Concert News

2 Dallas concert venues offer VIP lawn pass for entire season

Have they got a deal for you.

Photo courtesy of Toyota Music Factory

Concert promoter Live Nation, which is the brains behind such venues as Dos Equis Pavilion, has a new ticket deal for 2019.

Called the Live Nation Lawn Pass, it gets you unlimited lawn admission to all concerts at any participating Live Nation amphitheater throughout the 2019 season for one price.

So basically, it's like a season ticket, with your seat being the lawn.

Two Texas venues are participating, both in Dallas-Fort Worth: Dos Equis Pavilion and the Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving.

The one-time ticket price to see any concert on the lawn at Dos Equis or Toyota Music Factory is $299.

Let us not forget that the 2018 season had more than 28 concerts. No promises on the 2019 season but surely it will be in the same ballpark.

This includes even sold out shows, although it is not valid for special events, third party rentals, or festivals.

Each ticket comes with:

Free venue lawn chair rental
Personalized credentials that acts as your entry pass for all shows. (ID may be required for entry.)
Access to ticket offers for your family and friends
Fast Lane Entry at your venue

Lawn Pass will go on sale at 12 noon on Tuesday, December 4 and be available through December 18 or while supplies last. Perfect for a Christmas present, for someone you were planning to spend $300 on.

To purchase the pass, fans can go to lawnpass.livenation.com and use the dropdown menu to select a desired amphitheater. Each fan will receive a custom laminate with their name and unique barcode that serves as their ticket on show day. Once fans scan in, they are all set to dance the night away on the lawn.

The full list of participating amphitheaters found below. Pricing varies per amphitheater and further details and restrictions for the Lawn Pass can be found at lawnpass.livenation.com.

Ak-Chin Pavilion (Phoenix, AZ)
BB&T Pavilion (Camden, NJ)
Blossom Music Center* (Cuyahoga Falls, OH)
Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood (Atlanta, GA)
Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek (Raleigh, NC)
Concord Pavilion (Concord, CA)
Coral Sky Amphitheatre (West Palm Beach, FL)
Darien Lake Amphitheater (Darien Center, NY)
Glen Helen Amphitheater (San Bernardino, CA)
Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre - Chicago (Tinley Park, IL)
Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – St. Louis (St. Louis, MO)
Isleta Amphitheater (Albuquerque, NM)
Jiffy Lube Live (Bristow, VA)
KeyBank Pavilion (Burgettstown, PA)
MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre (Tampa, FL)
North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre (San Diego, CA)
PNC Bank Arts Center (Holmdel, NJ)
PNC Music Pavilion (Charlotte, NC)
Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center (Noblesville, IN)
Saratoga Performing Arts Center (Saratoga Springs, NY)
Shoreline Amphitheatre (Mountain View, CA)
Dos Equis Pavilion (Dallas, TX)
The Pavilion at Montage Mountain (Scranton, PA)
The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory (Irving, TX)
The XFINITY Theatre (Hartford, CT)
Toyota Amphitheater (Wheatland, CA)
Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach (Virginia Beach, VA)
White River Amphitheatre (Auburn, WA)
Xfinity Center (Mansfield, MA)

This is a new deal from Live Nation, which is no stranger to creative ticket specials. In 2016, they launched a discounted ticket promotion at the beginning of the concert season, with $20 tickets offered for a slew of major shows an offer they continued in 2017 and again in 2018. But this Lawn Pass, this is something new.

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Amusement Park Fun

Thrilling new roller coaster Tormenta launches at Six Flags Over Texas

Photo courtesy of Six Flags Over Texas

Riders on Tormenta Rampaging Run at Six Flags Over Texas.

Six Flags Over Texas will officially open its anticipated new roller coaster, Tormenta Rampaging Run, on Thursday, July 9, and CultureMap and other media and VIPs were given early access to experience the ride's intense thrills before its public debut.

The new coaster boasts several records — as the tallest, fastest, longest, and first-ever giga (300+-foot-tall) dive coaster in the world, topping out at 309 feet just before it sends riders plunging into a beyond-vertical, 95-degree, 285-foot drop. We take you along for the ride in the following video:

Each car of the coaster features three rows of seats with eight seats per row, servicing 24 riders at a time. During the preview event, two cars were sent out in staggered sessions, but a third car sat close by to be used if needed.

The ride's rodeo theme is strong, with multiple posters advertising fictional rodeos and a metallic gate swinging open at the start to let the ~~bull~~ car pass through.

To paraphrase Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day, the first part is a doozy, as riders are click-clacked up a steep stretch forcing them to look straight up into the sky.

The ever-so-brief pause at top affords a view of the surrounding city, the rest of Six Flags, and, in the distance, the downtown Dallas skyline. The angle feels like you're above those towering skyscrapers even though logic tells you that you aren't.

The initial plunge tests the mettle of even hardcore roller coaster fans, sending riders through the extreme drop before hurtling them into two large loops and a corkscrew before coming to another brief stop.

The 95-degree, 285-foot drop of Tormenta Rampaging Run. Photo courtesy of Six Flags Over Texas

That stop gives riders only a small reprieve before they're shot through two smaller loops and a sharp right curve before — mercifully — coming to a jolting halt as the coaster car is shuttled back into the loading station.

From start to finish, the ride lasts around 2 minutes and 45 seconds, but the first 75 seconds is spent just getting to the start of the main portion of the coaster.

All told, the drops, loops, and other elements lasts exactly one minute, which is not that long, but the time-to-thrill ratio is still high.

Misting fans and pergolas at Tormenta Rampaging Run at Six Flags Over Texas. Misting fans and pergolas will help keep riders cool while waiting in line for Tormenta.Photo by Alex Bentley

Even during the brutal heat of the Texas summer, visitors should expect lines to be long for the hot new ride. The corrals close to the ride have scattered pergolas and umbrellas for shade, as well as oscillating fans with misters. Once you reach the completely covered top platform, there are a number of ceiling fans, although they do little to stave off the high humidity.

Opinions will differ as to whether a long wait time for a short ride is worth it, but for those who get their kicks trying out the latest and greatest roller coasters, Tormenta Rampaging Run is a great new addition to the 65-year-old amusement park.

The grand opening for Tormenta is Thursday, July 9 at Six Flags Over Texas. The park is open daily through August 16.

kids families openings six flags over texas amusement parks