The Pavilion at Star Lake, originally Coca-Cola Star Lake Amphitheater, is an outdoor

amphitheater An amphitheatre ( U.S. English: amphitheater) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ('), meaning "place for vie ...

near

Burgettstown, Pennsylvania Burgettstown is a borough in northwestern Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,424 according to the 2020 census. It is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The Pavilion at Star Lake, a 23,000-seat outdoor a ...

, United States, west of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

. The venue holds approximately 23,000 fans: 7,100 in a reserved-seating, open-air pavilion and an additional 16,000 on a general-admission lawn. It is owned and operated by

Live Nation Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. is an American multinational Entertainment industry, entertainment company that was founded in 2010 following the Mergers and acquisitions, merger of Live Nation (events promoter), Live Nation and Ticketmaster. It ...

Venue history

The venue opened as Coca-Cola Star Lake Amphitheater and hosted its first national act,

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Piano Man" after his Signature song, signature 1973 song Piano Man (song), of the same name, Joel has ha ...

, on June 17, 1990. A second show was added on June 18, 1990 due to the record-breaking response. In 2000, the name of the venue was changed to the Post-Gazette Pavilion after the ''

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving Greater Pittsburgh, metropolitan Pittsburgh in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the fi ...

'' bought the naming rights. President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

visited the venue on November 1, 2004 along with

Curt Schilling Curtis Montague Schilling (born November 14, 1966) is an American former Major League Baseball right handed pitcher and commentator for media outlet BlazeTV. He helped lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a World Series appearance in 1993 World Seri ...

Lynn Swann Lynn Curtis Swann (born March 7, 1952) is an American former professional football player, broadcaster, politician, and athletic director, best known for his association with the University of Southern California and the Pittsburgh Steelers. He ...

. In February 2010, the ''Post-Gazette'' announced it had not renewed its contract for naming rights to the facility. This led

First Niagara Bank First Niagara Bank was a Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation-insured regional bank, regional banking corporation headquartered in Buffalo (city), New York, Buffalo, New York. Its parent company, First Niagara Financial Group, Inc. was the 44th- ...

to snatch up the naming rights, after which the venue was named First Niagara Pavilion. The facility was renamed again in 2016, becoming KeyBank Pavilion after

KeyCorp KeyBank is an American regional bank headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, and the 27th largest bank in the United States. Organized under the publicly traded KeyCorp, KeyBank was formed from the 1994 merger of the Cleveland-based Society Corpora ...

acquired First Niagara. It was renamed S&T Bank Music Park in 2020 upon the expiration of KeyCorp's naming rights deal, but renamed to The Pavilion at Star Lake the following year. The venue is well known for having traffic control problems, with concerts frequently causing gridlock and leaving attendees stranded for hours after shows begin, sometimes not even able to use their tickets.

Performer history

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreogr ...

was scheduled to perform at the amphitheater during her Rhythm Nation World Tour on September 3, 1990, but the show was canceled. The

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, Folk music, folk, country music, country, bluegrass music, bluegrass, roc ...

played the venue twice (June 22 and 23, 1992).

Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. Originally formed with the line-up of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher (musician), Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, the band currently consists ...

performed at the venue on June 29, 1994 during their Exotic Tour/Summer Tour '94.

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

played the venue on August 12, 1994 as part of the Summer Sh*t Tour.

INXS INXS (a phonetic play on "in excess") were an Australian rock band, formed as the Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney. The founding members were bassist Garry Gary Beers, main composer and keyboardist Andrew Farriss, drummer Jon Farriss, gu ...

played their final concert with former lead vocalist

Michael Hutchence Michael Kelland John Hutchence (22 January 1960 – 22 November 1997) was an Australian singer and songwriter. He was the co-founder, lead singer and lyricist of the rock band INXS from 1977 until his death in 1997. The band sold over 50 ...

on September 27, 1997, less than two months before his death.

Yes Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * Young Eisner Scholars, in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and Appalachia, US * Young Ep ...

and

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

performed at Starlake on July 5, 2000.

Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd (, ) is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1964. The group originally formed as My Backyard and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (vocals), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Junstrom ...

recorded their 1998 live album '' Lyve From Steel Town'' the previous summer at Starlake Amphitheatre. The British group the

Spice Girls The Spice Girls are an English girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Mel B ("Scary Spice"), Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"), Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"), Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"), and Victoria Beckham ("Posh Spice"). They have sold over 10 ...

performed at the venue, as part of their

Spiceworld Tour The Spiceworld Tour (also known as Spice Girls in Concert and the Girl Power Tour '98) was the debut concert tour by English girl group the Spice Girls. It was launched in support of their first two studio albums, ''Spice'' (1996) and '' Spicewor ...

, on July 15, 1998.

Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1973. Credited with restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene, Van Halen was known for their energetic live performances and the virtuosity of their guit ...

recorded a live concert at the venue on July 24, 1998 for a radio station during their III Tour.

Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman, and keyboardist Page McConnell, all of whom perform vocals, with Anastasio being the ...

recorded their show on July 29, 2003, at the venue, later releasing it as a live album entitled '' Live Phish 07.29.03''. They subsequently performed a sold-out show on June 18, 2009, and again on June 23, 2012. All told, Phish have performed 7 shows at the venue the first in 1997 and the most recent in 2012. The band's August 11, 1998 performance at the venue was released on the DVD ''Star Lake '98'' in 2012.

Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1967 by the singer and guitarist Peter Green (musician), Peter Green. Green named the band by combining the surnames of the drummer, Mick Fleetwood, and the bassis ...

were scheduled to perform during their

Say You Will Tour ''Say You Will'' is the seventeenth and final studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 15 April 2003. It followed 1995's ''Time'' and was their first album since 1970 without vocalist/keyboardist Christine McVie as a ...

on June 10, 2004, but the show was canceled.

Josh Groban Joshua Winslow Groban (born February 27, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. His first four solo albums have been certified multi-platinum, and he was charted in 2007 as the number-one best selling artist in the United States, ...

performed here in August 2004 during his "Closer" tour, as well as during August 2016 on his summer "Stages"/mix tour with

Sarah McLachlan Sarah Ann McLachlan (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is ''Surfacing (album), Surfacing'' (1997), for which she won two G ...

Kings of Leon Kings of Leon is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, in 1999. The band includes brothers Caleb, Nathan, and Jared Followill and their cousin Matthew Followill. The band's early music was a blend of Southern roc ...

were scheduled to perform during their Come Around Sundown World Tour on September 7, 2010, with The Whigs and

The Black Keys The Black Keys are an American Rock music, rock duo formed in Akron, Ohio in 2001. The group consists of Dan Auerbach (guitar, Singing, vocals) and Patrick Carney (Drum kit, drums). The duo began as an Independent music, independent act, record ...

as their opening acts, but the show was canceled, due to scheduling conflicts.

Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter, author, and businessman. He was known for his tropical rock sound and persona, which often portrayed a lifestyle described as "island escapis ...

& The

Coral Reefer Band The Coral Reefer Band is the touring and recording band of American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett (until Buffett's death in September 2023). The band's name alludes to both coral reefs (in line with Buffett's tropical-themed music) and "reefe ...

performed at the venue nearly every year from when it opened in 1990 until 2022. The only exception is when they played

PNC Park PNC Park is a baseball stadium on the North Shore (Pittsburgh), North Shore of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the fifth location to serve as the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates. Opened during the 2001 Major League Baseb ...

in 2005 and in 2017. At the July 7, 2018, Son of A Son of A Sailor Tour concert, thousands of ParrotHeads were left waiting to get into the venue for hours.

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as the "Queen of Rap" and one of the most influential rappers of all time, she is noted for her ...

performed for over 19,000 fans at the venue on August 8, 2015 as part of

The Pinkprint Tour The Pinkprint Tour was the third concert tour by Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj, in support of her third studio album, '' The Pinkprint'' (2014). The tour began on March 16, 2015, in Stockholm, Sweden and concluded on March 25, 2016, in Dubai, Un ...

Farm Aid Farm Aid is an annual benefit concert held for American farmers. History On July 13, 1985, before performing "When The Ship Comes In" with Keith Richards and Ron Wood at the Live Aid benefit concert for the 1983–1985 Ethiopian famine, B ...

has been played here twice. September 21, 2002, and September 17, 2017.

Lana Del Rey Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Lana Del Rey discography, Her music is noted for its melancholic exploration of Glamour (presentation), glamor and Romanc ...

performed at the venue on October 3, 2023.

Dave Matthews Band Dave Matthews Band (also known as DMB) is an American rock band from Charlottesville, Virginia. The band's lineup consists of Dave Matthews (lead vocals, guitar), Stefan Lessard (bass), Carter Beauford (drums), Tim Reynolds (lead guitar), R ...

has played the most shows at Star Lake with 32. The venue has also played host to music festivals, including All That! Music and More Festival,

Crüe Fest ''Crüe Fest'' was a summer 2008 tour by Mötley Crüe, which commenced on July 1, 2008 and concluded on August 31, 2008. It featured Mötley Crüe themselves, Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Sixx:A.M., and Trapt. ''Crüe Fest'' was said to be "the ...

Crüe Fest 2 Crüe Fest 2 was the second year of the Crüe Fest touring festival, created and headlined by Mötley Crüe. The tour took place over the summer of 2009, and was in the same vein as the first Crüe Fest. Line up On March 16, 2009, the line up fo ...

Family Values Tour The Family Values Tour was an annual rock and hip hop tour held by the American nu metal band Korn since 1998. The first tour took place in 1998 and the second tour in 1999, but the tour took a hiatus in 2000 due to heavy competition from the An ...

H.O.R.D.E. Horizons of Rock Developing Everywhere or H.O.R.D.E. Festival was a concert tour, touring summer rock music festival originated by the musical group Blues Traveler in 1992. In addition to travelling headliners, the festival gave exposure to bands ...

Festival,

Honda Civic Tour The Honda Civic Tour is an annual concert tour, sponsored by American Honda Motor Company. 2001 First half *Headliner: Blink-182 *Supporting: No Motiv, Sum 41, The Ataris, and Bodyjar Second half *Headliner: Everclear *Supporting: Ameri ...

Identity Festival The Identity Festival was an American annual music festival that featured popular electronic music artists. The festival toured various North American cities. Conception The talent agency William Morris Endeavor recognized the demand for electr ...

Lilith Fair Lilith Fair was a concert tour and travelling music festival, founded by Canadian musician Sarah McLachlan, Nettwerk Music Group's Dan Fraser and Terry McBride (CEO), Terry McBride, and New York talent agent Marty Diamond. It took place during ...

Lollapalooza Lollapalooza () is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991, with Chicago becoming its permanent location beginning in 2005. Music genres i ...

Mayhem Festival The Mayhem Festival is a metal festival that takes place during the summer. The inaugural season took place in 2008; the festival later became an annual event across the United States. Most years also included a single date in either Montreal or ...

Ozzfest Ozzfest was an annual music festival tour of the United States and sometimes Europe and later Japan, featuring performances by many heavy metal music, heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Sharon Osbourne and her husband O ...

Projekt Revolution Projekt Revolution was a music festival hosted by Linkin Park, bringing artists of various genres of music together. Linkin Park started Projekt Revolution in the year 2002 with just one stage. Then, in 2004, they announced the Revolution Stage ...

Uproar Festival The Uproar Festival, also called the Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Festival, was an annual hard rock and Heavy metal music, heavy metal tour inaugurated in 2010 by John Reese and sponsored by Rockstar (drink), Rockstar Energy Drink. The tour was a ...

, and

Vans Warped Tour The Warped Tour is a touring rock music festival that toured the United States and Canada each summer from 1995 until 2019, and returned in 2025 for its 30th anniversary. By 2015, Warped was the largest traveling music festival in the United S ...

In popular culture

The venue was featured on a 2002 episode of ''

The Daily Show ''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk show, late-night talk and news satire television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central in the United States, with extended episodes released shortly after on Paramount+ ...

''. In December 2012, Phish released a concert video, ''Star Lake 98'', of their 1998 show at the venue during their summer tour.

released '' Live Trax Vol. 35'' on October 16, 2015, The show was recorded June 20, 2009. In May 2020 DMB also released '' Live Trax Vol. 51'' from their August 10, 2007 show there.

References

External links

The Pavilion at Star Lake - Official Site
Amphitheaters in the United States Buildings and structures in Washington County, Pennsylvania Music venues completed in 1990 1990 establishments in Pennsylvania Music venues in Pittsburgh {{coord, 40.4197, -80.4341, type:landmark, display=title

Venue history

Performer history

In popular culture

See also

References

External links