Amphitheaters in Indian Country Amphitheaters in Indian Country 54 Indian Gaming August 2007 BlueWater Resort & Casino - Parker, AZ BlueWater Amphitheatre Colorado River Indian Tribes Year opened: 1999 Capacity: 2,500 - lawn seating Months of operation: May to September BlueWater Amphitheatre opened in June of 1999 with the capacity for 2,500 guests, set against the background of the beautiful Colorado River. Concertgoers are encouraged to bring in lawn chairs and blankets to sit in the grassy area in front of the amphitheater. In front of the stage there is a large cement area where concertgoers can go to get up close to the artists during concerts. This area also doubles as a dance floor. In addition to the 30-plus concerts that have been held in the amphithe- ater, it has also been used for graduation ceremonies, pow wows and award cer- emonies. As a resort and casino, and because of the enter- tainment and events it offers, BlueWater reaches a wide demographic. From the concerts in the amphithe- ater or the concerts in the Bingo Concert Hall, from the off-road and boat races that are held on property, which bring in people from all over the country, the property offers a little of everything from ages of 8 to 80. The amphitheater has hosted numerous exciting performers, such as The Commodores, BTO, The Doobie Brothers, Creedence Clearwater Revisited, Loverboy, .38 Special, The Gap Band, Kool and The Gang, Indigenous, The Spinners, and America. Each year for BlueWater's July concerts the property puts on fireworks shows following performances. During the fireworks shows there are upwards of 200 boats in the river to enjoy the spectacle. For more information on BlueWater Resort & Casino, visit www.bluewaterfun.com There are many reasons for the appeal of outdoor concert venues including the open night air, backdrop of starry skies, and natural sounding acoustics. Many Indian casinos have added outdoor headline performances to their summer entertainment lineup, booking nationally renowned performers that are drawing a wide demographic of concert goers to their properties. From permanent, state-of-the-art amphitheaters to intimate, fireside stages, casino patrons have a whole new reason to visit Indian Country during the concert season. On the following pages we feature some of these exciting outdoor venues...
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Amphitheatersin Indian CountryAmphitheatersin Indian Country
54 Indian Gaming August 2007
BlueWater Resort & Casino - Parker, AZBlueWater AmphitheatreColorado River Indian TribesYear opened: 1999Capacity: 2,500 - lawn seatingMonths of operation: May to September
BlueWater Amphitheatre opened in June of 1999 with thecapacity for 2,500 guests, set against the background of thebeautiful Colorado River. Concertgoers are encouraged tobring in lawn chairs and blankets to sit in the grassy area infront of the amphitheater.In front of the stage thereis a large cement areawhere concertgoers can goto get up close to the artistsduring concerts. This areaalso doubles as a dancefloor. In addition to the30-plus concerts that havebeen held in the amphithe-ater, it has also been usedfor graduation ceremonies,pow wows and award cer-emonies.
As a resort and casino,and because of the enter-tainment and events it offers,BlueWater reaches a widedemographic. From the concerts in the amphithe-ater or the concerts in theBingo Concert Hall, fromthe off-road and boat racesthat are held on property,which bring in people fromall over the country, the
property offers a little of everything from ages of 8 to 80.The amphitheater has hosted numerous exciting
performers, such as The Commodores, BTO, The DoobieBrothers, Creedence Clearwater Revisited, Loverboy, .38 Special, The Gap Band, Kool and The Gang, Indigenous,The Spinners, and America. Each year for BlueWater's Julyconcerts the property puts on fireworks shows followingperformances. During the fireworks shows there are upwardsof 200 boats in the river to enjoy the spectacle.
For more information on BlueWater Resort & Casino, visitwww.bluewaterfun.com
There are many reasons for the appeal of outdoor concert venues including the open nightair, backdrop of starry skies, and natural sounding acoustics. Many Indian casinos haveadded outdoor headline performances to their summer entertainment lineup, bookingnationally renowned performers that are drawing a wide demographic of concert goers totheir properties. From permanent, state-of-the-art amphitheaters to intimate, fireside stages,casino patrons have a whole new reason to visit Indian Country during the concert season.On the following pages we feature some of these exciting outdoor venues...
August 2007 Indian Gaming 55
Casino Del Sol - Tucson, AZAnselmo Valencia Tori AmphitheaterPascua Yaqui Tribe of ArizonaYear opened: 2002Capacity: 4,500 - theater-style and lawn seatingMonths of operation: Approx. April to November
The Pascua Yaqui Tribe had a vision to create the mostunique entertainment destination in the state. A place the
local community could go see top entertainers at a fraction ofthe cost of most concert venues in larger cities. In October 2001,The Pascua Yaqui Tribe made their dream a reality and AVAat Casino Del Sol was born.
Today the nearly 5,000-seat venue has become a hot spotof Southern Arizona, taking the entertainment world bystorm, selling out shows with such acts like Van Halen, TobyKeith, James Taylor, Don Henley, Luis Miguel and Brooks& Dunn.
With 1,779 reserved seats and more than 2,700 lawn seats,AVA offers a truly intimate setting for concertgoers. The largestage lets guests feel they can reach out and touch the starsin the sky, as well as on stage.
AVA was voted as the best outdoor venue in Tucson fouryears in a row by the readers of the Tucson Weekly. One concert there will tell you why: The sound system is great!Seating is, too. Whether you're in the comfy, more expensiveseats or stretching out on the laidback lawn, everyone has a greatview. In the coming months, everyone from Snoop Dogg toGeorge Benson to Los Lonely Boys to Bill Cosby will be performing there. Add a full bar and a casino where you canwin back the purchase price of your tickets afterwards, andyou've got yourself a complete entertainment package.
For more information on Casino Del Sol , v i s i t www.casinodelsol.com
Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort - Suquamish, WASuquamish Clearwater Casino ResortEvent LawnSuquamish TribeYear opened: 2006Capacity: 1,500 - stadium-style and lawn seatingMonths of operation: MemorialDay through Labor Day
Breathtaking views from the EventLawn at Suquamish ClearwaterCasino Resort set the stage for itsrelaxed summer concert series. ThePerformances at the Passage are freeto the public and have quickly becomea signature summer favorite for PacificNorthwest visitors and area residents.Perched on a wooded bluff, the con-cert stage offers free entertainmentwith a waterfront view. In addition tostandard stadium-style seating, relaxedtable and fireside areas are made avail-able for guests during performances.Concertgoers are also treated to anumber of amenities every show,including a full-service bar and abistro restaurant menu.
Each season, up and coming artistsfrom a variety of music genres, includ-ing rock, folk, jazz and reggae, perform
on the Event Lawn. This year performances by well knownNorthwest artists Vicci Martinez and The Paperboys broughtnear capacity crowds to the venue. Concerts throughoutthe rest of the season include reggae great Alex Duncan and rising national star Gary Nichols.
For more information on the Suquamish Clearwater CasinoResort, visit www.clearwatercasino.com
Pala Casino Spa and Resort - Pala, CAPalomar Starlight TheaterPala Band of Mission IndiansYear Opened: 2003Capacity: 2,420 - theater-style seatingMonths of operation: April to October
The Palomar StarlightTheater is a 2,400-seat out-door concert venue that pre-sents national headline actsand features contemporarysound and lighting systemsenhancing every entertain-ment experience. Nestledin the splendor of the Palo-mar Mountains in NorthernSan Diego County, thePalomar Starlight Theateroffers guests a naturalacoustic experience. Thisentertainment venue pro-vides a spectacular view ofthe surrounding landscapeand is located next to theresort's pool and highlyacclaimed spa.
Guests rave about being able to enjoy the outdoor ambiancewhile they are treated to star-studded entertainment fromlegendary performers and today's national headline acts. All concertgoers also have a prime seat on the outdoor lawn.
Every April through October, the Palomar Starlight showcases some of the biggest acts around, including
national headline entertain-ers in all music genres. Performers include TaylorH i c k s , I N X S , To n y Bennett, Michael Bolton,Z Z To p , M o n t g o m e r y Gentry, and Australian PinkFloyd, to name a few.
This year’s headlinersincluded Clay Aiken, AnaGabriel, UB40, Heart, GooGoo Dolls, Chicago, MarcoAntonio Solis, Kenny G,Rick Springfield, and theSteve Miller Band. Ourguests literally sit under the stars as they watch thestars.
For more information onPala Casino Spa and Resort,visit www.palacasino.com
56 Indian Gaming August 2007
Harrah's Rincon Casino & Resort - Valley Center, CAOpen Sky TheaterRincon San Luiseno Band of Mission IndiansYear opened: 2004Capacity: 2,500 - theater-style and bleacher/grandstand seatingMonths of operation: May to September
The Open Sky Theater enables Harrah's Rincon to offer awide variety of entertainment “under the stars” from latespring through early autumn. The stage isequipped with a state-of-the-art sound system,and the seating is arranged in such a way thatthere isn’t a bad seat in the house. Guests canchoose between preferred seating, which isoffered on the floor, and reserved seating, whichis more along the lines of grandstand-type seating. Depending upon the type of act, seating can be reduced to give a smaller, moreintimate feel or it can be expanded to accommo-date up to 2,500 people.
Since the Open Sky Theater debuted in 2004,Harrah's Rincon has been able to offer many different types of entertainment designed toappeal to a wide audience. The Open Sky Theater has hosted such diverse headliners asMelissa Etheridge, Peter Frampton, LeAnn
Rimes, the O'Jays, the Commodores, Sammy Hagar, the B-52s,Tony Bennett, Hall & Oates, Vince Gill, and Gladys Knight.It has also been the site for championship boxing and variousChinese and Vietnamese concerts.
Upcoming events for the remainder of the 2007 Seasoninclude ESPN Friday Night Fights (ESPN will broadcast live from the Open Sky Theater), Vietnamese Summer Extrav-aganza, INXS, Kung Fu Spectacular, The Doobie Brothers andPeter Frampton, and Ms. CoCo Lee and Mr. Alex Tu.
For more information on Harrah's Rincon Casino & Resort,visit www.harrahs.com
August 2007 Indian Gaming 57
Tulalip Resort Casino - Tulalip, WATulalip AmphitheatreTulalip Tribes of WashingtonYear opened: 2005Capacity: 3,000 - bleacher and lawn seatingMonths of operation: June to mid-September
This is certainly an exciting new venue that will bring a widerange of concerts and events to this ever-changing commu-nity. The amphitheater offers an unforgettable concert experience in a smaller, more intimate setting for this market, easily accessible by most residents of northwestern
Washington and beyond.The amphitheater hosts musical
performances from a variety of genres,including country, hip hop, jazz, andfolk. Tulalip tries to accommodateeveryone with a wide range of perform-ers and events, however they focuses onthe casino demographic - primarilybaby boomers and generation y.
An upcoming concert featuring BBKing with Etta James and her RootsBand (September 16, 2007) sold outincredibly fast and might prove to beTulalip’s biggest event so far. Theremainder of the 2007 concert sched-ule includes Gretchen Wilson, ChrisBrown, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy,Montgomery Gentry, Johnny Lang, Gordon Lightfoot, The Beach Boys,and Tower of Power.
For more information on Tulalip ResortCasino, visit www.tulalipcasino.com
Sandia Resort & Casino - Albuquerque, NMSandia Resort & Casino AmphitheaterPueblo of SandiaYear opened: 2001Occupancy: 4,264 - stadium-style seatingMonths of operation: April to October
The Sandia Resort & Casino Amphitheater is anopen-air venue that can accommodate almost 4,300 concertgoers. Sandia's unique outdoor atmosphereallows guests to sit back, relax and take in the majes-tic view of the Sandia Mountains while enjoying first-class entertainment.
The national concerts, fundraising events, as well aspast boxing events, have drawn guests of all ages. Someof the amphitheater's most popular shows have includedLos Lonely Boys, Kid Rock, Rascal Flatts, John Legend, Harry Connick, Jr., and Martina McBride. Thisyear's concert season has many exciting shows left,such as Heart, Gipsy Kings, Steve Miller Band andTrisha Yearwood.
For more information on Sandia Resort & Casino,visit www.sandiacasino.com
58 Indian Gaming August 2007
Muckleshoot Casino - Auburn, WAWhite River Amphitheatre Muckleshoot Indian TribeYear opened: 2002Capacity: 20,000 - theater-style and lawn seatingMonths of operation: April to September
The White River Amphitheatre is state-of-the-art in everyway. Great sight lines, a first-rate sound system, large videoscreens on both sides of the stage, comfortable seating, a largesteel roof and great views combine to make aconcert at the White River an unforgettableexperience. The facility sits on a 90-acre site witha plaza area that features food and beverageofferings.
White River offers a wide variety entertain-ment from country western and rock to salsa andhip hop. Artists such as the Eagles, FleetwoodMac, Cher, Tom Petty, Heart, John Mayer,Neil Young, Coldplay, Alan Jackson, Toby Keithand Vicente Fernandez have performed at WhiteRiver. In 2004 the annual Farm Aid concert washeld at the venue. Because of the wide range ofperformances at White River, the venue reachesmost demographic groups.
There have been a number of sellout
performances at White River over the years, including JimmyBuffet, Farm Aid, Crosby Stills Nash and Young and theEagles. Mexican singing star and “King of the Rancheras”Vicente Fernandez also recently played to an enthusiasticcrowd at White River. The 2007 season has been very success-ful featuring many popular acts. The remaining shows for thisseason include country western star Toby Keith, Mexican sen-sation Pep Aguilar and rock band Rush.
For more information on the White River Amphitheatre, visitwww.whiteriverconcerts.com ¨
