This year, when A-list acts like Taylor Swift and Phish were penciling in their summer tours, they planned stops not in Baltimore, or even Washington, but at the woodsy Merriweather Post Pavilion. So did the organizers of the Virgin Mobile Free- Fest - one of the summer's hottest festivals.
Sleepy, suburban Columbia is once again a go-to stop for live music. And it's quite the turnaround for the nearly 42-year-old amphitheater, which only five years ago was written off as obsolete.
"This season - without Virgin Fest - is one of the best in memory," said Howard County Executive Ken Ulman. "Merriweather's back, and it's not going anywhere. It's on the rise."
Much of the credit goes to promoter Seth Hurwitz, a co-owner of the 9:30 Club in Washington and producer of the Virgin Mobile FreeFest. Hurwitz proved that with the right strategy, Merriweather could regain its status as one of the region's dominant concert venues.
Hurwitz was brought in to run Merriweather at the end of the 2003 season, when the 17,500-capacity amphitheater was at a low point. Earlier that year, with Clear Channel calling the shots, the venue had only 19 shows, down from as many as 50 in earlier years.
Officials at Rouse Co., who owned Merriweather then, looked at the numbers and thought the amphitheater would make more sense if it were smaller and enclosed. They wanted to develop the nearby parking lots and drastically scale back Merriweather, which they envisioned as a year-round venue.
"They were trying to portray Merriweather on its last legs," Hurwitz said. "They wanted the place downsized or shut down."
Rouse was met with stiff opposition from residents and local government officials. Ulman, then a councilman, said he advocated bringing in an outside promoter such as Hurwitz. Rouse agreed and signed the veteran local promoter.
At first, Hurwitz thought Rouse wanted him to fail.
"I honestly believe I was brought in to be the final nail in the coffin," Hurwitz said. "I believe they thought it would be Merriweather's last breath."
Instead, Hurwitz prospered.
In 2004, Merriweather lined up 28 concerts, including A-list acts such as the Dave Matthews Band and Kenny Chesney. This year, that number is up to 35, give or take a few. But for Hurwitz, quality comes before quantity.
"I never base it on the number of shows," Hurwitz said. "To me, the quality of the shows has gotten better and better."
