Beaver Dam Amp prepares for 2023 Season Kickoff

With the start of the 2023 season at the Beaver Dam Amphitheater less than a month away, Beaver Dam Tourism Commission has been hard at work getting the amphitheater ready for this year’s concerts that kick off May 6.

“We’ve been busy,” Mayor Paul Sandefur said of the off-season. “We’ve been making some changes to the amphitheater.”

Sandefur said they have changed around the merchandise area where it’s now near the concessions and have been working on making a larger backstage area.

“Some bands and even a single performer many times have as many as four trailers and two buses to get crew and equipment in,” he said. “We are trying to come up with ways to rework that in order to accommodate larger shows.”

Work is also being done this summer to build a new entrance into the amphitheater toward Highway 231/Main Street slightly further down, he said, so there aren’t people trying to enter where the vehicles come into the backstage area.

This year there is going to be a grass lot used for a “pre-show” type area where concert-goers can access and set up their chairs. Concessions and merchandise will be available there before the gates officially open to the amphitheater.

“We are really excited about that,” he said.

The commission had hopes of constructing new restroom facilities on the top of the hill, but the bids opened recently came in over double what they were projected to be back at the beginning of 2022. Sandefur said that project may be on hold for a little while.

The park also received a grant to help pave the parking lot and hopes are to have that done before Memorial Day.

“We still have a lot of

plans to keep expanding (the amphitheater) a little bit every year,” Sandefur said.

As far as the upcoming season, Sandefur said there are some exciting shows already lined up.

The 2023 season opens May 6 with Casting Crowns with We Are Messengers and Leanna Crawford.

“This is the third time Casting Crowns has performed at the dam,” said Promoter Heath Eric, of The Eric Group. “The show has already blown away all of our expectations. We already have a couple of thousand people coming. Casting Crowns since 2020 have really grown expeditiously. Because of their love of the dam and relationships and great times in the past, this is the last stop on their spring Healer Tour. We are thrilled to have this show. It’s going to be an exceptional show.”

Other highlights of the upcoming season, Eric said, include Blackberry Smoke with the Band of Heathens on May 27 and Rock the Dam 6 on July 29 followed by-back-to back concerts on Aug. 11 and 12 with Chris Young and the Beach Boys with the Owensboro Symphony.

“Our trademark Rock the Dam is back for its sixth time and that is likely to be the record Rock the Dam. Things are going really well for those shows. We are seeing folks from all across the region and 30-plus states and more,” Eric said.

This year’s Rock the Dam will feature Winger, Firehouse, Jack Russell’s Great White and Steelheart.

Eric said country music star Chris Young will be one of the biggest country music concerts of the year and that the Beach Boys concert will be something really special.

“What’s really special about that is that’s our first concert with a full symphony,” he said. “So, we are really excited to have the Beach Boys, America’s band, coming in August and also partnering with the Owensboro Symphony to do something really special.”

The shows are all selling well, according to Eric.

“We encourage people to get their tickets early and join us. It’s going to be a great year.”

The season’s lineup isn’t complete just yet, though.

“We have some major announcements coming soon. We are certainly not done with our season yet,” Eric said.

Only half of this season’s shows have been announced. More concerts and events will be announced soon. Eric encourages people to sign-up for the newsletter at beaverdamamp.com to be among the first to know about the newest concert announcements.