I first became aware of Pocatello, Idaho when it appeared on a tour itenerary for a band on the roster at the record label where I worked. "Where the hell is Pocatello?" I wondered.
Well, I looked it up, and it turned out to be in Idaho. "Why would a band want to play in Idaho?" I wondered. I then looked in my extensive database of record stores across the U.S., and lo and behold, there was one record store in Pocatello.
So I called up the fine folks at Budget Records in Pocatello, Idaho. I told them that this band was coming to town, but that I had never heard of Pocatello before, and I asked for some information about the city. I learned that Pocatello was located in a valley at the base of the Rocky mountains, and that it was a college town. I learned that Pocatello is nicknamed "The Gate City" because of the many trains that converge there. Then, I was told a fascinating tale: that Pocatello hadn't had any concerts for a number of years, due to mysterious, unknown circumstances. Now, a local promoter was starting to book shows again; hence, the sudden influx of bands into Pocatello, Idaho.
In the following days, weeks, and even months, I became obsessed with Pocatello. What exactly had happened there that made the entire city stop having concerts? I also found it interesting that there was an entire city in my own country that I had never even heard of. What did the people of Pocatello do - culturally, socially, economically? I was fascinated. Perhaps there was an eerie parallel between the story of Pocatello and the movie Footloose, which takes place in a small town in the midwest where dancing and music are banned. It seemed that Pocatello was the town that rock n' roll forgot.
So I called up Budget records again and spoke with Joe, a bona fide resident of Pocatello. Joe provided me with some info on the music scene (and previous lack thereof) in Pocatello. According to Joe, there is a large mini-dome right in Pocatello. This covered football stadium was used for all sorts of events - including concerts - right up until 1984. Then, Van Halen played at the mini-dome and after that - no more concerts. What happened? The circumstances remain mysterious to the residents of Pocatello. The manager of Van Halen, Scotti Ross, also claims that nothing out of the ordinary happened at the 1984 Pocatello concert. He was at the concert in question, and did not see anything unusual.
Joe of Budget records has a feeling, however, that the longtime lack of music had something to do with the Morman (or LDS) community. Pocatello is located only 150 miles north of Salt Lake City, where there is a large population of Mormans. In fact, the Pocatello website provides demographics for the town, and there are a whopping 105 Morman churches there! "Marilyn Manson was not allowed to play in Salt Lake City," Joe informed me, "because of the 'family oriented community.' " He said that the local government also consists of a high percentage of Mormons and that "lots of activity is centered around it [the Morman church]."
There is, however, a counterbalancing force that is bringing the music back to Pocatello. Gemini Productions has recently started booking shows in the area. I had the pleasure of speaking with Mike, the founder of Gemini Productions, about the Pocatello scene.
Mike was also at that famous Van Halen concert in 1984. He credits irresponsible promoters and security for the fiasco at the show. People were "urinating on people's lawns," according to Mike. Plus, there were people passing out in the crowd, excessive drinking, and general mayhem. Possibly someone stole a banner, too. Mike seconds Joe's theory about the Mormon influence basically shutting down all the concerts in Pocatello for the past decade or so. "It's a conservative area," he says, and while there have been country bands playing in Pocatello since '84, no rock bands have played, due to the Mormon influence and the discouragement of rock shows, a lack of a promoter in the area, and the University not actively soliciting bands to play in Pocatello. But Mike decided to change all that with Gemini productions.
Mike was born in Seattle, but grew up in Pocatello with his adoptive parents. "I had city blood, but couldn't do city things," Mike claims. While he was a student at Idaho State University, Mike and his friends would sometimes drive 16 hours to Los Angeles to see shows! After graduating from college, Mike decided to bring the music back to Pocatello, and he started to book shows about three years ago. At first, he met with some resistance from local government and religious figures. "A show on a Wednesday night was new. They would say 'Why Wednesday? What time will the kids get home?" Mike counteracted fears about the bands and shows by allowing the police of Pocatello to walk through the shows anytime they wanted - and they saw there were no violent incidents. Slowly, the University and various venues began to allow Gemini productions to book increasingly large shows. A new venue called the Roache Motel opened recently in Pocatello, where people can even drink if they show ID, while the underage set can watch the show. This took 6 months to be approved by the City Council. One venue owner is even a Mormon, although he did call Mike to complain about the band "cussin'." "Freedom of speech," was Mike's response.
Mike said he started booking shows in Pocatello simply because "no one else was doing it." Aside from the problems with the local government and church, Mike said one of the challenges he faces is simply "convincing people to get out of the house and convincing bands to come out here." Another challenge was the lack of personnel. there was no trained staff available to put on shows - from lighting people, stage managers, production managers, roadies, etc. - Gemini Productions had to start a training process to educate everyone on how to put on a show. In spite of these setbacks, the respons to Gemini shows has been enthusiastic, with bands like Motley Crue and Candlebox playing sold out shows.
When asked about the inevitable comparison the the movie Footloose, where dancing was banned from a small, conservative midwestern town by the local church and government, Mike admits that "It's similar. It's half Mormon and half redneck."
The mayor of Pocatello, Greg Anderson, states that there are no laws against live music in Pocatello. He claims that the University, rather than the local government, is the reason that there were no shows in Pocatello during the last half of the '80s and most of the '90s. The University has not responded to questions about the lack of music.
With a 150,000 person population in the Pocatello area and one of the most enthusiastic bookers around, bands and record labels should realize that Pocatello may be the last great untapped market for true music fans looking for some excitement and something new. So, if you're a band, consider playing in Pocatello, the town that rock n' roll forgot.
Check out http://www.geminipresents.com/ for upcoming shows in the Pocatello area. Viva Pocatello!