Credit Matthew Lasala
Feature
WWW.BENDSOURCE.COM / APRIL 07, 2022 / BEND’S INDEPENDENT VOICE
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Musictown, USA prepare to rock your summer nights away. Concerts are back in a big way in 2022. By Nicole Vulcan
You’d be forgiven if you’d lost count of the number of show announcements flowing out of the Old Mill District’s newly titled Hayden Homes Amphitheater this year. As of April 4, 39 shows were scheduled for Bend’s biggest stage—ranging from comedy acts like Jim Gaffigan, to returning acts like My Morning Jacket, to legacy artists like Bonnie Raitt. The season kicks off with ZZ Top on June 7, in what will be a monster opening month. From June 10 to June 26 alone, the venue will host the likes of Sarah McLachlan, HAIM, Barenaked Ladies, Norah Jones, Tenacious D, Chris Isaak and Lyle Lovett, Weird Al Yankovic and the Dirty Heads—and that’s just the start of the season. What will no longer be on the schedule, however, is Foo Fighters, which canceled its tour after the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins at age 50 last month. Even minus that one major show, it’s going to be a record-breaking summer of sound in Bend.
Among the most visible changes will be a new entrance gate, located closer to the bridge to the shops at the Old Mill. All of this, Eastes said, is aimed at bringing an even better visitor experience to what is already a pretty stellar venue, in his opinion. “The reason that it’s so much fun to see a show… a lot of it is the venue being part of the Old Mill District as a whole,” Eastes said. “There’s plenty of parking that you can get in and out. There’s multiple access points. And the river trail, right? It makes it super easy to walk or bike from just about anywhere in town down to the amphitheater.” Credit Erica Swantek
A record-breaking year
Last year, when the amphitheater was still dubbed “Les Schwab,” Bend had already seen a record number of shows on that stage, with 25 acts that included John Legend and Dave Matthews. Its newly formed partnership with Live Nation, the world’s largest music promoter, was the key. “If you’re the best at what you do in the music industry, you go and work for Live Nation,” said Beau Eastes, marketing director for the Old Mill District and Hayden Homes Amphitheater. “To have that relationship with those people’s been a game changer. I think the proof’s in the pudding, as far as bringing numbers of acts and the different genres and the size of acts.” In order to accommodate the bigger acts that Live Nation would bring, the amphitheater underwent significant changes in 2021, including adding a far bigger stage and VIP “cabanas.” This year, more changes are underway, though they’ll be less visible to the average concertgoer. Crews are adding more underground power, grading and putting down a synthetic lawn, reconfiguring things for better ADA access and better sightlines and adding more reserved seating capacity, Eastes told the Source. The venue also announced more changes to its seating policy for this season, now banning blankets and outside chairs. Those who want one can rent a venue chair for $10.
Among the VIP spaces added last year was the Deschutes Deck.
Eastes compares Bend’s biggest concert venue in the middle of town to other outdoor venues in the region (the Gorge Amphitheater in George, Washington, comes to mind), where getting in and out of the place is more of a hassle. “Other venues where there’s more of a single in and out, and you might sit in your car for 30, 45 minutes, trying to get in or out of this show. And that’s not even talking about the natural beauty—you watch the sunset over the Cascades, having a beer and watching the river floaters,” he said. Big concerts can have a big economic impact, too. A survey commissioned by the Old Mill District in 2015 revealed that some 71% of people surveyed made a trip to Bend for a particular concert or event, spending an
average of $138 per day in the local economy and staying an average of three to four nights. A single show can see visitors spending roughly $1.6 million in the local economy, Eastes said.
The ancillary effect
During a typical summer, the Tower Theatre in downtown Bend tends to slow down its programming schedule—partly due to the fact that outdoor activities are what people are inclined to do in the summer in Bend. “The biggest competition is the river and the sun,” said Ray Solley, executive director of the Tower Theatre Foundation “That has been true since the [Tower] building was reopened in 2004 and it remains true this summer and it will be remain true for the next 10 summers.” Scheduling around a concert juggernaut is also a factor. “The Hayden Homes schedule affects a lot of the rhythms of Central Oregon,” Solley said. “We have always monitored that, have been aware of that, and by [amphitheater] shows starting little earlier, and going a little longer and October, it’s really interesting to see how that affects things. I am of the opinion that a rising tide will float all of our boats, but also know that there’s no reason to stage something really expensive and for multiple nights or do something that’s up against it.” Put another way, “There’s no sense in trying to bring in the New Orleans Preservation Hall Jazz Band on the same night Dave Matthews is playing,” Solley said. This summer, aiming to schedule around the major acts coming to Hayden Homes won’t be a major factor, with the Tower’s team focused on renovations that will see the stage dark much of the season. “We are having a much needed and much delayed renovation of our backstage,” Solley told the Source—a project that was supposed to start in April 2020 but was stymied due to the pandemic. Renovations include altering the basement and the stage-level green rooms and dressing rooms to make them more hospitable to performers. The Tower will host a few events that won’t require use of the stage over the summer, expecting to be back with full programming by the time its busy season—typically the cooler months of the year—begins, Solley said.
