Acrisure Arena concert experience offers crowded halls, good legroom and solid acoustics

Doobie Brothers frontman Tom Johnston has performed in countless arenas throughout the band's 50 years. On Thursday, the group played the first concert at the new Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, which Johnston described in an interview before as "an honor."

Johnston also remembered many arenas the band played that were built decades ago primarily for sports. These facilities had poor acoustics and made performing difficult, but he said this show would be different. The arena, which was built by Oak View Group and Irving Azoff, a longtime power player in the live music industry, was created with live music in mind.

"Irving has been doing this for quite a while, and he's got the best people to put it together," Johnston said.

Keyboardist Michael McDonald compared the sound of the older arenas not built for music to the Catholic churches he attended during his childhood with "terrible PA systems" and the voice of the priests bouncing off the internal structures. He said new live music venues, such as the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, are a great example of how venues are honing in "the science of musical acoustics." And he, too, felt good about Acrisure Arena.

"I think a band such as ours will be a real test of what the acoustics are actually like for this kind of a building. We'll find out, but I'm expecting the best," McDonald said.

So how does the Acrisure Arena measure up as a live entertainment venue? Here's our take.

The acoustics are good, but something was missing

When the Doobie Brothers began playing, the sound wasn't bouncing around the arena and everything — including saxophone, keyboard and backing vocals — appeared in the mix. From the back of the arena, McDonald and Johnston's voices were easily heard and clear, which speaks to the internal environment, and there wasn't a lot of echo coming from the drums.

But there was something missing: video monitors. On Wednesday, Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock's touring production featured a center-hanging fixture above the stage with video monitors. The Doobie Brothers had a video screen on the stage that included visuals and archive videos, but there was no live footage during the performance. The spaces on each side of the stage where there should be video monitors during live concerts are occupied by two large lounges with viewing balconies above the stage.

John Bolton, the GM of Acrisure Arena and the senior vice president of Oak View group, explained it's up to the bands and artists to design their own production spaces and bring their own side stage video monitors.

There's plenty of food options — for a hefty price

For those who want to enjoy a variety of food offerings before or during an event, there's plenty to choose from. The arena features local restaurants such as Fisherman's Market and CV BBQ. There is also an outdoor food court area on the side of the building near the main entrance. But for those who enjoy treats such as hot dogs, peanuts and pizza, it's going to cost you.

Compared to the average price of $5.13 for a hot dog in a Major League Baseball stadium, it costs $9 at Acrisure Arena. A Pepperoni Calzone is $14, a bag of peanuts is $7 and a bottled soda is $7. Canned beer, such as domestic and IPAs, is priced between $14 and $16. If it's water you want, don't expect to easily find a drinking fountain anywhere in the building, and bottled water is $6.

Looking at the national average of food items sold in stadiums, there could be a combination of premium food options and items under $9 besides a bag of peanuts.

While cash is still king in many places, it's not at Acrisure Arena. All transactions require a debit or credit card, but you can also use Apple and Google Pay on your cell phone.

The hallways are narrow and crowded

During Wednesday's sold-out show featuring comedians Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle, it was difficult to move through the hallways. The main entrance area of the building is often crowded and certain areas such as merchandise booths and beverage stands cause congestion. Thursday night was the first time I've been in an arena where I heard employees shout at people to keep moving or return to their seats.

"We are a new venue where everyone is excited to see everything, stop and look, and learn where their seats or concessions are located," Bolton said. "We politely suggest to people to keep moving because it’s a new building and for crowd control, and that would happen in any venue with any size concourse, but especially because we are brand new.

Also, there are just two men's bathrooms on the first level on opposite sides of the building compared to four women's rooms spread throughout the concourse. During the show on Wednesday, both men's rooms had lines out into the hallway.

According to Bolton, there are 112 toilets for men, 130 for women and 13 all-genders stalls throughout the arena and are located on all four corners of the building on both levels.

"Crowds tend to form at the first one they see versus walking a little further down to the ones that are typically empty," Bolton said.

The arena is otherwise comfortable

One of the noticeable features of the arena is there's enough legroom between each aisle and the seats don't feel like patrons are squeezed in. It's easy to find and access your seat anywhere in the building. The design also features a view into the hallway from inside the arena before events begin, making it easy to find your way to those areas.

As to be expected, there are things to enjoy about Acrisure Arena, but there are some downsides.

The infrastructure for a top-notch entertainment venue, especially for an arena, is already there. But it's up to the artist to provide what's required of a good live music production for audiences. As more entertainers visit Acrisure Arena, there is no doubt this building will continue to attract big-name acts.

Desert Sun reporter Brian Blueskye covers arts and entertainment. He can be reached at brian.blueskye@desertsun.com or on Twitter at @bblueskye.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Acrisure Arena offers concertgoers solid acoustics but crowded halls