The post-Paul effect: What does the concert landscape look like for Spokane in the wake of McCartney?
Few fans were more pleased than Matt Meyer when Paul McCartney belted out “Can’t Buy Me Love” to kick off his “Got Back” tour April 28 at the Spokane Arena.
When Meyer, 37, attended University High in Spokane Valley 20 years ago, he hoped to work in the music business and make a difference in his community.
“I knew that if I had the opportunity in entertainment I would do whatever I could to help change Spokane and leave a better mark on the city for kids to the elders in our area,” Meyer said from his South Hill home.
The director of entertainment at the Spokane Arena is making a huge impact on the local entertainment scene. Meyer helped attract McCartney to town. Meyer also helped add a 4,000 capacity venue to the Podium, which will host its first concert in October.
“The impact of the McCartney show is massive in so many ways,” Meyer said. “It was huge economically. It was one of our largest grossing shows but it was more than that since so many people got to know Spokane.”
According to the ticket purchasing data by the Spokane Arena, folks from all over the world traveled to Spokane. Fans from Japan, Australia and Sweden flew in for the most intimate McCartney concert of the entire tour.
“I was shocked to see how many fans were coming from overseas,” Meyer said. “I was blown away by it.”
Those from Florida, California and Texas were part of the 12,500 catching McCartney at the Spokane Arena. “We literally had people from half of the United States in Spokane,” Meyer said.
It wasn’t just show time for McCartney but also for Spokane since many out-of-towners stayed in downtown hotels and ate at local restaurants.
The economic impact generated by McCartney on April 28 was massive. According to Visit Spokane, the city made $2.9 million, including $657,000 spent on food and beverage and $442,000 on lodging.
It’s not surprising that Mayor Nadine Woodward gushed when recalling the McCartney effect.
“The Paul McCartney concert was incredibly awesome in so many ways,” she Woodward said. “It was an amazing concert but the impact was so huge. Spokane has been discovered. We’ve been under the radar for too long. I’ve lived here for more than 30 years. We’ve liked being this secret but it’s wonderful that we’ve been discovered. It’s an exciting time for Spokane since we are no longer under the radar. There was McCartney playing the first date of his tour in the arena and then the following month, Bob Dylan opened his tour in Spokane (at the First Interstate Center for the Arts). It doesn’t get much bigger than McCartney and Dylan and there are more big concerts to come for our city.”
That’s what Meyer hopes and that should be so for Spokane. Meyer has been fighting a misnomer, which is that if a recording artist sells out a show in Seattle, that entertainer can’t play Spokane on the same tour.
“I always thought that was such a ridiculous thing and McCartney has proven that belief to be false,” Meyer said.
McCartney sold out two shows at Climate Pledge Arena just days after his concert at the Spokane Arena was standing room only. The big common denominators for Spokane and Seattle is that they are in the same state.
“We have proven that Seattle and Spokane can book the same recording artists,” Meyer said.
Since the pandemic Meyer speaks bi-weekly with Climate Pledge Senior Vice President of Programming Eric Bresler about working in unison.
It remains to be seen if Spokane takes the next step as a destination for national acts. Ray Waddell, President of Oak View Group’s Media & Conferences Division, believes there is hope.
“Spokane has long been considered a secondary market, but certainly with potential,” Waddell said from his Nashville office. “What McCartney proved was that a ‘destination’ type act, and he certainly qualifies, can play both Spokane Arena and Climate Pledge Arena and do well at both. With a busy year like next year, acts will be looking for places to play and Spokane would definitely be in the running when tours are on the West Coast. Often tours are looking for a place to play between Point A and Point B, a profitable stopover that routes well. Spokane can fill that bill.”
And then there is the Podium, a venue that will host general admission shows ranging from 2,500 to 4,500 people in attendance.
“That hall was in the works before McCartney,” Meyer said. “It’s a huge stepping stone to have tours come through Spokane. There are some bands that can play to 3,000 people but they want to play GA venues and now we have one. I’m very excited about the future of concerts in our city. We have come a long way.”
Meyer speaks from experience. During his days at University High, Meyer caught Godsmack, The Deftones, Puddle of Mudd, Incubus and Linkin Park. “I had a great time back then at those shows,” Meyer said. “I have so many memories. But I wish I had an opportunity to see more recording artists then.”
Meyer acknowledges the lack of diversity then and now. Hip-hop and EDM shows have been few and far between despite the number of college students in town. “We’re trying to fill in the gaps for the college kids,” Meyer said. “If we can do that, we can keep these students here when they graduate since Spokane will be getting that much cooler. Entertainment matters. I used to fly to Las Vegas to see Jay-Z and Kanye West. If we can bring recording artists like that to Spokane, it’ll be great for everyone.”
Meyer projects a huge 2023, which according to E Street Band member Steve Van Zandt, is when Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will return to the road. Can Spokane lure the Boss to make his Spokane debut?
“I hope so,” Meyer said. “We’re going to see if we can get them. McCartney was a long shot and it came through. We’re going to try to wiggle our way in and we’ll see what happens. Country is going to be big in 2023 and we have a couple of big hitters ready to head out on the road in 2023. We have some neat stuff on the horizon. 2023 looks like it’s going to be very cool. But so much of this starts with the McCartney show. Many people experienced Spokane for the first time and perhaps many of them will come back. We’re going to do all that we can to give them a reason to return.”