by Olivia Munoz

Mount Pleasant, Michigan (AP)

To find one of Michigan’s hottest music venues this summer, fans had to travel to what could be considered an unlikely locale – a temporary stage in the back of Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort, situated in the heart of the state apart from the big city arenas.

The outdoor theater on the Saginaw Chippewa Reservation near Mount Pleasant stepped into the summer entertainment game in a big way, featuring some of the biggest names in country, pop and hard rock and competing for concert dollars with other Michigan venues.

Acts such as country star Tim McGraw, rockers The Killers and Bon Jovi and pop starlet Jessica Simpson made stops at the casino’s 10,801-seat outdoor venue. Still to come: country singer Martina McBride and comedian Larry the Cable Guy.

This marked the first year the casino has set up the theater. Its stage faces rows of chairs that make up the premium seating, and temporary bleachers rise up on three sides.

Casino officials are pleased to see some concertgoers visiting Soaring Eagle’s gaming tables and buffet before and after shows, spokesman Bill Masterson says. But the future of the outdoor venue is uncertain because major acts cost the casino major money. Soaring Eagle will decide by October whether to host outdoor concerts next year.

Most casinos in the state have local or house bands that play in their lounges and bars, but a few pull in nationally recognized acts.

The Kewadin Casino in Sault Ste. Marie this fall will feature performances by Lonestar, Hootie and the Blowfish and Drew Carey at its 1,500-seat DreamMaker Theater.

Soaring Eagle also brings in musicians and comedians throughout the year to an indoor hall.

But it’s the summer fun of being outside that attracts paying fans to major acts performing under the stars, says Lynne Ike, a spokeswoman for Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids. The 12,000-seat enclosed arena struggles in the summer, she says. “Entertainers like to play outdoor venues in the summer,” Ike said. “Just like everybody else, they want to be outside.”

Outdoor theaters dot the state, attracting noteworthy performers in the warm months with mixed success.

The state’s largest, DTE Energy Music Theatre in suburban Detroit, holds more than 15,000 in pavilion and lawn seats and counted as performers this summer Hillary Duff, Willie Nelson and Coldplay. More than 834,000 guests attended the venue’s 68 shows in 2004.

This year, DTE Energy Music Theatre was named best major outdoor concert venue in the Pollstar Concert Industry Awards. A cross section of international music business professionals make nominations and winners are determined by votes from the international readership of POLLSTAR magazine, a trade publication aimed at the concert industry.

Another venue, the Clio Area Amphitheater near Flint, canceled the rest of its summer concerts and may file for bankruptcy “due to insufficient ticket sales,” a statement on the theater’s Web site said.

For decades, county fairs have shelled out big bucks to bring in big-name acts. But competition like Soaring Eagle may force fair organizers to scale back.

Entertainment has always been a part of county fairs, but in the past it came as draft horses and tractor pulls, harness racing, magicians and jugglers, said E.J. Brown, executive director of the Michigan Association of Fairs and Exhibitions. The 125-year-old, Lansing-based nonprofit represents fairs, carnivals, entertainers and food concession workers in state government.

“This new competition is forcing us to get back to what we’re all about,” Brown said.

On the Net:

Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort: http://www.soaringeaglecasino.com