It’s Pink! Pop superstar’s concert to mark 10 years for Denny Sanford Premier Center

Pop superstar Pink is coming to Sioux Falls — the smallest city to earn a spot on her 2024 P!INK Live North American tour — in a concert to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Denny Sanford Premier Center.

“We wanted to set the bar high,” Mayor Paul TenHaken said. “We’re certainly out-kicking our coverage here in Sioux Falls.”

City leaders made the announcement Monday — with the majority dressed in the act’s namesake color.

“We are extremely happy to be able to pull this off,” said Mike Krewson, general manager for the event center complex, which is managed by ASM Global.

“We’re the smallest community and the smallest building she’ll be playing on tour. There was a lot of heavy lifting between our team here on the ground and corporate and the city, a lot of support to get this done. A lot of calling in favors, and it was months and months in the works.”

Earlier this month, he received confirmation Sioux Falls would be hosting the concert Oct. 21.

“We met with Live Nation, who does the tour, and I was giddy when they told me face-to-face we were confirmed,” Krewson said.

The Premier Center had set a goal of landing a major act to celebrate its 10th anniversary and specifically looked for an artist who wasn’t country-centric because while tickets for country sell well here, “we get some negativity on that,” he said.

“We made a concerted effort to target pop, and she is one of the biggest pop acts out there. The production is crazy. It’s probably going to be one of the heaviest production shows as far as trucks and weight the building has ever had.”

From the city’s standpoint, “we’re certainly excited,” said Shawn Pritchett, director of finance. “It was definitely one of our first choices that we talked about early on.”

Tickets will go on sale at 11 a.m. Friday, March 1, in person at the box office and online. Be warned, though, “tickets will be the highest prices this building and this community has ever seen,” Krewson said.

He estimates base price will start at $158 and reach $361, before fees and taxes. Suite and loge holders will receive an email today communicating the tickets that are included with their suites and loges and the option to purchase additional tickets. Club seat holders will have first right of refusal for their tickets, with prices varying depending on the section of seats.

“We’ve received a lot of feedback over the years that this community will pay a little bit extra for these big shows because you don’t have to drive to Lincoln or Omaha or Minneapolis,” Krewson said. “I certainly realize it’s a big lift, and sometimes those big lifts are needed when you want to bring in a certain caliber. That’s what it takes.”

Pink, who was born Alecia Beth Moore and whose stage name is styled P!NK, is the winner of multiple Grammy Awards, best known for hits such as “Just Give Me A Reason,” “What About Us?” and “Raise Your Glass.” One of the world’s best-selling artists, she’s reported to have sold more than 135 million records worldwide.

The concert will join other major shows in the Premier Center’s history such as Paul McCartney, Elton John and the Eagles.

The venue’s first concert, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and Starship featuring Mickey Thomas, was held Sept. 24, 2014. On Oct. 3, 2014, Jason Aldean and Florida Georgia Line performed with Tyler Farr.

Strong year, future plans

The P!NK concert is the latest in a string of successes for the venue, which saw record revenue and profitability in 2023.

“We’re back to normal and even in better shape than we were before COVID,” Pritchett said. “Our activity level is outpacing where we were. ASM Global has done a great job managing expenses in light of an inflationary economy and labor costs, and driving more revenue, so we’ve been able to keep profits at record highs even last year.”

The efforts during the pandemic to remain operational and not reduce staff  “prepared us to hit the ground running once the effects of COVID were mitigated,” he said.

One area that hasn’t fully bounced back is sports. Attendance hasn’t rebounded to pre-COVID levels for the Sioux Falls Stampede, Sioux Falls Canaries or Sioux Falls Storm, Krewson said.

“We’ve been fortunate to make adjustments with some of the sports teams and their contracts to give the venue some flexibility, so when we do have a concert that wants to book, I can do that because those are the things that move the needle for the community,” he said.

Still, the variety of programming offered at the Premier Center is intended for accessibility, Pritchett said.

“Not everybody is able to access the cost of going to a concert, but many people can afford a ticket to a baseball or Stampede game,” he said.

At 10 years old, the Premier Center also is in need of some updates. Within the next 12 to 18 months, the hope is to replace the scoreboard and upgrade ribbon boards, complementing a new video board in the lobby, Krewson said.

“It’s just a venue enhancement, and that’s what the city has been really good about is identifying and communicating what can we do to take it to the next level for the guest,” he said. “This is the diamond of the area, and we need to keep it as well maintained as we can and add additional nuances to keep it as fresh as possible.”

Concessions are assessed annually, and this year added more grab-and-go options for things like soft drinks, popcorn and hot dogs.

New software also should give the city better insight into visitor spending, Pritchett said, which will be key as leaders consider options for the broader campus and a potential relocation of convention space to the proposed downtown Riverline District.