Downtown Amphitheatre Site Plan Released

• bill
  12/09 09:34 AM
  

  Stage and Concrete.  What else do you need?  Maybe some shade?

• JRD
  12/09 09:38 AM
  

  How is it that the convention center could potentially expand onto that site?  Im not sure I understand.  Is the convention center not finished?

• Bill
  12/09 09:48 AM
  

  You’d have to see a convention center like the ones in Long Beach, CA, or Las Vegas.  They would most likely build another exhibition hall.  Let’s hope it doesn’t happen.  The largest convention centers tend to create dead zones in the adjacent neighborhoods because they attract visitors in fits and starts - and most just want to go to a Hooter’s anyway.

• WW
  12/09 10:39 AM
  

  If the amphitheater doesn’t succeed it won’t be for any other reason than botched coordinating and booking for the venue. Charlottesville’s amphitheater at the end of their open street downtown mall has been very successful(Ive been multiple times) thanks to Red Light Mgmt. I don’t know who handles the bookings for the downtown live stuff in Raleigh but it’s a joke. Richmond & Cville routinely have spring/summer/fall shows at multiple outdoor venues and their weakest acts are still better than the bands that headline the downtown live series. There’s no excuse for the new amphitheater to not be wildly successful…it’s long overdue..here’s hoping it’s done right from top to bottom.

• arthurb3
  12/09 10:41 AM
  

  Oh, Bill. You’re rough!

• jeff
  12/09 01:20 PM
  

  so it’s a concrete slab with folding chairs? that is going to be great all summer long

• LA
  12/09 02:23 PM
  

  As far as I know the site is actually a “gray” or “brown” field depending on if there was ever contamination from the previous Chevrolet dealership. As for the shade, the city purchased a semi-permanent tent from the city of Denver a few years back. It was planned then to use that to cover the amphitheater. I don’t know if that is still the plan but I do know that the tent structure if implemented would cover the shimmer wall on the convention center entirely from the sw.

• Jonathan
  12/09 03:30 PM
  

  I don’t believe the tent is going to be used.

• Sam
  12/09 05:20 PM
  

  Will there be an electric fence around this thing or is it going to be accessible.  Is this public space or does it belong to a promotional company that will accept only paying customers? Is it flexible? Is it meant to be flexible? Fixed seating is about the most inflexible thing you can do. One can sit, stand, or slide obnoxiously through a line of people crushing toes and spilling beer. I mean I love Annie LenNnox in all, but what else is this good for? We’ve already decided that walking through Moore Square is more important than stopping to hang out there. City Plaza is for events, Fayetteville Street is for events and now another great event space!!! Can we please take some cues from other cities success stories? What about the Boston Commons or Bryant Park in NYC? They are great places for a concert, picnic, lunch break, date, fashion show, a stroll, looking at other people and tons of other events. It seems like we are getting too specific in programming how public space is used in Raleigh, but that’s just me and this is a blog and I can say it.

• bill
  12/09 06:00 PM
  

  I believe it will have a non-electric fence around it.  You’ll need to read some of the other articles, such as the “downtown amphitheater” link.  This will be much like Alltel Pavilion, except downtown and less paviliony.  The LiveNation monopoly has agreed to book a certain number of shows there, and those shows will cost money for admittance, unlike a picnic in Bryant Park.  Deep South will book whichever band had one hit 20-years ago.  A band that had one hit 10 years ago will be the opening act because that is considered edgy. This has been an empty parking lot for 10 years and if you haven’t already strolled through it for a picnic, you won’t miss it.  What’s your deal with Annie Lennox?

• Collin
  12/09 11:01 PM
  

  Isn’t it facing the wrong way?  I would think the shimmering wall and the skyline would be a nice backdrop.  The concrete slab does have slop to it, not sure if prior posts were saying it was flat. 

  I do hope it really is like Chastain Park in Atlanta, as the city council stated.  That really is a nice place to see a concert.  My favorite part about Chastain Park was when they would set up the tables and folding chairs so you could bring a picnic and make an evening of it.  After the sun had set and everyone lit their candles on the tables, it was quite beautiful.  I hope they make the aisles wide enough for that here.

• Collin
  12/09 11:17 PM
  

  I guess noise played a role in why it is facing this way.

• Little Timmy
  12/10 12:27 PM
  

  If it has crappy chairs, it’ll never make it.

• Chair Enthusiast
  12/10 12:38 PM
  

  You are wise beyond your years, young Timothy.

• L
  12/10 10:50 PM
  

  “I don’t know who handles the bookings for the downtown live stuff in Raleigh but it’s a joke.”

  Cheers to that, WW!

  And whatever happened to our Alive After Five in DTR? Bring that back in 2010 please. Midtown is showing us up in that department - not cool.

• ImagineRaleigh
  12/11 11:12 AM
  

  The most responsible thing to do is plant sound absorbing plant life in the area. When this music bounces into Boylan Heights, we are going to have to keep the music down so we do not bother them.

• gd
  12/11 11:31 AM
  

  Its not the sound that I think would bother the residents of Boylan Heights - its the approval of the expansion of prison into the backyards of many people in Boylan Heights.  Sound is the least of the worries I’m sure.

• CX
  12/12 12:53 AM
  

  The stage faces that way because of the slope inclines that way I think, towards the road that accesses the bottom of the convention center.

• ncmyk
  12/12 12:55 PM
  

  ImagineRaleigh should go camping.  There in the middle of the woods and ‘sound absorbing plant life’ you can hear everything including the crickets.  there’s a reason why they plant concrete walls along the freeway.  trees block site not sound.

• ImagineRaleigh
  12/14 10:19 AM
  

  The stage is faced in this direction to make load in and load out easy for the production crews. This placement will need fewer workers to push the cases and load the trucks.

  When the bands music bounces off the parking deck and Convention center it will echo through Boylin Heights. I am a betting man and I am betting the Boylin Heights neighborhood will control the volume of this facility.

  The Boylin Heights neighborhood has made its self known on such issues before. We should plan ahead with sound absorbing plant life…

• Bill
  12/14 11:13 AM
  

  I’m betting Boylan (Notice the spelling) Heights will complain if someone like Little Wayne (rowdy, sexual,black) plays at half the volume of someone like Allison Krause (old, farty, white).  My bet is $5.

• Rokr
  12/14 03:31 PM
  

  Shouldn’t we let Don Bender have control of booking the venue?  Look how successful Retail..er..Raleigh Music Hall..er..Martin St. Music Hall..er..14 has been.  And the Italian food, my god, the Italian food…

• SM
  12/15 02:57 PM
  

  This new place will be great.  I have to disagree on the Downtown Live comments however.  I mean, Richmond has Innsbrook (which you pay for) and Charlottesville sells tickets (great place by the way).  But neither of those cities have a FREE series with both regional an national acts.  I mean, Joan Jett and Charlie Daniels Band for free?? Despite not being my taste in music, it’s pretty fricking cool for Raleigh.  Sure other cities do a big one day Festival here or there (we have those too - see Raleigh Wide Open), but to have all those free shows downtown… Downtown Live is OK in my book.