Concerts at Amalie Arena That Could Conflict with Lightning Playoffs

It's happened before. The Tampa Bay Lightning have made the NHL playoffs again. While that's awesome for hockey fans, in the past, Lightning playoff games have forced the postponement and cancellations for concerts at Amalie Arena in May and June.

Here's the thing that many don't think about when this comes up. Concert tours are planned at least a year in advance. Sometimes it's even 2 to 3 years in advance. Plotting out dates to get crews and equipment from city to city with available arenas is not easy. You have to pick cities along a route that make sense for logistics. In other words, if you book an artist in Tampa, you don't want the next performance to be scheduled the next day in New York. With DOZENS of artists touring at the same time, you can imagine how one conflicting date when an arena is already booked can mess up the whole process.

Then you add in the uncertainty of the NHL playoffs. The schedule for each round is announced at the end of the previous round. When concerts at Amalie Arena coming up this summer were planned last year, you didn't know if the Bolts would be playoff bound. Even if you were confident the team will play in the postseason, you don't know how far into the playoffs the Bolts could go. Amalie Arena can't block out the 8 weeks of possible revenue from concerts that might go to waste. So now the dance begins between the Lightning playoff schedule and concerts that eager fans are waiting to see.

Back in 2015, the best example of this dilemma came up when Garth Brooks had not one, not two but THREE concerts had to be cancelled because the Tampa Bay Lightning made it to the NHL Stanley Cup Finals. At the time, Garth said they'd try to reschedule. It's been almost 10 years now. Don't hold your breath.

This May and June, the concert season is very very busy at Amalie Arena. And don't forget our opponent this round. They have concerts planned where the Florida Panthers play near Fort Lauderdale too. One GOOD thing for concert goers is that the Lightning are a wild card team this year so they won't have home ice advantage, meaning they'll play more games on the road than they will at Amalie Arena. So which concerts at Amalie Arena COULD be impacted this year?

Next Friday night (April 26), Heart is scheduled to perform with Cheap Trick. If the teams play every other day in Round 1, that one should be safe. If the Tampa Bay Lightning make it into the second round, AJR plays Amalie on May 9.

Now let's cross our fingers and hope the Bolts make a deep playoff run. Bad Bunny is at Amalie Arena May 21 and NF performs May 24. A big country favorite Kane Brown is set to play TWO shows at Amalie Arena Friday, May 31 and June 1. Latin favorites Luis Miguel and Grupo Firme play Tampa June 4 and 6 respectively. So that will be a busy week to work around should the Bolts get into the later rounds of the NHL playoffs.

Hip hop star Megan Thee Stallion is there on Saturday, June 8. Should the Tampa Bay Lightning make it to the Stanley Cup Finals again, Justin Timberlake is scheduled to perform at Amalie Arena June 14.

Heading to a Lightning game this season or going to see a show at Amalie Arena? Here are 7 great places to eat that's near Amalie Arena. All of these locations are within walking distance, but if you don't feel like walking, hop on the TECO street car or use an electric scooter. Whether you're in the mood for some bar bites or want to sit down and have a nice dinner, here are our recommendations. Depending on the event, you may want to get to these places a little earlier (around 5p) or make a reservation to secure your spot!

Downtown Tampa is constantly changing. It seems like each week there's a new trendy restaurant that we must try! Of course, there are the staple Tampa restaurants like Hattricks. There are also many options at Sparkman Wharf, but we narrowed that down to our favorite spot. If all else fails, you can always go to the Publix on Channelside Dr for a pub sub. This Publix location even has a bar and happy hour! Have you been to any of these places yet? Let us know your favorite on social media!

It would be silly for us not to include the new Yard House in this list. The new trendy restaurant recently opened directly across the street from Amalie Arena (where the old Ferg's Live used to be). They have 130 beers on tap and some really tasty appetizers for a pregame snack. But beware, unless you make a reservation or get there before 4 pm, you likely won't find a seat before your event. You should also know that they do not run their happy hour specials on event days. So no half-off apps and discounted beer on game/concert days.

Yeoman's is our favorite pregame spot for any Lightning game. Their food is delicious and comes in huge portions! It does get pretty busy here on game days, so get there early to claim a spot.

Like we said earlier, there are so many options to choose form at Sparkman Wharf. If you're in a rush before the game, head to JoDog for a quick snack. If you have the time, go into Jotoro for some delicious tacos and margaritas.

It's a little bit of further walk, but the food and views are totally worth it!

This Columbia Cafe location is the most convienent for any Lightning or concert pre-game. Stop across Water Street for a bite and some fresh-mixed sangria at the Columbia Cafe at the Tampa Bay History Center.

Water St has completely transformed and is now home to so many great foodie spots! Wagamama is one of our favorites with the tastiest ramen and cocktails!

Located by the convention center, Harpoon Harry's a delicious seafood spot perfect for hanging out on Lightning game days.

For a more elegant and elevated pre-game or pre-show meal, head to one of Tampa's best restaurant additions The Pearl on Water St. They have the best cocktails and tasty appetizers to share!