Thoughts on Wolf Pen Creek Amphitheater Makeover?

36,679 Views | 329 Replies | Last: 5 mo ago by Bob Yancy
Tim Weaver
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Brian Alg said:

What kinds of musicians are y'all wanting to see?

If you want to see big names, I wonder if something like chartering busses to Cynthia Woods would make more sense than spending a fortune sprucing up WPC and hoping somebody will figure out a way to make money booking Grammy nominated artists to play the venue
It's not about bringing in the tippy-top 1% of artists that have just played the Sphere in Vegas. Its about bringing in ANYONE that plays their own music that they wrote.


Tribute acts are the worst. Just awful all around. Who cares if you already know the songs.


Instead if a tribute act that is going to poorly cosplay like Steve Perry and strut around on stage trying to sing Separate Ways, how about you hire some band like TUB? Texas Unlimited band plays songs you know. They are fantastic entertainers. They are pro's, and they will play as long as you want and they take requests. There are a million Event Bands out there just like TUB working hard to make an honest living providing entertainment.


Now that the cover bands are handled, there are a million real bands both on the way up and on the way down that could play here for not as much money as you think and then you get a real pro who might just have a couple of Grammy's back home but from decades ago. John Conley, Neal McCoy, Eddy Raven. These guys are all still out there and put on an unbelievable show. You'll be going "I forgot about this song! Was that Him!" all night long.

I had the priveledge and honor to work with Ray Price a few times before he died. Those were really fun and memorable shows. Even in his 80's the guy was fantastic.

Bellamy Bros, Crystal Gayle, John Anderson, Marty Stuart. The list goes on. Book them here and catch them before they're gone.


The best way to book one of these shows is to hire an event band like TUB or some other local party band to CLOSE the show. Then have your headliner play from 7-8:30 and then put on the cover band so the kids can dance from 9ish to 10:30 or so. You might throw a local solo acoustic act on there at the very beginning to get things started. This way the act that the old people are coming to see is early. They watch, then leave when they are comfortable. Then the younger crowd can stay and dance or whatever until the park closes. This works great for a classic country act.
AggiePhil
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AG
I gotta agree. Have always found the tribute bands to be a complete joke. Saw "Hotel California" at WPC once, have never been back. Would rather see some independents play there.
Rex Racer
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AG
Tim Weaver said:

Brian Alg said:

What kinds of musicians are y'all wanting to see?

If you want to see big names, I wonder if something like chartering busses to Cynthia Woods would make more sense than spending a fortune sprucing up WPC and hoping somebody will figure out a way to make money booking Grammy nominated artists to play the venue
It's not about bringing in the tippy-top 1% of artists that have just played the Sphere in Vegas. Its about bringing in ANYONE that plays their own music that they wrote.


Tribute acts are the worst. Just awful all around. Who cares if you already know the songs.


Instead if a tribute act that is going to poorly cosplay like Steve Perry and strut around on stage trying to sing Separate Ways, how about you hire some band like TUB? Texas Unlimited band plays songs you know. They are fantastic entertainers. They are pro's, and they will play as long as you want and they take requests. There are a million Event Bands out there just like TUB working hard to make an honest living providing entertainment.


Now that the cover bands are handled, there are a million real bands both on the way up and on the way down that could play here for not as much money as you think and then you get a real pro who might just have a couple of Grammy's back home but from decades ago. John Conley, Neal McCoy, Eddy Raven. These guys are all still out there and put on an unbelievable show. You'll be going "I forgot about this song! Was that Him!" all night long.

I had the priveledge and honor to work with Ray Price a few times before he died. Those were really fun and memorable shows. Even in his 80's the guy was fantastic.

Bellamy Bros, Crystal Gayle, John Anderson, Marty Stuart. The list goes on. Book them here and catch them before they're gone.


The best way to book one of these shows is to hire an event band like TUB or some other local party band to CLOSE the show. Then have your headliner play from 7-8:30 and then put on the cover band so the kids can dance from 9ish to 10:30 or so. You might throw a local solo acoustic act on there at the very beginning to get things started. This way the act that the old people are coming to see is early. They watch, then leave when they are comfortable. Then the younger crowd can stay and dance or whatever until the park closes. This works great for a classic country act.
I actually saw the Bellamy Bros. at Wolf Pen Creek ampitheater once. It was a GREAT show. We're talking 25 or 30 years ago.
Tim Weaver
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Also really really great, fantastic bands that could play in our market and on that stage:

Lawrance
Everclear
Soul Asylum
Big Head Todd and the Monsters
Snarky Puppy
Ghostface Killah
They Might Be Giants
LeCrae
Clutch
Drowning Pool
(the real) Def Leppard
(the real) Loverboy
Radney Foster
Seth James
James McMurtry
Shinyribs
Ian Moore
Truth and Salvage Company
Band of Horses
A Thousand Horses (sounds like Andy Dwyer is naming bands again!)
St Paul and the Broken Bones
Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears
Andrew Duhon



Not to mention the Texas country favorites. Randy and Wade, Casey Donahue, Corb Lund, Walt Wilkins, Sean McConnell, Jason Boland, Shane Smith and the Saints, Josh Ward ('Schward), Cody Jinks, Whiskey Myers. It goes on and on.

And generally if a band is playing at a state fair anywhere they'll play at WPC.
maroon barchetta
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Def Leppard has been playing stadiums and the like for two years. They played Minute Maid Park with Motley Crue and Poison.

They aren't coming to Wolf Pen amphitheater.

Come on, man.
Independence H-D
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Aaron Watson, et al.
TXAG 05
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AG
Tim Weaver said:

Also really really great, fantastic bands that could play in our market and on that stage:

Lawrance
Everclear
Soul Asylum
Big Head Todd and the Monsters
Snarky Puppy
Ghostface Killah
They Might Be Giants
LeCrae
Clutch
Drowning Pool
(the real) Def Leppard
(the real) Loverboy
Radney Foster
Seth James
James McMurtry
Shinyribs
Ian Moore
Truth and Salvage Company
Band of Horses
A Thousand Horses (sounds like Andy Dwyer is naming bands again!)
St Paul and the Broken Bones
Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears
Andrew Duhon



Not to mention the Texas country favorites. Randy and Wade, Casey Donahue, Corb Lund, Walt Wilkins, Sean McConnell, Jason Boland, Shane Smith and the Saints, Josh Ward ('Schward), Cody Jinks, Whiskey Myers. It goes on and on.

And generally if a band is playing at a state fair anywhere they'll play at WPC.


Unless there are major changes, I'd say almost none of those bands would play wolf pen as it currently is.



TyHolden
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maroon barchetta said:

Def Leppard has been playing stadiums and the like for two years. They played Minute Maid Park with Motley Crue and Poison.

They aren't coming to Wolf Pen amphitheater.

Come on, man.
could we get the drummer?
Rex Racer
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maroon barchetta said:

Def Leppard has been playing stadiums and the like for two years. They played Minute Maid Park with Motley Crue and Poison.

They aren't coming to Wolf Pen amphitheater.

Come on, man.

They played the Woodlands Pavilion 15 years ago with Poison and Cheap Trick. Great show!
Brian Alg
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If booking these events is as simple and easy as you seem to indicate, why is it not already being done?

Why are you not doing it?
Tim Weaver
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Brian Alg said:

If booking these events is as simple and easy as you seem to indicate, why is it not already being done?

Why are you not doing it?
Because..... Read the post that you just responded too and I've outlined all the reasons why.


It's not a booking issue, or a demand issue. Its mostly logistics and management.
halibut sinclair
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Rex Racer said:

maroon barchetta said:

Def Leppard has been playing stadiums and the like for two years. They played Minute Maid Park with Motley Crue and Poison.

They aren't coming to Wolf Pen amphitheater.

Come on, man.

They played the Woodlands Pavilion 15 years ago with Poison and Cheap Trick. Great show!


I was there!
Tim Weaver
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maroon barchetta said:

Def Leppard has been playing stadiums and the like for two years. They played Minute Maid Park with Motley Crue and Poison.

They aren't coming to Wolf Pen amphitheater.

Come on, man.
Yeah they will. In August they are playing both the Iowa and Illinois State fair. These guys are not headlining Stadium shows UNLESS they put together a super-show with 2-3 other big names from the 80's. Yes those combo shows are probably out of reach, but a single band as the headliner is solidly in the running for our market.

Also, all bands tend to play their biggest shows in the summer. Its called "festival season" in our business.



And just to further hammer this point home, Def Leppard is about to play the HoB Orlando for a $25 ticket.
Tim Weaver
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halibut sinclair said:

Rex Racer said:

maroon barchetta said:

Def Leppard has been playing stadiums and the like for two years. They played Minute Maid Park with Motley Crue and Poison.

They aren't coming to Wolf Pen amphitheater.

Come on, man.

They played the Woodlands Pavilion 15 years ago with Poison and Cheap Trick. Great show!


I was there!
Exactly. 15 years is a long time to come sliding back into our market.


Sometime around 25 years ago I had shots onstage with Robin Zander at Galveston Mardi Gras. His tech has several shots poured to "clear the throat" as he sings. If they don't drink them all during the show he calls some locals over and passes them out. They were a really great bunch to work with.
Rex Racer
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halibut sinclair said:

Rex Racer said:

maroon barchetta said:

Def Leppard has been playing stadiums and the like for two years. They played Minute Maid Park with Motley Crue and Poison.

They aren't coming to Wolf Pen amphitheater.

Come on, man.

They played the Woodlands Pavilion 15 years ago with Poison and Cheap Trick. Great show!


I was there!
I was off a year. It was 2009.
johnnyblaze36
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I used to see Snarky Puppy all the time in Dallas at dive bars where there would be more musicians on stage than people in the crowd. Michael League is such a badass.

As much as I'd love it, they are international now. No way they are ever coming to CS.
Tailgate88
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johnnyblaze36 said:

I used to see Snarky Puppy all the time in Dallas at dive bars where there would be more musicians on stage than people in the crowd. Michael League is such a badass.

As much as I'd love it, they are international now. No way they are ever coming to CS.
Jealous. Took my son and a couple of his drummer buddies to see them at ACL when they were there on the last tour. I wish they came through Texas more. I have their "We Like It Here" videos on repeat on Youtube quite a bit... great stuff.

I am old enough to remember when the CS Jazz Festival was at Central Park and the One O'Clock would come down to headline. They moved it to Wolf Pen when it opened and tragically combined it with "Children's Fest" which killed the vibe. That was the end of Jazz fest. They are making an effort to revive one in downtown Bryan again, I think at the Palace, but I haven't been able to make it down there yet.
Tim Weaver
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johnnyblaze36 said:

I used to see Snarky Puppy all the time in Dallas at dive bars where there would be more musicians on stage than people in the crowd. Michael League is such a badass.

As much as I'd love it, they are international now. No way they are ever coming to CS.
Eh, not really. Just because they go around the world doesn't mean anything. I know MANY small country artists that tour around the world. France does a country festival and invites many smaller acts, and the USO is always looking for for anybody that will play.


So, looking through Snarky Puppy's tour dates I found this. It's a similar, or maybe slightly smaller size stage and viewing area. It's a temporary stage, but I've been on those plenty of times. It's a much smaller SqFt than WPC. It is in the Napa Valley so its a different clientele, but look at the acts they are bringing in. ABSOLUTELY no reason we couldn't do the same.

https://www.bluenotejazz.com/napa/summer-sessions/
TXAG 05
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Tim Weaver said:

johnnyblaze36 said:

I used to see Snarky Puppy all the time in Dallas at dive bars where there would be more musicians on stage than people in the crowd. Michael League is such a badass.

As much as I'd love it, they are international now. No way they are ever coming to CS.
Eh, not really. Just because they go around the world doesn't mean anything. I know MANY small country artists that tour around the world. France does a country festival and invites many smaller acts, and the USO is always looking for for anybody that will play.


So, looking through Snarky Puppy's tour dates I found this. It's a similar, or maybe slightly smaller size stage and viewing area. It's a temporary stage, but I've been on those plenty of times. It's a much smaller SqFt than WPC. It is in the Napa Valley so its a different clientele, but look at the acts they are bringing in. ABSOLUTELY no reason we couldn't do the same.

https://www.bluenotejazz.com/napa/summer-sessions/
Sure a band will play anywhere you want them to if you pay them enough money, but people in College Station aren't going to pay $100+ per ticket to go see someone at Wolf Pen.
EclipseAg
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Not quite the same thing, because the shows are free, but Brenham does a fantastic job with its Hot Nights, Cool Tunes summer concert series.

The acts are all cover bands, but the crowds are big and everyone has a great time. We went to see The Spicolis a couple of years ago and it was lots of fun. College Station should be able to support even larger events of that same type.
Tailgate88
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https://www.cstx.gov/departments___city_hall/parks/events/starlight

CS does that, but it sounds like the quality has decreased over the years. We used to go to 2-3 shows a year back when our kids were in middle/high school but haven't been recently. Posts on this forum have been less than favorable....
Tim Weaver
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TXAG 05 said:

Tim Weaver said:

johnnyblaze36 said:

I used to see Snarky Puppy all the time in Dallas at dive bars where there would be more musicians on stage than people in the crowd. Michael League is such a badass.

As much as I'd love it, they are international now. No way they are ever coming to CS.
Eh, not really. Just because they go around the world doesn't mean anything. I know MANY small country artists that tour around the world. France does a country festival and invites many smaller acts, and the USO is always looking for for anybody that will play.


So, looking through Snarky Puppy's tour dates I found this. It's a similar, or maybe slightly smaller size stage and viewing area. It's a temporary stage, but I've been on those plenty of times. It's a much smaller SqFt than WPC. It is in the Napa Valley so its a different clientele, but look at the acts they are bringing in. ABSOLUTELY no reason we couldn't do the same.

https://www.bluenotejazz.com/napa/summer-sessions/
Sure a band will play anywhere you want them to if you pay them enough money, but people in College Station aren't going to pay $100+ per ticket to go see someone at Wolf Pen.
Tickets to Cheap Trick start at 78 dollars through ticketmaster (*spits on ground), but remember thats in Napa Valley at a resort.

Snarky Puppy is playing in Boston and the tickets start at $30 bucks.
Tim Weaver
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Also, I'm not advocating that CoCS brings in the top names for the free concerts. Bring in those older country acts. Or even not so older. Radney Foster is the man, and isn't that expensive. Also freaking Trout Fishing In America!

Last time they played here my kids were little and the place was PACKED with families! We bought CD's got autographs and the whole thing. My kids are 23 and 25 now........




Ooooooooooh There'ssssssss 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 wheels on a big riiiiig!
Kbeauty63
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Tim Weaver said:

Also, I'm not advocating that CoCS brings in the top names for the free concerts. Bring in those older country acts. Or even not so older. Radney Foster is the man, and isn't that expensive. Also freaking Trout Fishing In America!

Last time they played here my kids were little and the place was PACKED with families! We bought CD's got autographs and the whole thing. My kids are 23 and 25 now........




Ooooooooooh There'ssssssss 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 wheels on a big riiiiig!
Trout Fishing in America is GREAT - I remember seeing them at Wolf Pen - I'd love it if they'd come back!
maroon barchetta
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I have friends that retired to Napa in the past year. They post photos from good shows pretty often.

It's a different demographic with a different budget.
EliteElectric
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I ran sound for Trout Fishing at Stafford when TC owned it, must have been '92 or so
www.elitellp.net/

AggiePhil
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AG
Look at Moody Amphitheater in Austin. Something like that would be awesome here.
harrierdoc
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The biggest issue, imo, is that it is just too darn hot in the summer here.

Tell me where you'd rather attend an outdoor concert.
We are in San Diego right now and Deirks Bentley is playing at the Shell. Right on the water, very cool and comfortable. We are across the bay in Coronado and can hear it from our restaurant on the water.

dubi
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Quote:

The biggest issue, imo, is that it is just too darn hot in the summer here.
Agree on the heat.

If we had a market for concerts, private companies would fill that need. Once again something the city needs to stay out of like buy Macy's. And building baseball fields for the Bombers. Etc.
Rex Racer
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Yeah, I have not been back to the Woodlands Pavilion for another concert. The humidity was miserable during that Def Leppard, Poison, Cheap Trick concert.
AggiePhil
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harrierdoc said:

The biggest issue, imo, is that it is just too darn hot in the summer here.
Good point. And unfortunately we do not have a quality indoor performing arts venue, aside from the incredibly dated Rudder Auditorium. Despite having The Arts Council (not quite sure what they do), I feel like our performing arts scene needs a lot of improvement.
EliteElectric
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dubi said:

If we had a market for concerts, private companies would fill that need. Once again something the city needs to stay out of like buy Macy's. And building baseball fields for the Bombers. Etc.
1000 times this.
www.elitellp.net/

ZoneClubber
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dubi said:

Quote:

The biggest issue, imo, is that it is just too darn hot in the summer here.
Agree on the heat.

If we had a market for concerts, private companies would fill that need. Once again something the city needs to stay out of like buy Macy's. And building baseball fields for the Bombers. Etc.


Well, that is what is being proposed. A private entity investing in improvements for WPC and booking entertainment for WPC.

And despite proof of history of large capacity crowds at WPC, the usual naysayers are saying it won't work.
Tim Weaver
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It'll never work! It's too hot! Make somebody else pay for it!


Meanwhile 6-7k people used to show up on the regular when they booked real acts.
EliteElectric
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ZoneClubber said:


Well, that is what is being proposed. A private entity investing in improvements for WPC and booking entertainment for WPC.

And despite proof of history of large capacity crowds at WPC, the usual naysayers are saying it won't work.
No the naysayers are saying (naysayer here) CoCS needs to stay out of it and let the private world prove the market. I have been to many many shows at WPC and I have been in the music industry most of my life, and I have only seen one capacity crowd at WPC and that was for Willie Nelson in 2010-ish and was a free show IIRC. One packed show in 16 years does not a great venue make. Sorry. It just doesn't.
www.elitellp.net/

 
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