During the 2009 No Doubt reunion tour stop in Virginia Beach, Gwen Stefanie thrilled the audience on “Don’t Speak” and “Just a Girl.” Photo by Jeff Maisey.
By Jeff Maisey
Bruce Hornsby was the first act to take the stage at the Virginia Beach Amphitheater. That was on May 15, 1996.
Now entering its 30th season, the Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater @ Virginia Beach — the 20,000 person capacity live music venue — continues to provide fans the opportunity to experience some of the biggest touring bands across a diverse spectrum of entertainers. The Amphitheater will welcome its 8-millionth fan in May; this after a huge 2025 season that saw 250,000 concertgoers attend 30 shows.
Some of this year’s announced headliners include Jelly Roll, Wu-Tang Clan, Pitbull, Chris Stapleton, Rod Stewart, Billy Idol, and Dave Matthews Band.
Speaking of Dave Matthews, the Charlottesville-based entertainer has played the venue 23 times thus far — more than any other live act. Virginians just can’t get enough.
Other notable fun facts: Pharrell played with NERD in 2003; Missy Elliott played the venue in 1998; POD filmed their music video for “Satellite” in part of the venue in 2002; Taylor Swift opened for Tim McGraw/Faith Hill in 2007.
Interestingly enough, the original concept was to place the amphitheater next to The Boathouse (a popular riverfront concert venue with a 2,000-person capacity) in downtown Norfolk.
When Norfolk city leaders ultimately balked at the idea and opted for a baseball stadium instead, the City of Virginia Beach stepped up to the plate and hit a concert home run.
As a result, since opening in 1996, the venue has made a meaningful economic ripple effect as fans dine locally, book hotels, and support more than 1,000 jobs tied to the venue each year.
The one person who has been involved with the Amphitheater every step of the way has been Dee Larion, today’s Director of Regional Marketing for Live Nation, the company that operates the facility.
Larion has weathered industry mergers and acquisitions, and overseen venue naming rights changes. The Amphitheater has had five different names in three decades. She remains the calming glue that helps make the concert experience a happy one for fans, road crews and the entertainers.
Dee Larion has likely seen more concerts than anyone else in our region. From front of the house views as a spectator to working behind the scenes with tour managers and the complex, ever changing personalities and needs of touring band members and staff, she’s aware of all the moving parts.
What many people may not know is the venue begins each morning as an empty shell.
On show day, large 18-wheeler tractor trailers arrive at daybreak and begin the unloading process.
The stage floor is clear before lighting tresses, video screens, and speaker systems are placed and then hoisted to the overhead rafters by local, certified riggers hired by the venue.
Once those are in position, sound and lighting boards — both onstage for monitors and in the seating area for the overall production — are set up before stage props and risers, drum kits, amplifiers, and instruments are placed.
Depending on the entertainer’s needs, wardrobe cases are wheeled in to dressing rooms.
Backstage catering is set up for working crews and performers alike.
Each touring performer has an elaborate list of requests and rules which the venue staff is provided in advance by the tour manager.
In other words, there a massive pre-show production happening before the gates are opened for fans to stream in and take their seats.
During some weeks, the Amphitheater hosts consecutive concerts where staff manage to remain highly professional and energetic during 18-20 hour days in the heat of summer.
Over the course of 30 years, Dee Larion recalls some standout shows.
“Just speaking for Amphitheater shows,” said Larion, “Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Morgan Wallen, Billy Joel, Creed and 3 Doors Down, Blink 182, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and numerous Jimmy Buffett and Dave Matthews Band shows” were her favorites.
“Most of these bands I’ve seen ‘grow up’ coming through The Boathouse in Norfolk.
“I’ve been really lucky to work with so many incredibly kind and generous musicians over the years,” Larion continued, “but one that immediately comes to mind is Keith Urban. He’s one of the kindest people I’ve ever met — someone who always made time for his fans as well as the local staff behind the scenes.”
As a longtime music journalist, I (Jeff Maisey) have enjoyed concerts at the Virginia Beach Amphitheater.
I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing concerts, photographing bands from the pit (that sliver of a barrier space between Row 1 and the stage), and enjoyed meeting some of the entertainers back stage after the show.
One of the most memorable concerts in my book was Page & Plant. It was as close to seeing Led Zeppelin as I’d ever get, and they were rocking hard that night. After the show, I was told they were planning an additional encore — “Stairway to Heaven” — but the city’s 11:00 PM curfew came with a hefty fine so the song remained unplayed.
I recall the Spice Girls concert at the peak of their short career. A sold-out concert attended largely by young girls and their moms screaming at the first sight of Sporty, Posh, Scary, Baby, and Ginger was a deafening, almost unhuman-like sound unlike anything I’d ever heard.
And, worth noting, the Spice Girls sounded great that night.
Other Amphitheater concert highlights I experienced: Black Sabbath, Rush, Steve Winwood with Steely Dan, Def Leppard, Elton John, Billy Joel, No Doubt, Aerosmith, Boston, Rod Stewart, Bad Company, Journey, Jethro Tull, Usher, Earth Wind & Fire with Chicago, Moody Blues with Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Rusted Root, Crosby Stills & Nash, John Fogerty with Whiskeytown, Judas Priest with Deep Purple, The Doobie Brothers, Yes with Kansas, BB King, Phish, Metallica, Counting Crows with The Wallflowers, and KISS.
I also enjoyed the various Vans Warped Tour concerts. There are various stages set up in what was the gravel parking lot as well as inside the gates of the venue. Some 40+ bands performed and each had a merch tent in a sectioned punk rock retail village where fans could easily mingle with bands for photos and autographs.
The all-women Lilith Fair was also an extraordinary concert experience involving several stages with performers such as Sarah McLachlan, Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, Fiona Apple, Jewel, Indigo Girls, and Suzanne Vega.
The multi-stage concerts were an interesting challenge for Amphitheater staff.
“These festival events take an incredible amount of coordination,” said Dee Larion. “There were a lot of logistics involved and months of preparation for these all-day events with multiple bands, which made them really exciting to be part of.”