Mystic Lake Takes Chances With Amphitheater

Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, whose business depends on people playing games of chance, is taking a calculated gamble of its own.

Earlier this summer, the Shakopee casino opened an outdoor amphitheater to operate through the summer alongside its indoor Mystic Showroom. The venue, which opened in time for the Fourth of July weekend, seats up to 8,357 people and sets Mystic up to compete with Target Center, Xcel Center and St. Paul's Midway Stadium for mid-level headliners.

The amphitheater is actually a temporary venue this year—the seats were rented—but could become a seasonal fixture if it enough people buy tickets.

Though the sluggish economy has hurt the concert industry here and around the country, officials say the 2,100-seat Mystic Showroom boasts strong numbers: Mystic sells 97 percent of available tickets to shows there, including 14 straight sellouts last year, a spokesperson said. Mystic Showroom, which opened in 2007, books a level of entertainer that charges anywhere between $50,000 and $300,000 for a performance.

While early attendance figures for the amphitheater aren't available, it doesn't appear that shows in the early going have pushed the seams of the box office.

While concerts in the 2,100-seat Mystic Showroom haven been selling out—including this past Wednesday's concert by Dolly Parton, along with upcoming sold-out shows with the Beach Boys and ZZ Top—there are still ample seats in the amphitheater for acts such as Carrie Underwood, Stevie Nicks and Alan Jackson. Also, stakes for the amphitheater are considerably higher: Carrie Underwood, Alan Jackson and INXS, who performed in the amphitheater on Thursday, could never have squeezed their audiences into the showroom. 

The amphitheater fills part of the golf course's existing driving range, situated next to the casino. Construction began in May and was completed by the end of June. As within the casino itself, officials decided to bar alcohol from the amphitheater, and smoking is prohibited except for a designated area.

Mystic Lake Casino Hotel is owned and operated by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. Visit mysticlake.com for information on artists and tickets.

Mystic Lake Summer Shows

8 p.m. July 29 — Xtreme Muzik, The Tour: Big & Rich and Gretchen Wilson with Cowboy Troy, Bradley Gaskin and Two Foot Fred ($25-$49); amphitheater.

7 p.m. July 31 — The Beach Boys (sold out); showroom.

7:30 p.m. Aug. 11 — ZZ Top (sold out); showroom.

7:30 p.m. Aug. 24 — Stevie Nicks ($35-$48); amphitheater.

8 p.m. Aug. 27 — Tony Bennett ($59-$77); showroom.

8 p.m. Sept. 2 — Jonny Lang ($32-$55); showroom.

8 p.m. Sept. 3 — Carrie Underwood with Sons of Sylvia ($59-$85); amphitheater.

7 p.m. Sept. 4 — Blondie “Panic of Girls Tour” ($19-$29); showroom.

8 p.m. Sept. 17 — Alan Jackson ($35-$55); amphitheater.

7 p.m. Sept. 24-25 —  Craig Ferguson ($49-$59); showroom.