BILLINGS — The Pub Station is turning 10 years old this year, just a fraction of the 35 years Sean Lynch, the venue's president, has spent promoting music in Billings.
“I’ve been promoting concerts since I was 16 years old," said Lynch, "Some of the first shows I did here, back in the day, were like Green Day to a VFW and The Offspring to the VFW.”
He said Billings' entertainment landscape has undergone significant changes amid the three and a half decades he has worked to contribute to it.
“People talk about how there’s not anything to do (in Billings) right now, and I find that totally laughable because that is – there’s tons of stuff to do here now, comparatively, to what it was previously," said Lynch.
Just down the street from Pub Station, Craft Local announced its closure last month, citing a decline in attendance.
“I feel like there’s a missed opportunity (with smaller bands), but it’s hard to convince people to come and see smaller bands," said Lynch.
He cited a Chris Stapleton concert at the Pub Station that largely went ignored by audiences, followed by the artist's performance at the Country Music Awards (CMA) weeks later.
“I get a lot of comments from people that are saying, ‘Hey, y’know, in Bozeman or Missoula, they get these shows; we can’t get them here.’ That’s just not the case," said Lynch, "We can get all the shows that Bozeman and Missoula are, but Billings does not support those shows.”
He explained the 175 show opportunities a year at Pub Station are defined by the sales needed to pay his staff of over 40 people and cover operational expenses.
“If you want a band to come here, find a similar genre-ed band that’s here and buy a ticket for it," said Lynch.
