View source for Columbia Merriweather Post Pavilion

'''Merriweather Post Pavilion''' is an outdoor pavilion located in the heart of Columbia, Maryland. Designed by the famous architect Frank Ghery for the National Symphony Orchestra, it opened in 1967 and has been, despite concerts by the likes of Led Zeppelin, Tom Jones, Jimi Hendrix and more, in constant turmoil because of poor attendance and its location on valuable land. In the late 90s, it was threated with closure, but Washington D.C. based I.M.P. LLC have overtook control of the venue since, helped by the "Save Merriweather" grassroots campaign. It has the capacity of 19,319.

In 2013, the venue was ranked the fourth best amphitheater in the United States by Rolling Stone. In 2016, Consequence of Sound ranked it 29 out of 100 best music venues in the nation. Additionally, Fodor's Travel ranked the venue sixth best outdoor music venue in the country in 2023.

In 2009, the venue hosted an annual Virgin Mobile FreeFest for five years, including guest appearances by Virgin CEO Richard Branson and featuring appearances by acts like Jack White, [[Vampire Weekend]], MGMT, St. Vincent, [[LCD Soundsystem]] and more. The festival brought in approximately 50,000 attendees each year. In 2014, during a Mad Decent concert, two people died and twenty other were hospitalized from drug overdoses, forcing venues across the country to impose stricter drug enforcement controls. In 2017, for the Pavillion's 50th anniversary, I.M.P. signed a 40-year lease to continue operating the amphitheater. In honour of its history, legendary artists like Paul Simon, Sarah McLachlan and Santana returned to the venue's stage in 2017. An anniversary concert also included artists like Jackson Browne and Willie Nelson.

Muse performed at the venue twice in the past, starting with a 2004 support act performance during [[The Cure]]'s Curiosa Tour and returning in 2007 as the support act on a U.S. tour with [[My Chemical Romance]]. The band are set to return to the venue for a headlining gig, on July 28th, 2026, as part of their [[The Wow! Signal Tour|The Wow! Signal North American Tour]], supported by [[Bloc Party]] and [[The Temper Trap]].

== Muse appearances ==

* [[Columbia Merriweather Post Pavilion 2026 (gig)|2026-07-28]]
* [[Columbia Merriweather Post Pavilion 2007 (gig)|2007-04-27]] (supporting [[My Chemical Romance]])
* [[Columbia Merriweather Post Pavilion 2004 (gig)|2004-08-06]] (supporting [[The Cure]])

== See also ==

* [https://merriweathermusic.com/ Merriweather Post Pavillion website]

[[Category:Venues]]