Outdoor Amphitheater

[BAPharmer]

I know this is probably not big on anyone's list of needs for our metropolitan area, but why don't we have a outdoor amphitheater (like the zoo amphitheater in OKC). I am a music lover and am excited that the BOK center has brought some big names to town. Of course, the Cains is a superstar as well. But, what about all the summer concerts that play amphitheaters? Have you been to the Zoo Amphitheater? It's about as impressive as...well, I can't think of anything. It seems like such a project would be far less expensive than an arena and could bring in some big concerts. Just some thoughts.

[GG]

I thought we had an amphitheater on the west bank of River Parks?

[TheArtist]

We have the River Parks Amphitheater which has a great view across the river to downtown. But, imo its not a nice, attractive place to go. It really needs some serious landscaping, upgrading and additions to the facilities.

When I go to an event or an entertainment venue, I like it when the venue itself is a positive part of the experience. Going up to the place or the building should be an experience. Your taken away from the regular, humdrum of daily life. Frankly, going to the River Parks Amphitheater,,, is like going a notch or two down lol. Its a great start and I am glad we put it in. But it would be nice to finish it off and really make it something special. And your right, wouldn't cost all that much compared to a lot of things, to make it a wonderful venue that people were attracted to, was more versatile and functional, and a place where people would like to go to all the time.

I like to think that the best designed spaces and places are the kinds that your attracted to go to and linger, even if you were the only person there. The thing is, if you design a place that way, you will find that you will rarely be the only one there lol.

Right now you have just the opposite. You hear of an event at the amphitheater and think "Great sounding event, but ugh its in that drab, boring, (easily forgotten lol)desolate place,,, I think I'll pass."

[Townsend]

Upgrades are in the works for the Riverparks amphitheater.

I think they've change since I've looked into them so I don't want to put the wrong information on here.

[sgrizzle]

I've heard the riverparks ampitheater may not last much longer. The seating capacity is low, maintenance isn't great and the pool it floats in is filling up.

There was talk of one in West Tulsa that didn't pan out. We need one like Red Rocks in Colorado. A very large outdoor ampitheater would also be a better host to Rocklahoma, etc. than a flat cow pasture.

[joiei]

Go check out the amphitheater in Ft Smith.  It is right on the river by the bridge across the Arkansas from downtown to Oklahoma.  It doesn't have to be HUGE.  Comfortable more than anything.  that is where they have their blues festival every year.

[Townsend]

The upgrades included moving the amphitheater onto land just South of its current location.

If I remember right, RM told a few of us that the lagoon was going away.

I could be misremembering.

[TURobY]

That's be okay with me. When I lived over at Westport, I noticed that trash and other things would always float into it and never back out.

[Conan71]

quote:Originally posted by Townsend

The upgrades included moving the amphitheater onto land just South of its current location.

If I remember right, RM told a few of us that the lagoon was going away.

I could be misremembering.

RM is correct about the lagoon getting filled as long as my "mole" down at INCOG is right.  I don't know about "moving" the amphitheater and I'm not 100% certain if they are going to wreck out the concrete stands or not.  For now, the boat house is staying put but may get some improvements.

RWFP is getting about $7.5m for improvements.  Filling in the lagoon is one of those improvements.  The flow is all wrong.

I saw some great shows there: Bruce Hornsby, Moody Blues, Robert Palmer.  I will never forget Robert Palmer ad-libbing lyrics to his signature hit:

"Gonna have to face it, you're infested with bugs!"

Huge swarms in the lights that night.

[MDepr2007]

We were going to have a 20,000 seat one but a small majority went with the BOK , so it was dumped.

[Composer]

Who was going to develop the 20,000-seat amphitheater?

[sgrizzle]

Initial discussions that led up to Vision2025 discussed the need for a large entertainment venue. Indoor acts are pulling in more money than outdoor acts so we got an arena. The new baseball stadium will fill some of the outdoor amphitheater needs, like the ballpark at OKC does.

[dioscorides]

From 2003:
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http://www.tulsatoday.com/newsdesk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=323&Itemid=2

Private Amphitheatre Coming       

By By Hannah Christopher  
Tuesday, 13 May 2003

It took all of five seconds to realize this was it. Years of futility, dead ends and crushed hopes dissipated the moment the patch of tall Bermuda grass succumbed to the trudging of weary feet that had finally found home. This is where Oklahoma's finest amphitheatre and first music city will be created

It took all of five seconds to realize this was it. Years of futility, dead ends and crushed hopes dissipated the moment the patch of tall Bermuda grass succumbed to the trudging of weary feet that had finally found home. This is where Oklahoma's finest amphitheatre and first music city will be created by Acess Venue Development Corporation, LLC

"We looked north, east, west and south of Tulsa and then west again," says Chris Greer, communications director for Acess and associate publisher/editor-in-chief of Oklahoma Music magazine. "We'd find space, but it was just space. We wanted Camelot, and we wanted it in Tulsa County. As all our mothers used to say when they weren't yelling at us to wipe our feet before coming in the house, 'Good things come to those who wait.'"

Persistence and plenty of preparation paid off as Acess (which stands for Arts, Culture, Entertainment, Sports and Science) was granted unanimous approval by the Tulsa County Board of Adjustment to build a 20,000-seat amphitheatre on a 142-acre tract northeast of Sand Springs and roughly five minutes west of downtown Tulsa. The state-of-the-art facility, scheduled to open in March 2004, is also designed to include a musical-themed botanical garden and 6,000-square-foot planetarium.

"When the Oklahoma Music Amphitheatre is finished, the complex isn't going to look like someone picked up a couple of steel and cement buildings in Los Angeles and dropped them on to a patch of Oklahoma land," Greer says. "We are designing a complex that works with foliage, natural land design and elevation. This is an amazing area of land and we want to complement it, not work against it."

Acess is covering all its bases by conducting land planning and engineering feasibility studies. The group has also brought in sound experts to analyze the terrain for acoustical limitations or potential neighborhood noise impact problems. Traffic flow and parking studies are also being conducted.

"This is the tedious part of planning a facility, but without doing things right in the beginning, no one will be able to have a good time down the road," says Bill Bowman, Acess CEO. "In business it's tough not to fall in love with a decision, but we all have to be practical. Each location has its strengths and weaknesses. We feel confident that no matter where we construct the Oklahoma Music Amphitheatre, it is going to be one of the state's crown jewels."

Preliminary plans for the amphitheatre call for 6,500-8,000 seats that can be completely enclosed during inclement weather. Another 2,000-4,000 seats, which will be protected by a retractable canopy and can receive circulated heat and air, will be directly behind. A sprawling lawn area will let another 11,500 relax on blankets, folding chairs or grass.

Future phases of the ambitious Oklahoma Music Amphitheatre complex project could include a corporate retreat, museum, hotel and trolley system.

"This is going to be more than just a great place to hear a concert or watch a play," Greer says. "Our intention is to develop a complex that celebrates and promotes the music of Oklahoma. This will be accomplished by integrating music, entertainment and education for music lovers throughout the state."

All aesthetics and amenities aside, the Oklahoma Music Amphitheatre may finally put Tulsa County on the radar for concert promoters and artists who often bypass the Tulsa/Sand Springs area in favor of bigger and more sound-friendly environments in Kansas City, Kan.; Little Rock, Ark.; St. Louis, Mo.; Dallas and Oklahoma City.

"We, like a lot of people in this area, get tired of having to drive 90-plus miles to see a top-tier concert or event that could have taken place in our backyard," Greer says. "Tulsa County is more than just a great place for Paul McCartney's tour bus to gas up. Tulsa has had big success in the oil and technology sectors. Now is the time for Tulsa County to be known for music and entertainment like it was decades ago.

"Do you really think Austin, Texas, was always sought out by the music and entertainment industries? No way. It used to be [University of Texas football coach] Darrell Royal's stomping grounds. But some people with incredible vision went to the table with an idea and a determination to make Royal share the spotlight. Now Austin is mentioned in the same breath as Los Angeles, New York, Minneapolis, Detroit and Nashville in entertainment circles. There's no reason Tulsa can't be the same way. And the first step is this amphitheatre."

With plans to host 30-35 major touring concert events during the year—and 75-85 smaller shows and events— Acess has spent several months interviewing promoters, vendors, booking agents and artists.

"It's been phenomenal so far," says Bowman. "We always knew that a facility like the Oklahoma Music Amphitheatre could thrive in the Tulsa area and that with the right promoter, can host acts like Madonna, Aerosmith, Beck and Toby Keith. Not one of the promoters we've talked to so far has had reservations concerning bringing 30 or more top-flight talents to the city each year."

According to a feasibility study commissioned by Acess and conducted by Virginia/

Oklahoma-based Wilson Research Strategies, 98 percent of all adults polled in Tulsa and the surrounding areas consider themselves to be moderate to avid fans of live music and 22 percent attend four to seven live music shows in a year. When asked to rate their likeliness to attend events at the amphitheatre on a scale of 0-10, the mean score was a very high 7.5.

In an effort to help curb people missing out on shows because they can't get tickets, Acess will introduce personal seat licenses (PSLs) in the amphitheatre. Roughly 4,500 seats will be made available through the program, which allows music lovers to secure the right to purchase seating for every event for a defined period of time. Details and costs of the investment have yet to be defined, but Bowman expects the PSLs to range from $1,000 to $2,500.

"Think about how many concerts you wanted to see in your lifetime, but had to miss out because the show sold out in minutes," Bowman explains. "With a PSL investment, you will be guaranteed first crack at purchasing tickets to any show. We believe that a couple of thousand dollars is well worth the piece of mind the investor will receive."

While Acess' amphitheatre goals are clearly defined, the group understands the importance of attracting individuals and companies who not only buy into the dream but have the experience to pull everything together. Among those who joined the team are Tulsa-based Tanner Consulting (engineers) and Gary Sparks Companies (architects) as well as KKE/BBA, a live entertainment venue consulting firm specializing in cultural and performing arts facilities and amphitheatre venues. A multiple award-winning group based out of Laguna Beach, Calif., KKE/BBA has created more than half of the amphitheatres in the United States including Red Rocks (Denver, Colo.); Fiddler's Green (Englewood, Colo.); Nissan Pavilion at Stoneridge (Manassas, Va.); Shoreline Amphitheatre (Mountain View, Calif.); and The Gorge Amphitheatre (Quincy, Wa.).

"To get a group like KKE/BBA onboard at this stage is the equivalent of Martin Scorsese agreeing to direct your script without a production deal," Greer says. "Their president, William C. Bethmann, is so intrigued by this project that he is single-handedly going to direct the operation. We and the citizens of Tulsa County will be incredibly blessed to have this guy at the helm."

Bethmann appreciates the high praise and notes that "This project is not about me or KKE, it's about understanding and connecting with the vision of each client, and then helping them to expand upon their original vision; in the end, accomplishing more than they ever thought possible."

[TheArtist]

That was interesting, and odd lol.

[Townsend]

KTUL's FB post:

Talks are underway to reviatilize the floating amphiteater. What do you think?