Meadow Brook Amphitheatre is an outdoor concert venue on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester Hills, Michigan, about 25 miles north of Detroit. Opened in 1964 on land once part of the Meadow Brook estate of automotive pioneer John Dodge, the venue combines a covered pavilion with a sloping lawn, giving it a distinctly parklike character compared to typical shed venues.
For its first decades the amphitheater doubled as a classical music home, serving as the summer residence of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra through 1991. Since coming under commercial concert promotion in the 1990s, it has evolved into a mainstream touring stop while retaining its wooded, campus setting, and it still hosts area high school graduation ceremonies each spring.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Rochester Hills, Michigan (Oakland University campus)
- Type: Outdoor pavilion and lawn amphitheater
- Opened: 1964
- Capacity: About 7,701 (2,819 pavilion seats, 4,882 lawn)
- Owner: Oakland University
- Operator: 313 Presents (Palace Sports and Entertainment since 1994)
- Famous for: Former summer home of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (through 1991)
From Symphony Home to Concert Stop
Meadow Brook opened in 1964 as a purpose-built summer venue for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, whose residency helped establish the amphitheater’s reputation as a serious music destination in its early years. That classical chapter ran for nearly three decades before the venue shifted toward the touring rock, pop, and country acts that dominate its calendar today.
The property still carries traces of its estate origins: two barns from the original Meadow Brook Estate, relocated to the grounds in 1935 and dating to around the 1910s, remain on site, with one restored in 2014.
A Campus Setting Unlike Most Amphitheaters
Because Meadow Brook sits within Oakland University’s grounds, concertgoers reach the pavilion through a wooded, walkable campus rather than a stand-alone commercial complex, giving the venue an atmosphere closer to a park than an arena lot.
The venue’s dual pavilion-and-lawn layout, split roughly evenly between covered seating and open grass, has kept it a favorite for both formal indoor-style shows and casual blanket-and-lawn-chair concerts.
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Meadow Brook Amphitheatre FAQs
Where is Meadow Brook Amphitheatre located?
It’s on the campus of Oakland University at 3554 Walton Boulevard in Rochester Hills, Michigan, roughly 25 miles north of Detroit.
What is the capacity of Meadow Brook Amphitheatre?
The venue seats about 7,701 people, with 2,819 pavilion seats and 4,882 lawn spots.
Was Meadow Brook Amphitheatre always a rock concert venue?
No. It opened in 1964 as the summer home of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, a residency that lasted through 1991, before transitioning into a mainstream touring concert venue.
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