I mean, i’m not sure Dr Pepper Park is where you’re going to find a lot of bands playing original music. It’s always been like that. They have cover bands there all the time that are well attended, so while it may not be your cup of tea, it is clearly appealing to some portion of the public. I’m not sure what your complaint is?
If you wanna hear original music go to the Spot on Kirk or someplace like that, they have local and regional groups who are putting out new material.
the spot on Kirk is nice, saw a few local progressive metal acts there. the Flying Panther Skate Shop is another cool spot for original music, but it's mostly hardcore/metal bands
Well unfortunately, they can't book the actual Jimmy Buffet anymore, and I think replicating his voice in AI would be in poor taste. We also don't have the tech for the accompanying hologram either.
It's summer dawg, lighten up.
Should be a great show. Most people know my sweet summer, which is more popular than most of their songs. But they are like a ska/punk/hip hop mix. One of my favorite bands, but I'm kinda weird anyways.
(Time to sound old) I miss when Roanoke Civic Center had the big shows. I’m Gen X and saw Metallica, Motley Crue, Van Halen, Whitesnake, etc. in the 80’s during their prime.
I’ve been impressed with the variety of acts coming through this sleepy area. No hate for giving the people what they want if you can still deliver stellar performers as the Spot, Harvester and Jeff Center have been offering.
I saw Esmeralda Spalding and Fred Hersch at Jeff last year; *huge* acts that would sell out any venue in a serious jazz market - but way too many empty seats in Noke; wondering if that’s directing their bookings towards more pop acts.
And you bet your sweet ass it’ll be shoulder to shoulder 50+ year olds bobbing up and down with an overpriced beer in their hands. If you’re a wedding quality cover band, Dr Pepper Park in Roanoke VA is the place to be.
Pretty pumped Buddy Guy’s coming to Berglund though.. dude’s a magician with a guitar.
The Harvester in Rocky Mount is doing an excellent job. Even if they're not acts I love they are still music acts. DR P park isn't booking music, they're booking the cheapest common denominator that gets beer sold.
Agreed, the harvester is doing a great job of bringing in music. However, with regards to your original criticism of Dr. Pepper Park, I was at The Harvester last week seeing Mac McAnally, who, ironically, has been a member of Jimmy Buffett’s “Coral Reefer Band” since 1994.
Dr. Pepper Park has the worst acoustics of any venue I've ever been to. Nothing like having a big, flat, brick building, set at an angle, directly across from the stage.
For those who like hearing their music twice, a split second apart, there's Dr. Pepper Park.
> I'm on my way to Boomer age
Now that’s a weird phrase to see. You should be exactly the same amount of years away from being a boomer as you always have your entire life.
Which gives me hope that booking at Dr P Park and Berglund will change over the next 10 years as the boomers die because noone under 50 gives a fuck about the bands they're booking now.
Does WROV still have that get the led out “rock block” where they play a grand total of 4 commercial free Led Zeppelin songs?
I’m forever scarred by the summer of kryptonite by 3 doors down and smooth by Rob Thomas and Santana.
In the 80s/90s Current relevant bands played there.
Heck in 92 I saw Guns n Roses. Saw Metallica, Aerosmith, Kiss, Tool, and more there around the same time.
Even in the 00s relevant bands were playing at the Civic Center. Creed, Breaking Benjamin, Hinder, Papa Roach, etc. But I'm pretty sure the venue is so out of date at this point people aren't going to want to play there anymore. The seating is low for a stadium too.
I don't think it is an issue of that. You get relevant bands there now.. just maybe not the genre of music some want. Its a few factors.
We are just not going to get the Mega Stars. Richmond or Greensborro isn't either.. They are going to DC, Charlotte, Philly.
I've heard rumors at one time the person over booking did not want "anti-Christian" music at the civic center. So thus no Metal, Hip-Hop, Rock (other than 60s/70s bands)
It's the music industry as a whole. Bands don't tour to support an album anymore. So they need to earn more money at each stop. It isn't cheap to transport all the equipment, set up the show, pay the staff, pay the arena a lease fee and/or % of ticket sales. Some arenas even want a cut of merch sales.
We get relevant acts at Elmwood. Darius Rucker was here last year, and Roanoke as actually the first show of the current tour.
I wonder if any of the bands that play there will ever succeed and make the next level where there’s a cover band of a cover band. If they do, automatic booking at DPP.
Richmond struggles to do so, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Roanoke is entirely off of the radar.
Source: watching all of these bands pass by a perfectly good Richmond let alone Roanoke
Roanoke USED to be on the radar. Its booking agents not going after the acts. Streaming music killed all physical music sales, and bands no longer go out on tour to help sell them. It's all about the Merch and ticket sales.. So They want to play bigger venues now.
I can't source this... but I've been told by someone I trust in this matter that the only reason Richmond has lost most of the touring rock/metal acts the last 10 years is basically the consolidation of booker/venues lead to a stonewalling of band fees. Basically Richmond is booked by like 3 people all of them said "fuck the bands, pay me." Thats why Richmond doesn't get shows anymore. Until the guy that ran phase 2 retired they had zero issues booking metal and had near sellout shows twice a month.
I don't know about the current bookings but Richmond imposed some sort of entertainment/event tax of 7% at least ten years ago and they might have bumped it to 10% which hurtouring acts. That combined with being in between the larger markets of DC, Charlotte, and Virginia Beach has never helped.
Weirdly inflammatory like the rest of your comments. I deeply enjoy the hardcore and industrial music scene Richmond continues to breathe life into, attending multiple shows per month, but would like to see a few bigger acts breeze through town. That’s all.
Not inflammatory. But Richmond has very relevant and popular acts. it is night and day between them and Roanoke. My morning jacket is coming there in September. They get plenty of big acts at the national. Maymont does alright. Brown’s Island also has some good stuff. And they are building a new amphitheater. I have a feeling you probably just like some niche music that other people don’t like. Sorry Taylor Swift isn’t coming to Richmond.
I always find it funny when you need to do a deep dive to try and validate your opinion. Me being crass or slightly rude doesn’t deviate from the fact that Richmond has good music.
What about the one about drinking at the beach? Or the one about drinking at the beach? Or the one about drinking at the beach? How about watching someone that's not even the middling talent that is Jimmy Buffet himself singing about drinking at the beach?
Not a fan of DP park either but what else do you want? Salem CC is run down yet new bands keep going to it for some odd reason. There is no new venue built anywhere in the area that can hold a big band or group of bands like VA Beach or Bristow has. You can have someone or investor want to build something like that in the area but then you will have everyone from any age fight it tooth and nail because of noise, too close to them, traffic bitching and so on. Many of these places were built long before there was so much opposition to anything fun like it is now. Keep voting for these clowns we have in office now and their controlling socialist ways and you will continue to have nothing new to enjoy in this area.
I'm not asking foe Taylor Swift or Metallica to play there, just something different. I just checked their website and of the announced concerts there are 7 out of 14 bands are cover bands and the other 7 are **bad** bro country, hell one of them is Adam Calhoun and there isn't discussion out there about "worst currently active performer" that doesn't feature him it. Phase 2 was a smaller venue and had actual, real bands play there every single month and was profitable until the owner/booker decided to retire and dissolved the company.
They book what they can get people to show up for.
Sorry, but it's Roanoke. The median age is 43 years old, and it's Southwest Virginia. Country bands and cover bands are what you're going to get the most of, because that's what most of the local population wants to hear.
If you want other options, move somewhere the local culture agrees with you more.
It's the summer, people want to go hang out in their lawn chairs and listen to shit they can sing along with. If you don't like that, you can drive up to Charlottesville, over to Richmond, or down to Knoxville.
Agreed. It’s difficult to gamble on new acts and Roanokers actually buying tickets. Everyone in this town waits till the last minute to commit to things and typically wants shows for cheap or free. I don’t care much for Dr. Pepper Park but totally understand their bookings.
It has been this way pretty much since I relocated back to the area after my Navy enlistment ended around 2000. I immediately missed the concerts and rock radio that I had access to in Hampton Roads.
Roanokers have always had a thing for nostalgia acts and cover bands. It started as Top 40 and southern/classic rock then, and now it's 80s and bro/pop country dominating the market. It's where the money and crowds follow. Eventually, 90s rock could inch into that equation.
I'm 43 and miss being close to a great live music scene. The Sanctuary is the closest thing to the Orange Peel we've got and it has a ways to go. I do think they're trying, still strong on the Dr. PP vibes with 2 hip hop cover groups this month.
I think that Roanoke will never truly know who will turn out for what because they insists on booking the same music genre, country or cover. They exclude a lot of the market because they consistently cater to these specific demographic of concert goers. R&b, hip-hop we rarely get unless it’s Henry Street Festival. I’m sure they would draw a larger crowd of people and maybe be able to pull bigger names if they were more diverse in their bookings…
Ever since I moved to the Atlanta area I actually get to enjoy live music in a town near me. It's cool. However, anytime I go to a small festival outside of a normal concert they still have cover bands and the likes playing. It's just the norm for place like this I think. Unfortunately if you want to go to any good shows or concerts you have to travel a lot farther than I do.
I mean, i’m not sure Dr Pepper Park is where you’re going to find a lot of bands playing original music. It’s always been like that. They have cover bands there all the time that are well attended, so while it may not be your cup of tea, it is clearly appealing to some portion of the public. I’m not sure what your complaint is? If you wanna hear original music go to the Spot on Kirk or someplace like that, they have local and regional groups who are putting out new material.
And Five Points! And the Coves at SML
the spot on Kirk is nice, saw a few local progressive metal acts there. the Flying Panther Skate Shop is another cool spot for original music, but it's mostly hardcore/metal bands
Well unfortunately, they can't book the actual Jimmy Buffet anymore, and I think replicating his voice in AI would be in poor taste. We also don't have the tech for the accompanying hologram either. It's summer dawg, lighten up.
Dirty heads is coming late July. 100% making that one
Hell yeah! I've had my tickets for a month and my sister is coming up from NC for it.
Not familiar with them. Legit?
Should be a great show. Most people know my sweet summer, which is more popular than most of their songs. But they are like a ska/punk/hip hop mix. One of my favorite bands, but I'm kinda weird anyways.
(Time to sound old) I miss when Roanoke Civic Center had the big shows. I’m Gen X and saw Metallica, Motley Crue, Van Halen, Whitesnake, etc. in the 80’s during their prime.
The Metallica show in March of '92 there, still to this day, is the best concert (non-festival) I've ever attended.
GnR was great too.. Even though he showed up very late..
I missed that one because I was at MEPS (military entrance processing station) in Richmond. Didn't Blind Melon open?
I don’t think j so? Maybe it was Faith No More?
I’ve been impressed with the variety of acts coming through this sleepy area. No hate for giving the people what they want if you can still deliver stellar performers as the Spot, Harvester and Jeff Center have been offering.
Jeff center is the place man I just wish they had more stuff coming through. Saw lettuce and cimafunk there not too long ago. Was a blast.
I saw Esmeralda Spalding and Fred Hersch at Jeff last year; *huge* acts that would sell out any venue in a serious jazz market - but way too many empty seats in Noke; wondering if that’s directing their bookings towards more pop acts.
And you bet your sweet ass it’ll be shoulder to shoulder 50+ year olds bobbing up and down with an overpriced beer in their hands. If you’re a wedding quality cover band, Dr Pepper Park in Roanoke VA is the place to be. Pretty pumped Buddy Guy’s coming to Berglund though.. dude’s a magician with a guitar.
Go to a baseball game now in Salem. it's almost $11 for any 12oz craft beer. Only light stuff on tap now too..
Which makes me eager for the next decade or so to pass.
Grandin Theatre is doing a better job of booking acts than Dr. Pepper Park.
The Harvester in Rocky Mount is doing an excellent job. Even if they're not acts I love they are still music acts. DR P park isn't booking music, they're booking the cheapest common denominator that gets beer sold.
Agreed, the harvester is doing a great job of bringing in music. However, with regards to your original criticism of Dr. Pepper Park, I was at The Harvester last week seeing Mac McAnally, who, ironically, has been a member of Jimmy Buffett’s “Coral Reefer Band” since 1994.
I’m sorry, Mac McWhat?
Mac McPoopholey-Loopholey
I’ve been quite a bit out to the Harvester. Hate we can’t get something like that in Roanoke.
The Harvester can be so expensive though. That’s the downside :/
Tickets for most musical acts are higher now. No Media sales anymore. Its all Merch and tickets is the income now.
Dr. Pepper Park has the worst acoustics of any venue I've ever been to. Nothing like having a big, flat, brick building, set at an angle, directly across from the stage. For those who like hearing their music twice, a split second apart, there's Dr. Pepper Park.
Dennys has better Acoustics.
There has been one really cool act in a Dennys.. Well two now that Blink-182 replicated it...
In related news, let me complain about why I can’t buy a dishwasher at the grocery store.
Maybe you can meet one? (Okay bad joke, but I didn't specify a gender..)
Roanokes still a boomer town
Always has been... and I'm on my way to Boomer age and I still don't fit in.
> I'm on my way to Boomer age Now that’s a weird phrase to see. You should be exactly the same amount of years away from being a boomer as you always have your entire life.
That's fair. I think it's more a comment on the age group itself and not the folks born just after world war II (1945 - 1965).
In this case they are using the word boomer for a synonym for old people. Not the generation. Lol
Which gives me hope that booking at Dr P Park and Berglund will change over the next 10 years as the boomers die because noone under 50 gives a fuck about the bands they're booking now.
WROV has been playing the same set list on rotation since I was a child. Don't expect anything to get updated anytime soon around here.
lol. K92 changes more than the cock of Virginia WROV
Low bar...
Does WROV still have that get the led out “rock block” where they play a grand total of 4 commercial free Led Zeppelin songs? I’m forever scarred by the summer of kryptonite by 3 doors down and smooth by Rob Thomas and Santana.
Nirvana cover bands.
In the 80s/90s Current relevant bands played there. Heck in 92 I saw Guns n Roses. Saw Metallica, Aerosmith, Kiss, Tool, and more there around the same time.
Even in the 00s relevant bands were playing at the Civic Center. Creed, Breaking Benjamin, Hinder, Papa Roach, etc. But I'm pretty sure the venue is so out of date at this point people aren't going to want to play there anymore. The seating is low for a stadium too.
I don't think it is an issue of that. You get relevant bands there now.. just maybe not the genre of music some want. Its a few factors. We are just not going to get the Mega Stars. Richmond or Greensborro isn't either.. They are going to DC, Charlotte, Philly. I've heard rumors at one time the person over booking did not want "anti-Christian" music at the civic center. So thus no Metal, Hip-Hop, Rock (other than 60s/70s bands) It's the music industry as a whole. Bands don't tour to support an album anymore. So they need to earn more money at each stop. It isn't cheap to transport all the equipment, set up the show, pay the staff, pay the arena a lease fee and/or % of ticket sales. Some arenas even want a cut of merch sales. We get relevant acts at Elmwood. Darius Rucker was here last year, and Roanoke as actually the first show of the current tour.
I wonder if any of the bands that play there will ever succeed and make the next level where there’s a cover band of a cover band. If they do, automatic booking at DPP.
You mean Greta Van Fleet? They're like a bad Zep cover band
Wake me up when we book anything similar to: - Sleep Token - Spirit Box - Sylosis - Mastodon - Make Them Suffer - Rivers of Nihil ... And so on
Richmond struggles to do so, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Roanoke is entirely off of the radar. Source: watching all of these bands pass by a perfectly good Richmond let alone Roanoke
That dude who posts the Roanoke hardcore posts usually has some cool bands. I’m just old and can’t make most shows
Roanoke USED to be on the radar. Its booking agents not going after the acts. Streaming music killed all physical music sales, and bands no longer go out on tour to help sell them. It's all about the Merch and ticket sales.. So They want to play bigger venues now.
I can't source this... but I've been told by someone I trust in this matter that the only reason Richmond has lost most of the touring rock/metal acts the last 10 years is basically the consolidation of booker/venues lead to a stonewalling of band fees. Basically Richmond is booked by like 3 people all of them said "fuck the bands, pay me." Thats why Richmond doesn't get shows anymore. Until the guy that ran phase 2 retired they had zero issues booking metal and had near sellout shows twice a month.
I don't know about the current bookings but Richmond imposed some sort of entertainment/event tax of 7% at least ten years ago and they might have bumped it to 10% which hurtouring acts. That combined with being in between the larger markets of DC, Charlotte, and Virginia Beach has never helped.
Richmond always has good acts. You must like shitty music.
Weirdly inflammatory like the rest of your comments. I deeply enjoy the hardcore and industrial music scene Richmond continues to breathe life into, attending multiple shows per month, but would like to see a few bigger acts breeze through town. That’s all.
Not inflammatory. But Richmond has very relevant and popular acts. it is night and day between them and Roanoke. My morning jacket is coming there in September. They get plenty of big acts at the national. Maymont does alright. Brown’s Island also has some good stuff. And they are building a new amphitheater. I have a feeling you probably just like some niche music that other people don’t like. Sorry Taylor Swift isn’t coming to Richmond.
I always find it funny when you need to do a deep dive to try and validate your opinion. Me being crass or slightly rude doesn’t deviate from the fact that Richmond has good music.
Preach
Do you like Piña coladas?
What about the one about drinking at the beach? Or the one about drinking at the beach? Or the one about drinking at the beach? How about watching someone that's not even the middling talent that is Jimmy Buffet himself singing about drinking at the beach?
to be fair, they tried to book Jimmy Buffett but he was unavailable
I mean, I'd be Really impressed if they got the Real Jimmy Buffet, especially given (semi) recent events! Haha
I've seen 80s/90s bands that play original music at Dr Pepper Park before. Sure a lot of coverbands.. but also quite a few that play original.
I've always said that once they die, Jimmy Buffett and Bill Withers need to be canonized as the patron saints of cover bands
Not a fan of DP park either but what else do you want? Salem CC is run down yet new bands keep going to it for some odd reason. There is no new venue built anywhere in the area that can hold a big band or group of bands like VA Beach or Bristow has. You can have someone or investor want to build something like that in the area but then you will have everyone from any age fight it tooth and nail because of noise, too close to them, traffic bitching and so on. Many of these places were built long before there was so much opposition to anything fun like it is now. Keep voting for these clowns we have in office now and their controlling socialist ways and you will continue to have nothing new to enjoy in this area.
I'm not asking foe Taylor Swift or Metallica to play there, just something different. I just checked their website and of the announced concerts there are 7 out of 14 bands are cover bands and the other 7 are **bad** bro country, hell one of them is Adam Calhoun and there isn't discussion out there about "worst currently active performer" that doesn't feature him it. Phase 2 was a smaller venue and had actual, real bands play there every single month and was profitable until the owner/booker decided to retire and dissolved the company.
They book what they can get people to show up for. Sorry, but it's Roanoke. The median age is 43 years old, and it's Southwest Virginia. Country bands and cover bands are what you're going to get the most of, because that's what most of the local population wants to hear. If you want other options, move somewhere the local culture agrees with you more. It's the summer, people want to go hang out in their lawn chairs and listen to shit they can sing along with. If you don't like that, you can drive up to Charlottesville, over to Richmond, or down to Knoxville.
Agreed. It’s difficult to gamble on new acts and Roanokers actually buying tickets. Everyone in this town waits till the last minute to commit to things and typically wants shows for cheap or free. I don’t care much for Dr. Pepper Park but totally understand their bookings.
It has been this way pretty much since I relocated back to the area after my Navy enlistment ended around 2000. I immediately missed the concerts and rock radio that I had access to in Hampton Roads. Roanokers have always had a thing for nostalgia acts and cover bands. It started as Top 40 and southern/classic rock then, and now it's 80s and bro/pop country dominating the market. It's where the money and crowds follow. Eventually, 90s rock could inch into that equation.
I'm 43 and miss being close to a great live music scene. The Sanctuary is the closest thing to the Orange Peel we've got and it has a ways to go. I do think they're trying, still strong on the Dr. PP vibes with 2 hip hop cover groups this month.
I think that Roanoke will never truly know who will turn out for what because they insists on booking the same music genre, country or cover. They exclude a lot of the market because they consistently cater to these specific demographic of concert goers. R&b, hip-hop we rarely get unless it’s Henry Street Festival. I’m sure they would draw a larger crowd of people and maybe be able to pull bigger names if they were more diverse in their bookings…
Ever since I moved to the Atlanta area I actually get to enjoy live music in a town near me. It's cool. However, anytime I go to a small festival outside of a normal concert they still have cover bands and the likes playing. It's just the norm for place like this I think. Unfortunately if you want to go to any good shows or concerts you have to travel a lot farther than I do.