Pinewood Bowl Concerts

[nebugeater]

So has the Pinewood Bowl hosted national level concerts in the past or have I just missed it?   I have always though of them more of a outdoor theater location?  Concerts would work well there though.

This is what I see booked so far for the summer for concerts.  I believe one was mentioned on another thread.  How many fans can this place handle for concerts?


Aug 2   Train
Aug 7   My Morning Jacket
Aug 8    Crosby, Stills and Nash
Aug 16  B.B. King

[Linkin5]

So has the Pinewood Bowl hosted national level concerts in the past or have I just missed it?   I have always though of them more of a outdoor theater location?  Concerts would work well there though.

This is what I see booked so far for the summer for concerts.  I believe one was mentioned on another thread.  How many fans can this place handle for concerts?


Aug 2   Train
Aug 7   My Morning Jacket
Aug 8    Crosby, Stills and Nash
Aug 16  B.B. King

There is a thread going in the Entertainment section about this.  Apparently Pinewood hasn't hosted concerts like this since the 1980s.  I believe they should be able to fit in about 5,000-6,000 people.  Its a beautiful ampitheatre and I'm glad they are finally using for big concerts like this.

[almighty_tuna]

Yeah, Pinewood Bowl is a great outdoor spot. IIRC though, a lot of this wasn't fiscally possible because there weren't beer sales in city parks for a long time. I think.

[Linkin5]

Yeah, Pinewood Bowl is a great outdoor spot. IIRC though, a lot of this wasn't fiscally possible because there weren't beer sales in city parks for a long time. I think.

Good point, I hadn't thought of that.  BTW, if any of you have never gone to Sioux City's free concert series do it NOW!  It is a ton of fun, free, and this year Wilco is going to be there.

[Greg S]

I saw Cheap Trick there in 1990.....


Greg

[almighty_tuna]

The LJS gave a little history report on Pinewood Bowl in the Sunday edition. It was indeed the beer sales which brought back concerts to the bowl, which will hopefully be repeated next year if things go well this summer.

Pinewood Bowl continuing concert series after 17-year hiatus

Last July, the city approved selling alcohol at Pinewood Bowl. During the discussions leading up to the approval, City Parks and Recreation Director Lynn Johnson said the bowl would see a series of a half dozen concerts this summer if alcohol could be sold. Without that approval, the bowl would remain dark, he said. Johnson was dead on with his prediction.

“As soon as the approval came through, I contacted (promoter) Jeff (Fortier) and started making plans for this summer,” said Tom Lorenz of Pershing Center/SMG, which is promoting the Pinewood shows. “We had offers in the fall. It took a while to educate the industry about Pinewood. But once that first show booked, that rest is ‘history’. It’s a nice little series we put together.”

A nice series, indeed.

http://journalstar.com/entertainment/mu ... z21Ks75Fb4

[Ben]

I was there for the Train show last weekend.  I was very impressed with the venue.  Very nice outdoor amphitheater, nice stage, good sound, amenities (bathrooms/food/beer) were great for a "temporary" setup.  Maybe they could actually install a couple of permanent vendor stands, and not have tents with trucked in food, if they continue to use the place on a frequent basis.

My only real complaint is getting in/out of the place.  I was at a dead stop 1 mile away on my way in, and it took me 30 mins to travel that last mile, park and get to my seat.  They've got to do a better job of using all of the entrances/exits to prevent a bottleneck.  Plus, there was a huge disparity of where spots were.  Some were right outside the gate, but others were in a lower field almost a quarter mile away.

[almighty_tuna]

I'm going to be at the Band of Horses/My Morning Jacket show tomorrow night. Have any tips for parking? Chances are I will be coming in from the west of the park.

[Coyote]

Improvements transform Pinewood Bowl
from a stage in the park to a professional venue

Streaming in under the canopy extending from a newly constructed box office at the entrance to Pinewood Bowl on Thursday, some 3,000 Jake Owen fans got their tickets scanned and meandered down the sidewalk, emerging at the top of the amphitheater between a pair of brick-enclosed concession stands doubling as spotlight towers. Some concert fans took a left off the new sidewalk to queue around a beer stand set up on a cement platform. Others took an immediate right to check out the T-shirts hanging in the merchandise tent tucked under the Pioneers Park trees.

More gathered on the leveled and sodded area adjacent to the sidewalk to have a drink and chat before heading to their seats. While fans of Owen might not have taken notice of the platform for the beer tent or remembered the lines that stretched from the merchandise booth across the sidewalk for past concerts, it would be impossible to miss the improvements that have transformed Pinewood Bowl into a top-flight outdoor venue.

“It has the feel like you’re coming into a professional venue now, not just a stage in the park,” said Tom Lorenz, general manager of the agency that runs Pinnacle Bank Arena and events at Pinewood Bowl. “The bowl itself will still be the draw, the calling card," Lorenz added, “but to have the new patron amenities at the top and to make sure the artists are taken care of backstage has … provided what agents and patrons expect from a venue.”

The latest improvements wrapped up a multiyear, $1.79 million renovation project paid for with lodging tax dollars from the Lancaster County-directed Visitors Improvement Fund. Those renovations, the first since the bowl was created during World War II, began four years ago with the construction of a backstage scene shop and septic tank work.

[almighty_tuna]

I was at the Bon Iver show this past Saturday and this place looks better than ever. My favorite venue in the state.

[nebugeater]

I was at the Bon Iver show this past Saturday and this place looks better than ever. My favorite venue in the state.

I really hate those chairs they use though. From the photo that has not changed.

[almighty_tuna]

I was at the Bon Iver show this past Saturday and this place looks better than ever. My favorite venue in the state.

I really hate those chairs they use though. From the photo that has not changed.

They're not great, but I had more leg room there than I do at CHI.

[ricko]

Omaha needs something like this. Chip Davis wanted to build something similar near Gretna, but it never happened. The new band-shell on the mall is nice, but it’s just a band-shell, from what I can tell. Even Westfair in CB has a better setup in a natural bowl setting.

[Louie]

Omaha needs something like this. Chip Davis wanted to build something similar near Gretna, but it never happened. The new band-shell on the mall is nice, but it’s just a band-shell, from what I can tell. Even Westfair in CB has a better setup in a natural bowl setting.

Stir Cove is the next closest thing, even though that's CB.

[damonhynes]

Omaha needs something like this. Chip Davis wanted to build something similar near Gretna, but it never happened. The new band-shell on the mall is nice, but it’s just a band-shell, from what I can tell. Even Westfair in CB has a better setup in a natural bowl setting.

What about SumTur and the new joint in La Vista?

[ricko]

They’re nice, but I was thinking more along the lines of a 10k or larger outdoor space, with amenities for the performers (dressing rooms, restrooms, etc.), sound system, lighting——-something like Tanglewood, Wolftrap, Red Rocks. I think Omaha is big enough to support something similar.