The Pavilion at Montage Mountain Information
About
With a capacity for up to 18,000 guests and located just miles from Wilkes Barre Scranton International Airport, this unique venue exceeds expectations. Located in the Montage Mountain Ski Area, the Pavilion features a massive open-air amphitheater and a spacious lawn area. The amphitheater can host up to 7,500 patrons, while the lawn has space for 10,000. The parking lot is huge too, spanning 645,000 square feet – making it the perfect destination for drive-in concerts!
History
In 1990, Montage Mountain Ski Area started to host music festivals to generate extra revenue during the resort’s off-season. Two years later, a temporary stage was set up with open lawn seating to host a concert by “The Twist” icon Chubby Checker. This marked the beginning of Montage Mountain Amphitheater. The venue’s popularity positioned Scranton as a secondary market in the concert industry.
In 1994, the resort collaborated with Metropolitan Entertainment to expand its concert season. The venue evolved from temporary staging to include bleacher-style seating, and its capacity increased from 5,000 to 16,000. This transformation saw a name change to the Montage Mountain Performing Arts Center.
The venue started an annual summer concert series in July 1994, and the success of the 1999 season led to the decision to build a permanent facility. The $6 million construction project started in November 1999, covering 70 acres of the ski resort, with a wooded area separating the venue and parking spaces. Completed in 2000, the new venue opened just in time for the Coors Light Silver Bullet Concert Series. The award-winning pianist Harry Connick Jr. opened the stage on the 24th June, meanwhile Britney Spears performed a concert the following day. The venue quickly became a financial success, generating $10 million in revenue during its first two seasons.
In 2002, Clear Channel Communications assumed operations and management from MEG, and Ford Motor Company became the venue’s first sponsor. When Clear Channel transitioned to Live Nation, Toyota Motor Corporation became the new sponsor.
Five years later, the venue faced a setback when the roof collapsed on Valentine’s Day during the Blizzard of 2007. After rebuilding the roof, the venue had a refurb and fitted first-class seating, lighting, sound, and video equipment.
Fast forward to 2014 and the venue was named “The Pavilion at Montage Mountain.”
Famous Events
The amphitheater hosted the Tattoo the Earth Tour in July 2000, featuring performances by heavy metal legends like Slipknot, Slayer, and Sevendust – just to name a few! This epic show also showcased the talent of 42 tattoo artists from around the globe. What’s more, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Van Halen rocked the venue in 1995 and 1998.
In June 2005, The Dave Matthews Band made history at the Pavilion, selling out the venue with over 18,000 fans. They repeated this success in July 2006 and even recorded their July 2010 performance, releasing it as the live album “Live Trax Vol. 22.” A decade later, Luke Bryan performed an epic sold out show during his Kick the Dust Up Tour with Randy Houser and Dustin Lynch as opening acts.
But that’s not all, the amphitheater has also been a hub for a number of renowned music festivals over the years, hosting events like Lollapalooza (1992), Lilith Fair (1997), All That! Music and More Festival (1999), Ozzfest (2002), Mayhem Festival (2014), Vans Warped Tour (2018), and many more!
Surrounding Area
Starting out as just a temporary venue behind the Montage mountain ski lodge, the Pavilion at Montage Mountain was built further at the bottom of the mountain by Lackwanna County. Due to the popularity of the venue it was kept as a permanent place to host some of the biggest music and entertainment in Pennsylvania
Not only is the venue great for live music, but the surrounding areas have lots to offer, whether you are down for a weekend of skiing or want to traverse the surrounding mountains, there is loads to do! Many patrons have said they left the area with an unforgettable experience under their belt.
Below is a map of various eating establishment in the surrounding area. There are loads of places to eat during your stay, with accommodation options dotted around Scranton.
Short Parking Info
Those who confirm exclusive Box Seats or Season Seats at the venue enjoy both premium parking access and VIP entrance and exit.
General parking on the venue grounds is included in the price of admission, UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE. For most shows the parking lots in the grounds open at 3 p.m, however they may open up earlier for certain festival-type events.
In the event that you can’t secure a parking space on the venue grounds, there are additional spots in the surrounding areas that are worth considering.