Concertgoers sit in the late afternoon sunshine Friday at the Hayden Homes Amphitheater during the Lyle Lovett and Chris Isaak concert. The Bend venue has been able to attract bigger name acts after upgrading the amphitheater and partnering with Live Nation Entertainment. 

BEND — If you’re thinking there are some big names and a wide variety of musical genres lined up at the Hayden Homes Amphitheater this summer, you’re right.

The bigger stage, better lighting and the partnership with Live Nation Entertainment, a global live entertainment company, have allowed the Bend stage to attract bigger names, with some making Bend their only Oregon stop on the tour, said Beau Eastes, marketing director for the Old Mill District, which operates the amphitheater.

“Upgrading our stage and partnering with Live Nation has made us one of the premier venues in the Pacific Northwest,“ Eastes said. “The proof is in the shows we’ve been able to book this year. Kenny Chesney, The Chicks, Nine Inch Nails. We have some of the biggest names in the electronic world coming to Bend in ODESZA, Rüfüs Du Sol, and Flume.”

On June 24 and 25, the iconic outdoor theater along the Deschutes River featured Chris Isaak and Lyle Lovett, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Dirty Heads, Tribal Seeds, Artikal Sound System and wrapped with Bob Dylan on Monday night.

In addition there was Cruxapalooza at the Crux Fermentation Project to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the brewery, the Bend Yoga Festival, a downtown basketball tournament, a pride event and the Bend Cider Co. anniversary party.

“I feel like Bend as a community, as a whole, is getting more diverse acts than ever before,” Eastes said. “Everyone is contributing to that.

“These weren’t our biggest shows, but they do represent the different genres we’re able to now bring here. What you’re seeing is a turning point for us. Now we’re getting the only Oregon play, here in Bend at the amphitheater.”

At Zydeco Kitchen and Cocktails on Bond Street in Bend, owners Cheri and Steve Helt, wonder if there was just too much going on. At first the restaurant was booked with a lot of reservations, but they also experienced a lot of day of cancelations, Cheri Helt said.

“We had more cancelations than normal,” she said. “The tables are filling, but there’s so many events downtown that it can be difficult to get to the restaurants. We also have a lot more late night diners.”

In fact, business was down 10% this past weekend over the same time period the year before, she said.

“It’s too early to give an accurate assessment,” Helt said. “Maybe the events are lasting longer than people are anticipating and with this many events it’s disruptive to our normal dining flow. We’re grateful for the business.”

There’s no question an active and diverse event and concert season draws visitors to Bend. Nearly three-fourths of the visitors to Bend come for a concert or an event, according to a 2015 economic impact survey that the Old Mill District commissioned.

More than half stayed three to four nights in paid lodging and a quarter stayed with friends or family, according to the survey.

In all, each show brings in $1.5 million to Central Oregon from visitor spending, Eastes said. That excludes ticket prices and venue food, he said. The Tower Theatre, which also puts on productions and brings talent to the area, estimates its venue brings in about $2.7 a year, said Ray Solley, executive director of the Tower Theatre Foundation, which owns and operates the theater.

“Activities like this make the community more interesting and more appealing,” Solley said. “Tourism brings business. The impact is the income that businesses get.”

Whenever the Tower Theatre has an evening event, restaurants and bars downtown beef up their staffing in anticipation, Solley said. Some have reported a 15% to 20% bump in business.

“We are thankful we have a vibrant downtown that helps the theater and we help downtown become more vibrant,” he said. “There are other towns with great theaters, like in Klamath, but they don’t have a downtown economy.”

The Old Mill District began the renovations of its amphitheater in December 2020. Fall 2021 saw the first concerts with the larger stage and a larger opening in the rear that allow for bigger sets. The final stages of the renovation included moving the south gate, improving accessibility, VIP seating, and a pine-accented entry point.

The work was expected to cost about $4.5 million, according to previous news accounts. The amphitheater has the capacity to seat 8,000 people.

“In the past there were tours that were interested, but our stage wasn’t big enough for their production needs, “ Eastes said. “Then we rebuilt the stage and partnered with Live Nation. We’re rocking and rolling with our most diverse genre of music.”