White River Amphitheatre is a Live Nation managed concert venue, located 8 miles (13 km) east of Auburn, Washington and 7 miles (11 km) west of Enumclaw, Washington on the Muckleshoot Indian Reservation. It is 22 miles (35 km) northeast of Tacoma and 36 miles (58 km) southeast of Seattle. The capacity is 16,000, with 9,000 covered seats.[1][2] Completed in 2003, the 98-acre (40 ha) project cost more than $30 million and hosts musical events under an acoustically treated metal roof; it features two 30-by-40-foot (9x12 m) video screens on either side of the stage.[1]
History
White River Amphitheater opened on June 14, 2003. Hometown stars Heart were the opening act. Although ground had been broken eight years earlier, the project had been delayed due to the environmental impact statement and traffic concerns.[1]
The Army Corps of Engineers signed off on construction in September 2002. In February 2003, the Washington State Department of Transportation "issued a permit allowing access from crowded, two-lane state Route 164."[1]
When it opened, the venue was operated by the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, Clear Channel Entertainment and Bill Graham Presents.[1] Today it is operated by Live Nation; they reduced capacity from 20,000 to 16,000 in 2015.[2] To mitigate traffic, the venue offers shuttles from (and to) the Auburn Super Mall, which was renamed The Outlet Collection Seattle for some concerts. Shuttles depart after they are filled, with 42 people per shuttle.[3]