Downtown Entertainment

[pash]

.

[droopy]

Does anyone know the status of the Knuckleheads project? It was intended to fill the 1000 venue need.

[grovester]

They've booked English beat, drivin and cryin and some other acts as well. Not what Stranger is looking for but still.

[JBmidtown]

Kansas City will never make the short list of places to play until we get the revered Shaggs to play here.

[FangKC]

I think Kansas City lacks a really strong local promoter community. To book all the local venues, and attract acts, you have to have really strong local promoters to work with you. These people have to develop and maintain really strong relationships with booking agents, talent management, and all sizes of record labels, nationwide.

There is no reason Kansas City shouldn't have a more interesting and diverse music scene than it does.

[flyingember]

I was thinking more, and one thing that could help is if the parks department had a mission to put an active use in every downtown park every weekend.

Doesn't need to be fancy or expensive or necessarily big and think seasonally.

Years ago in Boston I remember seeing a large group of people dressed up as zombies. Imagine if parks dept promoted a halloween themed zombie day where people dress up and go between destinations. There's been Christmas themed shuttles in years past and Crown Center always does a good job with activities, this could be expanded into more places downtown without too much trouble, like winter activities at the city market park to drive shoppers into the neighborhood.

[TheBigChuckbowski]

One thing I've thought about is that other than the Mayor's Christmas tree and ice skating at Crown Center, downtown doesn't do much for Christmas. I would think a European-style Christmas Market in City Market would be a huge hit.

[moderne]

You mean a Christkindl market?

[pash]

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[WinchesterMysteryHouse]

Big demographic changes need to occur before you're getting a 1000-person venue operating weekly shows. Around 200K people need to relocate into the metro, and lets assume 20K of them are interested in nightlife, and maybe half of them are interested in live music. Keep heart, this critical mass of showgoers may arrive after you still feel cool.
I've been to the Slowdown. Its generic. Its inside of their Cordish-style development, like P&L. Why doesn't P&L have a franchise? Because they see the demographics and KC is still a bad bet. Give it time

[kucer]

1% Production in Omaha does a great job. I think because they have good venues & great music community and fans...it's become easy for bands/touring manager to pick Omaha over KC. Usually seem to lose bands coming from Denver who take 76/80 to Omaha who then go to STL or MPLS or Chicago. Heading East from STL or CHI...they bypass us for Omaha too. Sucks.

The Lawrence/KC thing kills me. Recently had to do the weeknight thing to Lawrence for Car Seat Headrest and will again for Together Pangea & Pinegrove. I go to a bunch of shows in KC and we pretty much suck on weeknights.

[kucer]

Oh and Record Bar acoustics is a disaster. They need some sound buffering big time with those high tin ceilings. You shouldn't have to scream all night to talk to someone while a band is playing even though your at the furthest distance from the stage. Went to The Twilight Hours show which I would bill as "gentle rock" and my ears rang for 2 days.

[rxlexi]

Stranger, is this along the lines of the "missing mid-size venue" you noted?

http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/n ... ction.html

Potentially excellent addition to the downtown entertainment scene.

[earthling]

^Yeah I posted this in Sprint Center thread but applies here.

So related to Sprint Center, of which tours are booked by AEG as is Midland Theatre, a 3rd smaller AEG venue is coming to E Xroads, being developed from some Nashville guys. Will be be an open floor venue handling about 1000-1500 people. Expected to book about 80 shows a year.
http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/n ... ction.html

It sounds like the operators have control of selecting shows that AEG can get touring through Midwest.

[JBmidtown]

FINALLY

I wonder how often local bands will get to hop on shows there...