Nederlander Concerts Named Exclusive Booker of Pocatello Idaho’s The Port (Exclusive)

Nederlander Concerts, the independent event promoter based out of Southern California, today announced a multi-year agreement to exclusively program Pocatello Idaho’s Portneuf Health Trust Amphitheatre (The Port). The agreement, which includes bookings starting in Mid-May, broadens the venue’s industry and marketing reach and helps focus on capacity options while using Nederlander’s national touring expertise.

“With The Port in Pocatello, we’re able to give artists, managers and agents three different sized venues in one allowing for broad market reach and booking capabilities,” said Alex Hodges, CEO of Nederlander Concerts, in a statement. “The history and configuration of the venue provides optional goals and capacities. Our mission is to offer a wide variety of genres – diversify the bands and audiences. The Port is a first-class routable location for any national tour that includes the Northwest and we’ll work with any and all promoters, regional or otherwise.”

The venue has a flexible 10,000-capacity with a lawn area, a lower bowl that seats 2,000 and a mid-level area that can hold 4,000-5,000 attendees.

“We’re very optimistic about our partnership and what Nederlander will bring to The Port. Our goal is to make The Port a destination venue and this partnership is a big step in that direction. I’m so excited for the next few seasons as they help us work towards that goal,” said Commissioner Jeff Hough. 

With six concerts at The Port last year, including Ian Munsick, Megadeath and Biohazard, Chris Young, Clay Walker and John Pardi, Hodges tells Pollstar he is confident Nederlander can increase the building’s bookings over the course of the multi-year partnership, even though they got a late start on this year’s amphitheater season.  “Now if they wanted me to go find 36 dates for 2024, that’s not happening, if they wanted me to find 36 dates for 2025 we might get there…”

Hodges confidence stems in large measure from his experience in and knowledge of the surrounding markets and routing thru Pocatello. “ If somebody is coming, east to west and headed to Boise and then to Washington state this would be a nice extra stop… Boise is 235 miles and Salt Lake is pretty close, about 164 miles,”  he says. “If they’re coming out of Canada to Great Falls or coming into Billings and they’re coming across, Pocatello would be a great stop…Our question starts with who’s touring east to west? Or north of Denver? Now if they take the southern route to Red Rocks they could drop down to Phoenix and then come across to California with two days off. The point that interests me is for a band to be able to take those long jumps, put them on in between and have an extra payday. They’ve got a great venue here.”

The CEO of Nederlander Concerts also believes he can also increase the variety of genres for the venue, which primarily hosts country acts. “We can do country, comedy and some classic rock and I do believe Latin will play a big part,” says Hodges pointing to Nederlander’s success in bringing Latin music to San Jose Civic, Vina Robles and their other properties.

Nederlander operates and programs the Hollywood Pantages Theatre, Vina Robles Amphitheatre in Paso Robles, The Backyard in Sacramento (a partnership announced in last February) and City National Grove of Anaheim. The company also promotes events at third party venues including the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, San Jose Civic, California Theatre and the Center for Performing Arts in San Jose, San Diego Civic Theater, Bank of America Performing Arts Center in Thousand Oaks, Paramount Theatre in Oakland, Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts in Worcester, Mass.

Since opening in 2015, Portneuf Health Trust Amphitheatre has attracted national acts that include Keith Urban, Dwight Yoakam, Korn, Beach Boys, The Piano Guys, Jim Gaffigan, Papa Roach and Falling, Jon Pardi, Chris Young and Ian Munsick among others. The venue’s community events in 2023 included local high school graduations and, of course, a “Yoga at The Port” event for “Healthy City, USA.”

For Hodges, who is something of an industry legend in his time having worked with the some of the greatest in The Allman Brothers, Otis Redding, The Police and Lynyrd Skynyrd, what got him most excited when he first visited the Port, isn’t something most people would necessarily notice. “When I first out of the SUV at the venue backstage my eyes immediately fell on something that made me very happy,” he says. “You could unload two trucks at one time.”