Renovated concert location opens around Desk Rock Lake

LAMPE, Mo. — An out of doors amphitheater is open up for enterprise right after a extensive hiatus that experienced very little to do with the pandemic.

On May 28, a delicate opening was held at the Black Oak Mountain Amphitheater, in which 1,100 folks turned out to cheer on regional tribute bands Hairball and Lytyl Skynyrd.

Owner John Stauffer claimed all the things went as prepared and that a handful of kinks were found out and quickly ironed out. That aided pave the way for the very first of four concerts planned for the summer and drop, starting up off with state singer Chris Youthful on July 1.

This will be the initial total live performance held at the 9,000-seat location soon after it all of a sudden closed in 2013. Stauffer, a Branson native, ordered the facility in 2019. As a young guy, he attended a number of reveals at Black Oak Mountain Amphitheater for the duration of the 2000s, like Journey and Tim McGraw.

“Let me inform you, I respect it way far more now than when I was heading to concerts in advance of,” he claimed with a chuckle, “because I didn’t know all the stuff you experienced to do” to put on a thriving live performance.

He’s put in money supplying the overall facility a facelift just after several years of neglect.

“Over the years, it’s sat right here, and there experienced been a great deal of vandalism just about every piece of glass was damaged out of the concession stands, ticket booth and dressing rooms and places of work, so we experienced to change all of those,” Stauffer explained. “All the electrical and copper had been stolen, so we had to really considerably gut every single constructing down to the studs and replace the electrical. Rodents had eaten by way of a number of water pipes, so we had to change significantly of the plumbing.”

But the difficult operate was worthy of it, he reported, because no other out of doors tunes venue is pretty like it.

“It’s lovely … nestled in the facet of a mountain, appropriate between the valley and with Table Rock Lake on the back facet — in the winter season you are able to see (the h2o). In the spring and summer and tumble months, you just get this attractive watch of the trees that forget the whole valley,” Stauffer stated. “It’s a entirely different atmosphere than when you go see a live performance in a larger sized metropolis or even an indoor arena.”

The website initial opened in 1983 less than a various identify — Swiss Villa Amphitheater. From the mid-1980s to 1999, it hosted a variety of huge-identify functions, which includes B.B. King and Bob Dylan.

“There’s definitely not a negative seat in the location,” Stauffer stated of Black Oak Mountain Amphitheater, incorporating that parking through live shows is totally free. “Whether you’re in the grass segment or at the major of the bowl or bottom of the bowl, there’s basically not a poor place. The artists who occur listed here say they adore the acoustics for the reason that of how we’re nestled down right here in the valley.”

The remaining 2021 concerts are region singer Trace Adkins and actor-singer Billy Bob Thornton on July 30 country singer Dustin Lynch and pals on Sept. 10 and rapper-turned-nation singer Nelly, who hails from St. Louis, on Sept. 17. Far more exhibits could be booked between now and September, Stauffer explained, and he hopes to have 12 to 15 live shows prepared to go for the 2022 time.

Though close by Branson may perhaps for good be connected to region new music, Black Oak will not be, Stauffer explained.

“The rock group, we listen to you,” Stauffer claimed. “We listen to you pretty loud and obvious. … We’re making an attempt to e book (rock bands) ideal now. They are the hardest functions to get appropriate now I never know if (it’s) simply because of COVID they’re not very ready to come back again out and play, but we are attempting. We’re open to all genres.”