Raleigh's year in outdoor music

By the time the Downtown Raleigh Amphitheater opens its second season next spring, it should have a different name -- one involving a title sponsor, which will put some dollars into the budget. As to what the name might be, alas, that's still no closer to being settled than it was six months ago.

"I am starting over with looking for a name and title sponsor," says Roger Krupa, who oversees the venue as director of the Raleigh Convention Center. "We've had three near-misses, starting with Bud Light. Nobody has complained about the price [$1.5 million for five years], so that doesn't seem to be the issue. Things are just very tight out there right now."

Meantime, attendance figures are out for the 5,600-capacity venue's first season. And it went like this:

*Connells/grand opening (June 4) -- 4,500
Backstreet Boys (June 6) -- 3,246
Paramore (July 23) -- 5,228
Shinedown (July 25) -- 4,245
Gov't Mule (July 26) -- 1,551
Slightly Stoopid (July 28) -- 4,048
Chelsea Handler (July 30) -- 4,912
Barenaked Ladies (July 31) -- 3,099
Goo Goo Dolls (Aug. 9) -- 2,951
O.A.R. (Aug. 10) -- 2,863
Umphrey's McGee (Aug. 13) -- 1,681
Heart (Aug. 14) -- 2,910
Maroon 5 (Aug. 17) -- 3,879
Sound Tribe Sector 9 (Aug. 25) -- 1,301
Dukes of September (Aug. 28) -- 2,862
*NC Symphony (Sept. 12) -- 2,500
Black Crowes (Sept. 17) -- 3,176
Vampire Weekend (Oct. 17) -- 3,560
Stone Temple Pilots (Oct. 19) -- 2,267
311 (Oct. 30) -- 1,882

That comes to 62,661 total for 20 shows. And the schedule wasn't exactly cutting-edge, but it had its moments; especially Vampire Weekend's Oct. 17 show. If a naming-rights deal comes through for 2011 and DRA management has an extra $300,000 in the budget, that will probably help with both the booking and the place's creature comforts.

While I'm at it, here's how 2010 went for the big city-owned joint in Raleigh, 20,000-capacity Walnut Creek:

Widespread Panic (April 23-24) -- 10,218
Country Throwdown (May 28) -- 8,683
Brooks & Dunn (June 5) -- 19,946
Lynyrd Skynyrd (June 18) -- 9,361
Rascal Flatts (June 25) -- 17,604
Phish (July 1) -- 12,969
Toby Keith (July 10) -- 14,016
John Mayer (July 17) -- 11,456
Tim McGraw (July 24) -- 13,810
Santana (July 28) -- 6,732
Mayhem Festival (Aug. 3) -- 8,536
Zac Brown Band (Aug. 11) -- 12,686
Jack Johnson (Aug. 21) -- 14,599
Creed (Aug. 27) -- 10,198
Brad Paisley (Aug. 28) -- 19,092
Kiss (Aug. 29) -- 13,348
Kings of Leon (Sept. 13) -- 7,484
Tom Petty (Sept. 18) -- 18,759
Sugarland (Oct. 2) -- 12,968
Avett Brothers (Oct. 8) -- 7,409

At 21 shows and just under 250,000 attendees, 2010 wasn't Walnut Creek's slowest season ever. But it was close. In fact, the only season with less attendance was 2007, which had 22 shows draw about 235,000 people. This year was a sharp drop from 2008's figures of 26 shows and 348,000 attendees.

More than ever, country is Walnut Creek's primary style. The venue's eight country shows drew 118,505 people, including the year's two biggest shows (Brad Paisley and Brooks & Dunn). But the most notable aspect of 2010 was some of the things that weren't there.

This is the first season I can remember without a show that drew at least 20,000 people. And some of Walnut Creek's most reliable regulars went missing this year, including Kenny Chesney, Jimmy Buffett, Dave Matthews Band and the Allman Brothers. In fact, this was the first year Walnut Creek didn't have the Allman Brothers, but that's an excused absence: Gregg Allman was recovering from a liver transplant.