Concerts return to Battery Park at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City

Since Battery Park held its first concert series in 2015, the popularity of the festival-style outdoor amphitheater, which holds 5,000 people, has grown rapidly.

Shannon Pauling, director of marketing for Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City, said guests were constantly asking, "When are you coming back? When can we get back to entertainment?"

"It's really, really exciting for us to be back, because we're getting back to our roots of live music," said Pauling, who noted that Battery Park has returned to normal operations void of any COVID-19-related restrictions. "It's been really exciting to see the response from the concertgoers that we've had in the past, plus having our entertainment team back and seeing their excitement about building the park and getting entertainment back. It's been a lot of fun." 

After Battery Park's first year in operation, a bigger stage was brought in to accommodate larger touring bands. Acts have ranged from rock band Journey to country superstar Chris Stapleton to Grammy-award winner Alanis Morissette. 

"When we found that it was responsible and safe to do so, we went ahead and started announcing (performers). Everybody has been really overwhelmingly positive and they're just ready," Pauling said. "The fans let us know that they're ready and they've been excited." 

The 2021 summer concert series kicked off with country star Brantley Gilbert on July 10. Gilbert is best known for such No. 1 singles as "Country Must Be Country Wide" and "You Don't Know Her Like I Do." Also that month, Staind appeared on July 16. The heavy metal band was fresh off the release of its first album in nine years. 

Coming up in August, rockers Shinedown will be sharing the bill with the Michigan-born band Pop Evil on Aug. 14. Then, on Aug. 28, the rapper Nelly, who has been making hits for more than 20 years, will be playing the venue.

As of late June, Pauling said Shinedown was leading the pack in terms of ticket sales. Shinedown also played Battery Park in 2016.

"We had announced two of the acts last year. Shinedown and Nelly were two that were scheduled in Battery Park, so we just kind of worked with their teams to make sure that we got on their routing schedule," Pauling said. "We actually worked with another casino on the eastern side of Iowa so that we could get (Staind) here. And then, Brantley Gilbert was kind of in the works, just hadn't been finalized last year." 

Battery Park features a standing general admission section and a Hard Rock Pit in front of the stage, as well as reserved seating, including a tiered elevated section and covered tent section with assigned tables and access to a private bar.

Pauling said first-time concertgoers to Battery Park need to understand that personal chairs are not allowed in the park. If they want to take a seat, they will need to purchase one. Pauling said a detailed list of event policies and procedures can be found at hardrockcasinosiouxcity.com. 

"Expect to have a great time and make some memories," she said.