Hard Rock livens up outdoor venue with beer garden, concert series

Earlier this year, casino officials unveiled an $850,000 redesign of the venue’s outdoor entertainment space. Plans call for more parking and seating, new landscaping and a beer garden.

The two-acre space extends northeast of the Battery Building. The century-old, four-story brick warehouse was extensively renovated as a centerpiece of the $128 million gaming and entertainment complex, which opened on Labor Day weekend last year.

Formerly known as The Backyard, the outdoor venue has been rebranded as Battery Park, paying homage to the building’s history.

Eight blockbuster concerts are planned for the re-imagined outdoor space.

“We have something for everyone in those shows,” said general manager Todd Moyer. “Classic rock, modern rock, contemporary to country. Everyone is going to find a show that they like.”

The series kicks off July 11 with 3 Doors Down and Seether.

Other performers include REO Speedwagon, Collective Soul with Dishwalla, Colbie Caillat and Christina Perri, Elvis Costello, Three Days Grace, Deep Purple with Black Oak Arkansas and Gary Allan with Joe Nichols.

“We do great entertainment inside too, but something about seeing shows outside – people just love outdoor shows,” Moyer said.

Also, more than 20 special events are in the works like the First Bean Bag Tournament, sponsored by Sioux City Professional Fire Fighters IAFF Local 7. Proceeds benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The event, planned for Aug. 31, is open to adults and children, ages 12-17.

Moyer said there will be other activities where the casino teams up with local nonprofit organizations to host fundraising events from the annual chili cook-off to a new competition called the Beer Mile, which combines drinking with running a race.

“I’ve talked to a couple people and they said they’re training, at least, for the beer part of it and the mile will come later,” Moyer said.

Reconfiguring the outdoor space adds about 1,000 seats, increasing capacity to 4,200. The venue will continue to have rows of VIP seats in front of the stage, as well as elevated bleachers in the back.

It also adds more than 100 parking spaces on days when there are no outdoor events.

Decorative pavers and stamped concrete will be used to mark the spaces in the new lot in Battery Park. The paving will create a more level, reliable surface for concerts and other special events, Moyer said, since torrential rains during a series of events on Labor Day weekend left the grassy area a muddy mess.

The overall vision is to bring life to that side of the building.

“When you are driving down Wesley Parkway and you see the Hard Rock from behind, you see the back of the guitar and maybe a lit building. But it truly doesn’t look that much different than it did five years ago,” Moyer said. “We want to make our back door the front door. That’s what this project really does. It shifts the whole focus to that entrance and we get the foot traffic there.”

He sees Battery Park becoming a hub of activity in a revitalized district that’s added a number of shops, restaurants and bars in recent years.

One of the newest dining options will be the Hard Rock’s Biergarten, an open-air space with barbecue grills, fire pits and a bar, focusing on craft beer. The restaurant will serve more casual fare, compared to the adjoining gastropub, Main & Abbey.

Inside, the Hard Rock's 30,000-square-foot casino floor has 839 slot machines and 25 table games, along with a 54-room hotel, four bars, three restaurants, a retail shop and a venue for concerts, comedy shows and other live entertainment.

Visit hardrockcasinosiouxcity.com or call 712-224-ROCK for more information.