Levitt Pavilion’s unusual mix of free shows and savvy thinking have helped it survive

Tuesday, May. 21, 2024

Levitt Pavilion’s stage unfolds like a silvery jewel box, its three open sides facing a massive green that has hosted thousands of music fans since 2017.

Most of them didn’t pay a dime to get in.

The nonprofit organization’s hundreds of free, high-quality concerts over the years have made it an all-ages mecca in Denver’s competitive music scene, as well as a gathering place in Ruby Hill that neighbors have embraced despite the noise and traffic complications.

With more than 40 free shows this season, and only 10 that charge for tickets, Levitt has built trust and audiences through a highly unusual mix of adventurous bookings, public and private funding, constant neighborhood-tending, and casual vibes that belie the passion of its music-freak staff.

It has also led the way for the Levitt national network, which includes 7 freestanding venues that operate as Levitt Pavilions, 32 free-concert series partners in rural areas (or Levitt Amps), and a trio of Levitt Vibe concerts (city-based series), all spread evenly across the U.S.

Levitt Denver, in particular, offers a lesson in bridge-building and a model for arts nonprofits defying existential challenges in the post-pandemic era. Levitt leaders have helped push the Colorado Independent Venue Association’s public funding and advocacy, created mentorship programs, and were among the first to champion diverse, post-pandemic revenue streams with rentals, fundraisers and the occasional big-ticket show.

“Denver is a big and still-growing market, and the resources don’t always keep pace with that kind of growth,” said Meghan McNamara, executive director of Levitt Pavilion Denver. “Those resources are vital to our survival, but our impact goes beyond what’s on our stage, so our job is to tell that story to everyone, whether they’re fans, foundations, public funders or private donors.”

It helps that Levitt feels wide and welcoming. The venue can pack in up to 6,500 people in front of its stage and on its east-facing, down-sloping hill — although it rarely feels crowded, despite drawing more than 130,000 patrons each year. In addition to the standing-room area at the front, families usually set up on the hill with blankets and folding chairs from May through the Pavilion’s final scheduled concert on Oct. 5.

Kids roam free, food trucks beckon, and sunlight and breeze suffuse it all (weather permitting). It’s somewhere between Denver Botanic Gardens’ older-skewing concert series, and the massive, mainstream shows at venues such as Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre (capacity: 17,000).

At Levitt, however, visitors can RSVP or walk up to no-cost concerts featuring Indigenous heavy metal (Sept. 21’s Rez Metal mini-fest), bilingual and Spanish-language acts (Mariachi Sol de Mi Tierra, Sept. 6), top-tier hip hop (The Drop’s Block Party, with Common, June 8) and local luminaries such as DeVotchKa (a regular visitor) and iZCALLi (June 7). Reggae, Japanese drumming, opera, Black country singers, and even a nascent movie-music series (starting with “Coco” on June 6) are also on tap.

In addition, Levitt woos carefully chosen touring headliners for its paid shows, which feature acclaimed indie acts and more mainstream names such as Elvis Costello, Garbage, STS9, and Cake. This year’s paid shows include Calexico, Dark Star Orchestra, Kurt Vile, Blonde Redhead and The Beach Boys. The revenue from those keeps Levitt’s full-time staff of five (9 if you include part-time) going year-round, as well as its dozens of volunteers and seasonal employees who show up several times a week at 1380 W. Florida Ave.

Its paid shows, which can run more than $100 for top-tier tickets and VIP perks, still tend to cost less than similar options at Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Ball Arena (where great seats often start near $100).

On the other hand, Levitt’s fan- and artist-first funding model allows bands to get paid a competitive wage, regardless of attendance, said Jessi Whitten, Levitt’s director of marketing and audience development. It requires constant refreshment.

“There’s a somewhat limited pool (of money) that many arts and culture organizations are vying for on the nonprofit side,” director McNamara added. “That’s (significant) because we still have room to grow, and more work to do when it comes to accessibility. But in the spring we installed new turf and and a new dance floor, and there’s more to come.”

That pool of money springs from Colorado foundations such as Bonfils-Stanton, which spends millions funding dozens of area nonprofits as well as the Levitt Foundation; the unique SCFD tax district, which supports hundreds of organizations with $60 million in public money; local and federal grants; and other sources.

Levitt is deeply grateful for its support, McNamara said, which has allowed it to upgrade over the last seven years and made it the largest venue in the national Levitt Foundation’s network.

Levitt Pavilion Denver estimates it has provided tens of millions of dollars worth of music to hundreds of thousands of people over its seven years. That’s a steep cost for a nonprofit, especially when Levitt Denver has spent about $250,000 over the last year for the first phase of an improvement project that added the dance floor in front of the stage, an ADA accessible path to it, and sustainable, easier-to-navigate artificial turf that extends halfway up the lower bowl of the venue.

Denver Parks & Recreation, with which Levitt Denver has always partnered, as well as the national foundation and Levitt’s own 2023 budget, helped cover the costs. But Levitt Denver largely operates independently of its larger network, drawing only about 5 percent of its $3.5 million operating budget this year from its parent organization.

Levitt also hopes to raise another $500,000 for its planned, 2025 improvements, building out easier access and audience-friendly features on a site with plenty of space but serious logistical challenges. Parking often overflows onto the side of the road leading up to the venue; think Red Rocks Amphitheatre, but less hilly and crowded. Wheelchair access hasn’t always been easy.

Neighbors in Ruby Hill, Athmar Park and Overland must be brought into all discussions, or else Levitt could suffer the same fate as the concerts formerly staged at City Park. Those were drummed out about a decade ago by nearby residents who dubbed the live music events “noise pollution,” and complained of foul and offensive language that could be heard in the neighborhood. (Weekend, nonprofit cultural festivals still visit each year.)

Levitt sidesteps those problems by showing up to neighborhood meetings and constantly listening to neighbors who share their concerns.

“We’ve had this Panther sound system in place for about three seasons, which allows you to really dial in the sound in the park and create as little noise bleed as possible,” McNamara said. “We don’t really get noise complaints, and we never want to break that trust. … As a result, a lot of our neighbors in Ruby Hill are donors and big advocates of our mission. They feel a sense of pride and ownership in the venue.”

But Levitt’s mission can be hard to communicate. It’s not city-funded, or even fully funded by its parent organization. Its budget is cobbled together through paid concerts, private rentals and fundraising appeals. Arts and culture nonprofits, whether Denver Center for the Performing Arts to the smaller Su Teatro Cultural and Performing Arts Center, increasingly compete for those same, diversified sources.

Thankfully, Levitt boasts a savvy staff of do-gooder music insiders and industry veterans. Deputy director Andy Thomas is a longtime Denver musician (currently: DespAIR Jordan and In the Company of Serpents), producer, writer and diversity advocate who recently returned from a trip to Senegal to create partnerships and a forthcoming showcase concert with the country’s musicians. Whitten is a longtime DJ for Indie 102.3 FM, festival organizer, TV host and producer in the Denver scene. McNamara joined a little over a year ago from Chicago’s Harris Theater for Music and Dance.

Whitten’s connections help create partnerships with other arts organizations, but it’s Levitt’s overall scrappiness that has kept it afloat, she said.

“We don’t have the same exact competitive spirit you might expect from a (corporate promoter such as) Live Nation or AEG Presents,” she said. “But they all buy into what we’re doing in a way that’s new and exciting” — including occasionally renting the venue for their own concerts.

McNamara knows why some people are reluctant to leave the house, especially given the unpredictable weather, timing and crowds at most outdoor events. She thinks Levitt is changing that, however incrementally.

“The obvious part of free concerts is that we’re removing the financial barrier for many families,” McNamara said. “But we’re also removing the risk factor. We’re creating an environment where it’s really easy to discover new things, but also show up and leave whenever you want. We don’t have to book a show exclusively on name recognition. We do it on merit because we have a deep love for music.”

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