The Stage at Suffolk Downs - Boston, Massachusetts

Jaclyn S.

I would absolutely come back to this venue in the future. We purchased tickets and quick pass entry for A Day To Remember, and I found the entire experience to be very organized and fairly run. At door opening, an employee came to retrieve the line of Quick Pass/VIP and walked us to the security tents, which was very fair and eliminated any chaos of people rushing or running to get ahead. When entering the venue, there was merch, food, and drinks lined up to your right side, as well as bathrooms. I was able to quickly purchase merchandise with no issue or long wait. We got our spot directly in front of the stage. The field was a nice size with a great setup. I feel you really would be able to see well from any spot. Sound quality was fantastic, which is not always easy for an outdoor venue. I also have to give a massive shoutout to the security team that was hired for this event. I have been to many many shows, and these guys were some of the best. They were super friendly, and did their jobs correctly. ADTR always comes with a massive flood of crowd surfers, and they were on it the entire time, with a smile on their faces. My 10yo nephew came with us, and they were so great with him, talking to him between sets, and always making sure he was good. Absolute 10/10 experience here. Thanks!

jeremy M.

Traveled 2 hours with kids to see the Avett Brothers and Sierra Farrell at this venue. Was excited to see Suffolk Downs being to good use- but would not return again. Despite the venue being General Admission with a VIP “Turf Club” area (as appeared on setting charts when we bought our tickets through artist pre-sale) we -and MANY others- arrived to a field of crowd fencing for a “pit pass” area that I had not seen when buying tickets that went from the stage to the sound position (which was wrapped in plastic due to rain severely limiting sight lines). This resulted in the majority of the crowd stuck behind the sound position in a V in the rain while the VIP section and the lawn in front of the stage were never full (a bummer I imagine for the artists as well). Be General Admission or don’t. I have never experienced such a delineation in an outdoor non-seated arena. It’s not like lawn and seating- it’s all lawn. We expect the 15 dollar beers and expensive food options (on this rainy night the options were pizza, pretzels, and a sausage guy plus one food truck making grilled cheese way at the back of the venue) but the unfair and not-transparent general admission policy will have us driving two hours in another direction to another venue for our next shows. The Avetts were amazing as always- even from a distance- but the Stage at Suffolk Downs is my least favorite outdoor venue in 40 years of outdoor concert going. (Shout out for the plentiful and clean porta potties and use of the old track though)

Peter C.

I took my son to see A Day to Remember. Really excellent all around. Security was friendly, efficient, and safety conscious. The food trucks included vegan alternatives. The sound was good (we were right near the stage), and the crowd was great. My son is an adult special needs person who loves metal. There was a couple of other guys in the crowd who really made him feel welcome and made me feel like he was safe. My son was excited to see Jeremy McKinnon on stage. Great time all around.

Beth S.

Okay guys, go VIP and make sure to prepay parking when you buy the tickets for your show. It's worth the money. Easy parking, easy access to the venue, and easy exiting at end of the show.

VIP area was sold out for the show but it was very roomy and not overcrowded in any way. Bathroom situation was much better than GA's. Quick to get drinks and food. The grandstand area was awesome and I felt safe up there knowing I wasn't going to be crushed by the masses at a harder show.

We had a blast and we will go again. Next time with a hotel/airBnB because the drive from RI to outlimits Boston is not great in any way.

Amy S.

Went to see Faye Webster at Suffolk Downs. Easy access from the Blue Line train. Grounds were clean, plenty of Port-a-John’s available, as well as free water stations for water bottle filling. Concession & drink prices were absolutely insane- $18 for a large Seltzer.

Overall, had a great time and enjoyed the open space.

John M.

It was fine, but what kills this venue is the exit strategy, or lack there of. The show ends and now you got a thousand people (most of which are intoxicated) standing in a dark field not really knowing what to do, and then everyone all walks through the dark to where we entered. So now you have a thousand people in the dark bottle necking out of this one small opening in the fence, the only light being one flood light on the outside of the fence pointing in; blinding everyone trying to leave. If they’re gonna put the flood light anywhere it should be inside pointing out at the exit, doesn’t matter where you’re from or what language you speak, that’s just common sense. Not to mention there were dozens of handicapped people using wheelchairs that also had to use this same dangerous exit as everyone else at the same time, instead of getting their own. The staff is beyond useless and unhelpful and straight up apathetic. Once you get outside the fence you’re on the free for all that is the parking lot. Once again there are no lights, no signage, no designated Uber/Lyft pickup area, it was an absolute mess. I finally got out and found the wendys down the street where me and 20 others were waiting to get picked up at. If they do not make changes and fix these problems there will undoubtedly be tragic consequences here at some point.

Monica M.

I want to like this venue more.

Pros:
-I did not have as much of an issue with viewing the stage as other reviews say, and I am pretty short.
-I like the food trucks variety.
-I like the repurposing of a race track to a concert venue.
-Seems like plenty of parking available but I did not drive in.
-There is not a lot of downtime at all in between sets. This could be a con as it is definitely difficult to do a combination of the following: use the restroom/buy food/buy drinks/look at merch. You would want to pick one of the above to do between each set as the lines everywhere are long.

Cons:
-only one way in / out of venue. The lines in were extremely long and moved slowly. As there is only one way to exit, I positioned myself to view the stage closer to the exit to not get caught up in most of the crowd leaving.
-only one area where port-a-potties are stationed.
-the drink prices are absurd. I know drink prices are inflated by all venues and this is not only The Stage’s doing, but wow I was very surprised that the drink prices and options were ridiculous. The alcoholic options are extremely sub par. Almost all the alcohol ran out before the main headliner even took the stage (June 2024). The lines for drinks move very slowly, not sure why, as it seems like the staff moves quickly.
-No setlist times listed anywhere. It’s unclear when music starts after doors open.
-No shading at all. Was good weather for my show but I can’t imagine being here otherwise.
-rideshare pickup and drop off not well organized and interferes with people arriving and leaving the venue on foot

Patrick Z.

Venue was fine - getting the Uber/lyft out of there was a disaster - about 500 people waiting for rides because they didn’t have any signage or staff to help the Uber drivers get into the venue. It looked like they let all the lots empty before anyone got a Uber home. Wouldn’t do that again.