How does a brand-new $12 million dollar amphitheater exceed its owners' lofty expectations?
By hosting more shows than were planned, by drawing massive crowds and by attracting top-tier talent, to name a few results.
Hats Off To 2014!
Top 5 stories are art to eyes, music to ears
Sometime this year, Northwest Arkansas’ population pushed past the half-million mark. It sometimes feels like there are half a million things happening every year in our corner of state to match, and we’re very lucky for these opportunities. For our annual recap of the Top 10 entertainment stories in Northwest Arkansas, the What’s Up! staff looked at the debuts, the traditions and the changes that will have cultural impact beyond this calendar year. Stories 10-6 ran Dec. 19, and the Top 5 entries follow.
"We had a bigger season than I anticipated," says Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion general manager Brian Crowne.
That sentiment is echoed by Peter Lane, president and chief executive officer at the Walton Arts Center, the arts organization that owns the venue.
"I'm pleased as punch where we landed in year one," Lane says.
After buying the Arkansas Music Pavilion name and the tent structure that came with it in 2011, arts center officials promised to find a new, permanent home. The negotiations first centered on a spot at the Northwest Arkansas Mall, the AMP's original location. The AMP then moved to the Washington County Fairgrounds for the 2012 and 2013 seasons. The WAC got a green light -- and most of the funding -- for a permanent structure in Rogers in 2013. Construction started last year, and the new facility with a capacity of about 10,000 opened in early June. Upon its debut, it became the largest outdoor amphitheater in Arkansas, complete with a state-of-the-art sound system and room for the large on-stage equipment and decorations used by modern artists.
"We've come a long way since we dropped a tent on a parking lot," Crowne says.
The venue officially opened on June 7 with a concert sponsored by Walmart, which was earlier this year named as the venue's title sponsor. Country star Blake Shelton, equally famous for his radio hits, his role on the televised singing competition "The Voice" and his famous country star wife, Miranda Lambert, got the honor of being the first act. Crowne capped the event at 6,000 attendees to watch how the venue handled a crowd. Confident the AMP could handle more, the size of the crowd was allowed to swell for later shows, and marquee act Tim McGraw drew nearly 10,000 fans in August. Lambert attracted similar numbers in July. Other acts performing during the venue's first year included Darius Rucker, Willie Nelson, The Avett Brothers and Santana.
Crowne says the success of the AMP's first year in the new permanent venue will go a long way toward getting a diverse roster for future seasons. The names of several artists performing in the next season should be released in early 2015, and concerts should take place beginning in April. Only the ongoing construction project prevented shows in April and May last year, Crowne said.
Data indicates a higher percentage of the venue's audience members came from Benton County than in previous years, which is to be expected considering the move there. And although the fiscal year that contains the end of the 2014 season has not concluded, Lane is confident the AMP made money, a focus for the venue. That supports the WAC's philosphy of having "rock pay for Bach," as Lane describes it. Money collected as a result of AMP shows funds the WAC's outreach and education efforts, Lane says.
And outreach continues at the venue in other ways, too, hosting many events outside the public concerts. The venue was home to this year's Latin Grammys and several of Walmart's weekly Saturday morning meetings as well. All of the local Cross Church campuses also met at the venue for a combined service this year, Crowne says.
Research conducted before the construction ever started showed the area was in need of a venue of this size. Lane says the plan moving forward is to fill the need with a blend of concerts and other events. That happened in 2014, with around 80,000 coming for concerts and 20,000 arriving for other events.
"The vision for the AMP is something that serves the community," Lane says.
And it certainly worked in the first year, the general manager there says.
"It's the right-sized venue for our community," Crowne says.
NAN What's Up on 12/26/2014