First three weeks of 2018 and already there’s big news with the Les Schwab Amphitheater concerts for the year.

First, the two concerts: Dave Matthews Band returns to Bend on August 28. Tickets are $95 and go on sale on Groundhog Day, February 2, at 10am. I’m sure this one will sell out fast and I expect I’ll see a line outside the Ticket Mill early that Friday morning.

Next, on June 8, Jethro Tull comes to town on their 50th anniversary tour. Tickets for that show are on sale now, and are $50 for general admission and $79 for reserved.

Now for the not-so-great news: the Amphitheater is putting the free Summer Sundays concert series on hiatus for this year. Ostensibly because of so many other summertime activities and “community event fatigue” though at the same time, I think it was a great Sunday family activity that I’m sorry to see go.

Here’s the full press release:

January 19, 2018 – Bend, Oregon – Les Schwab Amphitheater today announced that the Summer Sundays concert series will be taking a hiatus. The popular concert series has hosted more than 300 musical acts since its inception in 2002, and has been a staple of summertime in Bend Oregon. Originally created to fill a gap in the region’s free events and live music entertainment, the need in the community has shifted since its inception.

Marney Smith, director for the Les Schwab Amphitheater, said, “It has been an honor to have hosted the Summer Sundays concert series for so many years, along with our numerous sponsors and business partners in the community including Bend Memorial Clinic. When we created these events, Bend was a very different place than it is today. As our community continues to grow and thrive, we’ve found an over-abundance of events in Bend in the summer months and the impetus behind the development of the concert series no longer exists. We are happy to pass the torch to the many other wonderful events in our community, for now.”

Smith noted that her team plans to keep a close eye on trends in the region and bring back the series when it makes sense. The already extremely busy summer calendar and community event fatigue contributed to the decision.

The Les Schwab Amphitheater will continue to offer a variety of live music acts as part of the Bend Summer Concert Series, from Memorial Day weekend through early Fall. In addition, the amphitheater will continue to be home to the Bend Brewfest and many other community events, such as the Pole Pedal Paddle, Oregon Winterfest, OSU Cascades Graduation and community walks and runs.