If it had been any other year, the sudden summer downpour would have washed out the Jon Pardi concert in the SuperStar Concert Series lineup for the Greeley Stampede's 100th anniversary.
Before the centennial, the Stampede used a portable stage for its outdoor nighttime concerts in the rodeo arena, an inconvenient setup when one had to prep the stage for a concert during a pouring rain.
The 100th Greeley Stampede was memorable for another reason – the inaugural season of the JBS Stage.
A new permanent stage building, it includes three Schweiss Doors bifold doors that protected the stage, the band and the expensive electronics and instruments from the deluge. Instead of a washout, there was only an hour rain delay.
"We were able to shut the doors, do the stage change and go on with the show once the storm moved on," said Justin Watada, CEO of the Greeley Stampede.
The Greeley Stampede is the summer place to be in and around Greeley, Colo. A celebration of Western heritage and the nation's independence, the Stampede has brought together generations of family and friends for days of food, games, rides, parades, rodeos and live music around the Fourth of July holiday.
"We are the community class reunion," Watada said.
The heart of the Stampede is the rodeo arena, where cowboys and cowgirls show off their skills among the broncos and bulls. The arena also hosts exciting demolition derbies and concerts. Since the 1970s, some of the biggest names in rock and country music have provided the soundtrack for the Stampede.
At first, the portable stage, which was pulled into the arena by two tractors, worked well. However, the production logistics of concerts, with high-tech audio and visual needs, started to outgrow the old setup, making it difficult for the Stampede to book the level of talent officials wanted.
"We decided we needed a permanent stage," Watada said.
The Stampede partnered with Weld County and the city of Greeley, owner of Island Grove Regional Park, to construct the permanent stage. JBS, a meat processing plant in Greeley also supported the project.
The stage building was designed and manufactured by American Buildings, with Big Johnson Construction of Fort Morgan, Colo., acting as the general contractor.
The structure was engineered to provide the acoustics required for a live music venue and hold up to 100,000 lbs. of audio and visual equipment, a must to accommodate high-quality concert productions. The building has green rooms, restrooms, an audio-visual control room and a stage loading dock.
It was also important that there be a way to close off the stage when not in use. The arena normally has a dirt floor for rodeos and demolition derbies, so being able to protect the stage from clouds of dust, grime and the weather was a must.
"We had to check a lot of boxes," Watada said.
Ultimately, the decision was made that bifold doors fit the project best. When closed, they provide the required protection. When open, the doors wouldn't get in the way of any lights or speakers mounted above the stage while creating a bit of a canopy. It was the team from Big Johnson Construction that recommended Schweiss Doors.
"We've worked with many brands of doors and Schweiss Doors has been pretty much the most consistent across the industry with quality of their product," said Trevor Fehseke, vice president of Big Johnson Construction.
The stage has three bifold doors, two measuring approximately 18 ft. wide by 30 ft. high and another measuring 78 ft. wide by 30 ft. high. Together, the doors stretch out more than 114 feet.
"They're gigantic," Watada said.
Each door can be opened independently, providing flexibility for those using the arena and stage. If an event needs to use the audio equipment, one or both smaller doors can be opened to uncover the speaker system while the stage door remains closed.
The doors installation was a bit of a novel job, Fehseke said, due to the size of the doors and elevation of the stage. He said the stage building was constructed on top of an 8-ft.-high concrete platform. That meant the installation crew from Big Johnson had to lift the door about 38 ft. above the ground before it could be attached.
"That presented a bit of a challenge from an installation standpoint," Fehseke said. "Once our installers figured out a gameplan and got it going, I think the install went fairly smooth."
The doors have taken some time to get used to, and Watada said there was some nervousness about operating such large doors, but overall, the doors have been a success.
"The construction of the Schweiss doors has been top quality," Watada said. "The doors have been great and are serving their purpose."
The entire stage structure has been a massive upgrade for the arena. It increased capacity for concerts and now makes it possible for more music acts to perform at the Stampede. There is also the goal of growing the number of events that are held at the park, which, of course, is a positive for the city of Greeley.
"We've had numerous artists comment on the stage and its size and function," Fehseke says. "Everybody's been pleased with the overall project."
For more information, visit bifold.com.
