The Dillon Amphitheater clocked in season with a record number of shows. Here’s how it went.
The 2023 season was the most successful year on record at the Dillon Amphitheater. This season the venue brought on more shows, making 2024’s season even more robust than ever before.
Officials wanted to switch things up this year as the venue continues to grow in popularity. Now that the season has wrapped, they said the changes have paid off. The amphitheater’s jam-packed season featured a record number of shows, policy changes and new safety measures.
The venue hosted 44 concerts this summer, 16 of which were free. In 2023 the venue hosted 36 shows, 15 of which were free. Last year the venue began its partnership with Beverly Hills-based entertainment company Live Nation, which continued into this year. It also has a standing partnership with Los Angeles-based entertainment company Anschutz Entertainment Group, more commonly known as AEG.
During the 2023 season the venue sold 69,443 tickets, bringing in $4.5 million. Another $1.3 million was brought in by bar concession sales at both paid and free concerts.
While data is still being reviewed for this season, officials say well over half of ticketed shows were sold out. Additionally, staff members reported that free concerts were extremely well attended and said, anecdotally, it seemed busier than free concerts in previous years. This could mean the revenue brought in during 2024 will surpass that of 2023, marketing and communications manager Suzanne Phillipson said.
She said the pacing of this season’s shows worked well and could be something that is replicated in future seasons.
“We did find that having about three shows per week, two paid and one free, was a really good balance, especially for our staff and our community,” she said.
She added a survey will be sent out through the town’s social media accounts to get more input on aspects such as how many ticketed and how many free shows people want to see in the future.
Phillipson said this season, staffers strived to create a diversified lineup with a variety of genres, and she anticipates that sentiment will carry on into the future.
“We really want to make sure that we’re providing entertainment that spans generations and our community as a whole,” she said. “Our Mountain Music Monday series this year, I think, was probably one of the best free lineups we’ve done.”
She pointed to the free Lulada Club show, an all-female salsa band whose songs were sung entirely in Spanish, as being a prime example of this. The Lulada Club drew in a substantial crowd and had people dancing in front of the stage throughout the entire show.
While the venue beefed up its lineup, the town made changes to what types of bags could be brought in while also modifying the ticketing process.
Under its new policy, each ticket holder, including children, could bring one bag into the venue. Bags larger than 6.5-inches wide and 4.5-inches tall had to be clear so that the contents of the bag were visible. Guests could bring a clear bag that is no larger than 12-inches tall by 12-inches long with a 6-inch opening at the top. One-gallon, clear freezer bags were also permitted.
Also, camp chairs brought into the venue were required to not be more than 5 inches off the ground.
Phillipson said while these regulations have been adopted by many in the industry, especially by other mountain town venues, staffers anticipated people would take a bit of time to adjust to them.
She said it took until the beginning of July for the regulations to really solidify. She said by the time it was mid-season there weren’t too many issues with noncompliance.
Ticketing for shows that weren’t free switched to being entirely digital this year, in an effort, staffers previously said, to make the venue more sustainable and to expedite purchasing, accessing and transferring tickets. She said the regulations and ticketing practices will likely carry on into next season.
The venue also made changes related to parking this season, which Phillipson said “elevated the safety aspect of that whole area around the amphitheater.”
For ticketed shows, the venue required that people reserve paid parking in the lot ahead of time. She said the change alleviated a lot of traffic congestion. The town hired a company to direct traffic for many events, and this also made for a safer pedestrian experience for those walking around the venue, she said.
Phillipson said the town generally does its overview of the season in November, and no major changes are being contemplated at this time.
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