Author: Eric Renner Brown

Floridians Flock To Fresh Air

Floridians Flock To Fresh Air

Posted by | May 29, 2020 | ,

GRAND CENTRAL FLORIDA Rapper Wiz Khalifa performs at Rare Festival, an electronic dance and hip-hop music festival, on Oct. 6, 2018, at the Orlando Amphitheater at the Central Florida Fairgrounds. (Getty Images) Amphitheaters and Pavilions Could Lead Post-Coronavirus Reopening When concerts and other live events return, look for gates, not doors, to reopen. While tiny clubs seem poised to return first, amphitheaters, pavilions and other outdoors spaces will likely follow close behind — and well ahead of their roofed indoor brethren. Though they share risky spots, like concessions, restrooms, and ingress and egress points, outdoor spaces more easily lend themselves to the social distancing guidelines that public health officials recommend to curb the spread of coronavirus, and without ventilation systems or low ceilings, probably pose less risk of circulating airborne pathogens. Top Stops For All Capacity Categories: Florida From a business perspective, amphitheaters make sense for artists, promoters and venues… Continue Reading Floridians Flock To Fresh Air

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SoCal’s Belly Up Serves Live Shows

SoCal’s Belly Up Serves Live Shows

Posted by | May 7, 2020 | , ,

The Ace Frehley Band plays the Belly Up Tavern in 2017. (Getty Images) Proceeds from downloadable recordings to benefit venue, artists Like many small clubs, the 600-capacity Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach, Calif., outside of San Diego, has been tested by the coronavirus crisis. To meet the challenge, the venue kicked off the SharkBelly Festival on Wednesday, a 90-day event that will grant fans access to scores of sets professionally recorded at Belly Up in recent years. Each show will cost $7.99, with proceeds supporting the venue and participating artists. “I can’t really think of another venue that is doing it this way right now,” Chris Goldsmith, president of Belly Up Entertainment, told VenuesNow in an email. “We hear from artists all the time how much they love this venue, for the way they are treated, the audiences who come out, the beachside location, but most importantly, for the… Continue Reading SoCal’s Belly Up Serves Live Shows

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Video: One-on-One Sessions With Dayna Frank

Video: One-on-One Sessions With Dayna Frank

Posted by | May 5, 2020 | , ,

Dayna Frank, president and CEO of First Avenue Productions and board president of the new National Independent Venue Association, connected with Pollstar on Tuesday for the latest installment of the Pollstar Live! One-On-One Sessions. In the wide-ranging interview, Frank discussed leading NIVA’s advocacy efforts during the coronavirus crisis, the unique challenges independent venues face, and what a post-coronavirus future might look like for the live industry. “It was such a moment of solidarity,” Frank said of NIVA’s formation in March. “It was just so comforting to hear what other people were doing and that we weren’t just alone in Minneapolis going through this.” During the coronavirus crisis, Frank has worked to educate lawmakers and fight for additional relief for the venues that provide critical economic benefits to their local communities. “Our industry, we need a lot of help,” she said. “We’re entirely shut down. Our revenue is down 99%. You… Continue Reading Video: One-on-One Sessions With Dayna Frank

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North Star

North Star

Posted by | May 3, 2020 |

I WISH U HEAVEN: People listen to Prince music during a memorial street party outside First Avenue on April 21, 2016. (Getty Images) For 50 years, Minneapolis’ First Avenue has celebrated independence Few clubs stick around for 50 years. Even fewer remain independent. And fewer still drive the national conversation for decades. That’s what First Avenue, the iconic Minneapolis venue that’s proved pivotal for artists including Prince, Hüsker Dü, and Lizzo, while serving as one of the Midwest’s chief musical beacons, has done. “The mission remains the same as it has been for 50 years: to provide music and community,” says Dayna Frank, who has owned and operated First Avenue since 2009. “We operate under the same vision and values as we did in 1970, which is a place where everyone is welcome and where everyone can come and express themselves and be exactly who they are.” But while First… Continue Reading North Star

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Video: One-on-One Sessions With Peter Shapiro

Video: One-on-One Sessions With Peter Shapiro

Posted by | Apr 23, 2020 | , ,

He talks Earth Day, Brooklyn Bowl, coronavirus in new interview Dayglo Presents founder Peter Shapiro connected with Pollstar on Wednesday as part of the new Pollstar Live! One-on-One video series powered by prism.fm. In the wide-ranging conversation, Shapiro, who owns and operates the Brooklyn Bowl nightclubs and the Capitol Theatre, founded Virginia festival Lockn’ and serves as chairman of voter engagement non-profit, discussed his many enterprises and drew on his vast experience in the live business to speculate about how the industry might emerge from the coronavirus crisis. The discussion took place on the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, and Shapiro reminisced about his deep ties to the environmental movement – the cover of this week’s Pollstar, which features Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne in a bubble in front of the U.S. Capitol, was photographed at a Shapiro-organized 2009 concert – and his new multimedia project “Sing! For The Lorax.”… Continue Reading Video: One-on-One Sessions With Peter Shapiro

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