Lubbock Concert Scene Changes From Lucky Stop to Strategic Choice

Lubbock has had the good fortunate of being "the only stop between Dallas and Denver". We've picked up a number of great shows because of it, but times have changed a bit.

It's going to be tough to make this succinct and understandable, but I'll do my best. There are so many reason why a band will or will not play Lubbock, or anywhere for that matter.

Let's start with the fact that many bands only want to play a limited number of tour dates. Texas is a big state, so unless travel takes them this way, they're going to play Dallas, Houston, Austin, then maybe, Amarillo, Midland-Odessa, San Antonio, El Paso or Lubbock.

Lubbock's Venue Dilemma Explained By The Missing Middle for Concerts

Venues are always a problem. This isn't even about the state of the venues, it's more to do with the size. For instance, we don't have a great place for a band that wants to play 1000-2000 seaters. United Supermarkets Arena is fantastic, but it tops off around 12,000 for a concert. The Moody Center in Austin is 15,000, thus a much bigger potential for a big payday.

Contract lockouts are now in play. We used to benefit from bands traveling to and from big festivals, but now many bands have to sign agreements not to play within a certain geographical area for a specified amount of time.

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Promotion is a gamble, and there are less gamblers. We have three semi-consistent promoters here. There used to be a dozen or more willing to take a chance on Lubbock.

Lack of record company support is a bit of a thing now as well. There is no longer pressure to play certain markets, or to even follow where their getting the most airplay, it's all now about the immediate bottom line and not developing a following in certain areas.

Touring has become so expensive, that some bands can't even afford to play smaller towns, or to tour at all. Bands that would once upon a time go out on their own, now only play as openers in the big city.

Lubbock's Concert Evolution Means Quality Over Quantity in Music Bookings

So Lubbock has changed a bit from a market that gets shows out of convenience to a market that bands and promoters choose to play. It's good that we're getting people who want to play the town, but bad that we get less shows.

This is just a quick overview of why things happen or don't happen around the Hub. I'm hoping the success of the Staind/Breaking Benjamin show will lead to more bands putting Lubbock on their radar, but as you just learned, a lot of factors come into play.