There are a lot of positives with the new Amphitheater that is coming to Grand Rapids but there may be some negative effects that aren't being talked about.

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Improvements to New Amphitheater Coming to Grand Rapids

Courtesy of City of Grand Rapids
Courtesy of City of Grand Rapids
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When the first photos of the new amphitheater came out that is coming to Grand Rapids, The setup was reversed from what you see in the picture. I was a bit skeptical because I pay attention to which direction the sun rises and sets and said, that is going to suck for those sitting on the hill. Well lucky for everyone, someone caught that and reversed the building plans for the venue.

Courtesy of City of Grand Rapids
Courtesy of City of Grand Rapids
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Most of the seats 7,000 will be covered by the pavilion to block the sun but if there is rain the last few rows of seats may get wet. There is an additional 5,000 seats that will be on the hill and now the back of the hill will face the river with trees along the back. There will be a very nice sidewalk that will run alongside the river that will open all year long whether there is a show or not.

Courtesy of City of Grand Rapids
Courtesy of City of Grand Rapids
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There is no doubt the bigger shows will be able to make it to Grand Rapids and make it so that people will no longer have to travel across the state to enjoy this type of outdoor venue. I'm certain lots of money will be brought into the city and the downtown business owners, but, there may be some negative results to the market as well.

Possible Negative Effects of New Grand Rapids Amphitheater

Scott Legato/Getty Images
Scott Legato/Getty Images
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I have seen markets and venues in the past that are doing very well and then venue owners either make some of the venues bigger or new ones are created. I remember back in the day with Pine Knob Music Theater, there were sellout shows almost weekly all summer long sometimes for multiple nights in a row, then they made it bigger, and now shows rarely ever sell out hence why Live Nation does those $25 hill ticket specials.

Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
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I worked in Indiana for many years and spent a lot of time at the Fort Wayne War Memorial Coliseum. In the early years, there were several sold-out shows, then 10,000 new seats were added to the coliseum and they rarely have a sold-out show anymore.

https://www.meijergardens.org/
https://www.meijergardens.org
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What kind of impact will the new Grand Rapids Amphitheater have on The Frederik Meijer Gardens Amphitheater? Meijer Gardens have been doing very well over the last few years with lots of sellout shows. This could change with a brand new Amphitheater moving into the area. Not to mention the impact it could have on Van Andel Arena, The DeVos Performance Hall, The GLC Live at 20 Monroe, and the Intersection. Ticket sales have been way down for most shows coming to Van Andel Arena ever since it reopened from the pandemic.

canva.com
canva.com
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The city of Grand Rapids has spoken lightly about parking for the new amphitheater but let's be real here, only making nearly 120 parking spots for a 12,000-person venue is not going to cut it. Saying there are nearly 19,000 parking spaces within a 15-minute walk when the reality is, we don't have enough parking for the venues we have. Sure when there is one show going on the parking downtown does the job, but when all the venues have an event it is nearly impossible to park. Just think what will happen when the new venue and all the existing venues have a show at the same time, and they will, it is going to be chaos trying to find a spot to park.

I Hope The New Grand Rapids Amphitheater Succeeds

Courtesy of City of Grand Rapids
Courtesy of City of Grand Rapids
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I don't want to be a negative Nancy here and do hope the new outdoor amphitheater does well in Grand Rapids. I do hope that the other venues do not suffer because of it, parking and traffic aren't a nightmare, and everyone involved does well. Having trouble selling out Van Andel Arena which holds 12,000 and trying to sell out another venue that holds 12,000 people at the same time doesn't cause cannibalization of the existing venues and the new amphitheater.

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