SPEARFISH - Randy Travis couldn't have picked a more pleasant evening to play an outdoor concert in Spearfish, those living in the neighborhood said.

The concert breathed new life into the Black Hills Amphitheater, the former home of the Black Hills Passion Play on St. Joe Street.

Police were escorting concert-goers to their parking spots, and it was basically "no pay, no play" to get near the concert area.

A short stop anywhere near the amphitheater entrance just to get interview comments from music fans was impossible.

But, when weather conditions have the right components - when there isn't a lot of outdoor noise and the breeze is from the right direction - you might hear a free concert.

Amphitheater neighbors learned that living near the Passion Play, Eugene Zoller said.

"We decided to try it with the concert," he said.

"But if the wind is from the (southwest) you can't hear anything."

Both the opening act and Travis were sounding pretty spectacular Friday evening.

Several local home owners set up lawn chairs in driveways to hear the concert.

Julianne Zoller, among those hoping to hear the concert from a cousin's driveway, said they had been laughing earlier at a family story. She said as kids, they would play at their grandmother's house, which was just next door.

"My grandmother always made us be quiet while the play was going because she said we were playing too loud. We had to whisper and not slam the gate or door."

At about 8:45 p.m., a friend drove by, headed for the amphitheater. A few minutes later she drove by again as she was leaving. She said she didn't know if the show sold out, but officials had just opened the third parking lot.

Across the street, another couple was having a "garage party."

Sally Ramos said there was a constant line of cars passing by for two hours before the concert.

"I got here at 6 p.m., and there were cars lined up all the way down the street, and there was walking traffic," she said. "It was mostly big ranch pickups and minivans."

A friend said it took her an hour to get there from downtown Spearfish.

"We had a party basically to have some friends over and listen to the concert, but we can't hear a thing," Ramos said.

No one there was carrying a grudge about that. They all wished the new concert venue at the amphitheater well.

"We want it to do good. We want it to succeed," she said.