St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida: Is it a Good Music Venue?

The St. Pete Time Forum is located in downtown Tampa, Florida. You may be more familiar with it as an indoor sports arena, but it hosts several other events, including some top name acts in the music industry. The first thing you have to keep in mind is that this is a great venue for ice hockey, arena football and of course shows such as the American Idol (darn I didn't win) Tour. I, personally, have seen several musical acts here and the quality was varied.

First, let's talk about the venue itself. This is not one of the newer places to catch a top name act, but it certainly is cooler than the Ford Amphitheater down the road which tends to rock with acts such as Rush, who was the first bank to play there when it opened in 2004, followed by other acts such as Linkin Park and My Chemical Romance, Gwen Stefani and many others. Granted, the Amphitheater would probably be my first choice if there is a band there I really want to see as it is a decent venue to see a concert, but you must factor in the time of the year. You could be soaked to the bone if you're stuck in upper sections and the general admission grassy knoll or sweating so bad that you just wish the person next to you would accidentally spill their ice cold beer all over you.

The benefit of catching a show at the St. Pete Times Forum is that it is indoors and the air-conditioning can make for a much more pleasant experience. Additionally, the floor is sitting on the ice rink which also helps to keep the temperature quite cool at all times. The other benefit to attending a concert here is that you have ample restrooms all over the building. The downside though is that those bathrooms are probably going to be quite filthy as there doesn't seem to be enough staff to keep them cleaner while being in constant use. Another downside to the St. Pete Times Forum are that the seats are a lot less spread out, so leg room is limited and standing room is near impossible when everyone is jumping around and dancing. It certainly depends on the band and their stage set-up, but usually you will have floor seats available which is where I was sitting for AC/DC. That was not a bad place to be other than the usual annoying people who try to slip in somewhere because somehow they got past the "seat police" but that can usually be easily resolved. I certainly would plan on spending a lot of time standing in this venue during a concert, or you won't be seeing much. However, if you're going to see a more mellow group, such as when I saw Spyro Gyra there (for those of you who don't know, they are not a rock band, but more of a modern jazz type group) which was very pleasant as you don't usually have everyone in the place on their feet.

The other benefits of attending a concert at the St. Pete Times Forum is there are several concessions to choose from inside the venue where you can get everything from pizza and beer, to sausages and chicken fingers. If you are looking for something a little more like a restaurant experience, you may want to try the dinner buffet offered in the Medallions Restaurant located on the 2nd level, Icons Lounge also located there or Shots at Channelside located in the plaza and offers indoor or outdoor seating. You do have many other options though as there are several bars and restaurants within walking distance. It is located right down the street from Channelside which offers several dining varieties. If you can stand the crowd and can get their early enough to have time to get your food, there is always Newk's directly across the street. Within driving distance there are several other more upscale restaurants if it's a special evening.

There is also plenty of parking whether you choose one of several nearby garages, parking lots, fields and side streets. The cost for parking will vary on how close you want to be so expect to pay possibly $10, $15 and even $20 just to save a few blocks.

I would certainly recommend checking out a show at this venue and draw your own opinion. I know that some upcoming acts at the St. Pete Times Forum include Carol King & James Taylor, Three Days Grace, Alicia Keys and Bon Jovi among many others. You can check out upcoming events by clicking here.