The year 2023 was an eventful period for music fans in San Francisco Bay Area and Santa Clara, California. The area’s most popular outdoor concert destination, the Shoreline Amphitheatre, held some of the region’s most exciting festivals and concerts. With its vast concert grounds situated at Mountain View, the Shoreline Amphitheatre is a mere 40-minute drive from the San Francisco Bay Area. After getting there, concert-goers are greeted with an ample 60-acre concert grounds that accommodate up to 22,500 attendees. The venue is the archetype of a modern outdoor amphitheater with its massive tent canopy. When the amphitheater was built in 1985, the City of Mountainview collaborated with famed concert promoter Bill Graham. The venue’s layout was designed to look like The Grateful Dead’s Steal Your Face cover. Today, the venue is nearing its 40th anniversary and continues providing fans with incredible entertainment. For this review, we look back on the most exhilarating events that took place at the Shoreline Amphitheatre and feedback from its concertgoers. These are testaments why the venue will always be one of North America’s top concert destinations!
Only the Shore Amphitheatre knows how to kick off the spring season with a bang! The Grammy Award-winning country superstar Shania Twain brought her Queen of Me Tour to the venue with special guest Hailey Whithers on Friday, 26th May 2023. It was a fantastic night for music fans as the Queen of Country Music delivered all her hits, such as “Waking Up Dreaming,” “You’re Still the One,” “From This Moment On,” and “Man! I Feel like a Woman!” The acclaimed singer-songwriter performed over 20 hits and had a massive production befitting a performer of her caliber. An attendee commented, “The Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View was outstanding and near perfect!”
The very next day, the Shoreline Amphitheatre had a quick turnover of shows and quickly adjusted its setup for The Cure. The show, featuring the Twilight Sad, was “overall an impressive show,” according to a reviewer from the San Francisco Bay Area Concerts website. The writer also added that he was blown away when The Cure filled up the Shoreline Amphitheatre to its full capacity. “21,000 fans filled the amphitheater! Where were these people back in the 80s and 90s?” Two days after The Cure’s show, Twilight Sad, a highly-rated Scottish punk rock band, returned to the venue to perform their own solo concert.
epic summer concerts
Summertime shows came knocking by June, and the first major concert to light up the Shoreline Amphitheatre was Janet Jackson’s Together Again Tour, featuring rapper Ludacris. ‘90 pop fans packed the venue on Friday, 16th June 2023. The superstar performance was divided into four acts, comprising 40 songs. Jackson’s setlist was truly a career-spanning work, with the Grammy winner performing songs from her self-titled debut album all the way to her latest effort, Unbreakable. Aside from her timeless hits, Janet Jackson also delivered a cover of Michael Jackson’s “Scream.” Meanwhile, Ludacris brought the house down with his high-energy performance.
The 60-acre concert ground also provides great space for an adrenaline-filled rock concert. For the majority of the summer season, Shoreline hosted a plethora of iconic rock bands, such as Fall Out Boy, Bring Me the Horizon, Nickelback, Slightly Stoopid, and Sublime with Rome. On Wednesday, the 5th July, Fall Out Boy brought their So Much (for) Stardust Tour to Mountainview. The concert promoted the band’s latest album and brought in a myriad of special guests, such as Bring Me the Horizon, Royal & The Serpent, and Daisy Grenade. The attendees of the show were able to take advantage of the round-trip buses that go from San Francisco to Shoreline Amphitheatre.
A few days after Fall Out Boy rocked the house, it was Nickelback’s turn to bring the house down. Nickelback’s Get Rollin’ Tour brought special guests Brantley Gilbert and Josh Ross. “They didn’t disappoint. They were great from start to finish. I took my 14-year-old and her friend, and they had a blast as well. All rocked out. The crowd was good. We were in the lawn area but the reserved lawn area, so it wasn’t crazy in there,” mentioned a concert attendee at the San Francisco Theater website.
Speaking of iconic rock bands, a history in the making occurred at the Shoreline when Slightly Stoopid performed at the venue with special guest Sublime with Rome on Friday, 14th July 2023. Reggae rock powerhouse Slightly Stoopid has been one of the most sought-after live acts in the reggae and rock circuit. The band often headlines massive festivals across North America. What most people don’t know is that the band actually got their start when Sublime frontman Bradley Nowell from Subline signed the band to his label while they were still in high school. Giving a high school band a chance was virtually unheard of, but Nowell saw great potential. Three decades later, Sublime – a spin-off of Sublime, came in to support Slightly Stoopid for their massive concert at the Shoreline Amphitheatre.
your great concert photos
The month of August became a very period of Shoreline thanks to exhilarating concerts by The Smashing Pumpkins, Jonas Brothers, The Offspring, Big Time Rush, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Post Malone, and many more! Some of the most stand-out shows for that month through was the world-renowned superstar Rod Stewart, who performed with legendary rock band Cheap Trick on Tuesday, 8th August 2023. Country music powerhouse Dierks Bentley also brought in his monster of a trek, Gravel & Gold Tour. For that particular concert, he brought along supporting acts Jordan Davis and Caylee Hammack. The concert received raving customer reviews at the San Francisco Theater. “Great show once again. Sound and levels were well done.”
In September, Shoreline offered something amazing for the younger audiences. The Kidz Bop Kids Live took over the amphitheater on Saturday, 9th September 2023. It was a family-friendly, fun-filled event that featured countless Billboard Hot 100 hits, except the songs were rewritten to cancel out unfavorable words and suggestive lyrics. Pint-sized singers took the stage and got everyone singing and dancing along to the beat. “I love the concert. It was super amazing, and I had so much fun,” said Jordan Miller from North Carolina.
For the rest of September, fans were given a myriad of genres, from Pentatonix’s pure acapella concert to Jason Aldean’s country music trip and The All American Rejects’ and New Found Glory’s pop-punk staples.
Lastly, before the venue said hello to the fall season, Shoreline hosted an adrenaline-packed soul and R&B fest featuring Ne-Yo’s Champagne and Roses Tour with special guests Robin Thicke and Pleasure P. The tour ended its run at the Shoreline. The platinum hitmakers turned the venue into a massive raging party filled with iconic hits and fan favorites.
The year 2023 at the Shoreline Amphitheatre was undoubtedly a jam-packed schedule with all the big names. The venue remains the most in-demand concert destination for big artists due to its vast space and great location. Aside from great music, attendees also enjoy the venue’s facilities and a wide array of food and shopping vendors. For the year 2024, the schedule is also anticipated to be fully packed. Therefore, if you’re keen on experiencing a massive concert at the Shoreline Amphitheatre, you better hurry and score tickets now!