The Unexpected Part Of The Acrisure Amphitheater People Can’t Stop Talking About

Downtown Grand Rapids was bustling Friday night as the Acrisure Amphitheater debuted with a concert featuring Lionel Richie, with supporting acts The War and Treaty and Brian Vander Ark, ushering in a new chapter for the city. Then, all day Saturday, the amphitheater was open to the public to come and explore the venue that was partially built with taxpayer money.

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Now that thousands have seen the venue for themselves, we wanted to see what people thought of it. However, the thing that stood out the most wasn't Lionel Richie's performance, the stage design, or the food there. No, it's something that no one expected: the bathrooms.

Grand Rapids Locals React To Acrisure Amphitheater

Leading up to the concert and community celebration this weekend, there was quite a bit of negativity surrounding the amphitheater, especially aimed at the city's response to parking and fears that the city wouldn't be able to adequately handle the influx of people and cars.

So, we asked on Facebook how people who came downtown felt things went. The general consensus? It went great, with amphitheater guests praising the show's sound and lights, the seating, the comfort of the chairs, and the view from the lawn seats.

READ MORE: Why Grand Rapids Amphitheater Shows Are Exempt From Grand Rapids Noise Ordinances

There was definitely a good amount of traffic, but people who parked farther away and walked or took the bus said the walk to the venue wasn't as bad as people were making it out to be.

But of all the things to get the most praise, I don't think anyone expected the amphitheater bathrooms to be discussed so widely.

Grand Rapids Loves The Acrisure Amphitheater's Bathrooms

By all accounts, the bathroom and its many stalls received extra attention to detail, leading to few lines at the doors, with many commentators stating that even the women's room had little to no wait. Plus, similar to a parking garage, there is a light above each stall that turns green or red depending on whether the stall is occupied. This helps keep foot traffic moving.

There are "humongous bathrooms on both the east and west sides," with one commenter going so far as to call them "epic." It wasn't just people on our post talking about the bathrooms; they were discussed in other places on Facebook and Reddit.  Venue bathrooms can be complicated, especially for women. Most of the time, there are lines going outside the door, and no one likes having to wait and miss more of the show.

Your next opportunity to see the bathrooms will be during the second show at the Amphitheater on May 27th with Kid Cudi.