venues
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As music consumers increasingly demand sustainable options from businesses across the industry, AEG has struck a partnership that will bring a full-time reusable cup program to Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena and Peacock Theater, the company announced Tuesday (June 4). In collaboration with reusable serveware company r.World, which produces reusable items for large-scale gatherings, the venues […]
On Sept. 13, 2004, Van Halen was the first major music act to perform at the newly inaugurated Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot in San Juan. That same year, local and international artists performed at the arena, including Draco Rosa, Daddy Yankee, Juan Luis Guerra, Andrea Bocelli and Korn.
“We wouldn’t have been able to have those shows if we didn’t have El Coliseo,” says ASM Global regional GM Jorge Pérez, who manages the venue. “It was the need we had at that moment in history.”
Mariela Vallines, executive director of the Puerto Rico Convention Center District Authority, which owns the building and contracts with ASM to operate it, notes that over the past 20 years, the coliseum “has become a cultural hub for the island, bringing people together to celebrate music and sports as the host of world-class events and entertainment. The venue has contributed significantly to Puerto Rico’s economy, generating revenue for local businesses and providing employment opportunities on the island.”
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What’s more, she adds, “it has helped to position Puerto Rico as a premium entertainment destination attracting both local and international audiences that have surpassed 10 million visitors over the last two decades.”
Prior to El Coliseo’s construction, the Caribbean island hosted sporting and entertainment events primarily at two locations: Coliseum Roberto Clemente Walker and Hiram Bithorn Stadium. Still, a high-end venue was needed “to be competitive in tourism” because “we couldn’t only survive on leisure, travel and regular tourism,” Pérez says.
Since its inception 20 years ago, “El Choli,” as it is popularly called by locals, has become known both locally and internationally and the ultimate “dream arena” to perform at for many artists.
“The first goal of any artist, musician or DJ is to play in an arena that big,” says Puerto Rican artist Jay Wheeler, who made his Choli debut in 2022 with four sold-out shows. “It’s like winning a Grammy. Every artist from Puerto Rico will always have the goal of doing something in the coliseum.”
Ángela Aguilar, who graced the venue’s stage at the 2023 Premios Juventud.
Gladys Vega/Getty Images
A wave of urban acts has not only received a seal of approval at the venue but also achieved milestones. Daddy Yankee, with his 2019 Con Calma Pal’ Choli shows, grossed $7 million, and Wisin y Yandel grossed $6.2 million with their 2018 string of concerts, according to Billboard Boxscore. The latter act holds the record for most sellouts, with 105,000 tickets sold across eight shows.
El Coliseo was No. 24 on Billboard’s 2023 year-end Top Venues global chart (in the 15,001-plus-capacity category), and it ranked fourth in the Latin/Spanish-language market venue after Miami’s Kaseya Center, Madrid’s WiZink Center and Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile.
Pérez recently spoke with Billboard about the past, present and future of the venue.
What void did El Coliseo fill when it was built 20 years ago?
The government noticed that there was a need to have a world-class arena. The building we had before was Coliseo Roberto Clemente Walker, which opened in 1973 and where concerts and sporting events were held in the 1980s and 1990s. We also have the Hiram Bithorn Stadium built in 1962. With that came the construction of the Convention Center, which was inaugurated one year after El Coliseo. But the vision was that we needed world-class venues to be competitive in tourism.
We couldn’t only survive on leisure, travel and regular tourism. We needed to provoke groups, meetings, conventions that would have economic movement. To complement that, the government really understood that we needed a top destination. So that’s kind of the history behind it.
There was a lot of criticism at the beginning, even when construction started. But when we look back, it was a very smart decision, considering the exposure Puerto Rico has had in the entertainment industry and how it has opened doors for our artists. When we look back, it was a visionary idea with positive results.
Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot is managed by ASM Global’s Jorge Pérez.
Fronthouse Media
What’s the story behind the venue being named after comedian José Miguel Agrelot?
There were a lot of names and ideas out there. In January 2004, José Miguel Agrelot — who was a comedian, radio/TV host, actor, producer and visionary — passed away. So his name came to the top of the list and it was approved.
One of his most famous TV characters was Don Cholito, which he played during the “Encabulla y Vuelve y Tira” segment on El Show del Medio Día (The Midday Show) in the late ’70s and early ’80s. “Encabulla y Vuelve y Tira” referenced the stringing of a wooden spinning top [a yo-yo] — in other words, to do it again and keep trying. That became an analogy of persistence and optimism of the day-to-day challenges that Puerto Ricans had at the time.
While promoting “The Night of Revenge,” one of the first boxing matches that took place at El Coliseo — where Miguel Cotto won the junior welterweight championship — sports commentator Elliott Castro was the first to say: “Let’s go watch boxing at El Choliseo.” Ever since, everyone knows the building by that nickname, El Choli.
Don Cholito provided optimism, a contagious smile and a vibrant personality — and that character was precisely about persistence and overcoming hard times. Those are some strong characteristics and traits that we have in Puerto Rico. Don Cholito’s spirit lives in every corner of El Coliseo.
Why does the venue play an important role in the career of a Puerto Rican artist?
First, it’s their hometown. We’re considered “The Cathedral of Reggaetón,” and for artists of that genre especially it’s important to play at El Coliseo because it’s like a big test for them. We’ve had the top urbano acts perform here. It’s a key venue, and it [marks] a point in each artist’s career of when they performed here, how well they did and how that impacts their careers moving forward.
Why has it become important for artists from other countries?
You have people [in Puerto Rico] who love and really appreciate live entertainment and can identify a good show. The energy here is amazing. We have an educated and knowledgeable crowd. When the crowd at El Coliseo accepts you as an artist, you know you’re en route to doing good things. That goes back to our culture — how we’re raised, how from a very small age we’re listening to music — we know what a top production is. When an artist gets onstage and feels that energy and acceptance, it fills them with confidence in what they’re doing and producing is special.
Daddy Yankee
Astrida Valigorsky/Getty Images
Do Puerto Rican acts get preference in dates?
Not really. We manage our calendar very responsibly, and it’s on a first come, first served basis. I work directly with management or agencies or local promoters to try to find the best fit for dates.
What would you say has been the most logistically complicated concert?
It must be the World’s Hottest Tour. Bad Bunny wanted to break the attendance record, and to do so, they put a very small stage on the south side and put all the production [overhead]. From one point of El Coliseo to the other, all the sound and lighting was on [the ceiling] — that’s not normal. Usually, our stages are large, but they wanted to maximize the audience size. I hear that Bad Bunny’s show now with the Most Wanted Tour is also very complex.
What economic impact does the venue have on the island?
The entertainment and event industry is huge in Puerto Rico and creates 30,000 jobs. It creates $2 billion, and almost $400 million of it goes to the government in the form of sales, tax and other revenue they receive from activities that we host in our buildings. It’s a big chunk of the local economy.
We look at it as an important part of our economic ecosystem. We create a lot of entertainment tourism; people travel from different parts to see a show here. About 15% of tickets purchased at the venue come from a ZIP code not in Puerto Rico. Our vision is to keep promoting Puerto Rico as a premier entertainment and tourism destination. We have a social responsibility to help our community.
In terms of business opportunities that we can bring, the exposure Puerto Rico has gotten through El Coliseo and through the artists that act on our stage has helped put the country on the map. People are realizing that this is a top-notch venue.
Aventura
John Parra/Getty Images
How many people work an event at the venue?
On average at a sold-out event — from events staff to security to housekeeping to operation — we can have close to 400 to 500 staff, not considering the production staff on the artist’s side. We have 26 corporate suites; we have our food concessions. At an end stage, which is the most common setup, we fit 15,000 people, and basically, that’s the average staff that we must [have to] make sure everything moves smoothly.
El Coliseo is now also hosting televised awards shows.
The first one we hosted was the Billboard Latin Music Awards back in 2010, and we resumed in 2020 with Premios Tú Música Urbano. We’ve also hosted Univision’s Premios Juventud in 2022 and 2023. Awards shows are very particular because they take up a lot of time. The setup for one of these shows can be seven to 10 days prior to the show. It’s very complex production, and overall, it takes up a chunk of almost two to three weeks.
After the first awards show we hosted in 2010, looking and finding a three-week period that was not booked became a challenge for us. But when we started again, we realized it was a great showcase for the destination. Premios Juventud, for example, had great ratings and exposed us to an international audience.
What do you envision for El Coliseo 20 years from now?
We are already state of the art, but hopefully, we’ll have a new and larger Coliseo. Even though we maintain the venue in optimal condition, we really focus on keeping this building [able] to comply with all the production riders and high-quality shows that we’ve had.
But the truth is, 20 more years is a long time — and I think that in that time frame, we should be transitioning to a new Coliseo. There has been conversations about building a new stadium in Puerto Rico, too, but I see us transitioning to stay relevant and continue producing results. This was designed as a sports arena, but looking into the future, I’m thinking of a new building with a larger capacity and that’s more entertainment-related.
This story originally appeared in the June 1, 2024, issue of Billboard.
A new venue in Brooklyn is set to bring large-scale cultural events to an industrial area of the city.
Announced Tuesday (May 21), Brooklyn Storehouse is a 104,000-square-foot warehouse that’s been taken over as a venue for culture-spanning programming involving fashion, art, music and more — with an emphasis on electronic events.
Brooklyn Storehouse is a partnership between two longstanding independent promoters: New York City‘s TCE Presents, the parent company of event producer Teksupport, which was founded by Rob Toma and has produced electronic music events in pop-up (and often industrial) spaces around the city since 2010, and Broadwick Live. Founded by Simeon Aldred in 2010, Broadwick Live is a U.K. live events company that operates 30 venues and event spaces including Drumsheds and the former Printworks London. Housed in a former Ikea and a converted newspaper printing facility, respectively, Drumsheds and the now-defunct Printworks London fit squarely into Broadwick Live’s focus on repurposing industrial buildings.
Together, TCE Presents and Broadwick Live have leased the Brooklyn Storehouse from the Brooklyn Navy Yard, with the warehouse space existing amid a 300-acre industrial waterfront complex. The building was first used for shipbuilding during World War I and II, and its structure maintains its original industrial aesthetic. Much of the Navy Yard is currently being developed for industrial use by clean energy and climate solutions companies. As such, it’s unlikely that the area will be built out with housing units, allowing Brooklyn Storehouse more leeway when producing live (and often late-night) events.
“One of the problems we have in the U.K. is that nearly every space we open, two years later someone’s building condos right on our back door, and it becomes a constant pressure,” says Aldred. “One of the things that’s very attractive about the Navy Yard is that it’s protected for jobs, and it’s going to be like that for a long time.”
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The founders — who launched the endeavor with “50/50 our own money,” says Aldred — soft-launched Brooklyn Storehouse last September with a fashion show by Ralph Lauren. The venue can host a maximum of 7,000 people.
Brooklyn Storehouse
Phillip Reed
The partnership brings Toma and his team’s strengths— “promotions, marketing, bookings, licensing, opening doors, breaking down operations, community outreach” says Toma — along with the company’s ability to, Aldred says “immediately supercharge this [space] with 30 to 40 shows.” Over the next few months, Brooklyn Storehouse is set to host performances from Justice, Charlotte de Witte, Dom Dolla, John Summit, Swedish House Mafia, Alesso, James Hype and Meduza and four parties from Ibiza-based party brand CircoLoco later this year.
Toma adds that a lot of those artists are “coming to us because we don’t only focus on selling tickets on the dance floor. They know the spaces we do are involved with fashion [and other cultural programming], and they know this is that.” Toma also says artists are drawn to performing shows in special locations, with Brooklyn Storehouse thus offering “an advantage over our competitors.”
Toma adds that the key to making the space work is “the balance of not only having programming in terms of cold hard tickets. It’s more about figuring out how to position it in a way where we’re also bringing in several different industries, from film to fashion.” The founders hope it can be a space where orchestras, musicians and other groups can set up extended creative residencies. It will be also used for corporate gatherings.
Brooklyn Storehouse is the first of several venues Broadwick Live and TCE Presents plan to operate in the United States, with the partners also currently looking at former industrial spaces in Boston, Miami, Los Angeles and Sao Paulo, Brazil.
“In America at the moment we’ve got 25 to 30 [conversations ongoing],” says Aldred. “Five to 10 of those are in the money part of the talk, so they’re becoming quite real.”
In these industrial spaces, the partners see a particularly timely expansion opportunity, with Aldred predicting that many such facilities will open up as the power grid converts to clean energy.
“These spaces were used for kind of dirty work,” he says. “In the next 5 to 10 years, you’re gonna see them coming offline from being dirty and developers not knowing what to do with them. You’re not going to bulldoze a hundred-year-old power station with amazing architecture. It’s not easy to put retail in them. It’s not easy to put housing into them.”
But as is the hope with Brooklyn Storehouse, parties, fashion shows and DJ sets will be just the right fit.
With Sparkling gold cowboy boots that double as disco balls, a corner dedicated to Dolly Parton and vintage storefront signage that recalls the spirit of Westerns filmed in Pioneertown, Calif., it’s easy to see why someone at the country music-inspired Desert 5 Spot in Los Angeles would want to document all of its intricacies. Yet the owners of the multifaceted entertainment venue would prefer that guests abstain.
When Ten Five Hospitality managing partner Dan Daley and his team opened the rooftop bar in December 2021, they envisioned a location where guests could stay in the moment. “It was this pullback to an era when not everything was viewed through the medium of a screen,” Daley says. “We wanted the exact opposite of that manufactured feeling when you get into another space and feel like, ‘This feels fake because it’s almost too perfect.’ ”
The interior of Desert 5 Spot in Los Angeles.
Desert 5 Spot
In June, Desert 5 Spot will open a roughly 200-capacity second location, traveling cross-country to Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood. The venue will bring with it much of its style, such as the hand-selected furniture from antique sales and thrift shops across the West, various forms of its Boho desert-inspired chic and the affably named Dolly’s Corner. Like its predecessor, Desert 5 Spot N.Y. will prioritize the live-music experience with performances from rising artists, DJ sets and an in-house band — though plenty of established country and rock’n’roll talents are bound to show up. (In L.A., Kane Brown, Green Day, Dasha and Noah Cyrus have all performed, while others including Lainey Wilson and John Mayer have swung by the venue.) Plus, it’ll offer an array of weekly programming featuring line dancing and two-stepping classes, tarot card reading, a vintage trading post and more. Daley adds that there will be a regular Sunday-night party exclusive to the Williamsburg location, though keeps specifics under wraps. As for food and drinks: “L.A.-approved tacos,” he says with a grin. “We’re going to sling some of the best tacos in New York.”
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The venue’s East Coast debut follows a year in which the top song and album were both country releases (Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” and One Thing at a Time, respectively). The genre’s popularity has sustained in 2024, with pop stars like Beyoncé, Post Malone and Lana Del Rey either releasing blockbuster country projects or teasing forthcoming efforts. Daley expects the venue to embody the aura that has fueled the trend. “The ethos of country music is rawness, it’s authentic; it’s messy, but it’s real emotion,” he says. “I think that’s why the genre is speaking to all different types of people now. It’s part of this cultural reversal in terms of, ‘Let’s get back to real human connection,’ which at the end of the day is what country music is really about.”
Daley reveals the partners are eyeing other markets and considering further expansion, but the focus now is on New York. Still, it hasn’t precluded them from growing in other ways: At the Stagecoach festival in April, Desert 5 Spot hosted a pop-up featuring performances from Shaboozey and Nikki Lane over the weekend and attracting attendees including Leon Bridges, Diplo and Del Rey. But as the brand continues to grow, Daley stresses that its core message to guests remains the same. “Our goal is for you to [leave] our venue and say, ‘That was one of the best times in a really long time.’ ”
This story originally appeared in the May 11, 2024, issue of Billboard.
Olivia Rodrigo apologized to fans on Wednesday (May 1) after learning that her planned Friday night (May 3) show at Manchester‘s troubled new arena, Co-Op Live, had been postponed due to what the venue said are ongoing “technical issues”; Rodrigo’s second show on Saturday as part of the launch of the U.K. swing of her GUTS world tour has also been postponed.
“I’ve been having such a great time in Europe so far and I’m sooooo disappointed that we’re unable to perform in Manchester due to on-going venue-related technical issues,” Rodrigo said on her Instagram Story on Wednesday night. The singer said her team are doing their best to reschedule the shows, adding, “I’m so bummed and I really hope to see you all soon,” she told fans.
According to NME, just two days before the first Rodrigo show the venue announced that the dates had been pushed due to ongoing technical problems at the 23,500-capacity building. The arena was slated to officially open on April 23-24 with a pair of shows by comedian Peter Kay, but they were moved back to April 29-30 due to a failed power test after a half-capacity dry-run event with singer Rick Astley.
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In addition, a show by the Black Keys scheduled for April 27 was pushed to May 15 and the Kay shows were moved again (now slated for May 23-24), with Kay expressing his disappointment in an X post in which he wrote, ““My apologies once again but unfortunately the Co-op Live still isn’t ready and so, as yet, remains untested for a large-scale audience. Consequently, they are having to reschedule my two shows yet again (I know I can’t believe it either).”
The technical issues appear to be unresolved, with the venue announcing on Wednesday that a show by rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie was cancelled just 10 minutes after doors opened. “Due to a venue-related technical issue, tonight’s A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie show will no longer go ahead. We kindly ask fans to leave the area. Tickets holders will receive further information in due course,” read a statement.
Not long later, the venue announced that Rodrigo’s shows were also being pushed back. “Due to an on-going venue-related technical issue, the scheduled performances of Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS World Tour on 3rd and 4th May are being postponed. Ticket holders can either hold onto their tickets or obtain a refund at point of purchase,” read a statement.
After the latest setback with the Rodrigo shows, Manchester Evening News reported that a Co-Op Live spokesperson said the technical issue was related to part of an air conditioning unit falling from the rafters during soundcheck before the Boogie show; nobody was hurt in the incident according to reports.
“During soundcheck, a component of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system, used to direct air, separated from the ductwork,” read a statement from a spokesperson for Oak View Group, the company backing the venue. “There was nobody injured. Although we believe this to be an isolated incident caused by a factory defect, we were not able to verify that all similar nozzles were free of such defects. In conjunction with wider stakeholders, Oak View Group has made the necessary call to ensure the full safety of all visitors to the venue, and to postpone the performance.”
“We understand the need to reassure fans over future shows. We are working with artist management and promoters to limit the impact on the opening season schedule,” the statement continued. “Where necessary, we will identify alternate dates, and will continually reassess to provide fans with sufficient notice regarding imminent shows. Should shows be cancelled or rescheduled, fans will be contacted by their point of purchase and offered a full refund where preferred. “
Oak View Group CEO/Chairman Tim Leiweke added, “The safety and security of all visiting and working on Co-op Live is our utmost priority, and we could not and will not run any event until it is absolutely safe to do so. Today was a very unexpected situation but without a doubt the right decision. I deeply apologize for the impact that this has had on ticket holders and fans.”
The venue — which at press time still listed the original Rodrigo dates on its site — has shows booked with Keane, Take That, Eric Clapton, Barry Manilow, Nicki Minaj and the Eagles scheduled through the end of the month, followed by planned gigs from the Smashing Pumpkins, Liam Gallagher, the Killers, Pearl Jam, Megan Thee Stallion, Justin Timberlake and Noah Kahan through mid-August.
The venue situated next to the Manchester City football pitch is the largest indoor arena in the U.K. and it is slated to host the 2024 MTV European Music Awards in November.
See statements from the venue below.
Due to an on-going venue-related technical issue, the scheduled performances of Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS World Tour on 3rd and 4th May are being postponed. Ticket holders can either hold onto their tickets or obtain a refund at point of purchase.— Co-op Live (@TheCoopLive) May 1, 2024
Due to a venue-related technical issue, tonight’s A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie show will no longer go ahead. We kindly ask fans to leave the area. Tickets holders will receive further information in due course.— Co-op Live (@TheCoopLive) May 1, 2024
Mike Wheeler says he has 16 gigs lined up in April at clubs in his hometown of Chicago — a solid run but nowhere near the number he was playing before the pandemic. “Things are 50% normal,” says the veteran singer-guitarist, who has performed with Buddy Guy, the late B.B. King and Koko Taylor. “[There are] more clubs open now, but mostly Wednesday through Sunday. We’re trying to find the most gigs I can get in the city, but as far as tours and revenue, it’s kind of limited.”
Even in a blues mecca like Chicago, the genre has taken a significant hit over the past few years. Artists and club owners in musically vibrant cities cite numerous culprits — rising crime rates, the lingering pandemic-era habit of staying home, competition from nearby music festivals, home alcoholic-beverage delivery and the recent deaths of such headliners as Lonnie Brooks, Jimmy Johnson, James “Tail Dragger” Jones and members of The Kinsey Report.
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“It is sporadic, to say the least,” says Lisa Pellegrino, who manages Chi-town’s famed Kingston Mines blues club. “I don’t think anybody’s having a banner year.”
While Tony Mangiullo, founder and owner of nearby Rosa’s Lounge, is more upbeat — “The business is good, that’s all you need to know,” he says — he acknowledges the pandemic changed fans’ concert-going habits. “By 1:30, 2 in the morning, people are tired, the musicians are tired, and we’re tired. In the past, you would have people staying late. I’m really hoping we go back to that.”
Through its rickety constellation of indie labels, roadhouses and juke joints, the blues business is reinventing itself. Its biggest stars have died, retired or reduced their touring activity, leaving fewer headliners to carry festivals and weekend club dates. And while artists like Wheeler and clubs like Rosa’s keep the lights on with hard-drinking customers, door fees and ticket sales, the pandemic and its aftermath have forced many to rethink their models.
Mangiullo has invested in livestreaming and hopes to release live album compilations this fall; venerable Chicago-blues indie label Alligator Records partnered in 2021 with a new music company, Exceleration Music — founded by former Concord Music Group CEO Glen Barros — to handle physical distribution and other functions; and a new generation of stars, from singer Shemekia Copeland to guitar hero Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, has expanded the playing field from traditional clubs to gigs at arts centers and festivals, social media and satellite radio.
U.S. streaming numbers for the genre have increased 41% since 2020, from 1.7 billion in 2020 to almost 2.5 billion last year, according to Luminate. (In comparison, Taylor Swift racked up 17.5 billion on her own.) But owners of indie blues labels say the revenue has little impact on their bottom lines. “It takes a lot of streams to make a nickel,” M.C. Records owner Mark Carpentieri says. “Our better-known classic artists, like Hound Dog Taylor, Koko Taylor and Albert Collins, have a lot of life in the streaming services,” says Bruce Iglauer, founder of 53-year-old Alligator Records. “Our lesser-known artists do not particularly benefit from them.”
The genre remains reliant on touring, and if blues stars use social media to market to their older-skewing fan bases, they’re more likely to use Facebook instead of TikTok. They also sell albums and CDs at gigs for autograph-seekers, and labels are scrambling to make as many titles as possible available on vinyl.
Ingram, whom Iglauer calls Alligator’s “big success story,” is a 25-year-old guitar hero who has grown into an international festival headliner, even though his most popular album, 2021’s 662, has just 9.3 million streams in the United States and has sold 29,000 copies. Many in the blues business point to him as the future, a young talent who can refresh the genre. At first, Ingram’s friends were into hip-hop and didn’t much care for blues; today, he tells Billboard, “I see a resurgence in young people liking it, especially young Black kids.”
Ingram’s manager, Ric Whitney, says blues artists are expanding their audiences by supplementing club gigs with shows at festivals, arts centers and other venues that feature a wider range of music genres and styles. “There are a lot more places that are open to booking blues talent that aren’t necessarily blues clubs,” he says.
Veteran blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa, who estimates his post-pandemic ticket sales are “back and then some,” says he has broadened his marketing efforts to rock fans who attend Foo Fighters, Eagles and Red Hot Chili Peppers shows. “We’ve always looked at it from the point of view [that], ‘If Eric Clapton can pull 15,000 people in a market, there’s clearly 15,000 people who like this kind of music,’” Bonamassa says. “It’s a classic rock-/blues-based audience, and that’s where you want to target.”
Bonamassa suggests artists and clubs identify fan base demographics through Google Analytics and other data tools, then “laser-focus marketing to the people that love this shit.” An effective blues cross-marketer has been Copeland, who uses her show on SiriusXM’s Bluesville channel to promote her albums and steady weekend touring. “This year is going to be one of the best financially that she ever had,” says her manager, John Hahn.
Joe talks with Billboard’s Behind the Setlist podcast about touring, covering Tom Waits, and which younger blues musicians he thinks are exciting.
Others are struggling or modifying their business strategies. Terra Blues, the 34-year-old club in New York’s Greenwich Village that books acoustic locals such as guitarists SaRon Crenshaw and Jr. Mack, relies on the lenience of a landlord. “If not for that, we probably would be closed,” owner Ilan Elmatad says. “Bluesmen do not tour anymore. It’s too expensive. These days, they’re staying where they are, whether it’s Mississippi or Arkansas. There are no blues clubs from Philadelphia to Montreal. We’re the only one.”
The departure of reliable artists from the touring circuit, whether they’ve retired or died, led Austin talent buyer Zach Ernst to rethink his approach to booking acts at Antone’s Nightclub and the Austin Blues Festival. For years, the club’s late founder, Clifford Antone, was strict about sticking to traditional artists, but Ernst says he’s “lucky if I can do one or two blues shows a month.” And whereas blues festivals throughout the United States once relied on straight-down-the-middle artists from Luther Allison to Koko Taylor, the Austin Blues Festival has expanded its lineup beyond the genre, much like the New Orleans Jazz Festival in recent years. This year’s festival stars Buddy Guy (whom Ernst calls “the last Chicago blues headliner, period”), Brittany Howard and blues-adjacent acts from Big Freedia to Dumpstaphunk.
“Everywhere, promoters are dealing with: ‘How do you deal with an aging fan base? How do you deal with a reduced number of headliners that are appealing to the baby boomer generation?’” Ernst says. “We don’t get too prescriptive by explaining exactly what we’re doing. We’re just like, ‘Hey, this is great music. Have a great time.’”
This story appears in the April 27, 2024, issue of Billboard.
When Co-op Live, the latest arena from developer Oak View Group (OVG), opens in Manchester, England, in April, it will look a bit different from most similarly sized British venues.
Inside, it will serve up an eminently modern offering: the United Kingdom’s largest arena concert capacity, an acoustically efficient infrastructure and a star-studded concert lineup including Stevie Nicks, Olivia Rodrigo and Nicki Minaj. But outside, the venue’s innovations will be most visible. Situated on the Manchester Ship Canal, Co-op Live is surrounded by a “biodiversity ring” — over 29,000 square feet of lush greenery offering a natural habitat for local wildlife and a surrounding green wall to attract bees. A mile-long pedestrian path partially along the water will encourage more environmentally friendly travel to and from the 23,500-capacity venue.
Since OVG broke ground on Co-op Live in 2021, chairman/CEO Tim Leiweke has frequently walked that route to the arena, which was built by local suppliers to reduce the transportation of materials, is entirely powered by electricity to eliminate the use of gas on site and even collects rain to water its plants and flush its toilets. “Co-op Live is going to be the most sustainable arena in the U.K. and one of the most in the world,” he tells Billboard. “It is our intent, our ambition and our commitment to be carbon neutral, but it takes a year to be certified” with an “excellent” rating from the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method, run by U.K. accreditation service BRE Global.
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A veteran of the live sector — and of innovation in arena construction, specifically — who once served as president of AEG, Leiweke is known for his enthusiasm for ambitious new projects like Co-op Live and Green Operations & Advanced Leadership (GOAL), a sustainability program developed by founding members OVG; State Farm Arena and its NBA sports tenant the Atlanta Hawks; Fenway Sports Group; and green building expert Jason F. McLennan for arenas, stadiums, convention centers and other venues. “I love GOAL. It’s the most important thing we’ve done toward sustainability,” Leiweke says. “It’s hugely important that we get other people in the industry committed to GOAL. That’s one of [OVG’s] highest priorities.”
Building Co-op Live is only the latest milestone in OVG’s commitment to creating more sustainable concert spaces that began with its billion-dollar, four-year renovation of Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena (formerly Key Arena), which reopened in late 2021. Now OVG is working to bring sustainability to each of the more than 400 buildings it owns, operates or partners with.
“As an industry, we are a lightning rod of attention,” Leiweke says. “Can we use that platform that has such a big profile to be an example of tackling this issue and doing the right thing?”
A rendering of U.K. venue Co-op Live, where a pedestrian path encourages foot travel to the arena.
Courtesy of Oak View Group
During Climate Pledge Arena’s renovation, OVG floated its iconic roof in the air for conservation — Seattle designated Key Arena’s exterior a municipal landmark in 2017 — and overhauled the 60-year-old building to consume zero fossil fuel, use solar panels for 100% renewable energy power and employ a “Rain to Rink” system harvesting water off the roof to help create the ice for NHL tenant the Seattle Kraken. Naming-rights partner Amazon chose the new arena’s moniker, basing it on its Climate Pledge with environmental advocacy group Global Optimism. Today, it’s a zero-waste venue without single-use plastics — and was the first arena to achieve International Living Future Institute Zero Carbon Certification, meaning it’s energy-efficient, combustion-free and powered entirely by renewable sources.
After working with OVG on Climate Pledge, Amazon provided its web services software to track venue performance for sustainability measures such as energy and water use, greenhouse gas emissions and waste management. In October 2021, OVG and fellow founding members launched GOAL to provide resources to venues exploring how to operate more sustainably.
“You don’t have to be Climate Pledge Arena and chances are you won’t be, at least not at first,” says Kristen Fulmer, OVG head of sustainability and director of GOAL. “It’s important that we meet operators where they are and make incremental improvements over time.”
Take OVG’s newly built Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif., as an example. It’s surrounded by drought-resistant plants, uses electric Zambonis to maintain the ice used by AHL team the Coachella Valley Firebirds, runs on solar panels covering its parking lot and is sunk 25 feet below grade to limit exposure of its exterior facade and thus reduce its HVAC dependence. Parking lot lights are on dusk-to-dawn sensors, the venue composts, and prepaid parking reduces the time cars spend idling.
“When you open a venue that has all these elements already designed into it, [sustainability] becomes part of your daily procedure,” Acrisure senior vp John Page says. And GOAL provides a “tracking system that allows us to evaluate on an ongoing basis how we can lower our carbon footprint” and reach a target of carbon neutrality by 2025.
As with Acrisure, GOAL’s approach to sustainability often utilizes creative solutions to regional issues, a practice made easier by the data it collects from its now 50 members. (Leiweke intends to double that number by the end of 2024.) “No one does a better job than State Farm Arena on recycling,” Leiweke says. “We brought them in and said, ‘Great, write the playbook.’ And then we bring in all of the other people in our industry that we see as best in class on green and sustainability and say, ‘Great, write that playbook.’ ”
Even with its collected best practices, Leiweke says, “Amazingly, many people turn down [GOAL] because they say it will cost too much money, which is ridiculous. How much do you think it’s going to cost to replace the Earth?” It’s true that upfront costs are higher at OVG’s tricked-out-for-sustainability venues — but, Leiweke insists, GOAL’s energy tracking and operational data will prove they’re saving money in the long term. “It’s usually about how long you’re looking at the budget,” Fulmer says, “and usually it will pay for itself.”
In the meantime, there are ways to defray costs. Corporate partners, Fulmer explains, are often eager to contribute funding for environmental causes, promote their own sustainability agendas or both. GOAL helps those that want to back specific measures — say, funding a venue’s switch from plastic to compostable cups — to team up with venues in exchange for on-site branding or activations.
As artists calculate their carbon footprint for upcoming tours, GOAL venues and partners can provide numbers, as well as initiatives and proposals, to lessen a tour’s impact.
“Do I think it makes a difference that Billie Eilish is going to play my venue when she has a choice because she knows how committed we are to sustainability? 100%,” Leiweke says. “But that’s not the only reason we did it. We did it because we should all be doing this.”
This story will appear in the March 30, 2024, issue of Billboard.
Saddle up: There’s a big anniversary in Asbury Park, N.J.
The Stone Pony, birthplace of Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes, is celebrating 50 years. In February 1974, New York native Jack Roig opened the Ocean Avenue club, situated across from the Asbury Park boardwalk, and local superstar Bruce Springsteen soon brought it to national fame.
The Jukes started playing regularly at the Pony in 1974 as one of the venue’s first house bands — and early incarnations included future E Street Band member Little Steven Van Zandt. Springsteen began to hang around soon after.
The 1976 record release party for the Jukes’ debut, I Don’t Want To Go Home, helped put the club on the map. Springsteen, members of the E Street Band and legendary singers Ronnie Spector and Lee Dorsey made guest appearances at the concert, which was simulcast across the region including on major Philadelphia rock station WMMR-FM. The sound of Asbury Park — a merging of rock’n’roll and horn-fueled R&B and soul — was a hit.
The venue has had several owners since its ’70s heyday with Roig and his partner, Robert “Butch” Pielka, who sold the venue in 1991 before it became a short-lived dance club called Vinyl from 1998 to 1999. A year later, Domenic Santana reopened the club with a ballyhooed press conference that included an appearance by then-New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, only to move on by 2003 and leave real estate company Asbury Partners in charge. With the future of the Stone Pony in doubt, it hired Asbury Park local Caroline O’Toole, who left a nearby club to manage the venue. O’Toole stayed on when developer Madison Marquette took ownership in 2008. The company brought Live Nation on board that year.
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For more than 30 years, the city and oceanfront had been in a downward spiral that included riots in 1970, a desolate downtown and empty beaches on hot summer days. Springsteen spoke of Asbury Park’s “boarded-up windows, the empty streets” in “My City of Ruins.” These days, the city and its famed music venue are choice destinations.
“Shows were sold out at the Stone Pony,” President Barack Obama said on the city’s boardwalk, steps away from the venue, in 2013 after Superstorm Sandy. “I think a friend of mine from here once put it pretty well: ‘Down the shore, everything’s all right.’ ”
The modest- looking venue (shown here in 2005) has helped drive the revitalization of Asbury Park.
John Cavanaugh
The Stone Pony’s 850-capacity indoor stage and 4,500-capacity outdoor Summer Stage have hosted stars from Elvis Costello to Blondie, Green Day to Demi Lovato, as well as local favorites like Springsteen over its 50-year history. The modest building, painted white stucco on the outside with a simple rectangular floor plan, will continue its storied legacy with anniversary shows throughout the year. The Jukes played there Feb. 16 and Feb. 17 (although Southside Johnny left the second show early and was briefly hospitalized for dehydration, according to a band spokesman).
On the boardwalk overlooking the venue, O’Toole — whom Roig has called the Stone Pony’s “best manager” — discusses the venue today, its role in Asbury Park and the magic of a rock’n’roll night on the Jersey Shore.
Founding owner Jack Roig is still a familiar sight at the Stone Pony.
One of the things that makes the venue so special is that we’ve never tried to erase the past. We embrace the past. And Jack, it doesn’t get any earlier than him and Butch [Pielka], and his spirit is always there.
When you’re in the club off-hours, what do the walls talk to you about?
Probably most of the things I can’t tell you. (Laughs.) But I think it speaks volumes about customers’ experiences and band experiences and history that was being made when we didn’t even know it was being made. A lot of E Street members meeting their wives there; Bruce [Springsteen], especially, meeting Patti [Scialfa] there. All of these things were happening in addition to the music being played. It’s amazing to hear those stories and know that the Stone Pony was part of that.
Why do you think people make such a strong connection with the Stone Pony?
People come there for the music and the vibe. It’s like perfect conditions for meeting somebody, and you’re meeting somebody with the same interest, same ideology that you have. That music is a source for the good things in your life.
The Stone Pony Summer Stage, adjacent to the club, has hosted scores of national acts such as Asking Alexandria in 2019.
Chris Spiegel/Blue Revision
What were the venue and the city like when you first started working here?
It was 2003, and the boardwalk was still very much a desolate area. The redevelopment company at the time, Asbury Partners, was here, but everything was still in the very early stages. What I noticed the most [as someone] coming from the Belmar community [where O’Toole lived at the time] was that Memorial Day weekend in Belmar was a big deal. I remember being here in the summer thinking, “This is nothing like Belmar,” and it’s only three towns away. I couldn’t get over that. I just couldn’t believe what Asbury was like [in the midst of its decadeslong economic decline] in the summer. It took every bit of effort on my part, on a couple of other people’s parts, to keep [the Stone Pony] there because there were so many times in that five years [it] could have gone out of business.
What shows does Live Nation book at the Stone Pony? How does that work?
They book 99% of the outside shows [on the Summer Stage, adjacent to the club]. Once in a while, I’ll throw in one, or there will be a special rental or something like that. They book a lot of our inside shows, mostly all the national acts, and it’s probably well over 100 a year inside alone. Outside, we average 35 shows.
What happened in 2008 when the current owner, developer Madison Marquette, came in?
2008 was the turning point. Gary Mottola, who’s with Madison [as president of property investments], just when the real estate market tanked, he said to the company, “Let’s go, let’s do this.” They threw $90 million at the boardwalk [after the crash], and that’s what turned Asbury Park around.
Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes’ 1976 live broadcast really put the Stone Pony on the map.
No doubt about that, and it’s why he gets a lot of credit for the Pony being here. Not only is he a part of the history, but he has created moments for other people to create history. He’s a special guy; they’re a special band.
One thing that people get wrong is Springsteen did not get his start here — though he obviously helped put the Stone Pony on the map, too.
I always say Southside and Bruce made the Pony famous, not the other way around.
Springsteen’s a familiar face, too. He’ll play private benefits from time to time, he danced with Scialfa at a Quincy Mumford sound check in 2019, and he came to the memorial for longtime club fan Kerry Layton, whom many called “the Ambassador of the Stone Pony.”
Every time he’s there, it’s special. Especially when it’s just a regular moment, like him wanting to show Patti the new back bar, and that’s when the dance happened because Quincy Mumford was onstage sound-checking. Something that simple, like him wanting to show his wife how nice it looks in there, that was really cool.
A benefit show in 2003 for the Light of Day Foundation (which raises money to research cures for Parkinson’s disease and related illnesses) that featured (from left) Joe Grushecky, Bob Benjamin, Michael J. Fox and Bruce Springsteen.
John Cavanaugh
What do musicians playing the Stone Pony for the first time say to you or want to know about the venue?
It’s funny. During sound check, I’ll [sometimes] hear them doing a Bruce song that they don’t normally do. There’s nothing else they need or want to know. They’re here because of the history, and they want to be part of it. Every act that comes in here and adds to the history just keeps the legacy going.
The area has experienced two really tough times in recent years: Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and the coronavirus pandemic. The club helped build a sense of community in the aftermath of those two events.
It’s being a beacon of hope, a beacon of light in our town and on our shore. People say, “Is the Pony OK? OK! The Pony’s OK, I’m OK, we’ll get through it OK.” It mattered to a lot of people that it was still here after both terrible events.
What’s the Stone Pony’s role with the big festivals that come through?
We’re glad to be included. Stacie George, vp of Live Nation New York, was determined from the beginning to really make [the annual New Jersey LGBTQ+ Pride Celebration in Asbury Park] something. Up until then, it was maybe a show here or there, but this year we will have three or four solid days of Pride shows, and that has never happened before. Again, it’s history in the making, and I’m very proud that’s what’s happening. I’m glad the community has embraced the acts that have come here. [For] Sea.Hear.Now, we’ve had some legendary aftershows, and I’m glad that a festival like that is here. The people who run it [including Asbury Park-based music photographer Danny Clinch] are friends of ours, and they’re incredible people.
What’s the role of the Stone Pony in Asbury Park in 2024?
The future of the community has gotten so much brighter with new things coming through. The Pony is a symbol that we don’t have to let go of our past to embrace our future. The Pony is a symbol of both those things.
Chris Jordan is the music writer for the Asbury Park Press, which is part of the USA Today Network.
This story will appear in the March 9, 2024, issue of Billboard.
As alcohol consumption declines among young adults and awareness about the mental health benefits of sobriety grows, nonalcoholic cocktails could prove key to finding new food and beverage revenue for the concert business.
In 2023, CMA Fest, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Danny Wimmer Presents’ Louder Than Life and Bourbon & Beyond were among a dozen festivals to include mocktails and sober spaces at their events; Live Nation introduced the “no-jito” to its venue menus; and Oak View Group launched an elevated nonalcoholic beverage program at its Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif. And while conventional wisdom held that nonalcoholic drinks beyond soda and water would diminish alcohol sales, venues are finding that’s not the case.
“Since launching the mocktail program, our alcohol sales have remained steady, and overall beverage sales have increased by a margin that we are very pleased with,” says Daniel Griffis, president of global partnerships at Oak View Group. It has gone so well that OVG plans to start rolling out the program at other venues.
After launching in October in the premium level and expanding to the entire arena in January, Acrisure has sold more than 2,000 mocktails at $14 each — including the Blackberry Smash and the Firebirds Spritz, which use Lyre’s nonalcoholic spirits — says John Page, senior vp of Acrisure Arena, AHL team Coachella Valley Firebirds and OVG360 Facilities. “There have been a lot of positive comments that we are recognizing people that want to really experience the live event and have something different in terms of the beverage space, not soda or water,” he says. “This is one way that we can continue to show that we are aware and we have something for everyone in the venue.”
These activations were all launched in partnership with the nonprofit Stand Together and its 1 Million Strong initiative founded with sober community The Phoenix. They follow an open letter published in Billboard in January 2023 that featured 50 music industry leaders pledging support to 1 Million Strong.
“What I am excited to see, a year after, are those people actually doing it,” says Colette Weintraub, head of Stand Together Music, Sports & Entertainment.
At Live Nation, the initiative has brought a new corporate focus as well. Last May, the concert giant launched its Sober Nation program focused on fostering sober-inclusivity and destigmatizing addiction at their venues and offices. On Jan. 30 the company will host a Grammy-week brunch with 1 Million Strong and DMC of Run-DMC to raise awareness among staff and connect employees to available recovery and mental health resources.
On Jan. 30 the company will host a Grammy-week brunch with 1 Million Strong and DMC to raise awareness among staff and connect employees to available recovery and mental health resources.
For an industry that places a lot of emphasis on alcohol — from beverage sales to alcohol sponsors — Weintraub says the initiative has received a warm welcome so far. “We’re not saying ‘sober music industry,’ ” she says. “We’re saying this is an opportunity to expand and open the doors to more people and let more people participate in what’s important in life and supporting more people in achieving their full potential.”
Nonprofit organization Live Music Society is continuing its efforts to support small venues and listening rooms across the country. Today, the organization announced more than $200,000 in additional grants distributed to 31 independent venues, which brings its annual granted funds to over $800,000 so far.
The so-called Toolbox grants are designed for uses including regulatory compliance, enhanced accessibility and upgrading crucial systems such as ticketing and sales. This month’s recipients include xBk in Des Moines, Iowa, which will be installing a portable wheelchair ramp and ADA-compliant stage to better serve artists with disabilities; and The Hideout in Chicago, which will be hiring a social media consultant to improve its understanding of audience metrics and social media management systems and marketing practices. Another recipient, Moe’s Alley in Santa Cruz, Calif., will be installing a large flatscreen behind the stage to serve bands with visual elements in a space that cannot accommodate projection.
“These grants go beyond just supporting performance spaces; they foster a vibrant community where venues exchange knowledge, evolve together, and weave a richer cultural tapestry for our nation,” said Live Music Society founder Pete Muller in a release. “This expansion isn’t just about financial assistance; it’s about helping to create an ecosystem where artists and audiences flourish hand in hand.”
Additional venues assisted by this month’s grants include Alex’s Bar, Roots Music Project, Jalopy Theatre, One Longfellow Square, 20 Front Street, Beat Kitchen, Belltown Yacht Club, Cafe Colonial, Casbah, Drkmttr, Floyd Country Store, Hoosier Dome, La Peña Cultural Center, Moe’s Alley, Natalie’s Grandview, Next Stage Arts, New Deal Café, No Class, Opolis, PAUSA art house, Portland House of Music, Rambling House Music Bar, Real Art Tacoma, ShapeShifter Lab, The Egremont Barn, The Goodfoot, The Hideout, The Lost Church, The Parlor Room and The Venue.
“Small venues are the heartbeat of musical growth — they’re where artists learn, make mistakes, and connect with communities,” added Live Music Society board member and singer/activist Nona Hendryx. “Our commitment lies in supporting these venues and understanding that they’re vital launchpads for artists, where songs transform from garage or bedroom creations to stage sensations. Without them, stepping stones in the artist’s journey are missing.”
Live Music Society has continued to expand its programming since its inception in 2020 in response to mass gathering bans that impacted music venues during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier in 2023, it provided $100,000 in Toolbox grants and an additional $500,000 for its Music in Action initiative, which helps venues develop and implement creative ideas to engage their communities, expand audiences and generate new revenue sources.