Music and Sports Venues

Riverbend Music Center

6295 Kellogg Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45230

 

 

 

Riverbend Music Center is located along the banks of the Ohio River in Cincinnati, Ohio. The official name of the outdoor music venue is “The Hulbert Taft Jr. Center for the Performing Arts, J. Ralph Corbett Pavilion. Hulbert Taft Jr. founded the Taft Broadcasting Company which was based in Cincinnati. The broadcasting company owned the Coney Island Amusement Park and they donated $1 million and part of the land from the amusement park for the pavilion. Taft wanted the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra to have a summer home and the outdoor venue was the perfect place. An unknown private foundation donated another $1 million in the name of Hulbert Taft Jr. The Corbett Foundation which was a leader in cultural philanthropy contributed $2 million for the amphitheater. Mr. and Mrs. J. Ralph Corbett wanted the project to be a success for the people of Cincinnati. The total construction cost was $9 million so the project was well on the way to becoming a reality.

 

In the summer of 1984 the dream came true when the venue opened on July 4th. At the time there were only 15 other major outdoor music amphitheaters in the country. The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra with Ella Fitzgerald was the first concert in the new amphitheater. But, the pavilion would become more than just a summer home for the symphony. It added a new element for the music world in Cincinnati as famous artists began stopping at the venue on their tours. Many performers had quit coming to Cincinnati because of the tough crowd control ordinances that were passed after 11 people died at a Who concert at Riverfront Coliseum in 1979. Artists started returning to the city when the amphitheater opened.

 

Riverbend has been featured in televised performances and live album recordings. On July 4, 2000 PBS aired a live broadcast featuring The Pops Orchestra with Rosemary Clooney and Doc Severinsen. In 1990, Jimmy Buffet recorded some live songs at the venue for his “Feeding Frenzy” album. He has performed at Riverbank on every tour since 1984. In 2000, The Dave Matthews band recorded an entire show from Riverbend and later released it as a live album titled “Live Trax Vol. 16”. The venue has also hosted many music festivals, some of which include Lilith Fair, Lollapalooza, The Mayhem Festival and Ozzfest to name a few.

 

 

Riverbend Music Center is owned and operated by Music and Event Management, Inc. It has a seating capacity of 20,500….. 6,000 reserved seats and 14,500 lawn seats. The main tenants are the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra but it is also a popular stop for bands during the summer tour season. The venue has undergone renovations in 1999 and again in 2009. The amphitheater sits along the Ohio River so from time to time it has been flooded causing cancelations of concerts. In 2008, PNC Pavilion was built adjacent to Riverbend. It is a smaller venue that holds about 4,100 people. The pavilion was named National City Pavilion until 2009 when PNC bought National City Bank. It is also part of the Hulbert Taft Jr. Center for the Performing Arts.

 

If you’re going to Riverbend, you can bring your own lawn chairs as long as they are low “beach style” chairs with the seat being no more than 9 inches off the ground. You can also bring small umbrellas into the venue but no golf umbrellas. One bottle of sealed water can be brought into the venue as well as small cameras that can fit in your pocket.

 

The music pavilion is located near I275 in Cincinnati and there is plenty of parking. Parking fees are included in the price of the ticket so you don’t have to worry about paying when you arrive. Relax and enjoy a night with the Pops Orchestra or your favorite band along the banks of the Ohio River.

 

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