The Bucket List: Spokane holds out hope for Springsteen and McCartney, Beyoncé and Bruno

Foo Fighters? Check.
Elton John? Check.
Miranda Lambert? Check.
Garth Brooks? Check and check.
These are among the 23 acts that have played at the Spokane Arena since 2014 by your request, thanks to the Arena’s Bucket List project.
The goal is simple: To find out the acts that Spokane area music fans want to see. Arena officials then compile the list and start booking.
The 2014 Bucket List project generated 10,000 unique requests alone, and sported acts such as the Eagles (No. 13), Motley Crue (No. 25), Blake Shelton (No. 34) and Tim McGraw (No. 32). All have since played here. The 2015 list had Brooks at No. 1, and we know how that ended up – with seven sold-out concerts this past November.
“We have yet to cross everyone off the initial list,” said Becca Watters, the Arena’s assistant general manager. “But it’s been a few years since we last did this and we understand that what’s hot then is probably not always hot now, so we’re looking for a refresh, and we’re always trying to better understand the Spokane market and what people really want to see.”
Therefore, the Bucket List is back.
The idea for the Bucket List arose after the Arena’s successful booking of Pearl Jam in 2013 – a show that was prompted by a January 2013 Inlander article that made the case Pearl Jam needed to play Spokane. After all, the Seattle grunge icons had played here only once before, in a hastily announced June 1993 show at the 700-seat Met Theater (now the Bing Crosby Theater) that sold out almost instantly.
Watters said she saw the article and wondered if they could make it happen. They sent a copy of the article to the agent who handles Pearl Jam, Watters said. “Within three days this agent is on the phone with Matt (Gibson, the Arena’s general manager) and basically said ‘Hold this date and I’m not going to call you for six months, but don’t give up the date and let’s see if we can make this happen.’
“We had a lot of faith in that phone call and it actually happened,” she added. “And it was absolutely fantastic.”
And, she said, it got them thinking in 2014 about replicating the idea, about soliciting input from patrons about whom they wanted to see. “And the Bucket List was born.”
Most importantly, she said, the Arena’s national partners who help bring shows to town loved it, and asked them to do it again in 2015.
“It’s just a really neat thing to do,” she said. “And it gets the community engaged. We want to make sure we’re bringing the right content to town.”
So far this year, Watters said, they’ve seen one interesting trend: Fewer country acts are making the list. “It’s more pop acts” – she named Pink, Justin Timberlake and Bruno Mars for example – “and Iron Maiden seems to be a pretty popular one as well.”
Personally? Her list includes Mumford & Sons, Paul McCartney and Adele.
Area residents have until May 9 to submit their top three bands or performers they’d love to see at the Arena. You can go to www.spokanearena.com/bucketlist to submit your top three acts, then share your list on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #bucketlist18.
See? Easy peasy.
Still, we thought we’d help them out a bit. We asked civic leaders, artists, athletes and other personalities whom they would want to see. We asked for five names. Some gave us more. What has emerged is a clear preference for big-name classic acts such as Springsteen and McCartney, hot pop acts Bruno Mars, Timberlake and Beyoncé, and hip-hop stars Drake and Kendrick Lamar.
Myles Kennedy, musician (Mayfield Four, Alter Bridge)
1. Paul McCartney
2. Bruce Springsteen
3. Stevie Wonder
4. Robert Plant
5. Radiohead
Ozzie Knezovich, Spokane County sheriff
1. Garth Brooks
2. Kiss
3. Aerosmith
4. Willie Nelson
5. Joan Jett
Sean Owsley, KHQ (via Twitter)
1. Eric Clapton
2. U2
3. Rolling Stones
Rob Curley, Spokesman-Review editor
1. Pink
2. Justin Timberlake
3. Ozzy Osbourne – his final tour!
4. Gwen Stefani
5. Maroon 5
6. Imagine Dragons
7. Judas Priest
Chad White, chef/owner, Zona Blanca
1. Rolling Stones
2. Post Malone
3. Kings of Leon
4. Jay Z and Beyoncé
5. The Weeknd
6. Bruno Mars
Karli Ingersoll, co-owner of The Bartlett
1. Kendrick Lamar
2. Chance the Rapper
3. Drake
4. Bruno Mars
5. Justin Timberlake
Bobby Brett, Spokane Indians and Spokane Chiefs owner
1. Paul McCartney
2. Billy Joel
3. Bruce Springsteen
4. Bruno Mars
5. A Final Four in men’s basketball
Carolyn Lamberson, Spokesman-Review features editor
1. Green Day
2. Adele
3. Lin-Manuel Miranda
4. Beyoncé
5. Radiohead
Corey Kispert, Gonzaga guard
1. Drake
2. Post Malone
3. Khalid
4. John Mayer
5. Thomas Rhett
Zach Norvell Jr., Gonzaga guard
1. Drake
2. J. Cole
3. Post Malone
4. Weeknd
5. Future
Melissa Huggins, executive director, Spokane Arts
1. The Roots
2. Beyoncé
3. Kendrick Lamar
4. Patti Smith
5. Fiona Apple
Ben Stuckart, Spokane City Council president
1. Pearl Jam (again). “Pearl Jam is my favorite show at the arena and I hope they come back again.”
2. Funkadelic
3. Radiohead
4. Simon and Garfunkel reunion
5. Taylor Swift
Matt Gibson, general manager, Spokane Arena
1. Coldplay
2. No Doubt
3. John Williams conducting the Spokane Symphony
David Condon, Spokane mayor
1. Sting/Police
2. U2
3. Bruce Springsteen
4. Paul McCartney
5. Rolling Stones