It has a capacity of 20,500 (6,000 reserved pavilion seats and 14,500 general admission lawn)[2] and was built for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, to allow them to play in an outdoor venue during the summer months.

The venue is owned by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, booked and operated by its subsidiary, Music and Event Management Incorporated (MEMI) and also partners with Live Nation.

When Riverbend opened in 1984, it was one of only 16 outdoor music amphitheaters in the United States and it helped revive the Cincinnati concert scene.

[3] Riverbend was built for $9 million on 15 acres (61,000 m2) of land donated by Coney Island, a small amusement park.

The venue's first performance was by Erich Kunzel & The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, with special guests Ella Fitzgerald and Neil Armstrong, on July 4, 1984.

The British group the Spice Girls played a show, during the North American leg of their Spiceworld Tour, on July 18, 1998.

On July 4, 2000, The Pops performed the first live concert televised from Cincinnati, which aired on PBS, featuring Rosemary Clooney and Doc Severinsen.