See What Mesker Amphitheater Looks Like Now Thanks to Evansville Drone Pilot’s Video
I would imagine that just about anyone who grew up in the Evansville area or has lived here for the past couple of decades has been to Mesker Amphitheatre at least once, but more likely, several times. Up until its closure in 2012, Mesker Amphitheater was a popular venue for live music and the ever-popular "Movies at Mesker." During my years with 103GBF, we held a very special wedding ceremony before a showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Whether you have fond memories of Mesker or not, you can't deny that it was a sad day when the amphitheater closed its gates for good.
For nearly a decade, the 8,500 seat amphitheater has sat empty and abandoned, and despite the efforts of some dedicated citizens, that doesn't appear to change anytime soon. So, what does Mesker look like these days? It's almost impossible to tell by simply driving by. I guess you'd need to actually walk up to the gates or fence to get a peek inside - or you can just watch the video below to get the complete bird's eye view.
My buddy Mike Fetscher might be the biggest fan and proponent of Mesker that I know. Mike grew up within walking distance of the amphitheater and attended countless concerts, whether inside or across the street. Mike is actually one of the people who started the Remembering Mesker Music Amphitheatre Facebook page with the hopes of seeing the iconic venue refurbished and reopened one day.
Mike is also a talented drone pilot and photographer/videographer. He recently had the idea to fly over and see the current condition inside Mesker. So Mike submitted his flight plan to the FAA (he tells me that's what you have to do when you're within 5 nautical miles of the airport), and fired up the drone for a trip down memory lane. Once the video portion was done, Mike decided to add some audio from an Iron Maiden concert at Mesker way back in the day. It's actually a really neat touch - even though all of the seats are gone, I can absolutely picture what Mesker might have been like the night Iron Maiden took the stage.
And I would strongly suggest you watch this next video to learn the history of Mesker and to see what it looked like back in the glory days.