“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.
Our top Bon Secours concert tips: I suggest double-checking your bag size, arriving for the artist you most want to see (the shows are long), and staying overnight in Greenville to enjoy all that the city has to offer.
As I wrote this post, I felt like a truly older – maybe even grumpy – Millennial. Where is my welcome goodie bag for this new decade? All photos are my own. If you have extra time, be sure to check out Greenville’s Swamp Rabbit Trail.
Quick Top 5 Bon Secours Wellness Arena Concert 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
- Prepare accordingly: shows are long, and the seats are uncomfortable
- Stay overnight at the budget-friendly Home2 Suites Downtown or Holiday Inn Express for easy access and a fun time (we stay at both often)
What To Expect: Venue Advice
From Disturbed and Falling in Reverse to Seether, Staind, Blink-182, and Saint Asonia, this is my 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 [barely] get by with their small bag/clutch/wallet requirements under 5.5″x8.5,” and not all staff checking bags are as consistent or generous.
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.
Shop for a clear concert purse here:
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; a lot of the older crowd will do this. We also tend to leave before the last few songs to avoid the mass exodus. Our grandparents taught us well. Once you leave the Bon Secours, 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.
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 sat behind the stage to save money – and that was all that was left – for Blink-182. It was not that bad since they had screens everywhere.
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 usually want to. Greenville is a great little getaway. Two hotels we’ve stayed at and recommend on North Main Street that are within 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, AC Hotel by Marriott, and SpringHill Suites by Marriott – but they are more of a [very manageable] walk to the Bon Secours.
Where To Eat Within Walking Distance
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
- The Trappe Door – An amazing tap list, featuring Belgian beers, and delicious pub grub (we eat here and Nose Dive the most)
- 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: [email protected]
Phone: (864) 241-3800
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.