Live Nation partners with BNH Pavilion

Worldwide entertainment company will allow Gilford venue to broaden concert offerings

By ADAM DRAPCHO, LACONIA DAILY SUN

GILFORD — Live Nation, a worldwide live entertainment company, has acquired a significant stake in Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion, which has grown steadily over recent years to become one of New England's premiere outdoor music venues.

R.J. Harding, president of Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion, said on Tuesday that the partnership will lead to further growth for the venue.

"Before this deal came to light, I felt like we may have reached our maximum potential here at this venue. Now I feel that the ceiling has been shattered," said Harding.

Originally known as Meadowbrook, Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion held its first concert – Johnny Cash – in 1997. The venue has grown incrementally each year, said Harding, by reinvesting profits into the facility and operation with a special eye toward improving the experience of both the ticket holders and the visiting talent.

For the fans, there's a promenade lined with food and beverage vendors, lawn games and small stages to enjoy before the headliners start their performance. The artists can avail themselves of a summer camp-style backstage area with their own bar and treehouse, and even a "lazy river" water feature.

Thanks in part to that unusual experience – a welcome respite for the road-weary touring artists – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion, over the past couple of seasons, has been able to book several artists that normally would bypass Gilford for larger markets. Instead, they stay in the Lakes Region for a couple of consecutive nights, and enjoy a day away from the tour bus.

Booking those artists was difficult, as Harding was an independent in an industry that increasingly relies on affiliations. There were many tours that were off limits to him because they were branded "Live Nation Exclusive."

Last year, Harding was able to book 37 performances, but he would like to someday rival Colorado's storied Red Rocks venue, which holds 80 shows each year. With so many artists off limits, he was struggling to grow his concert schedule without sacrificing quality.

The partnership with Live Nation will "open a lot of doors for us as far as talent," said Harding.

The partnership has already borne fruit — just this week the venue announced a July 21 Charlie Puth performance, featuring Hailee Steinfeld, which would not have been possible prior to the Live Nation partnership.

Harding expects to incrementally grow the number of performances for 2018, and he expects that audiences will notice an increase in the quality of the performers.

One thing they shouldn't expect to see is a growth in size, as Harding said he is comfortable with the current venue size.

"I think the future of the industry is more in that size (9,000-seat) than in 25,000-seat and bigger venues. I don't think there's many artists that can sell 20,000 tickets," said Harding.

Live Nation's investment represents a 51 percent share in Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion, though Harding said he will retain full operational control, including booking the talent. While Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion has made a name for itself as a premiere venue for country music, he hopes to diversify the genres of artists that take his stage. However, he said he will always have a strong country lineup.

The casual concert-goer might not notice much change at all resulting from the partnership, he said. Season passes and Inner Circle memberships, which offer exclusive amenities, will continue to be offered.

"The operation stays intact. The customers will see very little impact from their perspective, except open a lot of doors for us as far as talent," said Harding.

“We are thrilled to add the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion to our venue portfolio, and to welcome R.J., Bridget, and their team to the Live Nation family,” said Don Law, president of Live Nation New England, in a press release. “The Pavilion is a very unique and special venue, and we look forward to helping grow an already outstanding business to bring the people of New England a world class entertainment lineup for many years to come.”

“Our focus over the past 22 years has been cultivating a unique concert experience here at Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion and we are extremely excited to advance that objective with a global partner like Live Nation,” said Harding.