401 Channelside Drive, Tampa, 813-301-6600, sptimesforum.com
Every major market has a sports arena that doubles as a concert venue, and so it is with the St. Pete Times Forum, which used to have a much cooler name, the Ice Palace. Completed in 1996, the Forum is neither outmoded nor state-of-the-art, neither big nor small, as arenas go. If you sit down low and the act has a good production setup, the sound can be quite acceptable. Sit up high, and it's essentially sonic mush. The venue's outdoor courtyard makes a nice pre-concert hang, and by and large it's easy to find your seat. With the only public transportation to the Forum being a little-used trolley, traffic in and out is usually a bear.
Memories Justin Timberlake last February, fronting a killer live band and turning in a sweat-soaked performance that recalled vintage Michael Jackson • U2 mesmerizing a full house during the band's fantastically bombastic 2001 Elevation Tour • That witchy Diana Ross reading lyrics off a teleprompter in front of a scant crowd during a lame Supremes reunion • Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (especially Young) finding a fierce fountain of youth in 2000
Capacity: 21,500
Grub: Stadium food
Booze: Full liquor
Next big show: AC/DC, Dec. 21
This article appears in Nov 12-18, 2008.