After backlash, the Gorge to make entrance changes for Brandi Carlile shows

The Gorge Amphitheatre is making several changes heading into Brandi Carlile's three-night Echoes Through the Canyon shows this weekend after music fans were fuming over lengthy wait times for a previous concert.

Electronic dance music lovers who flocked to the remote Central Washington venue for a sold-out, two-dayGriztronicsevent headlined by Griz and Subtronicslast weekendreported being stuck in security screening lines for upward of 11 hours as they attempted to enter the campgrounds and venue.

"The Gorge is committed to providing an excellent camping experience and we take safety and security seriously," the Live Nation-controlled venue wrote in a statement posted on social media. "Given unusually high early arrivals it took too long for campers to enter, and we understand the frustration it caused."

The venue pledged to automatically refund camping fees and make changesforCarlile's Echoes Through the Canyon shows. Among them: opening the campgrounds and venue to fans earlier and adding more screening lines.

While hourslong traffic backups approaching the Grant County venue have been a sporadic issue for decades, campground security - and subsequently longer wait times - have been a heightened issue at the Gorge since a fatal shooting at the Beyond Wonderland festival in 2023. Last week, Live Nation and the families of the two people killed reached a settlement before a trial was set to begin June 1. A separate lawsuit brought by a surviving victim is ongoing.

Large crowds are expected this weekend as Carlile makes her return to the Gorge after a two-year break, with Saturday's show selling out well in advance.

In a Wednesday social media post, the Gorge warned of potential four-hour delays crossing the Vantage Bridge on eastbound Interstate 90, though fans attending the Griztronics event reported that last weekend's debacle had nothing to do with bridge construction. All four lanes over the Vantage Bridge will remain open through Monday, June 1, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.

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