‘The best backdrop’: Gee ecstatic for new concert venue planned near Gorge Amphitheatre

While KIRO host Gee Scott is all in on a new concert venue being planned near the Gorge Amphitheatre, he said on “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio that he has an unpopular opinion.

“You haven’t lived until you’ve gone to the Gorge?” KIRO host Ursula Reutin asked.

“The Gorge has the best backdrop for an outdoor concert in all of Washington,” Gee responded.

Gee said the project is another example of Washington leaning into its natural beauty for live music.

“I love how they are giving the people what they want,” Gee said. “We have such amazing scenery here.”

New venue will overlook Columbia River

Vince and Carol Bryan, the founders of the Gorge Amphitheatre, are developing a venue called the Grotto on a 6.5-acre property in Quincy, according to The Daily Journal of Commerce. The property overlooks the Columbia River.

The Bryans hired ZGF Architects to design the 1,200-capacity indoor concert hall, which will be part of a larger nonprofit cultural campus called the Hilltop. The architecture will be inspired by the surrounding basalt cliffs, canyon walls, and Columbia River views.

The Hilltop will also include a second outdoor venue called the Terraces. The anticipated cost for the Grotto is between $35 million and $40 million, The Daily Journal of Commerce reported.

Ursula admitted she has yet to attend a show at the Gorge, calling it a bucket list item.

“I am almost ashamed that I have not been to the Gorge because everyone has told me you’re missing out,” Ursula said.

Gee shares his unpopular opinion on Gorge Amphitheatre shows

Meanwhile, Gee said he had another unpopular opinion.

“Sometimes the venue is better than the artist,” he said. “Sometimes the venue made that artist that was probably average really good.”

Gee pointed to his first trip to the Gorge for the now-defunct Sasquatch Music Festival.

“I’d be honest. A lot of some of the music was meh to me,” he said. “But the setting was so unbelievable that it was just pure bliss.”

Gee also pointed to last Friday’s Obliteride party at Gas Works Park, where a band called the Dip performed against the backdrop of Lake Union.

“The Dip was performing, and the backdrop was Lake Union, and oh, it was beautiful,” Gee said.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.