff to its biggest summer season.

The deal will include more than 1.5 million tickets to 2,000+ shows across Live Nation’s roster of summer tours including comedy, country, hip-hop, latin, metal, rock, pop, and more including several shows at Darien Lake Amphitheater.

For one week only, fans can get their hands on the $20 all-in tickets today at NCW.LiveNation.com, through Tuesday, May 8 at 11:59 p.m. local time. 

Produced by Live Nation, National Concert Week is a time for artists and fans to celebrate their love of live music. To launch the week,  Live Nation will hold a special media event in New York featuring dozens of their touring artists. 

Tickets are available for $20 with no additional fees for more than 20 shows at Darien Lake this summer, including some of Live Nation’s most in-demand summer tours. Also returning for 2018, all paid concert tickets will include FREE same-day admission to Darien Lake Theme Park.*  

A full list of participating shows is included below. Tickets available while supplies last.

The $20 Kickoff to Summer Sale includes these shows only at Darien Lake Amphitheater:

·         Dead & Company – Tuesday, June 19th    

·         Zac Brown Band -- Sunday, June 24th 

·         Chris Stapleton – Thursday, June 28th  

·         Logic – Tuesday, July 3    

·         Lynyrd Skynyrd & more – Friday, July 13th

·         Lady Antebellum – Saturday, July 21st    

·         Kesha & Macklemore – Sunday, July 22nd     

·         Godsmack / Shinedown – Tuesday, July 24th     

·         Vans Warped Tour – Wednesday, July 25th     

·         Slayer – Friday, Aug. 3  

·         Dierks Bentley – Saturday, Aug. 4th     

·         Chicago & REO Speedwagon – Tuesday, Aug. 7th  

·         Jason Aldean – Friday, Aug. 10th     

·         Rob Zombie / Marilyn Manson – Sunday, Aug. 12th  

·         Miranda Lambert / Little Big Town -- Thursday, Aug. 16th    

·         Kidz Bop Kids – Saturday, Aug. 18th

·         G-Eazy – Friday, Aug. 24th 

·         Breaking Benjamin / Five Finger Death Punch -- Monday, Sept. 3

·         Deep Purple / Judas Priest – Wednesday, Sept. 5th 

·         Niall Horan w/ Maren Morris – Friday, Sept. 7th

Please visit NCW.LiveNation.com.

Live Nation has booked 19 concerts for Darien Lake this summer

By Howard B. Owens

Live Nation's concert line up for 2016 at Darien Lake looks pretty much like it's set for the season.

Here it is:

  • Bad Company & Joe Walsh – Tuesday, June 7th
  • Miranda Lambert w/ Kip Moore & Brothers Osborne  – Thursday, June 23
  • Zac Brown Band – Sunday, July 3
  • 5 Seconds of Summer – Wednesday, July 6th
  • Vans Warped Tour – Thursday, July 14th
  • Toby Keith w/ Eric Paslay – Friday, July 15th
  • Disturbed w/ Breaking Benjamin – Sunday, July 24th
  • Josh Groban w/ Sarah McLachlan – Tuesday, July 26th
  • Heart & Joan Jett w/ Cheap Trick – Wednesday, July 27th
  • G-EAZY with Logic – Friday, July 29th
  • Darius Rucker with Dan + Shay and Michael Ray – Sunday, July 31st
  • Brad Paisley w/ Tyler Farr – Friday, Aug. 19th
  • Goo Goo Dolls w/ Collective Soul – Saturday, Aug. 20th
  • ZZ Top & Gregg Allman --Tuesday, Aug. 23
  • Blink-182 w/ A Day to Remember & All Time Low – Wednesday, Aug. 24th
  • Florida Georgia Line w/ Cole Swindell – Friday, Aug. 26th
  • Kidz Bop Kids Live! – Sunday, Aug. 28th
  • Def Leppard w/ REO Speedwagon & Tesla – Wednesday, Aug. 31st
  • Jason Aldean w/ Thomas Rhett & A Thousand Horses – Thursday, Sept. 22nd

Live Nation announces seasonal job openings at Darien Lake

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

Live Nation is looking to hire a few “rock stars” for this summer’s upcoming concert season at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center. The concert venue is shaping up to have a busy concert schedule with performers like Bad Company & Joe Walsh, Miranda Lambert, Zac Brown Band, and Def Leppard scheduled to perform.

Seasonal job offerings will be available in key areas such as security, cleaning and parking attendants.  The open positions give music lovers seeking part-time work the chance to work in a fast-paced environment and enjoy great live music. 

Live Nation will be hosting four job fair sessions starting this Saturday, April 16th and Sunday, April 17th.  The job fair will be held backstage at Darien Lake in the catering pavilion and sessions will take place from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

For those interested in inquiring more about open seasonal positions, should visit www.livenationentertainment.com/careers/seasonal.

Applicants will need to bring either a driver’s license and Social Security card or a valid U.S. Passport to complete the application.

All applicants are subject to background checks.

Lawsuit blames security miscue at Kid Rock concert for Jason McNeil's catastrophic injuries

By Howard B. Owens

If Craig Lawson had been properly escorted from the concert venue the night Kid Rock played Darien Lake a year ago July, alleges a Buffalo attorney, he never would have been able to deliver a devastating, life-altering sucker punch to Jason McNeil.

The punch took away the life Jason and his wife Pamela and their two children once knew in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

McNeil, 44, needs constant care after suffering serious head trauma as a result of the punch.

And he wasn't even Lawson's intended victim.

A federal lawsuit filed on behalf of the McNeils will attempt to determine to what degree concert promoter Live Nation and concert host Darien Lake Theme Park is responsible for that punch.

The McNeils are seeking $150 million in damages.

The suit alleges other factors that contributed to McNeil's injuries, said attorney Donald Chiari, but at the heart of it is how Live Nation security handled Lawson after the decision had been made to eject him from the venue for being drunk and disorderly.

Lawson was taken to the concert venue gate (possibly the one known as South PAC), but the guard never completed the task of actually getting Lawson out the gate, Chiari said. If he had, there were security guards in place to keep him out of the venue.

There also would have been a fence between Lawson and the VIP gate, where McNeil was exiting the concert with Pamela.

While a Live Nation guard was taking Lawson to the gate, a person he had been in a confrontation with Lawson inside the venue was supposed to be leaving through the VIP gate.

That person wasn't McNeil.

With Lawson allegedly left unattended for a couple of minutes inside the concert venue, the 34-year-old Canadian ran over to the VIP gate, and in a case of mistaken identity, cold-cocked McNeil.

The punch delivered to a person he had no prior contact with is a fact Lawson admitted during his sentencing Aug. 18. He's currently serving a year in the Genesee County Jail on the assault charge.

McNeil was knocked out before his head hit the ground. He was in a coma by the time he arrived via Mercy Flight to ECMC and has required several surgeries and extended hospitalization since. He has suffered loss of speech; ability to read and write; and comprehend what people are saying; and the ability to walk.

The same security guard who allegedly failed to get Lawson out of the gate was one of the first on scene after the punch was thrown, Chiari said.

"The guard got there and said, 'Oh, my God, I was just throwing you out two-and-half minutes ago,' Chiari said, "that's literally in his statement."

It's not unusual -- as anybody knows who regularly reads arrest reports from concerts at Darien Lake -- for patrons to be ejected from the venue and then later try to return. There are frequent trespassing arrests at Darien Lake concerts. 

Chiari said the unique issue in this case is the alleged failure to follow through on getting a disorderly patron out of the concert venue so other patrons are properly protected.

"No premise's owner or any security is an absolute insurer of safety of third parties, but they still have to do what is reasonable," Chiari said.

The suit names as defendants Live Nation in its at least 10 various incorporations, Darien Lake (by three different corporate names), Craig Lawson, and the company, Contemporary Services Corporation, Live Nation contracts with for security personnel and training.

Not named in the suit is Kid Rock or the Genesee County Sheriff's Office.

Chiari said there is no plan to include the county in the suit.  

Live Nation pays for Sheriff's deputies to provide law enforcement on concert nights, but deputies do not enter the concert venue and from Chiari's description of events, it appears everything leading up to the punch happened within the venue.

The Washington Post recently published a story about the growing rowdiness and disorderly behavior at country music concerts nationally. It's not just a Darien Lake thing. Many contemporary music acts seem to encourage excessive drinking and concerts are often preceded by tailgate parties were copious amounts of booze are consumed.

The suit also names as co-defendants SMG Food and Beverage, and Aramark Sports and Entertainment Services, stating those companies were the vendors of alcoholic beverages the night of the concert. The suit alleges the vendors unlawfully sold alcohol to an already intoxicated Craig Lawson.

This afternoon, The Batavian requested comment from both Live Nation and Darien Lake and have not as of yet received a response.

UPDATE: This from a spokesperson with Live Nation: "We cannot comment on pending litigation."

UPDATE: We received this from Darien Lake: "Darien Lake confirms that on August 29, a civil lawsuit was filed by the family of Jason McNeil. As a matter of policy, we cannot comment on pending litigation." - Rod Rankin, General Manager, Darien Lake

Big Time Rush and Victoria Justice added to Darien Lake concert line up.

By Howard B. Owens

Live Nation announced two more shows today for their annual summer concert series at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, with Big Time Rush and Victoria Justice performing locally July 28.

Big Time Rush will be touring in support of the band's third album, scheduled for release this summer.

Already announced for the season are:

  • Tim McGraw, May 26
  • Zac Brown, June 23
  • Dave Matthews, July 3
  • Vans Warped Tour, July 6
  • Train, July 13
  • Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, July 14
  • John Mayer, Aug. 13
  • Maroon 5, Sept. 4.

"The Hill" plans to stay open; Darien Lake's plan to fence near it may increase pre-concert DWI's

By Timothy Walton

Darien Lake recently announced it's plan to build a fence along Sumner Road, which would close off access to the concert venue from Cherry Hill Campground, better known as "The Hill" and other nearby parking lots.

As of Aug. 17, pedestrian access to the Performing Arts Center will be restricted to passenger drop-off at a designated area near the main gate, or parking in the Darien Lake parking lots. According to a Darien Lake press release this prior week, General Manager Bob Montgomery stated that the plan, which would prohibit concer goers from walking into the venue, was designed to decrease the risk and eliminate those that are walking along the roadway, as well as decrease pre-and post-show alcohol consumption and traffic jams.

Although Darien Lake has stated that they have plenty of parking for all concert goers even on a sold out night, that doesn't seem to fit well for the hundreds of people that have been taking to "The Hill" for the past years and it was no different tonight as it was packed as patrons parked there for the Toby Keith concert.

"Nothing is going to change, we are just going to have to figure a way to get over there (to the venue) but we're still planning on parking up here" stated one concert goer. "We'll figure something out, none of my friends plan on parking anywhere else" stated another. "If anything we just won't go into the concert and we will just hang out up here." he added.

The presumed manager of "The Hill" stated that "we will still be open for camping and people will still park up here. They will all just have to bring a DD (designated driver) to drive up there (to the main entrance)." When asked whether they had any plans to set up a shuttle service or bus rides to curb driving she walked away without any comment.
 

The Hill, which a former employee disclosed makes an estimate of $6,000+ per concert, would presumably continue to market itself as a concert parking lot to avoid the high loss of revenue. It would be up to all those parking at "The Hill" to be responsible to find sober transportation from the location, to the main entrance of the concert venue, less than a mile away. Although some probably would make the right decision, we can only assume that there will be those that would take the risk driving under the influence given the extremely short distance required to drive.

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