PUT-IN-BAY — Call it a monster bash: 15,000 fans and enough high-caliber country music to do the Grand Ole Opry proud.

Bash on the Bay returns to Put-in-Bay on Wednesday and Thursday, transforming the island’s airport into a virtual Nashville North as headliners Blake Shelton and Keith Urban take the stage over two nights, generating exuberant music and millions of dollars in economic impact to the region.

It will be the fourth Bash on the Bay, and the first following last summer’s coronavirus cancellation. 

Blake Shelton is a platinum-selling country artist with a plethora of awards and honors, including 2012 Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year, 20 Academy of Country Music nominations, and both the best male and video of the year awards at the 2018 Country Music Television Awards. Shelton is also a coach on The Voice, an Emmy Award-winning singing contest on television. 

Keith Urban is a four-time Grammy Award winner, two-time CMA Entertainer of the Year, and 15-time ACM Award winner, to name a few of his accolades. Urban has nine consecutive gold, platinum or multi-platinum albums.

“Having two performers of this caliber adding Put-in-Bay to their 2021 touring schedule provides twice the excitement for all who will make their way to the concert,” said Tim Niese, the event organizer. “Add in the other artists and bands, the many foods and beverage options available, and the energy of thousands of fans, and it sets the stage for a celebration like no other the island has seen.” 

The Put-in-Bay Airport reinvents its runway as a hippodrome for the annual country music festival, which is anticipating record attendance following last year’s cancellation due to the pandemic. This year’s Bash is the first two-day event, which is hosted by 614 Events. Wednesday’s lineup includes Blake Shelton, Runaway June, Cale Dodd, John King, and Cumberland Run, and Thursday’s lineup includes Keith Urban, Walker Hayes, Carly Pearce, Cory Farley, and The Outliers.

Gates open at 2:30 p.m., and performances begin at 3 p.m.

Tickets are still available bashonthebay.com. Niese said they’re selling fast and the show is expected to hit its capacity of 15,000.

“Tickets are selling according to what the industry predicted these first shows would do coming out of the gate,” Niese said.

Bash on the Bay kicked off five years ago, when Niese and 614 Events had the idea to host an annual concert as a means to keep traffic at the island toward the close of the summer season.

“We had weeks at Put-in-Bay where kids were back at school and there wasn’t much going on. The idea was to try this and see if it would generate money for the island, and it has far exceeded our expectations,” Niese said. 

“When we had Kid Rock two years ago, we had people come from 33 states. We’re learning that nearly half of the people that come to these shows have never been to this island, which is great for potential retention rate, should the visitors return,” he continued.

Larry Fletcher, president of Ohio’s Lake Erie Shores and Islands, said the concert is slated to bring in nearly $16 million to the island. 

Ohio’s Lake Erie Shores and Islands is a destination marketing organization for northwest Ohio and specifically South Bass Island and Put-in-Bay.

“We have a way to estimate economic impact for events and our reports show us that this event is expected to bring between 14 to 15,000 concert-goers each day of the two-day event. About 75 percent of those attendees are expected to stay overnight, and we’re estimating the total economic impact of this to be about $16 million from this two-day event,” he said.

Fletcher added the report accounts for ticket sales, hotel bookings, purchases made during the two-day span, as well as monies businesses spend in support of the event.

Niese said there’s not a vacant hotel on the island or in surrounding areas.

“I felt this event would grow into something big and it has. We have people looking forward to this every year, and now that we have two days, we have people who are planning their vacation around it. There’s not a hotel room left on this island; they were sold out in two hours after we announced the show. All of the boat docks are full, so the island is going to pretty much be at capacity,” Niese said.

First Published August 22, 2021, 11:00 a.m.