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Tuesday, March 19, 2024
March 19, 2024

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Strictly Business: Bands at fair stir up memories, draw fans

By , Columbian Business Editor
Published:

The band members walked onto the stage at the Clark County Fair’s grandstand without fanfare, introducing themselves as the Guess Who. Frontman Derek Sharp, born the year that the Canadian rock band recorded its first hit 50 years ago, joked about the gray-haired crowd in the grandstand. Then it was on to a 90-minute run of old hits including “American Woman” and “No Time” that had us old-timers on our feet, singing along to the still-familiar tunes. This was a band from my high school days of playing LPs in my bedroom. As if we weren’t all feeling plenty old, bassist Jim Kale told the crowd that he’d been performing for 53 years.

I wondered about the business side of signing vintage bands that once played concert halls and released hit records (remember those?) to play at hot dusty venues like the Clark County Fair’s grandstand. No one could have imagined decades ago that bands like this one, or others with far fewer hits, would draw crowds well into the 21st century. But the $25 seats in front of the stage were mostly filled. And others who’d paid the $11.25 fair admission enjoyed the show in the bleachers for free.

It turns out that technology has been a boon to the old bands, making their music easily accessible on streaming music services such as Spotify and Pandora. You can catch the Guess Who on YouTube, where a vintage performance of “Share the Land” has drawn 1.5 million views. The music of some faded bands has found new life in video games.

For band members who hung on to the right to use a popular band name, the road offers a money-making opportunity for the price of a few rehearsals and a stretch of summer away from home. Some bands can end up making more money than in their glory days.

But how much can a county fair pay for a band that’s long past its prime, at a venue known for its dog shows and daredevil rides? That’s a question for Heidi O’Hara, the Clark County Fair’s director of entertainment. She’s responsible for assembling the jigsaw puzzle of four nights of musical entertainment.

The task requires a balancing of costs, band availability, and a mix of country and rock genres that appeal to different audiences. The fair is sometimes competing with other seasonal venues like McMenamins Edgefield and the Oregon Zoo. And while its budget is fluid — as with most things in life, she says, you get what you pay for — band fees can range from $15,000 to $100,000 for a performance.

The good news for O’Hara is that the musical entertainment doesn’t have to be a money-maker for the fair. Generally, about half of the costs for a band are made up from increased food and drink sales, she says. And the entertainment brings people to the fair who otherwise wouldn’t attend for those dog shows or board those daredevil rides.

But the bands are about more than adding to the fair’s bottom line and attendance numbers, or even an evening’s entertainment. They keep their passion alive and recharge ours. The old guys on that stage remind us of our youth and of the second or third acts we hope are still ahead in our own lives.

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Columbian Business Editor