Seven Flags Event Center

This is a pretty good venue for concerts. I read that some of the other reviewers had long waits; however, I did not experience any wait. The will call was not at a dedicated window like some venues. Instead, it was an informal will call where the staff checking tickets, which was located just inside the building, had a printed-​off list.
Once you enter, there was no exit, which is typical for most venues. There was a dedicated smoking area outside that was fenced off and was only accessible from the inside. This was a great feature to have at the venue so the smokers did not have to sneak a smoke inside.
The venue’s facilities were great. The restrooms were well-​lit and clean. Also, the restrooms were quiet which made them the best place to make a phone call during a set! At the end of the venue, there was a bar that spanned the entire width so there was plenty of space to order drinks and just hangout. The bar was very-​well stocked for a concert! They had the typical domestic beer options, a few selections of import beer, and some liquor options for mixed drinks and/​or shots. I was very impressed to see that they had Goose Island IPA! All beers were $ 6. Also, the bar area was better-​lit than the rest of the venue, which was nice so I could actually see when I was buying drinks. There was also a concession stand adjacent to the bar that sold pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, nachos, chips, candy, soda, and water bottles.
The venue itself was a large metal building warehouse so it wasn’t as crowded as Val Air. Also, the venue had an excellent HVAC system. On the evening of our concert, it was about 85 degrees outside with very high humidity. Inside the building, the temperature and humidity were perfect: not too cold and not too hot. That was pretty impressive given the number of warm bodies present.
Even with all of these great items, this venue still gets (3) stars because of the audio problems. Every band that went on stage complained of technical difficulties. I am not a musician but the audio was a little off. For example, the bass didn’t sound right and the vocals weren’t as crisp.
Overall, I would prefer to go to a concert at 7 Flags than Val Air. They just need to fix their audio issues then they would be a (4) star venue.

My honey and I were so excited to see Breaking Benjamin Friday night that we got on line 2 hours before the doors opened with about 100 other calm and excited fans. But someone in management had the terrible idea to open up a door closer to the stage just before the doors were set to open and tons of running angry fans tried to get to the new line. This caused a few kids to fall and was just the start of the poor organization of the night.
Once inside the doors you were stopped in the doorway by people trying to get a wrist band for drinks — but nobody really knew where to stand to get this required item. Once we had the band, I tripped over concrete slopes on my way up to the bar that was cash only and Red Bull not available. There were at least 4 different concrete slants and one by the bathroom was not even marked to know the level difference until someone tripped onto the back of my legs. Then we had the great idea to get a T-​Shirt but there was just an unorganized line crossing the space three times up to the table. Once we got close to the table we see there are people walking in from the sides and the people working at the table are helping them — even though they see there are over 80 people on the main line. Everyone was dripping in sweat because there were so many people and no fans to move the air. There was a large screen but it went unused as we all jockeyed to try and see something on the stage.
The floors of the bathroom and the entire place were soaking wet with spilled liquid and cans and the paper towels ran out before the opening band finished. The smoking of electronic cigarettes was all around us but two by us had been modified to smoke marijuana. The stench was obvious but nobody in security made any moves to stop it. But the main reason we will not want to return to this venue — is that people were pushed up against the stage and it was never addressed by security. Other venues make sure to keep people in line with a presence and even speak to the audience about moving back. This was an all ages event and the management did not care to protect any ages from any of these dangers. First and last time we will be attending. Beware.

Will never make the trek back to this venue, no matter how much I like the band. Made a 3.5 hour drive and waited nearly two hours to get in and missed both openers and cut it pretty close to missing Brand New. No apologies from the venue. There was no other option but will call at purchase. I bought my tickets months ago, the venue had more than enough time to be prepared for a sold out show. I felt more relieved to leave that venue and state than I did seeing one of my favorite bands for the first time in nearly six years.
There were absolutely zero pros to this venue. None.
Cons — where do I start?
— The venue was an absolute mess. People were throwing their beer cans and drinks on the ground. Both myself and my friend slipped and fell due to the crowd’s negligence and the venues apathy toward keeping a clean, safe space for their crowd.
— There were way too many people that were over served and I saw no security or staff around monitoring peoples behavior.
— No earplugs anywhere in the venue.
— The stage was barely visible from anywhere in the venue.
— Sound and acoustics were pretty poor.
— Rude staff
…I could go on, but I’ll save my strength.
I wish I could get a refund for the time and cost myself and my friends spent on this venue.
Bottom line is: Avoid this venue at all costs. Not even your favorite band is worth it. Go to another venue and another state that knows how to treat their guests.

I really wish it would let you rate this a ZERO! The line to get into this venue was very long and moved very slowly. After waiting for over an hour we finally got in. And why was it taking forever? Because there were 2 girls with paper sheets, one for each half of the alphabet checking off all the names for people with will call tickets. One gentleman explained that they had 1100 will calls and they were doing the best they could. I don’t believe him for one second. This show has been sold out for a long time and they knew the number of will call tickets. They should have been staffed accordingly for this event and they weren’t. No apologies were offered. I was lucking and made it in before brandnew started but I feel bad for those that didn’t because the line when I made it in was still blocks long. Shame on you 7 flags!

My friends and I drove 3.5 hours to see our fave band at this venue. We have all been to many shows in many different cities, and I have never seen a venue so poorly run. It took the average guest 1.5 hours to get through the will call line, which was the only ticket option with no fees. It turns out this venue has not invested in electronic ticketing or credit card processing, which these days is a major mistake.
I checked the venue’s website before going, and there was no notice of a cash only bar. If I didn’t have cash with me I wouldn’t have purchased a beverage. They also don’t have water on tap, and were charging $ 3 for bottled water. I find it morally wrong when venues are selling alcohol but don’t offer free water.
I highly recommend any persons booking tours for bands with a loyal fan base that will sell out shows, AVOID THIS VENUE. Personally I will never go to a show here again, and will be deterred from visiting Des Moines for future shows.

Acoustics and sound are fair for a warehouse/​armory style space. We arrived an hour and a half before doors open (on the will call list), doors opened 15 mins late, we didn’t get in till nearly an hour after scheduled door time, but that’s the least of this places troubles.
The sold out show was at what felt capacity, with a line of 200 – 300 people still outside, many people missed the acts they came to see, or most of the show overall. — does Clive have a Fire Marshall?
Cash bar is understandable, but more ATM’s are necessary. $ 3.50 atm fee is pretty standard.
This place needs to get their stuff in order, pissing off fans, results negatively on the bands that are playing, when it’s not their fault that an event is over sold.
Happy to hail from a city with our own thriving music scene, with respectful venues — that give a damn about their customers experiences.

I’ve never been one of those to say «if I could give 0 stars; I would» but I’ve been to hundreds of shows in my life and never been a witness to such an atrocious event.
Let me start with the good: clean bathrooms with no wait and the drink vendors were friendly. Acoustics were ok for it just being a warehouse.
I drove 4 and a half hours to see my favorite band because why not? They’re awesome and always worth the drive. I drove 8 hours last year to see them in Nashville and it was worth it. I wish I had never step foot in Clive, Iowa. I wish I had never heard of it. I wish I didn’t just give this venue $ 70 of my hard earned money.
Let me start with the cons that pissed me off the least. Cash drinks? I really don’t think you guys wanted anyone to drink. There was one ATM near the front that had an outrageous line that would have sobered me up had I chose to wait. Oh well you only got the money in my pocket. The UV cost the same price as the Goose Island ($ 6) so drinks weren’t outrageous for a venue. File that one under a pro too.
Your asshole bouncer. «Well it’s not our fault you guys all put your name on will call. Never do will call.» As I’ve mentioned I’ve gone to shows in a lot of different cities and always put my name on the list. There’s never been an issue. Let me teach you a bit about project management. If you sold 2000 tickets (guessing) for a sold out show. 1500 of those put their names on the list (again, just guessing) maybe we should have more than one person with a clipboard waiting at the door. I felt terrible for the nice girl checking names because by the time I’d waited almost 2 hours to get in the door, I wanted to yell at her.
So the show was great. we missed the opener but saw Circa Survive. I haven’t seen them in years and they rocked out. It was a great time.
At this point, it was 9 pm. Both openers have played, doors have been open for two hours and there’s still at least 50 people in line outside. Circa Survive has a decent size following and I’m sure some of those people were incredibly bummed they weren’t allowed to see the band. At this point, I check their Facebook page to see if they’re mentioning what’s going on. Someone in line mentioned that she called and they said she should get through the line halfway through the main act. My jaw dropped. How could you pay $ 40 for a ticket and get to see maybe 15 minutes of the show? It’s unacceptable.
We watched brand new and tried to enjoy it the best we could. I was incredibly pissed for every Brand New fan in line because it was almost me. We ended up showing up early last night but were usually the type to show up an hour after it starts. Had we done that last night, we probably would have missed BN’s set and wasted a four hour drive for nothing.
After the show, we just hopped in a cab instead of doing our usual Über because we just wanted to get out of here and forget this place exists. Our cabbie was so insightful. He said they do this for every single sold out show and that is typical 7 Flags behavior. I was stunned. I figured that maybe someone quit, they were short staffed blah blah
Blah but nope. They ALWAYS do this. He also stated that he’s pretty sure they oversell the tickets then don’t let people in the door because everyone wouldn’t fit. Hello Fire Marshall, are you listening???
If you were one of those that didn’t get in last night until the show was over, please hound them until you get your money back or dispute the charges with your bank (step 3– better business bureau.) this is absolutely no way to run a business or treat your paying customers. They’re standing on the leg that they don’t offer refunds but I wouldn’t take that as an answer if you missed the show.
So you read my review, your favorite band is playing there and you still wanna go? I get that feeling but whatever you do: don’t do will call. I don’t care if the print at home cost is the same price as the ticket – DO It. You will save yourself 2+ hours on the day of the show. If the concert is sold out, prepare for an overpacked show and poorly handled customer service. Also, if you’re over 21 make sure to bring cash for drinks. If you’re under 21, bring cash for nachos.
Jesse Lacey and Brand New are typically worth the expense, the miles on my car, and everything I go through just to see them but it wasn’t worth it to me last night. Part of me wishes I never bought tickets for this event.

Tonight, I drove 600+ miles from North Dakota to see a band I haven’t seen in a decade. We arrived at the venue around 6pm to try and pick up our will call tickets, we were told that we had to wait until the doors opened at 7. We came back at 7, with the line blocks long. The first band started at 8pm. It took us until well after 9pm to get inside, and two of the three bands had already finished playing. No apology from the venue. No offer for a partial refund or even a free drink ticket. No mention of the fact that hundreds of people missed seeing bands they paid good money to see. No mention of the fact that I missed ²⁄₃ of a concert I drove all day for. Nothing. This is the most unacceptable performance from a venue I have ever seen. Saying «we had a lot of people with will call tickets» is not a justifiable excuse. The show has been sold out for months, they knew the numbers to expect. They should have been prepared. This venue has some serious PR work to do after tonight.