With concerts filling the calendar, Premier Center plans for big year ahead

Five weeks before Jelly Roll took the stage at the Denny Sanford Premier Center, the show was announced.

“That was really unique,” said Doria Drost, director of marketing.

“It was a very late confirmed show for 2023, normally we announce a couple months in advance … but because of his crossover between country and rock and the amazing story he has an artist — he has a very large fan base — and we pretty much sold out the first two weeks.”

The solid ticket sales, especially for a show not 100 percent in the country genre, “definitely positions us strongly when we’re working with promoters to book shows,” Drost said.

“If you decide later on you want to add a new leg or additional dates, we’re here for you and here to support you. Lauren Daigle, we just announced a show for her, and that was a situation where they decided to add on more dates.”

The latest shows cap a strong year for the Denny Sanford Premier Center and also might foreshadow an even bigger one ahead.

“It seems like we’re announcing shows left and right,” Drost said.

“We’re definitely much busier. Last year, we had a record-breaking number of events compared to before the pandemic — obviously the pandemic slowed things down — and looking at 2024, we’re on track to have even more events, so it’ll be really busy.”

While Sioux Falls consistently draws and fills its arena for top-name country artists, “we still have a lot more announcements coming for 2024,” Drost said. “We have some concerts, some sporting events, some family shows, a little bit of everything. This year alone, we had a lot more classic rock and pop shows than we’ve seen in the past, so we’re building up those market advantages, and I think it will just get better from here.”

The first quarter will bring multiple large-scale trade shows, including the return of the National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic and the annual Summit League Basketball Championships.

Concerts announced so far include Disturbed in January; Lauren Daigle, Chris Stapleton and Whiskey Myers in May; Tim McGraw in June; Styx and Foreigner in August; and Lainey Wilson in November.

“March, we’re pretty full, but there is potential we could be adding on events in January and February,” Drost said. “It just depends on what the touring schedules look like. Most of them will be in April through the end of the year for the ones we still have coming up that I’ve seen so far.”

The Premier Center also brings a personal touch to artist visits. When Jelly Roll — born Jason Bradley DeFord — visited, the team leaned into his love of the Waffle House restaurant and his tradition of visiting Walmart stores when he tours the country.

Backstage signs were customized accordingly, and the Sioux Falls team gifted the rapper/singer songwriter with a  custom show poster and hat.

“I think the interest in Sioux Falls is growing, just as the city itself is growing,” Drost said. “Our population continues to increase. There’s a lot of promoters looking at us very competitively with other markets in the region, and it really just comes down to when tours are through the area and when we can squeeze them in.”