It’s hard to think of BankNH Pavilion as a small stage with a big dirt field for people to put a blanket down or set up chairs, but everything has to start somewhere, even one of America’s favorite music venues. Here are the first 9 artists that got the venue its cred.
So Many Venues in New England are Called by Another Name
Many people still call BankNH Pavilion “Meadowbrook,” because that’s what the name was in the beginning. I can think of other venues that have that same issue; Great Woods in Mansfield is now the Xfinity Center, Harbor Lights Pavilion in Boston is now the Leader Bank Pavilion and New Englanders just wouldn’t quit calling it the Garden, that it went back to becoming the TD Garden, so, close enough.
The History of BankNH Pavilion Goes Back to 1996
The absolute first concert at Meadowbrook was on August 16, 1996. 1964: The Tribute, a Beatles cover band was the first one.
On August 18, 1996, Chubby Checker performed.
Many people think it was Johnny Cash who first performed there, but nope, there were two other bands before the Man in Black. Johnny was there on September 8, 1996. With Johnny’s show, the venue was established as a place that could host big acts.
At the time of it’s opening, the venue could hold 2,500 seats and 2,000 lawn spaces. Today, the venue hosts approximately 9,000 music fans.
Here are the first 9 Artists That Played at Meadowbrook in NH
1996
- 1964: The Tribute
- Chubby Checker
- Johnny Cash
1997
- Anne Murray
- Lyle Lovett
- Mary Chapin Carpenter
- Tom Jones
- Ray Charles
- America
- Johnny Cash
Since then, thousands upon thousands of people have come to the Granite State to discover the beauty of the Lakes Region. Even some of the artists that perform there like Luke Bryan and Zac Brown Band stay for an extended amount of time so they can soak in all the fun of Lake Winnipesaukee.
Check out all the great shows that they have this Summer and I’ll see you there!
BankNH Pavilion: Summer Show Lineup, 2026
Gallery Credit: Sarah Sullivan
7 Concerts Scheduled for 2026 at Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts
Gallery Credit: Sarah Sullivan
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source wokq.com ’
