Bon Secours Wellness Arena Concert Tips For Middle Agers (Greenville)
“Hey Siri, what do middle-agers wear to a Disturbed concert?” As newly minted 40+-year-olds, we have been revisiting our favorite ’90s/2000s bands at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, SC. Only one hour and 20 minutes from Asheville, this is our top concert venue in the area for mainstream bands.
Before going, I suggest double-checking your bag size, getting there for the artist you most want to see (the shows are LONG), and staying overnight to enjoy dinner and next-day lunch in Greenville. As I wrote this post, I felt like a true older – maybe even grumpy – millennial. Where is my welcome goodie bag to this new decade?
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What You'll Find In This Guide
Quick Top 5 Bon Secours Wellness Arena Tips
If you are headed out the door, these are our top 5 quick tips for enjoying a concert at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena:
- Sit at least one level above the floor to the right or left to save money and avoid crowd congestion
- Purchase beverages over food, opting for dinner off-site beforehand
- Measure your bag so you don’t have to run back to the hotel or car if it’s too large
- Shows are long, and the seats are uncomfortable (prepare accordingly)
- Stay overnight at the Home2 Suites Downtown for easy access and a fun time
What To Expect: Venue Advice
From Disturbed and Falling in Reverse to Seether, Staind, and Saint Asonia, this is our advice for enjoying concerts at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena, especially for the older crowd. I also have the added lens of someone with a chronic illness on long-term immunosuppressants. I’m watching those germs and crowds a bit more.
Purse/Bag Guidelines
What I can bring into a concert venue affects me more than Tom. The Bon Secours has a generous clear bag policy, including a clear tote no larger than 12”x6”x12.” I haven’t found my stylish clear bag of choice yet, and [barely] get by with their small bag/clutch/wallet requirements under 5.5″x8.5.” My smallest bag fits my ID, credit cards, pillbox, and hand sanitizer or tampons. Staff will stop, measure, and search bags. Of course, there are medical exceptions. It gets chilly (and hot) inside; carry or wear layers.
Concert Run Times
Most concerts we’ve attended are on weeknights or Sunday nights; they start around 6/6:30 PM. Depending on the number of openers, typically two to three, the headliner might not come on for 3+ hours. While it is fun to find a new favorite band, it’s also exhausting to sit in a hard, plastic arena chair for over 5+ hours for a concert, unless you are that hardcore. We are not.
If you are there strictly to see the headliner, I suggest getting to the venue later. We also tend to leave before the last few songs to avoid the mass exodus. Our grandparents taught us well. Once you leave, you are not allowed to re-enter.
Where We Like To Sit
We are not stand-at-the-stage concert-goers. Obviously. Look at us. Even for theater shows, we like to sit higher up and in the back. I’ll take the aisle seat any day – and some of my hearing left. We enjoy the sections around 116 or up a level around 221. Both are on the arena entrance side and to the left of the stage. These seats have great views and are budget-friendly/cheaper. You still get smoke soot up your nose from the pyrotechnics.
Of course, the higher you go, the less crowded it is. We have some big-name concerts coming up and are trying behind the stage because that’s all that was left – or what we wanted to pay.
Food And Drink
We eat in Downtown Greenville before heading to the Bon Secours Wellness Arena (suggestions below). The Bon Secours is not the comfiest place to enjoy food, and it’s quite… grunge. Sure, people eat popcorn, pizza, BBQ, and fried chicken from Bon Secours concessions. Don’t expect gourmet, healthy, or easy eating with someone’s knees in your back and arm in your cup.
Which brings me to the water situation. Sometimes, the venue lets you keep the actual bottle of water. Some of those heavier rock concerts, not so much, and they pour your water into a wide-open cup that you are stuck holding or leaving in a cup holder with someone’s hair dipped into it. I guess Disturbed fans are angrier than most, and they don’t trust us not to throw bottles?! Not all concessions sell bottled water; check before you get in line.
However, we are there for the music with DRINKS. Find local craft beer, margaritas, lounges, and wine. Asheville’s Wicked Weed represents here.
Bathroom Lines
This goes without saying at any concert: use the restrooms any time that’s not between sets or right before the headliner. The lines will wrap through the venue otherwise. For the most part, they are clean and plentiful.
Where To Stay Within Walking Distance Of The Bon Secours Wellness Arena
Although we could drive back to Asheville after a concert, we don’t want to. Greenville is a great little getaway. Two hotels we’ve stayed at and recommend on North Main Street that are under 10 minutes walking distance from the Bon Secours include:
- Home2 Suites by Hilton Greenville Downtown – Valet parking, updated rooms with a fridge and kitchenette, breakfast, and a little shop for essentials (our room overlooked the cemetery; it was very quiet…)
- Holiday Inn Express & Suites Greenville Downtown (an IHG Hotel) – 2-star, budget-friendly hotel with room upgrades and bottled water for rewards members; breakfast, on-site shop, and friendly staff (bathrooms are just slightly dated but fine)
Both hotels let us keep our cars on-site through lunch the next day, which is great for enjoying Downtown Greenville. We’ve also overnighted at the beautiful Grand Bohemian Lodge, but it’s a [manageable] walk to the Bon Secours.
Where To Eat Within Walking Distance Of The Arena
There certainly is no shortage of Downtown Greenville restaurants to enjoy. We prefer the more casual side of Greenville dining and no reservations. Just a few places to eat before a concert at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena include:
- Nose Dive – Burgers, that hummus plate, and cocktails; love the atmosphere
- Sushi Murasaki – Sushi with Japanese-inspired cocktails
- Ink N Ivy – Stellar cocktails and pub grub paired with larger entrees and a rooftop; love the salmon wrap
- Roost Restaurant – Southern classics with delicious guac
Bon Secours Wellness Arena Contact Information
Address: 650 North Academy Street, Greenville, SC 29601
Website: https://www.bonsecoursarena.com/
Email: info@bswarena.com
Phone: (864) 241-3800
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Christine Frascarelli
Christine (pronouns: she/her) is the owner of Uncorked Asheville. After falling in love with those gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains, Christine and her husband Tom decided to call Asheville, North Carolina home. When her pointy Italian nose isn’t stuck in a book, Christine is adopting all of the kitties, getting lost in the forest, and drinking an ESB. She has a BA in English and History from Smith College, her MLIS from USF-Tampa, and is a former U.S. Fulbright Scholar - Indonesia. Christine also owns The Uncorked Librarian LLC with books and movies to inspire travel.
Next time you’re in GVL, try Pomegranate across from the park open for lunch or dinner or Lewis, if you like BBQ, also lunch or dinner, but not downtown. You do pass it coming or leaving town though.
Thanks so much for the suggestions. We were eyeing the Pomegranate menu at Artisphere, and we pass Lewis all the time. We will have to stop in.