Sensational-Adelaide.com

Entertainment centre a crowded house

THE music community is divided over the $50 million revamp of Adelaide Entertainment Centre because smaller music venues fear it will cost them quality gigs.

The redevelopment includes an entertainment venue with a capacity of 2500, which the owners predict will draw at least 25 more live music events to South Australia each year.

It is scheduled for completion in February.

Thebarton Theatre proprietors Bob Lott and Robbie Robertson are "bemused" that the State Government would spend $50 million to enter an area in contemporary music which is already well catered for.

"One of the arguments about another venue is that we miss out on shows – that is an unbelievable rarity," Mr Robertson said.

"Usually when promoters are scheduling tours they've got various options and it is very, very rare that an act will miss Adelaide because of lack of availability."

"In the original press release, not the one that was released an hour later, it stated the $50 million spent on this building was going to ensure those 15 or so shows that don't come to Adelaide.

"There's a lot of factors as to why those bands don't come here and it's not venue availability. It's a lot of money for 15 shows," Mr Lott added.

Adelaide Entertainment Centre chief executive Anthony Kirchner defended the new development, saying the new venue is not designed to be "competing with other venues".

"The Thebarton Theatre is always going to appeal to certain types of acts and we expect that they will continue to attract similar acts as they are currently attracting," Mr Kirchner said.

"What the Thebarton Theatre offers that maybe we don't is that it has a certain quality to it, where as we're a little bit more mainstream, so I expect that it will continue to do exceptionally well.

"In terms of the new venue, we're about attracting more live entertainment to South Australia, not competing with other venues in the state."

The venue, which is described as a "safe, cost-effective, accessible and marketable medium-sized live entertainment venue", is designed to attract more "second tier" acts that have a healthy following in the state but have not made the leap to arena-sized shows. Such acts include The Kooks, The Hives, The Wombats and Metro Station.

However, the majority of these acts when touring Adelaide have played venues such as Thebarton Theatre or The Gov.

The Gov's spokeswoman, Melissa Templer, said the new venue opening across the road could see some acts taken from them but could also offer some benefits to the hotel.

"Whilst I think there may be a chance that some of our bigger acts could go there, I also think it would probably give us some trade as well," Ms Templer said.

"We get trade from the Entertainment Centre generally before a big show and I imagine we would get a bit before these shows as well.

"It will impact Thebarton Theatre more than it would impact us."

The new venue is designed for general admission audiences, but will also have retractable tiered seating and quality floor seating for other types of acts. The venue will focus on general admission rock and pop acts, but also comedy, family entertainment and smaller theatrical productions.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au

mattblack wrote:um, its still a building site. You might want to give it some more time.

adam_stuckey wrote:I would have love this money to go towards doing up the venues we already have

Shuz wrote:Honestly, I believe this project is an abysmal waste of money. Really starting to shape up as gigantic white elephant. (It actually looks like one). That coupled with a $100m tram extension to literally, nowhere. Would have much rathered the $150m total cost of these projects put into a city loop tramline which would have been far more economically beneficial and pubicly supportive in the first place!

Oh well, can't change that now.

mattblack wrote:

Shuz wrote:Honestly, I believe this project is an abysmal waste of money. Really starting to shape up as gigantic white elephant. (It actually looks like one). That coupled with a $100m tram extension to literally, nowhere. Would have much rathered the $150m total cost of these projects put into a city loop tramline which would have been far more economically beneficial and pubicly supportive in the first place!

Oh well, can't change that now.

Christ almighty

frank1 wrote:LOOK BEYOND what is currently being built. For starters i hate when people say tram to nowhere....i don't how many times the gov. said IT IS EVENTUALLY GOING TO SEMAPHORE/WEST LAKES. This is only stage 1 and will be very useful when the TODS at west lakes and Clipsal site are up and running. Jesus christ talk about small minded adealaide people.

frank1 wrote:LOOK BEYOND what is currently being built. For starters i hate when people say tram to nowhere....i don't how many times the gov. said IT IS EVENTUALLY GOING TO SEMAPHORE/WEST LAKES. This is only stage 1 and will be very useful when the TODS at west lakes and Clipsal site are up and running. Jesus christ talk about small minded adealaide people.