Author: Andy Gensler

How Jessie Reyez Hit Some Really High Notes

Singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” is a tough proposition at best, but Jessie Reyez upped the degree of difficulty significantly with her performance before an NBA playoff game Monday.

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The Other Washington Monument: The 9:30 Club Turns 40

ICONIC: Alabama Shakes performs at the 9:30 Club, which this year is celebrating its 40th year and in 2019 was crowned No. 1 on VenuesNow’s Top Stops chart in the 2,000 or Less Capacity category. (John Shore/Courtesy I.M.P.) The 9:30 Club’s 40-year run at best is highly unlikely. Really, what are the chances of what started out as a magnificent hovel surviving unprofitability, cutthroat competition, constantly shifting taste, corporate consolidation and rampant gentrification to become one of the most iconic venues on the planet? One that would somehow come to have more than 10,000 shows including performances by a pantheon of music deities, including James Brown, Prince, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Iggy Pop, Loretta Lynn, Public Enemy, Nirvana, Adele, Radiohead and legions more? “The fact that the 9:30 Club may do more shows on an annual basis than any other club in the world says it all,” says Kirk Sommer,… Continue Reading The Other Washington Monument: The 9:30 Club Turns 40

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A Temple and a Dream Combine in Cleveland

ROOMS FOR IMPROVEMENT: A rendering shows the proposed hotel next to Masonic Cleveland. (Bialosky) Plans could help build on mixed-use concept for clubs It makes business sense, and not just in branding synergy terms, that a venue that sees live music performance as having a higher purpose would partner with a hotel chain whose very name embodies the aspirational. TempleLive, the Rogers, Ark.-based venue brand, and Dream Hotel Group out of New York have announced plans to develop a 207-room hotel adjacent to the 2,500-capacity Masonic Cleveland. “Nobody does hotel and food and beverage better than Dream,” said Mike Brown, vice president of TempleLive, who has a background in the hotel industry. “They just get the experiential hotel offering. “The local community frequents the venues inside the hotels, the guest rooms are appointed by people who understand exactly what guests want and they’re cool. They’re the cool kids you want… Continue Reading A Temple and a Dream Combine in Cleveland

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What Defunding Police May Mean for Venue Security

STADIUM BEAT: Los Angeles Police Department officers stand watch at an entrance to Dodger Stadium. (Getty Images) Changes could increase hiring from private security companies With calls to defund police departments supported by a segment of the public in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, many in our industry are asking how such measures could impact venue security. Though some are demanding the more extreme measure of abolishing the police entirely, most are calling for a reallocation of funds, a movement that is starting to gain momentum in cities including Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Portland and Minneapolis. Officials in these metropolitan areas say 90% of the police budget is spent on salaries and defunding will inevitably lead to staffing issues. “This has some really significant implications,” said Mike Downing of Prevent Advisors (a division of Oak View Group, VenuesNow’s parent company). “The… Continue Reading What Defunding Police May Mean for Venue Security

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Family Fun Hub Plants Its Flag

THE LIGHTS OF BRANSON:  Nighttime view of Highway 76, where many of Branson’s  37 theaters are located. (Getty Images) Branson, Mo., with open arms and venues, welcomes back audiences eager to be entertained Memorial Day weekend 2020 was a watershed moment for Branson, Mo., the self-proclaimed “Entertainment Capital of the World”— which, if you could add the words “Wholesome Family,” would more accurately describe the programming. Branson has reopened some of its roughly 40 venues ahead of most U.S. markets after state officials put an aggressive plan in place for restarting Missouri’s economy, including this slice of homespun Americana in the heart of the Ozarks, a tourist destination flush with lakes and mountains. In late April, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson released his “Show Me Strong Recovery” plan, which called for an early May reopening with expanded COVID-19 testing, increased PPE, monitoring health care capacity and improving the ability to locate… Continue Reading Family Fun Hub Plants Its Flag

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