Terminal B Music Pavilion on Buffalo Waterfront Draws Praise

After more than two years in the making, the first permanent outdoor music pavilion has opened inside the metal frame of what was once the Terminal B warehouse, with Lake Erie gleaming in the background . Many enthusiastic, sold-out audiences who came to see pop singer Chappell Roan said the 8-acre, $13 million summer concert venue hit all the right notes.

“You go to other towns and they have nice music venues around the waterfront, and that’s always been lacking here,” said Dave Sable of Williamsville, sitting on a grassy slope. “It looks fantastic.”

“It’s awesome,” said Akasya Crosier of Buffalo, standing stage left as Roan and her four-piece all-female band segued into dusk with their song “Femininomenon.” “I feel like I can see from any angle, which is rare in an outdoor location.”

Be Our Guest, the Rich Products subsidiary, had the venue ready as premium ticket holders were admitted at 4:30 p.m. and spectators with general admission tickets entered at 6 p.m.

The grounds were landscaped, rows of picnic tables were in place, concession stands and three fully stocked bars and eight food trucks were ready and open for business. Terminal A’s main parking lot, which can accommodate about 900 cars, was covered with a black, striped roof in recent weeks, to accompany the approximately 800 parking spaces located along Fuhrmann Boulevard.

“Parking and getting in was very easy,” said Callie Muench, eating pesto grilled cheese from the Cheesy Chick food truck after arriving with friends from Skaneateles. “I like the layout and the fact that the food area and food trucks are really close to the stage.”

“We usually go to CMAC because we’re from Rochester, but CMAC doesn’t have all the food trucks and Adirondack chairs,” Shayna Munyon said, referring to the Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center outside of Canandaigua. “It was the chairs that really won me over.”

Roan performed after three short drag shows by local artists. His popularity has skyrocketed in the past three months after opening for Olivia Rodrigo from February to early April, performing an NPR “Tiny Desk” concert in March and at Coachella last month. After Roan’s show at the Town Ballroom sold out in pre-sale, it was moved to a larger venue.

Artie Kwitchoff, whose Funtime Presents with partner Donny Kutzbach books both venues in association with John Peters of MassConcerts, was thrilled to see how well things seemed to be going for the first concert.

“This is our new boutique music pavilion on the waterfront,” Kwitchoff said. “If you want to relax and go up the hill and throw down a blanket, perfect. If you want to be 15 feet from the stage, go for it.

Kwitchoff said attendance was capped at 6,000 people this season, but that figure would be re-evaluated in the future.

“We want to stick to 6,000 for the first summer and reduce everything,” he said. “For now, we believe parking will not be a problem, with a large number of free parking spaces, unheard of in today’s world.”

Long lines to get into the venue were a problem he said could be solved with earlier entry times. Adding video screens was another consideration.

“We will make production adjustments as we move forward,” he said.

Buffalo’s regularly scheduled summer concerts began in July 1987 in a parking lot at Chippewa and Main streets, where Fountain Plaza is currently located.

Lafayette Square became the home base the following year for the free Thursday concerts at the Square. Local artists often opened for national headliners in a compressed space shared by thousands, with Metro Rail moving along the tracks behind the stage.

Leon Russell, Pat Benatar, the Lowest of the Low, George Clinton and Jakob Dylan were among the artists who performed there.

The concert series moved to Canalside in the summer of 2011. In 2017, Canalside Live! introduced an entrance fee and VIP ticketing. In 2019, in what turned out to be the series’ final year, programming stopped being weekly or primarily Thursdays.

Alice Cooper, Nas, Elvis Costello, Vanilla Ice, Salt-N-Pepa and Public Enemy were among the artists who played at Canalside.

For decades, concerts were also held periodically at the Outer Harbor on temporary stages, with Buddy Guy, the Black Keys, Vanilla Fudge and Jefferson Starship among the artists performing there.

Plans to create a permanent music pavilion and event space – expected to include charity rides, the GoBike SkyRide fundraiser and possibly the Irish Festival – have faced opposition from Our Outer Harbor, which wants the 208 acres be reserved for passive recreation and fears negative consequences. environmental impact of a noisy attraction attracting thousands of people.

The Outer Harbor is the western gateway to an area of ​​the Niagara River corridor that in 1996 was designated a “globally significant” Important Bird Area and is home to the Times Beach Nature Reserve , which attracts migratory birds.

Those concerns were heightened when the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. in December 2021 gave the green light for excavators and bulldozers to clear cottonwoods, black locusts and other trees and shrubs to make way for the music pavilion. This came two weeks after the state Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit seeking to stop the project.

Kathryn Wolf, a landscape architect who helped develop the site plan, said it was infested with invasive species and “biologically bankrupt.” The Our Outer Harbor group disagreed.

“The Grinch of ECHDC stole Christmas,” said group member Margaret Wooster. “They have no idea of ​​the regenerative coastal ecosystem they face in the outer harbor.”

The riverside agency planted 178 trees, 195 shrubs, 365 perennials and meadow mixes to regenerate the area, as well as plants in deer exclusion zones.

“ECHDC is excited to kick off this Memorial Day weekend by hosting our first concert at the new Terminal B Events Center,” said Mark Wendel, executive director of the agency. “The restoration is a great example of Governor (Kathy) Hochul’s focus on providing the public with unique experiences along the waterfront. We look forward to the public embracing this new area for a variety events and spectacular views.

Lauren Ford, executive director of Be Our Guest, hopes spectators will consider carpooling, the bike ferry that connects Canalside and the Outer Harbor, Reddy Bikeshare and using the bike valet service near the main entrance .

Premium stage right seats and general admission tickets offering festival seating must be purchased through SeeTickets at OuterHarborLive.com. Only credit and debit cards can be used on site for transactions. Folding chairs and outside food or drinks are not permitted.

The next concert in the current 15-concert season will be the Osborne Brothers on June 14.

A number of people said the venue exceeded their expectations and planned to return.

“The waterfront location is super beautiful,” said Buffalo resident Taylor Naeye.