Inside These Walls

I have never been to Afghanistan, Iraq, Beirut, or any similar war-ravaged region, but I have been to Camden, New Jersey, and I can only imagine that parts of the city resemble those war-torn countries. Now Camden may be a great place to live, but it was not voted the most dangerous city in America—again—for nothing. Despite its reputation, however, in the midst of this war-zone lies a little bastion of hope and an oasis for concertgoers.

Originally known as the E-Centre and first opening its doors in June 1995, the Tweeter Center looms as a huge concrete slab on the shores of the Delaware River, directly across from Philadelphia. Over time, it has done the corporate hat-dance of name and sponsorship, changing from the E-Centre to the Sony Blockbuster to the current Tweeter Center. Throughout these changes, however, it has consistently served as Philadelphia’s and the surrounding region’s main large capacity summer amphitheatre ever since it was first opened.

Named for the consumer electronic retailer of the same name, the Tweeter Center at the Waterfront in Camden is one of three venues across the country that share the name; the others can be found in Chicago and just outside of Boston. Besides sharing a sponsor and a name, the three summer sheds also have the same bland concrete aesthetics, large lawns, state of the art video screens, and enough room to pack in a huge crowd on a summer night. Camden’s Tweeter Center can comfortably fit 25,000 people between its lawn and reserved covered seating. There is one major difference, however, between Chicago and Boston and the Camden Tweeter Center.

Like its cousins, as the leaves begin to fall, and the air grows cold, chasing everyone indoors, the Tweeter Center closes its doors, but owing to its first-of-a kind technology, it transforms itself into a fully enclosed, climate-controlled theatre that can be arranged to seat between 1,600 to 7,000 fans. The unique indoor-outdoor design makes this possible. In addition to those normal concession areas on the concourse walkways, the Tweeter Center has two fully enclosed, large lobbies that extend out from the covered pavilion, enabling it to be fully functional and self-sufficient even in the winter. The lobbies are large and spacious, with vendors, concessions and much more. At their New Years Eve show at the Tweeter Center in 2003, moe. even had a small stage erected in the lobby for Philadelphia rap legend Schooly D to perform in between sets.

Though it is one of the largest on the East Coast, the lawn is a source of constant complaints. The lack of care and maintenance it receives throughout the year can cause it to become a muddy mess when it rains, and the severe slope of the lawn, though it does ensure a great view of the stage, can make it treacherous for fans to stand in certain spots. The lawn does have its special spots, though. Those who make the long walk up to the top of the lawn are rewarded with a stunning view of the Philadelphia skyline. If they time it just right, they can get a one-of-a-kind light show as the sun sets behind the city. Many a fan has trekked up to the top of the lawn on a warm summer evening as the Allman Brothers Band rocked out “Blue Sky,” watching as the sun slowly set over the city of brotherly love.

While many amphitheatres are located in remote locations with long drives and natural surroundings, the Tweeter Center is unique in that it is surrounded by two cities. It is one of the few summer amphitheatres that is easier and more efficient to access by public transportation. It is easy to catch a PATCO train from anywhere in downtown Philadelphia and make the short ten-minute trip to get dropped off outside the Tweeter Center. The train is also great because it eliminates having to fight traffic after the show and navigate through downtown Camden. During summertime, though, the best option is the River Link Ferry that leaves from Penn’s Landing and crosses the Delaware River, docking right in front of the Tweeter Center.

Because the train and ferry both depart shortly after every show, one has to give up the post-show festivities in the parking lot afterwards, but missing the lot scene in Camden is not always such a bad thing, as it is notoriously one of the sketchiest lots around. A collection of parking lots surrounds the Tweeter Center and provides a veritable maze of vendors, parties and tailgating, all backed by the common hiss of nitrous tanks that always seem to accompany shows in the Philadelphia area.

Despite complaints about the lawn and the sketchy lot scene, it always comes back to the music, and the Tweeter Center has had its share of great musical moments. Phish guitarist Trey Anastastio was recently quoted as saying that the adventurous “Chalkdust Torture” from Phish’s Camden show on July 10, 1999 is the “only thing I can listen to” in reference to past Phish shows. He even added that he sometimes plays it for musicians to help introduce them to Phish.

Veteran rockers Pearl Jam have had their share of great musical moments at the South Jersey venue as well, stopping by for a trio of two-night stands in 1998, 2000, and 2003. While they have had many great shows in that run, it was their stop September 1, 2000 that really stands out. The show contains the definitive version of one of their most well known songs, “Evenflow.” This version was later released on Pearl Jam’s live DVD, Touring Band 2000, but it was the first song of that evening’s encore that really cemented this show as something special. Responding to a slew of signs in the crowd, lead singer Eddie Vedder grabbed one from the front row and held it up exclaiming, “OK fuckers, here you go” before ripping into “Breath” for the first time since 1998, and the last time until the summer of 2003.

Bands have also begun to take advantage of the indoor theatre capabilities of the Tweeter Center. The reunited Pixes stopped by in December of 2004 and played what many consider one of the best nights of that year’s tour. String Cheese Incident performed on Thanksgiving weekend of that same year with Robert Randolph and gave the huge concrete slab a workout.

Whether it’s a show in theatre mode like the aforementioned moe. show with special guest Maceo Parker, or the last stop on the way to Coventry to catch Phish’s last show ever; whether the show makes you complain about the lawn, or fall down in the mud; whether you skip the “sketchy” parking lot, or stay until you are kicked out, it doesn’t matter, because it always comes back to the music, and the Tweeter Center keeps putting on good shows, whether it’s in Beirut or not.

Live Photo by Rod Snyder