More country, fewer shows overall at First Niagara venue

First Niagara Pavilion concert promoter Live Nation probably wishes the Hanover Township venue could again party like it’s 1999.
That year, the site – then known as Star Lake Amphitheater – attracted a record 655,209 fans during the concert season. But over the next decade the “shed” venue went through two naming rights sponsors, raising uncertainty over how a large, rural setting could continue to draw Pittsburgh crowds when the city and suburbs play host to small, convenient venues.
Live Nation doesn’t report attendance figures until the end of year and did not respond to requests for comment for this story, but Pollstar statistics show Dave Matthews, Warped Tour, Mayhem Festival and one of two Luke Bryan shows as the only confirmed sellouts after more than half of the 26 shows this summer – 10 of which were country concerts.
That’s down from the 42 shows in 1999 it took to get a record turnout.
But Hanover Township isn’t feeling the slide, as its 5 percent amusement tax on admissions enacted in 2011 reels in consistent revenues to keep the municipality in the black. In 2014, the tax on concert tickets brought in $615,000 – nearly one-third of the $1.8 million operating budget for 2015, according to Supervisor Dave Duerr. The most tax revenue was in 2013, with $755,000 from ticket sales.
“We’ve bought two police vehicles, radios, a new (street) grader – and if you’re buying a new grader, you’re ahead of the curve, as most local bodies are happy with a used one,” Duerr said. The township received $185,000 from the venue in May and June of this year.
First Niagara also pays the township every year for a service contract with Hanover Volunteer Fire Department, with this year’s amount set at $5,500. The contract also states township police officers serving security roles at concerts are paid between $18 and $28 per hour, depending on rank and role. There are an average of 28 mostly part-time officers joining First Niagara’s own security personnel at each show, according to Hanover Officer in Charge Stan Henry, with as many as 50 officers stationed at sold-out shows.
When a Van Halen show in July drew just 5,000 people, promoters were right to anticipate a low turnout, and hedged their bets by offering discounted online Groupon tickets for the show.
But that strategy is not going to win back former longtime customers, according to Pollstar President Gary Bongiovanni.
“The real key to success for any facility is the quality of the experience. And that’s from the moment you get your tickets to the time you get home,” he said. “Because if the overall experience is good, a casual fan will go, whereas if they remember a bad experience, only the diehards are going to come back.”
Some former diehards turned into critical consumers.
“I stopped (going to First Niagara) after a Jimmy Buffett concert. People were so hammered, they couldn’t move without smashing into you … and the endless hours of navigating the gravel parking lot and highway drunks at the end (on Route 18) back to I-376. I saw the Rolling Stones at Heinz Field and drove home to the North Side in 15 minutes,” said John McIntire.
But Buffett is one of the mainstay bookings who has kept fans coming back for $8 hot dogs and $13 beers – he’s been at the venue every year since the pavilion opened in 1990, except for 2005, when the margarita-swilling showman stopped at PNC Park instead. Even the Coral Reefer Band and its frontman found their tickets on Groupon for $20 leading up to the Aug. 13 show. But since Buffett and other country-tinged acts still draw the most consistent crowds, according to Pollstar, it’s no wonder September will close out with Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum and Toby Keith. And country fans are OK with that.
“I go there often. We just went to Luke Bryan, and the seats were fairly priced at $80. We’re going to two more country shows in September. I try to stay away from Heinz Field and PNC Park concerts as the traffic for those shows are way worse than First Niagara,” said Chantal Christopher-Casserly of Carmichaels.
LiveNation needs to depend on large groups of fans, obviously, but it can’t count on all-day events that were commonplace at shed-type venues in the 1990s: Ozzfest is no more, and one Pittsburgh favorite, The Steve Miller Band, opted for smaller venues, even as metal bands and other popular acts find themselves in theaters, bars and rehabbed churches in Pittsburgh that gave up gospel for any promoter who can promise 2,000 warm bodies.
“I used to go to First Niagara all the time when I liked country music, but now, not any of the metal bands I like go there … the prices are atrocious. It was $5 for a bottle of water, and staff won’t let you keep the lid on a beverage on a 90-degree day?” said Bonnie Krynak of Burgettstown. “No way. I like the convenience of it being close to home, but traffic is a nightmare. We go to the Altar Bar in the Strip District because they always have metal concerts and their drinks are more reasonable.”
Bongiovanni said amphitheaters need a shot in the arm.
“The amphitheater market in general has been in decline for some time, at least since 2009,” Bongiovanni said. “Outdoor festivals are picking up the usual acts that would flock to these pavilions, because promoters realized two things: Those who built this pavilion network in the 1990s, they were the ones who were confident they could sustain these places on merchandise sales, which are split with the acts, and then concessions. But promoters who deal with acts out in the middle of a field and don’t have to maintain that infrastructure year-round for a four-month concert season, they’re taking the thunder away from pavilions.”
While some fans wax nostalgic about aging bands, others wish they had some old perks.
“They used to send (Hanover Township) residents free tickets. Now it’s just two tickets sent out for graduating students with their diplomas,” said Krynak.
Duerr said he goes to almost all of the concerts to people-watch and get a pulse on who’s attending, and said he observed most of the designated “free seats” were often empty.
“I’d come to the section where 60 or so of the seats were the free ones, and half of them would be empty. It’s better to have tickets being bought and used instead wasting resources for everyone,” he said.