Portneuf Health Trust Amphitheater kicks off concert season on Friday

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) - The concert season at the Portneuf Health Trust Amphitheater in Pocatello kicks off on Friday, May 19, with country music star Riley Green coming to town.

After taking control of the facility just a few years back, event director and business manager Scott Crowther says he has seen first hand what the venue means to the people. 

"A lot of the stuff that we've learned or that I've learned is just how much people in the community utilize this area up here and how many people are vested in the outcome and the things that we do up here," Crowther said.

Crowther had a big idea to help make the venue a more enjoyable experience. 

"Over the last year, year and a half, I've done a lot of research on the process to get people into and out of the venue quickly," Crowther said. "I noticed at a couple of our bigger shows last year, there were some struggles getting people into the venue."

So the complex has created a pre-party area for concert goers. The area will open an hour and a half before the show, so guests can have more fun as they wait for the big show.

"There will be some games for people to play," Crowther said. "There will be some vendors there, some food, drink options, some live music, and a DJ. That environment will hopefully create a little bit of a buzz for the show. And then when doors open up, we'll open up the venue and let people just walk straight in from there."

The complex is currently run as an enterprise fund, meaning that the government helps keep the complex up and running, and are not completely reliant on tax payers to take care of the venue.

Crowther says a successful night is not completely dependent on how much money they make.

"It could be a combination of the number of people that we have here and the amount of concessions that we sell," Crowther said. "It might be the impact to the community. There might be some shows where we don't have a great profit margin, but it's a better event for the community."

That is evident with the upcoming Ian Munsick concert on June 22, with Munsick and Bannock County donating $1 for every ticket sold to benefit relief efforts to Highland High School.

When Riley Green takes center stage Friday night, Crowther says he hopes the community takes full advantage.

"The best part of our venue is the nights when the sun is setting over American Falls and the environment out here, there's nothing like it anywhere," Crowther said. "There's very few places like it in the country. It's just a beautiful environment. People love playing here. It's a great place to watch a concert. We are so excited to be able to offer that to the members of our community."

Tickets are still available for Friday night's concert. 

You can find a link to buy tickets here.