DMB @ The Gorge Amphitheater

In college, my roommate told me about a 3-day concert that she went to in the most beautiful outdoor amphitheater. Ever since then I added it to my bucket list, except I had no clue how to turn it into a reality. It wasn’t until about 10 months ago when my good friend told me about her experience going to The Gorge Amphitheater in George, WA to see Dave Matthews Band for a 3-day concert over Labor Day. I couldn’t believe it was the same concert that my roommate had told me about. I wouldn’t say that I’m a die hard fan, but there was a period of time when I listened to DMB pretty regularly and I still love those songs from the late 90’s and early 00’s. Aaron never went through that music phase in his life, but when he heard about the camping and the scenery he was sold too. The Gorge has many different genres of music offered and each year they reserve Labor Day for DMB, so start planning your trip now if it’s something you’re interested in doing! See below for some tips on how to plan your Gorge trip.

DAY 1 PHOTO ALBUM - Saturday, August 31st, 2019

General Logistics: Thankfully, my friends went last year and knew the drill, so Aaron and I got to relax during the planning phase. We decided to fly into Seattle on Friday after work, stay downtown, then drive a rented RV on Saturday morning for the concert Saturday and Sunday and drive back to downtown Seattle Monday. The drive was a little over 2 hours and filled with scenes from Twilight sans vampires. It started with the typical Northwestern pine trees and as we got closer to the venue it turned into high desert. Another option would be to fly into Portland, which is a little less expensive, rent the RV there and drive 5 hours to the venue, which is more money in gas but you can split it between the group of people staying in the RV. Also, you have the option of going down on Thursday or Friday to the campsite that is at the Gorge and the concerts start on Friday night. To rent an RV, check out Outdoorsy.com or RVShare.com. There are nearby towns and vacation home rentals that you can stay at as well if camping and RV’s aren’t your thing, click here for more info.

TRIP COST ESTIMATOR (based on our trip 8/30-9/2/19)

Campsite $45 per person
DMB Lawn Tickets $120 per person
RV Rental $127 per person ($636 total)
+gas. food/drinks, airfare, lodging if you don’t drive straight to the campsite, etc.

Groceries/Meals: $350 total cost or $35 per person per day, which included three 30 packs of beer, handle of Titos, 18 White Claws, food for 2.5 days, etc. We cooked pulled chicken tacos for dinner on Day 1, egg sandwiches with bacon and cheese for breakfast on day 2, along with snacks, sandwiches, etc. We purchased dinner at the show on Day 2 to make it easier on the group. There was the typical concert/campground food options and for gluten free options I was able to choose from kettle corn, fries, and a chicken teriyaki rice plate, along with entire bottles of wine. They also had beers, margaritas, etc.

PACKING LIST:

Weather appropriate attire: For me, it was shorts for the day with a tank or crop top, then I changed into pants before the concert and brought a flannel, light jacket or sweatshirt. Comfortable shoes are key! Make sure they’re a pair that you can do light walking on a dirt/grass terrain with hills.
Sheet/blanket to sit on if you have lawn tickets.
Plastic cups for drinking, but most importantly drinking games – my new favorite is Rage in the Cage, which I learned this weekend!
Toothbrush, toothpaste, body wash, face wash, deodorant, sunscreen. You don’t need makeup or even a hair brush – it’s definitely a low maintenance weekend!
Our RV had sheets, pillows, towels, blankets, cookware, paper towels, trash bags, etc. so make sure to double check if your RV has this too if you decide to rent.

Quick Links: The Gorge Schedule | The Gorge Ticket Info | The Gorge Camping | The Gorge Where To Stay |