Camden, NJ - Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
September 24th, 2025
Camden, NJ
Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
Preface: Having been to this venue before, we were really excited to return. There’s an amazing view of Philly in the background of the lawn and the venue itself is easy to access. This is one of the most underrated pavilions on the whole east coast and rarely do we see anyone talking about its uniqueness.
Mr. Craig Burletic
Show Notes: Eatin’ Big Time can now be solidified as your opener for the foreseeable future. The boys absolutely rocked it out! I don’t know what was different about this one but this was the hardest it had seemed to be played so far from our perspective. Really set the tone for the whole evening!
Oneida finally made its way back into the setlist and the crowd absolutely loved it. Having released it on an album surely got more ears to hear it. This song was somewhat oft played prior to the album release and rarely did the majority of the crowd know it, now it’s yelled back toward the stage by nearly everyone in attendance.
There were no real notable changes to the setlist throughout this show and was fairly similar to all the other setlists we’d seen recently. Filled with the new album and new visuals this show didn’t disappoint by any means.
We can’t stress enough, and you all might be tired of reading about it, but Snipe Hunt into Tulsa Turnaround is an absolutely amazing set up for Tyler moving to the acoustic stage and allowing the band to flex their skills on their own instruments. This part of the show will forever be one of our favorite and notable parts.
Also, this was the first show that the Hickman Holler Reading Club was at. The next day the reading club was announced in tandem with Libby (an app which allows access to e-books. Tyler will be recommending books via this app).
Venue Notes: Freedom Mortgage Pavilion sits right on the Delaware River which is the natural dividing line from New Jersey to Pennsylvania. Due to this location it allows for an EPIC view of the Philadelphia skyline.
The venue also has parking which is about a 10 minute walk through a well lit road leading up to it. Notably the entrance is inviting and can be seen for about half a mile a way. You truly feel like you’re walking into something special.
Realistically, aside from the view of the city from the lawn, the venue is fairly usual for a pavilion. It offers you ample food and beverage options - we sprung for chicken tenders for the sake of time - and plenty of chances to find merch.
The grounds are absolutely what you’d want at a pavilion, the whole area is asphalt and well maintained. While it may be a no frills venue outside of the views it does still offer a unique experience unlike other pavilions. It’s certainly worth going to.
The Food Stamps jamming it out while Tyler makes his way to the B-stage
Parking Notes: Parking at the venue was $40 (plus tax) and was about a half mile from the entrance. The whole way has sidewalks and police holding traffic for you to walk.
While it’s not the most ideal considering it’s $40 it’s also not bad just be prepared to pay when you arrive.
Leaving was a little bit of a different story. It wasn’t nearly as easy to leave as it was to enter just simply due to the amount of people leaving. While quicker than some venues it seemingly lacked guidance while in the parking lot; once on the road there was plenty of signage of where to go and people directing traffic.
But, in the parking lot itself people were creating lines that previously didn’t exist and causing confusion. With everything in mind, we’ve parked in a lot worse situations and a lot better situations.
Expect to wait a little bit before leaving but nothing unreasonable.
Travel Notes: Get gas before you’re in New Jersey. That is hands down the best advice anyone could be given about this trip. New Jersey doesn’t allow you to pump your own gas (you read that right) so you have to wait on an attendant to do so.
Accompanied with the inability to pump your own gas the stations close early in the night, many around 9pm so finding gas after the show is nearly impossible without going to Philly which involves crossing a toll bridge.
We always keep things honest here so we won’t shy away from the obvious problems in Camden, NJ. Riddled with poverty and seemingly a lack of help from local government Camden is not the safest place, it’s not the nicest place, and it’s not the most maintained place. The roads are very lackluster and have tons of pot holes and there are plenty of homeless people around the venue.
While we’ve never experienced an issue around or at the venue it’s always good to be aware of the areas you are heading to. We wouldn’t recommend getting a hotel or motel in the area and would recommend leaving shortly after the concert ends.
All of those things being said, it’s very clear the venue and police are aware of these things and, in our opinion, do provide ample help to avoid any negative situations by having tons of lighting and having police help direct you back to your car.
Situations like this in big venues are rare but shouldn’t be avoided when speaking about the areas. We love traveling and Camden, NJ is nowhere near the worst area we’ve ever been in but to some this place can be very seedy.
As always, we recommend a positive approach to addressing things like poverty with an open mind. Oftentimes the people you’ll encounter that are simply a victim of circumstance and are very similar to those in the area we grew up where opportunities simply didn’t exist for them.
We are always mindful of that and take the time to speak with people as time allows and help them out in what ways we can. Again, while you should be aware of the reality of the area, it doesn’t mean that everyone is bad and that everyone is out to get you.