The photo credit for Time magazine’s spread on Persons of the Year Bill and Melinda Gates and Bono invited a double take: The photo shoot occurred not in New York or even Seattle but in Omaha, where Bono’s U2 had performed the night before to a sellout crowd at the Qwest Center. The top-selling tour of 2005 — at least until the Rolling Stones’ figures are in — U2’s booking was a reminder that this heartland venue ranked eighth in the world in concert sales for the first half of this year. It also was a depressing reminder of how few such blockbuster concerts Wichita draws these days. Others we missed this year included the aforementioned Stones, the Eagles, Kenny Chesney, Neil Diamond and Paul McCartney. Surely the concert scene — and Wichitans’ willingness to buy tickets — will improve dramatically once a bright, shiny downtown arena opens. We can’t get much worse in either category.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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23 Comments
Riiiiight. The current Coliseum doesn’t draw because people have to drive 15 minutes to get there. The new arena will require people to WALK 20 minutes because of no convenient parking. Smart move.
The county council has obviously been sold a bill of goods. Sort of like Exploration Place–another County example of good judgment. The arena is looking more and more like someone in the good ol boys network is going to get rich, and the taxpayers will pay..and pay.. and pay.
Ticket prices are too high. Concerts are not like they used to be. They were reasonable and sold out.
I remember Pearl Jam back in the early 90’s protested Ticket Master for selling tickets too high. And they recieved a lot of support from the public.
I mean, when you buy a ticket, there are so many sur charges on there, it is almost like a phone bill.
Good points Ray and Joe. I have been paying attention to the shows at the Coliseum and noting that sell-outs are RARE. I don’t see how a bigger venue will automatically mean more ticket sales.
As for the claim that being downtown will make this huge difference – BUNK. It takes me about the same amount of time to drive from the outskirts of Wichita to downtown as it does to Park City. Add to them people who come from out of town and don’t want to deal with the hassle of downtown traffic (not to mention parking) and I would not be surprised to see the opposite effect.
A bigger venue could mean success for the arena. The right star will cause the 20 minute walk to be irrevalent. Trouble is the Big Venue st ars will appear in the new Casino. It will have deeper pockets than the Arena. And more seating, better parking and nearby “entertainment” for after the concert.
the above mentioned artists refuse to play for audiences of less than 40-50, 000 persons. As usual the downtown arena will not asccomodate any more than the existing arena we already have. If those who voted for it believe that U2 and Sir Paul willl play also believe that we will have NCAA regionals here too
the above mentioned artists refuse to play for audiences of less than 40-50, 000 persons. As usual the downtown arena will not asccomodate any more than the existing arena we already have. If those who voted for it believe that U2 and Sir Paul willl play also believe that we will have NCAA regionals here too
The new area won’t draw big name acts for several reasons one it really isn’t much bigger than the colisuem, only a few thousand seat more. Parking downtown will be a nightmare 5 blocks in the snow, rain, cold, or at night.
the above mentioned artists refuse to play for audiences of less than 40-50, 000 persons. As usual the downtown arena will not asccomodate any more than the existing arena we already have. If those who voted for it believe that U2 and Sir Paul willl play also believe that we will have NCAA regionals here too
About a year ago, a young female performer was scheduled at the Coliseum. Might have been Kelly Clarkson or a similar teen-age star. By coincidence, I happened to visit the coliseum that morning and learned a lot about how the setup works.
As I recall, there were three or four buses and one or two 18 wheelers there to transport the equipmemt and some of the performers. The star herself would fly into Wichita and be transported by limosine to arrive just at the beginning of the show and back out again immediately afterward.
There were about 200 or so young people mostly hired here in Wichita to physically set up the stage, sound systems, special effects, dressing areas, etc. A buffet was provided to offer meals to the workers.
I was told by someone from Wichita who was involved in the production that about 20% or more of the people in attendance at concerts and sports events are “freebies,” that is non-paying people. These include the people who set up/take down the equipment, friends of the performers, police/security/equipment guards, medical people, staff of the event facility, truck and bus drivers their helpers, etc. This is true of concerts and sports events alike.
As far as who gets the ticket money, I think this varies but sometimes the performer’s company gets the entire “gate” money. The coliseum or arena or whatever might only get the refreshments income. Of course, in the case of the proposed downtown arena, there is NO provision to reimburse taxpayers who are paying for the facility with the 20% increase in regressive sales taxes regardless of how much money might be made.
Apparently the idea on parking is to let the taxpayers come up with more money for parking later on if they want public parking.
Keep in mind the Kansas Coliseum provides 5,000 seats in the coliseum and 10,000 surface parking places surrounding the coliseum building — the best arrangement available for parking. Covered concrete parking lots for large crowds that arrive and leave at the same time are impossible to deal with because of limited entrance/exits, motor fumes, etc.
Just thought I would mention this information in case anyone is interested.
As, I’ve said before, We’re gonna line the pockets of a few! A chosen few!
The “Movers and Shakers,” have decided, that you and I carry this burden on our backs. They can’t make a decision, without an outside consultant, they didn’t think about parking. It’s like Tweedledom and Tweedldee,, . God, help us all!!
Does the Hyatt, the Boat House, the Ice Rink, and Exploration Place ring a bell?
If you remember, most of the school bond supporters were contractors, or sub-contractors.
The city “leaders” always explain another winning project as costing…just another nickel or dime. No big deal.
But, those nickels and dimes add up over the long run.
I thought a “Pro Team” was always mentioned as a reason to build a new arena. Hey…it’s the Wichita Lakers…woooohooooooo.
We keep on buying the public relations stories they keep shoving down our throats.
Just build a damn casino, and let that pay for these great ideas.
You’re still a hick town, always will be. Put all the lipstick on a pig you want….its still a pig.When the Artist are hard-up, the acts will come…not until they are.
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