Johnny Morris' latest outdoor venture, a 20,000-seat amphitheater nestled in the Ozarks hills, has hosted country artists like Garth Brooks and Chris Stapleton. Since its grand opening two years ago, the venue has received mixed reviews from concertgoers.
Thunder Ridge Nature Arena, located off Highway 86 in Ridgedale, gained nationwide attention in fall 2022 after Brooks performed three sold-out shows at the venue for Bass Pro Shops' 50th anniversary. Social media posts showed hours-long lines of traffic, issues with parking and inadequate features for concertgoers with disabilities. Some ticketholders were unable to experience the concert altogether.
On Sunday, nearly two years following Brooks' performances, the venue is preparing to host its largest act yet: The Rolling Stones. Though the concert was booked as a last-minute add-on to the Stones' Hackney Diamonds Tour, notable renovations have been underway at Thunder Ridge since 2022. U.S. Highway 86 was expanded from two to four lanes, the guest parking lot was expanded by about 36% and more ADA pathways, seating and dedicated parking were added.
When tickets for the Stones concert hit the market in May, they ranged between $279 for general admission on the farthest upper hill to more than $1,570 for assigned seating near the stage. Additional side hill seating has even been added for a lower price, at $191.
Despite the widespread excitement, some folks are skeptical. This spring, the venue reopened and has held two concerts so far, Morgan Wallen on May 25 and Chris Stapleton on June 13.
Mansfield resident Jennifer Creed attended one of the Brooks' concerts in September 2022 and most recently saw Wallen perform. As a concertgoer who has visited the venue before and after recent hefty renovations, Creed said "significant changes" must be implemented before she returns.
Concerns with parking congestion, passes and walkway terrain
One of the main concerns Creed expressed to the News-Leader about the Brooks and Wallen concerts was parking.
Previously, Thunder Ridge concertgoers were encouraged to park either at the venue or the Fruit Farm Lot, which is located about 2.4 miles northeast of the venue on U.S. 86. Concertgoers who parked at the off-site farm lot could ride a free shuttle bus to the venue. However, due to the large number of attendees at the Brooks concerts, the bus service quickly became bogged down.
Since reopening the venue this year, Thunder Ridge no longer offers parking at the Fruit Farm Lot. Instead, the venue expanded its guest parking by 3,000 spaces, ASM Global Marketing Vice President of Marketing Kate Girotti told the News-Leader. In total, Thunder Ridge offers 11 on-site parking lots. For lots that are farther away from the venue's entrance, four new, open-air trams cart concertgoers back and forth. Each tram holds 25 people.
For all Thunder Ridge concerts held to date, parking cost $50 per vehicle. However, general admission parking for The Rolling Stones concert is free.
For both concerts she attended at Thunder Ridge, Creed parked in Lot 4, which is about halfway between U.S. 86 and the venue's entrance. At the Brooks concert, Creed said she left during the encore to try and beat the traffic congestion. She was out of the parking lot and back on the highway within about 45 minutes.
Despite using the same strategy and leaving the Wallen concert during the encore, Creed said her experience exiting the venue was a bit different. She waited in standstill traffic on the venue's property for more than an hour before returning to the highway.
"I absolutely understand that there is an expectation at any event with a large number of people that you are going to have to have patience," Creed said. "I've also been to enough concerts and large events to know when it is just part of the experience versus a failure in organization and processes. That is what this was."
Creed said she would like to see additional entrance or exit paths added to the venue and trained traffic control staff to help move vehicles out smoother. According to an ASM Global spokesperson, the venue currently offers three points of ingress and egress.
Creed said she would also like to see the venue feature more safe and accessible features for motorcyclists, as she rode in on a motorcycle for the Wallen concert. As of July 8, the venue did not offer motorcycle-designated parking, Girotti said.
Springfield resident Shelby Morrison also attended the Wallen concert on May 25. She spent $295 on two reserved seating tickets for her and her fiancé and $50 for a parking pass.
Morrison said the walk from Lot 1 to the venue entrance was about 30-45 minutes on hilly, rough terrain.
"By ready to hike up and down hills that are gravel and mulched," Morrison said. "They had advertised that they had paved them, but that was only about one-third of the way true and that's generous."
Girotti described the pathways at Thunder Ridge as a combination of cement sidewalks and "crushed gravel" walkways.
"We always encourage people, even in our know before you go email, to wear close-toed shoes. It's in the name of the venue, it's a nature arena. You're walking on gravel, there's grass," Girotti said. "It's not the type of place to wear high heels. You're out in nature. That's the beauty of the venue. You're out in the elements."
Girotti encouraged concertgoers to take advantage of rideshare services like Uber and Lyft, as the venue does offer a rideshare designated dropoff at the entrance.
When it came to the $50 parking pass she purchased for the concert, Morrison said it was never checked by venue staff. Fortunately, Morrison got a refund for the pass from Ticketmaster.
Girotti said parking passes are checked at the venue's main entrance when concertgoers get off U.S. 86. However, she recognized that passes may have been missed in the past.
"Parking is an area that we continue to look for ways to improve ... doing our best to make sure everybody's pass gets checked, whether its visually or scanned, just to make that we can get everybody in the facility as soon as possible," Girotti said.
But not all concertgoers have had negative experiences with parking at Thunder Ridge. Springfield resident Kelsey Brown attended the Stapleton concert on June 13. Brown said when the concert was over, she was able to return to her car in Lot 4A and get back on U.S. 86 within 20 minutes.
Guests express frustration with seating, visibility
Other concerns Creed and Morrison shared about their experiences at Thunder Ridge were seating and visibility.
For both Brooks and Wallen, Creed purchased tickets on Center Hill, a grassy area where folks can set up blankets and lawn chairs. Center Hill, which has been added to the venue since 2022, does not feature permanent seating and the area functions on a first-come-first-serve basis.
For her Center Hill tickets, Creed said she paid about $100 for the Brooks concert and $212 for Wallen.
With no permanent seating and "minimal terracing," Creed said the bottom of Center Hill became a bit chaotic at the end of the Wallen concert, as intoxicated concertgoers crowded toward the front of the area and stumbled around other seated guests.
When it comes to accessible on Center Hill, Girotti said permanent staircases have been added to the area since the Wallen concert.
Morrison's reserved seats, on the other hand, were closer to the stage. However, Morrison said many concertgoers chose to stand on their seats for the entire concert, which made viewing the stage difficult.
How is Thunder Ridge connecting with guests?
Girotti told the News-Leader all concertgoers receive a post-concert survey email, where they are encouraged to submit feedback about their experience at the venue. Morrison and Creed confirmed that they received this survey and completed it after the Wallen concert.
"I think the common theme is learning every time we have an event there," Girotti said. "What is working? Where can we improve? What are the guests saying? (We're) really just trying to adapt and adjust as the season continues."
Continued expansion
Construction remains underway at Thunder Ridge and several new features won't debut until next year.
One of these projects is The Veterans Tower, formerly called The Nature Tower. Inspired by Morris' father, John Morris, who served in World War II, this four-story luxury hotel will feature three two-floor suites. Each suite will include a private bathroom, outside deck with a view of the stage and fireplace. Each suite will sleep up to 10 people, Girotti said. Previous News-Leader reporting stated that the tower would be 12 stories tall, as this information was dispersed in a news release.
Another "premium experience" coming to Thunder Ridge is Founder Suites. Though she didn't have a definite number for how many of these suites will be at the venue, Girotti said likely 12-13 suites will open next year. Each Founder Suite will feature a Murphy bed, private bathroom and air conditioning.
As far as amenities for all concertgoers, Girotti said new permanent bathrooms have also been added throughout the venue.
Speaking with the News-Leader, Brown said she was impressed by the venue's air-conditioned bathrooms during the Stapleton concert, and she never had to wait in a bathroom line. Overall, she compared her experience to concerts she's attended at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater in Colorado.
“This was our first time at Thunder Ridge and we already have tickets for a show in August," she said. "We will definitely be going back again and again. I thought Red Rocks was my favorite, but Nature Arena tops the list."
Another new feature to the venue is the Fan Zone, an area on the venue's property that concertgoers can spend time in before entering the official seated area. According to the Thunder Ridge website, the Fan Zone is the "ultimate tailgate party," with food and beverage vendors, official concert merchandise and activities for children.
Who is performing at Thunder Ridge later this year?
- Luke Bryan: Mind of a Country Boy Tour: 7 p.m. Saturday, July 27
- Slightly Stoopid & Dirty Heads with HIRIE, KBong and Johnny Cosmic: 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31
- Imagine Dragons: LOOM WORLD TOUR: 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 8
- Pitbull: Party After Dark Tour: 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21
Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. She has more than five years of journalism experience covering everything from Ozarks history to Springfield’s LGBTQIA+ community. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretacrossphoto. Story idea? Email her atgcross@news-leader.com.
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