Spokane Arena's general manager knows the Spokane concert scene the way few others do. Matt Gibson is a Spokane Valley native who graduated from Central Valley High School and has been the general manager of Spokane Arena for the last seven years after starting there as a marketing assistant 20 years ago. He's responsible for booking everything from concerts to ice shows and using outreach like the "Bucket List" poll to connect with fans. And he's learned a few things about how Inland Northwesterners approach music, and what they like (and don't like):
1. The "Bucket List" really does help Spokane get concerts
Sure, some of the artists Spokane wants to see might be out of reach, but the public wishlist allows Gibson to show artists and their agents that we're not all about country and classic-rock.
"Spokane is great in that they want it all," Gibson says. "The first four (on the bucket list) are pop acts (P!nk, Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake, Maroon 5), and we barely get pop acts at the Arena, of any size. It's very rare. And that's why we do things like the Bucket List, to tell people representing these bands and artists, 'Spokane wants this stuff.'"
2. Spokanites likes to make the scene
Inland Northwest music fans have "incredibly varied" tastes, Gibson says, and they also realize that because not every big tour is going to stop at Spokane Arena, they better take advantage of the ones that do.
"They just want the respect that the big cities get, the chance to go to these shows," Gibson says of the fans. "Whether or not they're, say, a true Bruno Mars fan ... Just because it's happening in town, they're going to go because it doesn't happen that often."
3. Technology's changed everything
While people have always loved all different types of tunes, technology's changed how the Arena interacts with fans, how fans consume music and how artists become popular.
Technological improvements are mostly good, allowing customers and Arena officials to talk more directly than ever, and "they have no problem letting us know when we blow it," Gibson says, "and we get to capitalize on that learning experience to make it better."
