Outdoor concert venues in West Deer and East Deer are ready to draw visitors — and their money — into the area, organizers say.
No Offseason Sports along Little Deer Creek Valley Road in West Deer will open its summer concert series July 13 with country music star Justin Moore, who’s had multiple No. 1 singles on the country music charts. At least two more country music concerts are scheduled this summer, said Joe Voloch, No Offseason’s director of operations.
The still-under-construction venue is expected to hold at least 5,300 people.
Just south, along the Allegheny River in East Deer’s Creighton neighborhood, three concerts are set to take the Iron City Stage at the Pittsburgh Brewing Co. facility. Those concerts each will hold up to 7,000 people.
Voloch said his venue will provide an economic boon to local communities by visitors patronizing local businesses and restaurants, staying at hotels or visiting attractions like Deer Lakes Park.
“A lot of people have never been here before,” Voloch said. “It’s all yet to be seen (the economic boon).”
Voloch pitches his venue, set to be complete in June, as family-friendly, with audience sizes that are neither too big nor too small. “Comfortable” is how he describes it.
“Big-name artists, small venue. (In some places), you’re out there with 20,000 people. Here, you’re with 5,000 people,” Voloch said. “That’s what we want.”
Youth sporting events occupy the facility for most of the year, with the concerts taking place during the venue’s slower season, Voloch said.
“The idea is: the families that come to our sports events, they can come to our concerts,” he said.
Those factors are why Voloch isn’t concerned with possible competition at Pittsburgh Brewing’s concert venue or at Hartwood Acres Park in Hampton, where the outdoor summer concert series is a long-standing attraction.
At the Iron City Stage, concerts include Changes in Latitude, a Jimmy Buffett tribute band, on June 29; Led Zeppelin and The Doors tribute bands, on July 6; and headliner Cole Swindell and special guest Ashley Cooke, both country music stars, on Sept. 1.
Pittsburgh Brewing officials say their venue now holds about 7,000 people. Iron City Stage is expected to be completed by next summer, when it will hold as many as 15,000 people.
Rachel Semelbauer, spokeswoman for Pittsburgh Brewing, leaned into the brewery-concert venue combo as one of the amphitheater’s best assets.
“I do not believe there is a single other brewery out there holding concerts on this scale, at least in our … region,” Semelbauer said. “We will also have a great price point on our beer, since people will be purchasing it directly from the source rather than the upcharge you see at most venues these days.”
Hartwood Acres’ summer concert series hasn’t yet been released, and a county spokeswoman did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday.
At No Offseasons, all concerts this summer will be country music artists, Voloch said. There are two concerts pending that will be announced in May, with one being held in July and the other in August, he said. No Offseason also is hoping to land plans for a fourth show this year.
“The goal is four country shows this year, and next year, possibly add some rock shows,” he said.
While brainstorming for this venue, Voloch and some colleagues visited other concert venues in the area and took note of what they liked and didn’t like.
One thing the West Deer venue will have is an intimate, comfortable experience for people to watch their favorite artists, Voloch said. The venue’s maximum capacity is 5,300 people.
What’s different about this venue is that there are only 1,000 parking passes available at the site. Voloch estimates an average four people per car. Then, 1,300 tickets will be sold through an Uber or Rideshare drop-off in traffic lanes off Little Deer Creek Valley Road on the facility’s property. There will be no pay-at-the-gate entrance on the day of the event.
“Once we fill that, we’re done,” Voloch said. “We want people to have a good experience.”
“It’s more relaxed. You’re not bombarded with people.”
Voloch said the facility is not concerned with traffic, despite a century-old tunnel along Little Deer Creek Valley Road that has raised concerns from residents and Indiana Township officials because of its deterioration.
Voloch said traffic studies have been completed, and police will escort concert traffic through the tunnel. Traffic also could be detoured to enter the facility from the other side of the road.
During peak weekends, the facility handles roughly 5,000 to 7,000 people for youth sporting events, Voloch said. On concert days, the facility will be closed to the public outside of concert attendees.
Before concerts, attendees can enjoy “pre-concert” activities at one of the facility’s soccer fields and enjoy live music from local artists, play games and visit other vendors.
“You’re going to have a whole soccer field to hang out, relax,” Voloch said.
Fencing and trees will be located around the site as a noise barrier.
“We think this will be something for our communities to have something local and be able to see big name stars,” he said.
Kellen Stepler is a TribLive reporter covering the Allegheny Valley and Burrell school districts and surrounding areas. He joined the Trib in April 2023. He can be reached at kstepler@triblive.com.
