When I got to the footbridge at Timber-Linn Park about 7:30 tonight, the Willamette Celebration security folks were turning people away from the packed Oregon Amphitheater.
Organizers expected an overflow crowd and they got one. People who couldn’t get into the amphitheater, watched Newsboys and Skillet on a giant screen in another section of the park.
I got into the amphitheater by telling the security folks that I had to work, which I did. “Whoa!” was my reaction when I saw the crowd. It was probably the largest crowd ever to see a concert at the amphitheater. Joan Baez drew 11,000 there in 2002, and tonight’s crowd seemed larger. I didn’t hear an estimate, but I’m guessing it topped 12,000.
I found a little bit of space midway up the south side of the berm and set up my tripod and video camera. I stayed long enough to catch most of the Newsboys’ performance. The band wowed the crowd.
Newsboys frontman Michael Tate made great use of the runway that stretched from the stage to the berm. And the sound was excellent.
The Willamette Celebration and the annual Northwest Art & Air Festival have provided great examples of the potential for the Oregon Amphitheater. It’s a wonderful concert venue that should be used a lot more than once or twice a summer.
Ever since the amphitheater opened in the mid-’90s, I’ve been telling peoople that I’d love to see Santana play there. Please don’t wait too long to book him, though. The world’s greatest guitarist turned 63 this week.
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Here are two videos from the Newsboys concert:
