Arkansas Music Pavilion renews lease at Washington County Fairgrounds for 2013
Wilco performs at the Arkansas Music Pavilion at the Washington County Fairgrounds in May.
Photo: Todd Gill, Flyer Staff
The Arkansas Music Pavilion will host at least another season of concerts at the Washington County Fairgrounds, it was announced last week.
The Walton Arts Center-owned amphitheater was moved to the temporary fairgrounds location from its original home at the Northwest Arkansas Mall after failing to secure a longterm lease with the mall’s new management company.
Cake performs at the AMP in April 2012.
Photo: Todd Gill
Officials had planned a $4 million renovation project at the mall, funded partially by a pledge from the Fayetteville Advertising and Promotion Commission, but abandoned those plans after the amphitheater was forced to move.
Peter Lane, the arts center’s president, said he’s still looking for a permanent home for the venue, but said it was critical to have a temporary location locked in to keep next year’s artist and sponsor opportunities in place.
“As for a permanent site, we have been approached by some cities and mayors about an alternate location,” Lane said. “Once the season winds down, we are going to spend some effort and really take a look at all the opportunities and make sure we cross the T’s and dot the I’s.”
Despite operating in a temporary location, the AMP has already sold $1.2 million in tickets, more than doubling its $460,000 total in 2011, said Tim Vogt, VP of finance for the WAC.
“At this point, we’re set for the fairgrounds,” said Lane. “We’ve had a very good season.”
2012 Arkansas Music Pavilion season
The 2012 AMP season has so far seen performances by Cake, Big Gigantic, Hank Williams Jr., Jamey Johnson, Five Finger Death Punch, Wilco, Luke Bryan, Ted Nugent, Colbie Caillat, Gavin DeGraw, Daughtry, Candlebox and Miranda Lambert.
Remaining shows include a UA-sponsored show with Andy Grammer on Oct. 8, Brantley Gilbert on Oct. 12, The Avett Brothers on Oct. 16 and a Dayglow party on Oct. 18.
Laaaaame. Another year at the WCF and no update on a new permanent site?
Anyone want to start taking bets now on where that permanent home will be? Nobody should be guessing Fayetteville.
Probably right next to the future WAC north site
I think it would do better around the Pinnacle Hills mall area than in Bentonville. That would be a great location for it.
Wouldn’t mind seeing the AMP move to a permanent area near the Arvest Ballpark in Springdale. There’s plenty of land to build on, it’s close to 540 and could spark some development in that area.
sounds like a good idea on paper but I wonder if 412/112 can handle traffic for simultaneous events at these sites….but this makes way more sense than moving it up to bentonville.
Fayetteville still needs a permanent larger venue regardless of if the WAC yanks The Amp somewhere else. Neither the Fayetteville WAC, Georges nor the odd show at Barnhill do this need justice.
Walker Park needs a bandshell/ampitheater. And a pool.
Do you realize the crap storm it would stir up by placing any loud function in that old school neighborhood?
There’s no need for them to waste all that money. They should forget wasting $4M and just have concerts at Arvest Ballpark. That makes the best economic sense of all.
What about the empty plot that originally looked to be for a housing development off of Weddington near I-540… quite a large plot of nothing there. I’m not sure the zoning restrictions, but it could work?
If you’re talking about the area east of 540 along the access road, that was originally to be an IGA grocery store and strip mall. Most of that area is the Marinoni’s farm/house.
Another lame story by the FF. Did you all bother to mention the number of shows in 2011 vs 2012 when talking dollar figures?
Did you bother to mention that around $600K of that figure came from one concert?
Did you bother to mention that most shows at the AMP are busts and they don’t bother reporting those shows?
Hank Williams JR and Miranda Lambert contributed about $900K or so of that total. Did you bother to mention what the Amps take would have been if you removed those 2 shows?
Okay, so most of this season’s revenue came from 2 shows. What does that say? To me, it would suggest that when you move the venue out of a mall parking lot, it attracts bigger performers that bring in more money. And when you have these bigger shows that bring in a lot of money, it gives you the financial stability to host smaller acts that are still popular but probably won’t generate as much revenue as the bigger performers. It seems like a reasonable business plan to me.
Quit making sense!
Those 2 shows would have done much better had they been in Barnhill or Bud Walton. People don’t like standing up for a show. Nor do they enjoy frying in the heat. Why aren’t they using Barnhill or Bud Walton instead?
University Owned v.s. Privately Owned.
have you ever been to Fayetteville?
Also, if the WAC wants to waste $4 million on building something, why don’t they just ‘buy out” the Osage Creek Pavilion Amphitheater?
If it gets built, there’s certainly no need for The Amp. So either buy him out or buy in with him and have a real venue.
Your posts suck dood. You’ve already voiced your distaste not only with this article, but with this media outlet as well. Don’t think that you’ll find some lost satisfaction with repeated disgruntled visits. Just go! and take some of the suck with ya.
The Amp sucks
Has the AMP ever turned a profit in all its years? Does the WAC now open the books on what it brings in in revenue and what they spend? That should be known since they have hit up the city for all that money from the advertising fund.
I wouldn’t mind having a venue in Rogers or Bentonville. It would sure be better than making the drive to Fayetteville.
Normally, I’m all for Fayetteville retaining its artistic assets…
However, with the exception of this year, most of the AMP programming has been toward <30. It made sense for it to be near the U of A. But with all this nu-wave honkey tonk, I'd say hell yes, move it to Bentonville!
I went to see Alan Jackson at the AMP, i was disappointed that even though I had what should be good seats I had to stand the whole time. I did not like having to trod through mud to get in. I did not like having to pay $125.00 a seat to get rained on. The seats are fine if you are a 100 pound junior high girl but they are not as wide as my shoulders making it uncomfortable if you are next to another normal sized person. The parking sucks (don’t tell me how great it would be to walk or bike there in the rain).
If they are going to have this venue they need to rethink the logistics.
On the plus side all the people were nice (except the drunk guy that looked like carrot top groping his date) and Alan Jackson and his band put on a very good performance.
My biggest gripe with the AMP is the fact that they bring acts like Alan Jackson in the first place. They should have shoved that act into a corner of Rogers Rec and let ‘er rip!
RE: “People don’t like standing up for a show” and “I had to stand the whole time. I did not like having to trod through mud to get in.”
Boo-friggity-hoo. You big babies. You know who doesn’t like standing up and getting muddy during concerts? Lame people, that’s who. Maybe you guys should stay home and watch Blu-Ray concerts on your couch….in Rogers.
RE “You know who doesn’t like standing up and getting muddy during concerts? Lame people, that’s who.”
Fortunately for the rest of us, a lot of lame people won’t complain about standing through a concert, because fortunately for many lame people, they are confined to wheelchairs and can’t stand through a concert even if they want to. I just hope that somebody will be available to give them a big “Boo-friggity-hoo” when they complain because they can’t get their wheelchairs through the mud.
Oh come on now, DF. I’m obviously referring to able bodied people and even that is only in jest. I’ll be the first to help anyone in a wheelchair roll right up to the front of the stage and cover myselft head to toe in mud to get them through unscathed. If your post is tongue-in-cheek, I apologize.
I was just checking your post for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“I’ll be the first to help anyone in a wheelchair roll right up to the front of the stage…”
You wouldn’t have been allowed. I have been with someone in a wheelchair to two shows at the AMP and it was a terrible, and at times, humilating experience. They claimed to have a handicapped area but both times said they hadn’t figured it out yet. We were stuck with the smokers the first time off the right of the stage and everyone was standing in front of us so we couldn’t see. The second time they said we had to be on the lawn even though we paid for handicapped seating that the Walton ticket people promised was there. We paid more than the lawn price but it didn’t matter. The walton arts center and this place keeps confirming that they don’t give a damn about disabled people.
Not using a wheelchair yet, but close. FU George.
Sweet! I love it when I get to be the d-head. While we’re at it, can we do something about all the women and gays thinking they’re equal? They should definitely be in the back of the crowd sitting in the mud. Oh, and the Jews. Yeah, F them, the Muslims, and all religions ending with –ism. It’s a Christian white man’s world and I’m living the creamsicle dream!
Are you the drunk guy that looks like “Carrot top”?
Busted. What’s weird is I’m also the Treasurer of the NWA Anti-Ginger League. It’s a hypocrisy of Clayton Bigsby proportions.
Those rocket scientists in Springdale still don’t know what to do with Arvest Ballpark and they own rights to events in the offseason. Nothing ever happens there!!! And they wonder why their sales tax revenues are down. What a great concert venue that would be.
I would MUCH rather see an outdoor concert at the WCFG Amp than Barnhill or Bud Walton. Ive seen a few concerts at both. I thought it was a great move from the mall. Bring a lawn chair and there are plenty of spots to sit even during the most crowded shows, unless you are so lazy you can’t stand to walk to the other side of the grounds from the entrance. There is also plenty of easy parking. I thought it was a great venue and had fun and enjoyed the atmosphere at Miranda Lambert, even though the music itself was absolutely terrible. The echoing of indoor venues is not good. Rain happens. It is a risk worth taking and that is unavoidable for an outdoor venue
I shouldn’t say absolutely terrible. Sorry Miranda Lambert fans. I personally wanted to choke someone listening to it but I can understand that others have different tastes
Someone should invent a go-go-Gadget wheelchair that extends 10′ in the air for concerts. That would be awesome for a lot of different things actually.