More than 6,400 people packed the Harlan & Hazel Rogers Sports Complex to see Huey Lewis and the News rock Shellabration in Fort Dodge Saturday night.

Jim Reed, Shellabration president, said tickets were sold in 14 different states online and in Puerto Rico.

The attendance numbers were lower than the previous three years, but Reed considers the event a success.

“Our numbers are down, but I have done this since 2001 and we have had crowds that have been in the low 3,000s,” he said. “From a Shellabration standpoint, even though we would always like to meet and exceed what we have done in the years prior, anytime you can get 6,000 people to sing in lockstep at the same time, we consider 6,000-plus a pretty darn good day.”

In 2016, more than 7,100 people attended Shellabration featuring the Steve Miller Band.

Boston holds the record for the largest Shellabration crowd, attracting 8,100 people in 2015.

Numbers aside, Reed said the concert was a hit.

“When you run an event of this magnitude, we have eliminated the word perfect from our vocabulary because we know there is no such thing as perfect when it comes to large scale event planning,” Reed said. “That said, this was an incredibly smooth year. The weather was a gift from God. The crowd was well-behaved and it was really a magical night. The opening acts, leading up to Huey Lewis had the crowd engaged.”

The atmosphere of the park is captivating, according to Reed.

“What’s so cool is when the lights go down and you have tiki torches burning and everything looks so eloquent out there,” he said. “As one of the organizers, we have been there, done that, but I still get chills seeing everyone swaying to the music and how we took a soccer field and turned it to a concert venue overnight. It’s really cool.”

Now Reed is ready to rock again in 2018. He said Shellabration has two high-profile bands on its radar for the 2018 show.

“We are fishing with two poles in the water this year,” he said. “Usually we just make one offer.”

Shellabration has submitted offers to Journey and ZZ Top.

“We are hoping to have one of the two say yes,” he said. “It doesn’t mean they will, but we are giving ourselves a double chance by having offers into both.”

“When it comes to booking bands, it takes two to tango,” Reed added. “Just because you make an offer to somebody, it’s not like a buying a candy bar. You are in a competition.”

Reed said both bands would have a chance to shatter the Shellabration record.

“I can say, unequivocally, that either artist will likely make this the biggest year we have ever had from an attendance standpoint,” Reed said.

He hopes a deal can be landed sometime during the winter.

“Most deals are getting done earlier and earlier,” he said. “Usually the major tour dates start solidifying at the end of the year. I am hopeful that we have a deal done by December.”

But before that, Shellabration Inc. is bringing LOCASH to downtown Fort Dodge.

“That’s going to be a big deal,” Reed said. “Shellabration isn’t done yet. This is going to be the first ever large-scale show downtown and it will be Shellabration’s first entry into booking a hot country artist.”

The Downtown Country Jam will replace Oktoberfest, which Reed said has taken place at Oleson Park over the past eight years.

LOCASH is composed of Chris Lucas and Preston Brust. The duo released their debut album in 2010, which included the singles “Here Comes Summer,” “Keep in Mind” and “You Got Me.”

They also wrote Keith Urban’s 2011 No. 1 single, “You Gonna Fly.”

In 2015, LOCASH released its second album. The first single, “I Love This Life,” peaked in the top 10.

The band achieved its first No. 1 single, “I Know Somebody,” in 2016.

In addition to LOCASH, there will also be two opening acts.

Fort Dodge native Jessica McClintock will take the stage at 6 p.m. with an acoustic set. Farm Rock will perform at 6:45 p.m.

Tickets go on sale at midnight July 29.

Cost is $15 until Sept. 10. After that the price will increase to $20. Tickets will be $25 at the gate on the day of the show. Tickets are available online at ticketweb.com or by phone at (866) 468-3401, and can also be purchased locally at Hy-Vee.