Sprint Center's necessity?

[Jess]

Tina Turner show easily biggest for AEG/Sprint since Garth (Perez blogging about it, rave reviews for her killing the performance, Oprah + Michelle Obama in attendance, etc.). Hopefully the show next week sells out on the strength of opening night.

Hard to argue against the arena when AEG puts together this sort of event that puts your city out there in addition to potentially drawing concert goers from 3+ hours away (no shows in StL, Nebraska or Oklahoma-- but I bet tour is extended).

It was a pretty awesome show - we won executive suite seats, and it's the first time I'd been to a show there.  I don't care at all about sports, so I'm not really a good bellwether for that debate, but I was pretty impressed with it as a concern venue, to be honest.  I'd heard bad things about the acoustics, etc., but it sounded fine to me.

[Maitre D]

oprah was in KC?

[ignatius]

Oprah in KC?  Oh my sun gods of the Incas.  We have been blessed with her purity and graciousness.  We are a real city now with the presence of a deity.

No &&& necessary.

[kcjak]

I heard Oprah attended WITH Michelle Obama and Samuel L Jackson and then they went to some restaurant in P&L and closed it down (not dancin on the tables closing down, just til close).  Wonder what they thought of the district?

I think it's kind of amazing that Tina not only opened her tour here and has two dates, but that she isn't going to St Louis, which is where she pretty much started out back in the day.

[NDTeve]

I wish Ike would've come out and sang with her

[Maitre D]

he'd ded

[NDTeve]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[kuslamb]

Oprah in KC?  Oh my sun gods of the Incas.  We have been blessed with her purity and graciousness.  We are a real city now with the presence of a deity.

No &&& necessary.

If she mentions something about the P&L on her "show", be ready for hoards of minivans and middle aged women (not just from Olathe, but from all over the country) walking around like zombies throughout the P&L.  Its amazing how people follow what she does and says.  Who else can say that she read a book on her vacation and make an author a quick million.

I wish Ike would've come out and sang with her

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Unfortunately, this is true.

[NDTeve]

Barry should pick up some votes then.

[KC0KEK]

Its amazing how people follow what she does and says.

And she's getting her own cable network in January: Discovery Health becomes OWN.

[KCMax]

Sprint Center honored as one of nation's busiest live entertainment venues

Concerts and other entertainment events attracted 111,358 people through the first three months of the year, making it the fifth-busiest venue in the nation, according to the respected trade publication.

Sprint Center, which opened in October 2007, also was the 14th-busiest live entertainment venue in the world, the magazine reported.

[GRID]

big deal.  We are just as cool as Omaha and Tulsa!!!!

New arenas in second tier cities with no pro tenants do well with concerts!  No duh.

No way does Sprint even begin to compete with places like Pepsi Center, regardless of how many concerts we have.  We need a pro sports tenant.

I think the arena is great and the concert schedule has been awesome, but to say the arena is the 5th busiest arena is a bit misleading really, considering the size of this market and the lack of any sports teams, even minor league, and the quality of the new building, I would have thought we would rank higher in the concert only situation.

[AllThingsKC]

That's the attitude I like to see.  Way to stay positive!

[GRID]

That's the attitude I like to see.  Way to stay positive!

I'm positive about the arena and the concerts it gets, but it's not a busy arena in the grand scale of things.

It was used 3 times this month and will be used 4 next.  Not all of those bookings will bring large crowds either.  Probably average 8-10k for all 7 shows for these two months.

That's all I'm saying.

[trailerkid]

big deal.  We are just as cool as Omaha and Tulsa!!!!

New arenas in second tier cities with no pro tenants do well with concerts!  No duh.

No way does Sprint even begin to compete with places like Pepsi Center, regardless of how many concerts we have.  We need a pro sports tenant.

I think the arena is great and the concert schedule has been awesome, but to say the arena is the 5th busiest arena is a bit misleading really, considering the size of this market and the lack of any sports teams, even minor league, and the quality of the new building, I would have thought we would rank higher in the concert only situation.

cosign.

Sprint Center doesn't have a tenant and it's still getting beat in concerts by the BOK Center? WTF? I'd argue it has more destination status for artists (B Spears, Tina Turner) than the BOK Center, but still...

Sprint Center NEEDS sports tenants. Why are people still arguing about this when it is negatively impacting the P+L, downtown hotels, etc. by lacking a sports tenant which creates spin-off revenue much greater than the Cheetah Girls or Slipknot. Blame Cordish for everything, but THEY'RE RIGHT. Sprint Center is not performing to its potential because of the lack of the sports tenant. P+L business, downtown hotels, etc. are immediately affected by what happens at the Sprint Center because we have built a downtown reliant on event programming. The only shows that heavily create street activity downtown before/after a show are things aimed at baby boomers willing to spend $500 on a night out downtown.

[beautyfromashes]

You have to remember though that we had several dates of Brigade games that got cancelled for the last few months.  I know that's not a big deal to most people, but, it would have brought at least 10-15K of people to the area 4-5 times a month.  Wasn't the SC's fault that the whole league folded.

[trailerkid]

You have to remember though that we had several dates of Brigade games that got cancelled for the last few months.  I know that's not a big deal to most people, but, it would have brought at least 10-15K of people to the area 4-5 times a month.  Wasn't the SC's fault that the whole league folded.

It was the Sprint Center's fault for relying on a fledgling AFL franchise to fill the building in the first place.

The "new" downtown was built around the Sprint Center. It is underperforming as it lacks a promised sports tenant and can't even compete with a Tulsa venue. It needed to be built, but should not be impervious to criticism.

[DaveKCMO]

as long as the city isn't subsidizing operations who gives a shit?

[Ez Street]

AHL > AFL

This is where they went wrong.

This whole grandios idea that we can steal an NHL team or get an expansion team is sharply falling by the wayside. Blame the economy, blame Gary Bettman, whatever. It's not going to happen, so let's find an alternative tenant.

Don't say NBA either, cause that is also not likely to happen.

KC needs to get over itself and realize that minor sports can still be a good thing.

It certain beats nothing happening down there when there are no concerts.

[KCMax]

as long as the city isn't subsidizing operations who gives a shit?

There is the possibility that Sprint Center relocates to Los Angeles. &&&