Bend’s Hayden Homes Amphitheater Went Big This Year
The venue may be dark, but the Hayden Homes Amphitheater staff is still lit after last year’s concert season.
Last year provided more proof that this community is magic, and that our team are super stars. In 2002 the amphitheater was created out of a vision from our founder, Bill Smith, who knew creating a space for folks to gather and unite around live music would make a positive impact. This is an undisputed truth we get to witness every time the gates open and the first chords of the first song are played.
Collaboration is key.
Together, in partnership with Live Nation, we hosted 50 concerts featuring award-winning artists like Jelly Roll, Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band, Mavis Staples, Three Doors Down, Chris Stapleton, Los Lobos, and Taj Mahal. We got to boogie with Beck and Phoenix on their magical Odyssey tour, experience the frenzied admiration of boygenius fans, hold our breath during Lindsey Stirling’s gravity-defying electric violin performance, and laugh so hard we cried with comedian Matt Rife.
Live concerts offer an element of surprise, moments only those in attendance get to see, hear, sense, and feel. We could share hours-worth of moments from last season, but for now we’ll just nudge you to add these stellar musicians to your “Need to See” list: Indigo De Souza, Sid Sriram, A R I Z O N A, Jenny Lewis and Allen Stone.
Drop the beet.
2023 marked the inaugural year for Hayden Homes Amphitheater’s official food truck, Sound Bites! Head Chef, Jessie St George, curated culinary excellence to the tune of a Steak Chimi Shimmy, Headbangin' Honey Mustard Popcorn Chicken, Pop-Lock-Drop It Peppers, and Burrata Tomato Tango, as well as grab-and-go crowd pleasing soft pretzels and corn dogs. Jessie sourced the lion’s share of produce locally from Agricultural Connections – stalwarts of sustainably grown Central Oregon food. A win for all involved.
A record year.
- 50 concerts
- 250K+ tickets sold
- 15 sold out shows
- 864 rock star staff members
- 130K+ hours worked
- 2.4 million ounces of beer poured
- 48,580 cans of Seltzer consumed (and recycled)
- 22,069 Cocktails-of-the-Show sold
Award-winning Green Team
True champions of sustainability, our Green Team and their Take Note Initiative, sponsored by OnPoint Community Credit Union, received the top "Sustainability in Tourism Award" from Visit Central Oregon, placed First nationally for "Highest Scrap Value Returned" (300K+ cans), received the top "Innovation Award" (Trashy Golden Ticket), and placed Third nationally for the "Highest Diversion Percentage Overall". What is a diversion rate? Well, our Green Team sorted through 159,612 pounds of concertgoer waste, and were able to recycle, repurpose, compost, or donate 124,934 pounds of that waste. They left no crumbs.
Notable mention:
Of the Green Team’s 130-plus members, roughly 115 were under the age of 18, and for every hour worked, the venue donated at least $1 back to that student’s school. Last year the venue was able to donate more than $28,000 back to Central Oregon schools. Additionally, Hayden Homes Amphitheater energetically and financially supported a number of local nonprofits in 2023 including the Deschutes River Conservancy, Cascade School of Music, Oregon Adaptive Sports, Tower Theatre Foundation, Latino Community Association, OUT Central Oregon, KPOV, Wildland Firefighters Foundation, Downtown Bend Business Association, KIDS Center, St. Charles Health Care, and Boys and Girls Club of Bend, among others!
Thank you to all who showed up and shared your spirit with those around you. Your presence and positive energy mean more than you know.
Ten shows have already been announced, and plenty more are on the way…we look forward to fueling the stoke with you in 2024!
Follow along in real time throughout the year @bendconcerts on Facebook and Instagram
