The Gorge Amphitheatre is a major outdoor concert venue in central Washington near the Columbia River, celebrated for combining large-scale performances with striking canyon views. Opened in 1986 by Dr. Vincent Bryan and Carol Bryan as the Champs de Brionne Music Theatre, it expanded from about 3,000 seats to 19,000 after MCA bought it in 1993 and renamed it The Gorge. It has become a destination for festivals, camping, and major touring acts, earning repeated national recognition. Despite competition from newer venues and the shadow of a deadly shooting during Beyond Wonderland in 2023, it remains one of the American West’s most prominent music sites.