This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Ogden Twilight's concert series doesn't draw the same-size crowds that its unaffiliated counterpart in Salt Lake City does, but given that its show are held in the fixed-capacity Ogden Amphitheater, it isn't trying to.
That said, the numbers are trending well enough in the right direction to make Ogden Twilight promoter and co-founder Jared Allen very optimistic about the series' future.
He noted that while previous years' top shows saw attendance max out around 4,500, he was expecting at least one and possibly two sellouts of about 7,500 from this third-year lineup, which kicks off June 1 and will take place over the five Thursdays in the month.
"We saw a lot of growth from Year 1 to Year 2, and dramatic growth from 2 to 3, so I think we'll keep going the direction we are," Allen said in a phone interview with The Tribune.
The 2017 incarnation, headlined by Portland, Ore.-based indie darlings The Shins, illustrates the transition the series has made from shaky to solid footing over three years.
And while Allen conceded he wasn't out of nail-biting territory just yet, he'd seen enough signs of progress to be convinced that significant progress has been made.
"It's always tricky, 'cause the tickets surge like crazy at the end," he said. "The first year, we were terrified 'cause ticket sales weren't that high. But then that last week, they would double, and the day before the show they'd double again, and then the day of the show they'd double again. So it really changes a lot last-minute. But in terms of season passes, we're up over a thousand percent this year even over last year."
He noted that while the fire marshal gave organizers an 8,500-capacity figure for shows this year, they decided to cap the shows at about a thousand below that because "we don't want to overdo it and have a bunch of people have a bad experience."
Of course, the expectation going in is that this year's Ogden Twilight shows will be anything but a bad experience.
Allen received booking assistance this time from Will Sartain, co-owner of local promoter house Sartain & Saunders, which secures events for Salt Lake venues including Urban Lounge, Kilby Court, The Depot, The Complex, Metro Music Hall and In The Venue.
Allen's overall philosophy remained the same, however.
"I have to admit, I'm pretty much out of the loop when it comes to radio-play bands," he said. "I go to a lot of music festivals, I travel a lot for shows, and I just really look for bands that I think are eclectic and genuine. I feel like it's somewhat of a curated experience. I feel like I'm not looking for bands where somebody else is writing their songs — I'm looking for more genuine, independent artists."
The lineup kicks off this coming Thursday with Danish singer-songwriter Nanna Øland Fabricius, who performs under the stage name Oh Land, while sibling duo Wild Belle co-headlines. Chicago alt-rock band OK Go follows on June 8. Electronic-pop duo Louis The Child and British dance/electronica artist Troyboi will co-headline on June 15. The Shins follow June 22. And Miike Snow, a Stockholm-based indie-pop trio consisting of an American singer and two Swedish musicians, closes out the series on June 29.
Every show except for The Shins features tickets that are $5 in advance (plus a $1.25 service fee); day-of tickets are $8.50 (plus a $1.50 fee) via Ticketfly or simply $10 at the venue (which features cash-only ticketing). The Shins are $10 in advance (plus the $1.25) or $13.50 (plus $1.50) day of. Some VIP tickets, which offer reserved seating in front of the stage, are still available for $25 (plus $2 service fee).
While the Salt Lake Twilight Series has come under scrutiny for running about half a million dollars in the red the past several years, with Salt Lake City Arts Council members citing increasing artist fees and infrastructure costs as the primary factors, Allen said Ogden Twilight has been able to break even thus far due to the combination of ticket sales, sponsorships and beer sales augmenting the funds the series gets from the city.
He added that his series' attendance limits (and fixed venue structure) have aided in the process of avoiding cost overruns.
"We have such a small capacity, it limits our budget in how much we spend on bands, because we can't justify spending X amount of dollars on a band when we can only have this many people there at this ticket price," Allen said. "The Shins were the first time we played around with a $10 ticket price, and it seems to be well-received — nobody's really balked at the idea; it's been our top seller. So it's given us a lot of different thoughts about directions we might go in the future, too. We won't be afraid to book a little bigger and know that the band can work out."
As for this year, Allen encouraged residents of Salt Lake County to come give the series a try, noting that the distance from Salt Lake to the Ogden Amphitheater isn't any greater than what it would be to see a similarly sized show at The Great Saltair in Magna.
Additionally, transportation can be easier, as a partnership with the Utah Transit Authority means your concert ticket doubles as a UTA pass for the evening, whether it be for FrontRunner, TRAX or the bus.
FrontRunner stops on Wall Street about two blocks from the venue, and Allen recommended walking from there along Ogden's Historic 25th Street up to the amphitheater — "lots of restaurants and bars, art galleries, that sort of thing" — though he said buses are available to cover the interim distance for those who need them. (See accompanying story on the Ogden Twilight dining scene.)
The venue and its food options open at 5 p.m., and most shows are slated to begin at 6. Two FrontRunners headed back to SLC are scheduled for times after the concerts end.
"We're always excited to have people from Salt Lake come up and catch our shows!" Allen said.
Twitter: @esotericwalden —
Ogden Twilight lineup
June 1 • Oh Land, Wild Belle, RKDN
June 8 • OK Go, Dan Deacon, Mojave Nomads
June 15 • Louis The Child, TroyBoi, JPAN
June 22 • The Shins, Pure Bathing Culture
June 29 • Miike Snow, Klangstof, New Shack
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Ogden Twilight FAQ
Tickets • Most are $5 (plus service fees) in advance and $10 day of. Some VIP reserved seats in front of the stage are available for $25. Season passes are available through May 31, $25 for GA, $110 for VIP. Advance tickets are available online via 24tix and at Graywhale locations. Day-of sales at the venue are cash-only.
Venue • The Ogden Amphitheater is at 343 E. 25th St. in Ogden. Venue and series rules prohibit (among other things) coolers, outside food, drinks and alcohol, chairs and blankets, and pets. Shows will take place rain or shine. Venues and food vendors open at 5 p.m. Most shows are slated to begin at 6 p.m.
Transportation • Your concert ticket is also a UTA pass for the evening. You can take FrontRunner, TRAX and bus routes 470 and 603 to the venue. Two FrontRunners are scheduled after each show to depart back to Salt Lake City.