Live At The Garden – Memphis Botanic Garden

This venue is amazing! Bring a lawn chair, blanket, picnic, and bottle of wine (or lots of beer)! There isn’t a bad seat in the house (or on the lawn!). Just don’t forget the bug spray!

Live at the Garden is, in my humble opinion, Memphis’ ultimate concert venue. Where else can you sit in your very own chair with your very own picnic/​drinks and enjoy live music in a big backyard setting? The series, which takes place in the summer from June to September, typically features 5 concerts that range from country/​folk to 80s/​90s legends on the tail end of their careers and occasionally includes up and coming artists. We have been going to at least one show a summer (lawn tickets) since 2008 and bought season tickets for the first time this year. It has become a summer staple that we truly look forward to attending. We typically pack a cooler of drinks/​dinner, lawn chairs, an outdoor blanket. Don’t forget the bug spray and a trash bag (leave the garden how you found it). Alternatively, if you don’t want to go to the effort to bring your own refreshments, you can purchase food and drinks from the food trucks and vendors that line the lawn. The lawn is first come, first served so there is generally a line when the gates open, but people spread out and set up camp. Large trees pepper the the garden and provide shaded nooks. The trees are also decked with beautiful large bulb outdoor lights that create a great atmosphere once the sun sets. Even the sold out shows have room for everyone. The lawn is not a place where you will be able to see much of what is on stage aside from the big screens (which are plenty). Though at a much great price, the tables in front of the stage offer more spectacular views. There is also an option for standing room only in the pit. Tickets are affordable though they come with the typical Ticketmaster BS fees for everything under the sun. Previously you could avoid the fees by buying tickets at the box office, but I hear they are now charging these ridiculous fees at the window too. Regardless, this is a Memphis summer experience that should go on your bucket list.

Liked the new set up pretty well. Stage is nice. Easier to get to the tables. The sound was off a bit, the big TV was blinking in and out, and the tables were WAY too close to each other. Uncomfortably close to each other. I’m sure all these items will be addressed in he short term though.

I have been to two concerts here this year. I am not a person that usually goes to concerts. I can say I love going and sitting on the lawn. It is so nice to be able to bring your own food and drinks. It is such an enjoyable experience. I would recommend everyone go to one concert.

This was once a great venue. I’ve had season tickets for years. This year, however, they decided to «make it better». Don’t fix what ain’t broke.
The sound is not good. Sometimes they dont even show certain opening acts at all. Instead of having the screens spread out so you have a good seat no matter where you are on the lawn, (like every year before) now you have to cram in on top of everyone up front to see the screen. If I want to pile on top of people to see a concert I will go to the shell for free.
Parking: whether you pay for parking or park for free, you enter in one gate. Last year paid parking was had a different entrance.
Not getting season tickets again. Great last year. Not so much this year. Sad to see such a great Memphis event ruined

Man, do I have mixed feelings about this series…
On the plus side, the prices are low for your typical concert series, and it is cool that they have concerts held at the Botanic Gardens. They typically attract a pretty strong line-​up and it is a good place to come with friends and loved ones to enjoy a relaxing evening. You’re also allowed to bring your own food and drink.
On the negative side, it is difficult to get a decent view of the stage, and things always seem disorganized at these events. There’s also no guarantee you’ll get a decent view of a screen either. There was also quite a slate of issues with the last concert I went to here, but on the plus side management reached out to me to figure out what exactly went wrong and seemed very attentive which was nice.
I have a season pass for this season and there are three concerts to go; I’m hoping to see the cons get resolved before seasons end so I can confidently continue buying season passes, but time shall tell.

My favorite part of the summer hands down! Nothing beats picnicking out on the beautiful lawn of the Botanical Garden with wine, snacks, and great friends to listen to amazing live music! My favorite concerts thus far (this is only my second summer in Memphis) were The Band Perry, Robert Plant, and Goo Goo Dolls (with Daughtry and Plain White Tees!) thank you so much Memphis for this awesome concert series! Def makes summer in Memphis wonderful! Can’t think of a better way to spend my summer nights!

I’m a laid back concert goer, there are less than 5 I’ve attended in my life where I haven’t sat in my chair and just enjoyed the show. I say this because it affects my view of the experience here. There are three ways to enjoy concerts:
The pit: standing room only by the stage
Reserved seating: seats at tables behind the pit
The lawn: general admission behind reserved seating
Last year I attended two concerts when a FB friend sold her tickets. This year we got season passes — for the lawn with all the fees it’s $ 182 /​person for the 5 concert series. Parking by the gate is $ 20 /​concert or $ 75 for the season. Parking off Perkins is free.
I like the lawn — you can bring your own refreshments, lawn chairs, coolers and blankets. But you can’t really see the stage. They have a few screens up to project the stage, but not everywhere on the lawn can see these either, and they don’t show the opening act on screen. It gets crowded, and you get to smell your neighbors bug spray. If you’re looking for a typical concert experience than the lawn is not for you. If you like to chill /​socialize with some good music in the background then it’s for you.
Food trucks are on site — crêpe maker, fuel, and generic junk food. Hog wild has a tent and you can order food trays in advance.
Restrooms are port o potties, in Memphis, in the middle of summer, eww!
If its a sell out crowd or the time gets moved up it gets very crowded — like an hour in line to get in the gate at the Daughtry /​Goo Goo Dolls concert. I’ll give the benefit of the doubt lesson learned and this will not happen again.
Most concerts start at 8:30pm and last for two hours including the opening act.

Cool as it may be, the beloved Botanic Garden doesn’t make a great outdoor music venue in my humble opinion. The ground is flat without incline and you can’t really see the small stage very well even sitting in the front rows of the lawn area which still costs 50 bucks, not to mention trees further obstructing the view. For the size of the amphitheater, two projector screens might have been enough, if they were better-​positioned and both had decent image quality.
The ground is bare in some parts with a lot of dirt, so it’s easy to get dusty, even without partying too hard.
It might have been the band or a one-​time glitch, but a 30-​minute interval between the opening act and the main act seemed a bit excessive.
If you have a general admission ticket for the lawn area, get there at least 45 minutes before the show.
Your experience may differ if a higher-​price ticket or a table seat is within your reach but I am cheap and I much prefer Levitt Shell as an outdoor music venue. Even Robert Plant couldn’t change it.

Whaaat?! How am I first to review this?
Live at the Garden is a summer concert series held at the Memphis Botanic Garden. Most people I know buy General Admission tickets (around $ 40) and sit on the lawn. This is where the party is at! The cool thing about these shows is that they allow you to bring food and beverages into the amphitheater. When I’ve gone, we pack up a cooler with some snacks and wine, and get ready to have a good time. You can bring chairs and blankets, as well.
Views can sometimes be obstructed by trees, depending on where you sit. They also have big screens further away from the stage to help remedy this problem.
Up front, there are tables you can purchase to sit at. I think a lot of times, businesses buy them as sponsorship, but don’t quote me on that. In my opinion, the lawn is most of the fun. It’s an awesome experience, and a definite to-​do in Memphis.