New Shed, Country Road

The 5,900-capacity Lithia Motors Amphitheatre in Central Point, Ore., is ready to roll, even if it’s tough to get to. The facility, located on the Jackson County Fairgrounds, requires a little extra help with ingress.

“The developers of the fairgrounds, God bless them, 30 years ago put the facility that’s going to hold the largest number of people at one time in the community on a two-lane country road,” venue GM Chris Borovansky told Pollstar. “There’s two points of access and nothing we can do about that.”

Police, county officials and fairground officials decided it would be best to keep the two-lane road going in both directions before the show.

None of this is as bad as it sounds, according to Borovansky, who was preparing for the first show with Steve Miller Band July 1st.

The streetlights have been timed to increase the speed of traffic and decrease a backlog on Interstate 5, for instance, and signage has been added. All three of the fairground parking lots will also be used.

“We actually think we’re going to be just fine,” Borovansky said. “We used elements of the traffic control plan during the county fair the last several years. It really came off without a hitch, so we’re thinking that while it’s a concern … I think we’ll move people in quickly and safely.”

Shows this summer include B.B. King, Cheap Trick, Clay Walker, Sugar Ray, Tracy Lawrence, and ZZ Top. The shed will also host the Britt Music Festival — a summer classical music series funded by the county that has been held for more than 40 years at the Britt Festivals Garden & Amphitheatre outside of Medford.