Springs Preserve amphitheater to bring music, nature together

Don't expect any death metal. But then, you really wouldn't at an outdoor amphitheater where mesquite trees grow out from the concrete stage.

The new venue inside the Springs Preserve plans to book spring and fall concerts that are "aligned with the ambience of that venue," says Jesse Davis, the Preserve's manager of marketing and publicity.

"The beauty of this is the aesthetics, the ambience, the surroundings," Davis says of the stage framed by a 50-foot rock structure. "We plan to be very selective about who we bring in and how we program it." The casino staples of classic-rock acts won't be threatened.

Saturday's inaugural Jewel concert will have an 1,800-ticket capacity. The general admission audience will sit in chairs that will be set up for the show, but the tiered structure of the amphitheater also allows general admission concerts with no fixed seating for as many as 2,000.

For those worried about roughing it too much, the balcony of an adjacent Wolfgang Puck restaurant also offers views of the stage.

Those spotlight-hogging trees are likely to preclude Broadway musicals or other shows with stringent stage or production requirements. But Davis says fine arts events will be part of the mix.

The Preserve will operate the venue, using a programming consultant to book concerts. Davis says there is no quota for the number of events in the early going. "We don't anticipate making a great deal of money" from the theater operation, he says.

Experimentation also will help management decide whether to combine admission to the rest of the Preserve with the concert ticket.

But on Saturday, the Preserve closes at 6 p.m., and visitors will have to leave if they don't have a separate ticket for Jewel at 8 p.m.