City: Portsmouth, VA

Category: Nightlife

Telephone: (757) 393-8181

Address: 901 Crawford St.

Description: Sometimes it’s hard to keep your eyes on the acts here. This cozy amphitheater sits right on the banks of the Elizabeth River, a working waterway where tugs and ferries, sailboats, and motor launches zip by a background of working shipyards. In fact, you can come to the concert by boat. A pedestrian ferry from Norfolk docks a few blocks away. Or you can captain your own and rent a slip at the adjacent Ocean Marine Yacht Center. The quality of the stars onstage often eclipses those in the summer sky. The Beach Boys have played here; so has Bonnie Raitt, CeCe Winans, Barry Manilow, Tony Bennett, and Harry Connick Jr. James Brown rocked the place. So did Jefferson Starship and Megadeth. And don’t forget country favorites like Travis Tritt, Vince Gill, and Tricia Yearwood.Although this is an outdoor facility, it’s not cavernous, with just about 6,500 seats. You can bring a blanket or a low-slung lawn chair, or rent one when you get there and just chill. The sound is state of the art, no instruments lost to the wind here, and there are even free headsets available with reservations for the hearing impaired.