Wine Amplified

I'm perplexed as to why the Wine Amplified festival has received so many negative reviews - I had a great time! I was able to snag a pair of free tickets to this concert for one day (Panic at the Disco headlined with Passion Pit the day I went). Discounted tickets were also available through Groupon. The festival was held at the MGM Resorts Village.I parked at Mandalay Bay and hoofed it to the Village to avoid parking fees. Entry into the festival was pain free and there weren't any lines to speak of. Once I was fitted with my chipped bracelet, I was able to walk right in after scanning myself in. Plastic wine glasses could be picked up at one of the first booths you see when you walk in. The first glass is free, try not to lose it! Since this is a "cash-free" festival, funds have to be loaded onto bracelets in increments of 10. I loaded $20 and was able to make it last throughout the night. I had $2 left over, and just gave it as a tip to one on the wine pourers so it didn't go to waste. If you want a refund, there's a $5 processing fee. The cashless thing kind of blows, but it seems likes it's a trend among large festivals.... There was a mix of local food trucks and weird carnival food at the event. I ended up going with Slidin' Thru's caprese sliders. Yummers! Food prices were average concert prices (nothing to be upset about). As a self-procliamed wino, I was in heaven at Wine Amplified. There were rows upon rows of wine vendors at the ready. Each booth carried at least 2-3 wines. Samples started at $2, and glasses started at $6. I liked just about every wine I tried. While I can't say I'm a fan of the lineup, I still enjoyed the music and overall vibe. Andrew McMahon put on a surprisingly good show. The main stage was amazing and actually better than the stages at Life is Beautiful. Two large screens were placed next to the stage - you could see the concert going on from eons away. I loved that green turf was laid out over the asphalt, allowing concert goers to sit and relax while watching the show. Besides the main stage, there was also a "Rave Cave" bumping EDM and a "speakeasy" playing live tunes on a more intimate level. The speakeasy was a nice touch because the area was filled with couches, chairs and two bars. The only thing missing was A/C!My only complaints are that there aren't any 'real' bathrooms available and that the cashless system is not my favorite. Other than that, I'd highly recommend checking out Wine Amplified!YELP 100 CHALLENGE 2015: #257

I preface this review by stating that I actually had a really great time at this festival. That being said, if I had actually paid for a ticket I would have been highly disappointed... I was able to snag free tickets for both nights of Wine Amplified this year. I was excited to see the lineup despite not being overly enthused by any one band in particular. Upon arrival on the first day, the line was a clusterf$*% with employees not totally sure what they were doing or how to retrieve reservations and tickets. They were able to get their crap together after a while and the lines started moving a little quicker. Once inside the festival there were stations to load money onto your wristbands. I don't love this system as that just seems to force you to stand in more lines and try to guesstimate how much you plan on spending for the day. The disclaimer being that any unused funds would only be refunded with a $5 charge... um, thanks for letting me know that I have to pay $5 to get my own money back that you forced me to place on the wristband in the first place... I realize this is a growing trend in festivals, but it doesn't mean I have to like it.The lines for food were reasonable and I was glad about that since I hate standing in line for overpriced and mediocre food. Everything was incredibly overpriced at the event. We learned our lesson based on day one and ate before we came for day two. You receive a complimentary plastic wine glass for tastings, but I heard more than a few complaints from event-goers that had been in the past about them now charging for samples of wine. I didn't partake in this part of the event so I can't really comment, but looking around at the booths, the wine selections were unimpressive.The concert was great and since that was the only reason I went, I had a blast. Staff kept the stage area clean and safe and each day we found a great spot to sit and enjoy the show without issue. I would definitely come back next year if they offer free tickets again, but I don't see myself spending the money to attend this event.

I did get my money back via PalPay like I was promised but I'm still not happy with the way everything went down. If they get ride of the "cashless" system I may consider going next year.

I had the displeasure of paying for 2 days entrance for this event. After speaking to some people at the event I was pissed to find that ALOT of people managed to get free tickets whilst I paid $155 for 2 bands and both days. Wine is just the same wine you can get at Walmart for $10 pet bottle and not $6 for a SMALL GLASS. Servers asking for tips. First server I asked for a little extra since I has given a $2 tip for a $2 taste of wine with the response of "hell no". Hmm no more tips.I wouldn't attend again even with a free ticket. Totally not worth spending any money on. Food was also way overpriced. Vendors would only take money from wristband which forced you to put money on the band. Really disappointing.

Went to see Blink 182, Better Than Ezra, and The Pixies - killed it. The bands, weather, and big screens were awesome!The wine event - eh. They had plenty of ok labels but, I stuck with Deep Eddy Vodka - ruby grapefruit. So here's the scoop - the VIP tickets provided access to better restrooms and some non alcoholic drinks. Other than that, viewing area was better in the general area. Not really worth the extra $$.The main problem was the pre-charged wrist bands. You had to load them with cash for every purchase and after the event it was a big hassle to try and get our balance back. Many emails and a few weeks. They did make good on it but, for anyone who wasn't persistent, maybe not.Nice event, would I attend again, nope.

This was my first year going! I had a great time, terrific music, great variety of food, and the wines were awesome! I'm definitely going back next year.

Wine Amplified used to be about good music and good wine; however, now it has devolved into a venue for second rate music and tier two wine with vapid servers who couldn't tell you the difference between a Malbec and a Merlot. Where once the wine flowed freely from the bottles, now the participants must pay premium prices for a half ounce pour into plastic glasses while the servers shamelessly demand tips. It is obvious that the promoters of this event are just interested in getting every last dollar into their pockets and any concerns they ever had about wine has long since left their thoughts.

As one of the original Rock and Roll fans I am sad to say Wine Amplified/Rock and Roll Wine has hit rock bottom. Back when they started there was quality wine, small venue, quality music, quality location. Today they have inflated prices, average to below average wine, music that does not match with wine crowd (actually really bad music), large venues, everything costs extra, etc. It is obvious that the founders are chasing the dollar and their venture is at an end. They lost focus on the customer or should I say wine customer along time ago. We are done with this mess!

I found this be well, organized my first concert that started on time, in 30 years of concerts. Love the wrist band for payment, keeps everyone honest. My favorite part was the food truck options. I ate a lobster roll, turkey leg, hot and ribs. OMG so good. I feel like it was over all one of the best food and entertainment values so far in Vegas. I felt safe and secure at the event as well.

One star for the total disappointment for management of this event. I will applaud them for their entertainment however that is it! The vendors ran out of several wines and so did the food trucks on the first night. We were excited for this event, we added $200 on our wristbands (the ticket price includes nothing except the entertainment and $10 in festival bucks) You have to pay for all wine tastings, really anything at the event which was very over pricedThey clearly advertise any unused funds will be automatically refunded after the event, since this was the case we freely added money at the event, wish we didnt... after loading $200 on our bands we had a balance of $88 which management is refusing to refund saying it's their bonus bucks from our tickets, the math doesn't add up...we have receipt for $100 for the last upload at the event which clearly the remaining balance is from that, NOPE NO REFUNDS Do not go next year, waste of money