Jaguars amphitheater, flex field construction to begin next month

[Adam White]

Ah, the bitch-and-moan brigade makes an appearance. You know, your 18 posts are an interesting read.

This is video is from that time period (7:30) you mention, showing the sun across the front seats. Most everyone seems to be A.O.K. with it and enjoying Jon Cleary.

Give it time to load; it works for me but who knows on these interweb thingamajigs:

https://goo.gl/photos/xHHPCTzGU7PqBKHD6

I took a bunch of pictures. Did a bunch of people-watching. Overwhelming satisfaction. Listen, dv8 -- YMMV, of course, given your special disposition. But you (unsurprisingly) seem to be in the very distinct minority. And when I play back my video of Cleary or of Tedeschi Trucks Band, the sound is magnificent.

Could it be that one's experience might be different based on seating location? Sound does vary in venues, depending on where you're sat. And the same thing for temperature, etc.

[remc86007]

^Thanks for the video. I would think the acoustics would be fine so long as a decent size crowd was there to help absorb the sound. The sides are open, as is the space behind the top balcony so there is plenty of room for the sound to escape, and the roof is high and not made of a solid material, so it shouldn't contribute too much to an echo.

Did anybody notice, is the sound system permanent, removable but operated by Daily's Place, or did PRI or someone setup the equipment? I'd hope with the number of concerts planned that house system is pretty good.

[Jim]

Completed on time and exceeding expectations.  I'm impressed.

After the second set of renderings appeared to be a downgrade from the first and the construction going on until the day of a concert, I had my doubts....as did many of us.  I'm glad our fears were unfounded.

[downtownbrown]

interesting factoid: unlike concerts at metro park which were easily heard at the Plaza Townhomes, I couldn't hear one decibel of Train while on my back porch.  Seems they have managed sound attenuation very well, which hopefully makes everyone happy.  haven't heard the usual bitching from St Nicholas.

[BridgeTroll]

interesting factoid: unlike concerts at metro park which were easily heard at the Plaza Townhomes, I couldn't hear one decibel of Train while on my back porch.  Seems they have managed sound attenuation very well, which hopefully makes everyone happy.  haven't heard the usual bitching from St Nicholas.

This is good...lol

[Jax-Nole]

No one has mentioned the temperature or climate during the show. I know it is open but does air circulate?  Just seems like it could be hot this time of year...

I was there Sunday for Train, and it was very warm. It was easily still in the mid 90s at 7 pm when the show started, and you could feel every bit of that heat. There was a nice breeze, but I imagine if it hadn't been coming out of the west, it would have probably felt even warmer. The west side is the most open side, likely to give a decent view of downtown from inside, and allows the most wind to enter the facility. The east side is partially open, and would allow air to circulate, but not as well as the west side. With the stadium to the north, and the practice field on the south side, a north or south wind likely wouldn't allow air to circulate at all. After the temperature fell out of the 90s, it felt pretty perfect there though.

Now don't take any of that as complaining, it's just the inner weather nerd in me. I absolutely loved the place. Its a beautiful venue, and I imagine it will likely be one of the most popular places in Jacksonville if they keep up the pace of shows. I can't wait to go back, and I'll remember to dress a bit cooler next time. I don't recommend jeans and a polo shirt when it is that warm out.

[BridgeTroll]

Thanks JN...

[johnnyliar]

^Thanks for the video. I would think the acoustics would be fine so long as a decent size crowd was there to help absorb the sound. The sides are open, as is the space behind the top balcony so there is plenty of room for the sound to escape, and the roof is high and not made of a solid material, so it shouldn't contribute too much to an echo.

Did anybody notice, is the sound system permanent, removable but operated by Daily's Place, or did PRI or someone setup the equipment? I'd hope with the number of concerts planned that house system is pretty good.

AVL supplied sound, but not sure if that's just because the permanent sound hasnt been installed yet or not.

[subro]

How will it do when summer storms hit? Are there certain sections that will be exposed to downpours?

[RattlerGator]

Yes, subro, summer storm weather will be an issue, especially on the edges. But that's unavoidable IMHO.

About the sound -- yes, personal opinions will vary. But it's reallly hard to have a complaint about the sound in that place. Really hard. Likewise, the heat in the facility. That was mid-90s weather with high humidity. Okay? We're all Florida folks here. Get real. All in all, it was a comfortable experience. I've sat in EverBank for September games and been scorched!

As for St. Nicholas and across the river; that's part of the genius of the design. And it is genius. The design solved so many problems! The Flex Field blocks the rush of sound and (I'm sure) serves to essentially mute it. There's no rush of soundwaves across the St. Johns. And EverBank Field serves the same purpose. The roof, also.

It is a genuinely attractive and iconic space.

It's hard for me to believe this thing won't win multiple awards for Populous, the Jaguars, and the City.

[RattlerGator]

Tedeschi Trucks Band singing "Don't Know What It Means" Saturday night

https://youtu.be/-BuzNmFpmRU

Yep, I'm still hyped. Sound was beautiful, concert was beautiful; truly a proud night for Jacksonville. I have a friend going to the Dave Matthews concert who definitely isn't a sunshine pumper like me. I'll be curious to hear his review of the place.

[ben says]

Being far from home, there is nothing more uplifting than reading a thread where locals are actually pleased-happy-surprised about the quality of something built in jax...

I remember when the last set of renderings came out, everyone was freaking out saying ´typical jax´and ´here we go again´...

What a surprise to see people happy and to see a killer space in downtown JAX!

Hopefully a sign of things to come

[RatTownRyan]

Lauryn Hill and NAS!!! Now that is the type of concert that people in Jax have been waiting for!!!

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

Lauryn Hill and NAS!!! Now that is the type of concert that people in Jax have been waiting for!!!

I'm one of them, but at $250 a ticket, I'll probably wait a bit longer.

[Tacachale]

One curiosity that I guess shouldn't have surprised me but it did.

I was stunned how few black folks I saw in the audience. And I had what I guess is something of a black-white moment when the Tedeschi Trucks Band did one of their encore songs. I was pretty certain it would be an Allman Brothers selection for obvious reasons. And it was. Everybody around me knew the tune and started singing it with gusto.

That's what you get for going to see Blueshammer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaM6lTmhnak

AW, you're killing it with the pop culture references lately.

Yes, RG, it's not surprising that a rock band would attract a mostly white audience. Both the musicians and the listeners of rock music are predominantly white, and it's been that way for over 50 years. Jack Hamilton recent published a book on the subject, "Just Around Midnight"; I haven't read it yet but it sounds pretty interesting. There's an excerpt here at Slate.

The thesis seems to be that in the 1960s, white rock musicians were celebrated for embracing rock's black roots and moving it in new directions with their creative spark, whereas black musicians who were similarly original were criticized (by both black and white critics) for straying from the "authentic" tradition, and so "black" music developed in other directions. As a result, it became a mainly white genre to the point that Jimi Hendrix was a considered novelty by the time he died in 1970.

Regardless of how it happened, it's there. It's not surprising that this long-standing divide would be reflected even with the Tedeschi Trucks Band; though they have a number of black members, they're pretty firmly in the blues rock tradition.