Tampa's big outdoor summer shows happen beside I-4 on the Florida State Fairgrounds, at an amphitheater that has answered to four names since 2004.
Tampa, Tampa area
MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre
4802 US Highway 301 North, Tampa · 4 upcoming shows
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Know before you go
Names on the sign
It opened in July 2004 as the Ford Amphitheatre, with Dave Matthews Band and Rush on stage in its first week. It became the 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre in 2010, the Live Nation Amphitheatre for the first months of 2013, and the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre in May 2013. If an old ticket stub says any of those, it is the same place. Bruce Springsteen, Radiohead, Black Sabbath and Bob Dylan are among the headliners who have played it since.
Pavilion or lawn
The Florida State Fair Authority owns the venue and Live Nation runs it. It holds about 20,000, split between roughly 9,900 reserved seats and room for 10,000 on the lawn.
The reserved sections sit under the pavilion roof, which matters in July for both sun and rain. The lawn has no cover at all, so a lawn ticket means sunscreen at doors and a poncho in your pocket. A sound wall and a decibel limit for performers help keep the neighbors on speaking terms.
Fairgrounds traffic
The fairgrounds sit in East Lake-Orient Park right beside I-4, with gates on US 301, Orient Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. On a big night, traffic stacks up on I-4 and 301 well before doors, and the drive out after the encore takes patience.
The lots are for concertgoers only, and overnight parking is not allowed, so do not plan to leave the car and pick it up in the morning. If you are getting a ride home, settle on a pickup spot before your phone battery fades.
Storm season
Shows here are generally rain or shine. The four o'clock storm usually clears out before the opener, but lightning in the area can hold the gates or pause a set. Covered seats keep you dry, and the lawn turns soft after a downpour, so pack something to sit on that you do not mind getting wet.
Country and rock tours lean on this stage every summer, so watch the country calendar and the rock calendar. Every area date is on the Tampa page.