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Walnut Creek Amphitheatre

dmccall

By dmccall
in Triangle Coffee House

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dmccall Burg

dmccall

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I saw today that Widespread Panic is coming back to the amphitheater. I noticed the ticketmaster email said the venue is now back to being called "Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, formerly Alltel Pavilion". I didn't realize that Alltel's contract was so short. Was it 5 years? I'm getting kind of annoyed with these name changes. This is the 4th name change for the place. I think this is a list of official names:

* Walnut Creek Amphitheatre

* Hardee's Walnut Creek Amphitheatre

* Hardee's Pavilion at Walnut Creek

* Alltel Pavlion

* Walnut Creek Amphitheatre

Correct me if I'm wrong.

I assume the naming rights are available. Maybe it can be the "Progress Energy Amphitheatre Open Outdoor Performing Arts Complex at Walnut Creek Park", or simply put, PEAOOPACWACP.

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RaleighRob Burg

RaleighRob

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It's probably just safe to forever call it the "Walnut Creek Amphitheater" and just leave it at that...regardless of corporate naming rights. (Unless someone plans to move Walnut Creek away from it! :P )

I have the same approach with all venues like this. BTI Center? Progress Energy Center? No...it's Raleigh Memorial Auditorium. And I will always call it that.

RBC Center? I still call it Raleigh Arena. ;)

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ncwebguy Burg

ncwebguy

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I have no idea why, but I think Hardees has kept the box office naming rights since they stopped paying for the rights of the amplitheater itself. The RBC Center is locked up for a while... isn't its contract 20 years total with an option to renew? SAS will be the naming sponsor for the soccer complex for a while too.

Isn't the main area still "Raleigh Memorial Auditorium", with Memondi conert hall and the Kennedy theater part of the overall (insert sponsor here) center/complex? Will the new CC's naming rights be sold or not? Do cities usually retain that name to tie the city with its convention center?

I thought it was weird that Cary *didn't* sell the name to Koka Booth Amplitheater at Regency Park. Maybe no one was intereseted?

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  • 2 weeks later...
Subway Scoundrel Hamlet

Subway Scoundrel

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I am amazed that so few shows are there. Maybe it has something to do with who is traveling or still signing up shows but I remember the days when everyone came to the Triangle and I just don't see that anymore. More likely to go to Charlotte or other areas.

and RBC does not do a lot of shows and can sit dormant when Hockey and BBall season is over.

I think that is how the triangle has changed or maybe it is how the industry has changed with Clear channel owning everything and decided what music people like by demographics.

But with WideSpread coming, that is at least a good thing !!!

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dmccall Burg

dmccall

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I think they had well into the upper 30's in terms of number of show days last year. I think that's pretty close to where it was in the early 90's, and I can't remember very many acts that Charlotte's Verizon (formerly Blockbuster) Amphitheater got that WCA didn't. However you are right that the number of bookings so far is scant.

There is definitely a problem in the industry, though. There are very few groups who can support a venue that size, so we're getting a lot of retread duo concerts (REO/Styx kinds of stuff). I think that the industry is pushing few songs by more different artists than before when albums and CDs were king. We're going back into singles as the dominant music purchasing staple, and that lends itself to more one-hit wonders.

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ncwebguy Burg

ncwebguy

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From the official Walnut Creek Amplitheater site, here is the line up so far. It is early, but there seemed to be more announcements by mid-March:

Friday, 3/30/07 North Carolina Education Lottery Country Megaticket 2007

Friday, 4/20/07 Widespread Panic with special guest North Mississippi Allstars

Saturday, 4/21/07 Widespread Panic with special guest North Mississippi Allstars

Saturday, 5/12/07 Brooks & Dunn and Alan Jackson

Monday, 5/14/07 Gwen Stefani presented by Verizon with special guests Akon & Lady Sovereign

Saturday, 6/23/07 Toby Keith with special guests Miranda Lambert & Flynnville Train

Friday, 7/20/07 Brad Paisley with special guests Taylor Swift, Jack Ingram and Kellie Pickler

Tuesday, 7/31/07 John Mayer with special guests Ben Folds

Friday, 8/3/07 Kenny Chesney with special guests Sugarland and Pat Green

Saturday, 8/4/07 Kenny Chesney with special guests Sugarland and Pat Green

Thursday, 9/6/07 Rascal Flatts with special guest Jason Aldean

11 events, with two of those being second dates of the same act. Also country music dominates, though that could change over the next few months.

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dmccall Burg

dmccall

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OMG! Did any of you go and see Rush Wednesday night? What an amazing show. I was really into them in the mid-80's, but didn't really dig their stuff in the last 15 years. A friend invited me and thank goodness! It ranks up there with the best I've ever seen (WAY better than their '94 Dean Dome show).

This may have been done a few years ago, but I didn't realize that WCA has removed tons of normal seating beside and behind the soundboard in honor of VIP coral-type boxes. At this point it is really hard for a normal fan to get a good ticket, and this takes away some of the fun of being a music fan.

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Subway Scoundrel Hamlet

Subway Scoundrel

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OMG! Did any of you go and see Rush Wednesday night? What an amazing show. I was really into them in the mid-80's, but didn't really dig their stuff in the last 15 years. A friend invited me and thank goodness! It ranks up there with the best I've ever seen (WAY better than their '94 Dean Dome show).

This may have been done a few years ago, but I didn't realize that WCA has removed tons of normal seating beside and behind the soundboard in honor of VIP coral-type boxes. At this point it is really hard for a normal fan to get a good ticket, and this takes away some of the fun of being a music fan.

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tjoad Whistle-Stop

tjoad

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Yeah I went to the Rush show and it was awesome. I had never been to one of their shows and seeing as how they are getting older, I couldn't miss this one. They play their asses off! I had never heard this version on Neil Peart's drum solo, so that was a pleasant surprise.

I generally choose lawn now for a WCA event. I don't mind being that far away, the sound is still great, I have more space to move around, and it's relatively inexpensive. But if I could somehow get into that VIP area...

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dmccall Burg

dmccall

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Only the three guys were on stage, but there were occasional tracks we could hear. "Hey, that Alex Lifeson sounds just like Geddy Lee when he sings" haha. The tracks were just there, but in no way did it seem like the three weren't completely in control of the show.

Neil Peart's drum solo was a 3-part deal. The incredible part was the first when he played a waltz pattern with his feet (boom shsh shh boom shsh shh) while his hands were playing in, yes, 7{sodEmoji.{sodEmoji.|}}8 time. Absolutely amazing.

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ncwebguy Burg

ncwebguy

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Here is the announced lineup for this year so far, according to the live nation web site:

Wednesday, 3/12/08 Universoul Circus

Thursday, 3/13/08 Universoul Circus

Friday, 3/14/08 Universoul Circus

Saturday, 3/15/08 Universoul Circus

Sunday, 3/16/08 Universoul Circus

Friday, 4/25/08 Widespread Panic

Saturday, 4/26/08 Widespread Panic

Friday, 5/2/08 2008 QDR Country Megaticket Powered By Smithfield's Chicken 'N Bar-b-q

Friday, 5/9/08 Kanye West Glow in the Dark Tour co-starring Rihanna, N.E.R.D. and Lupe Fiasco

Saturday, 5/17/08 Tim McGraw with special guests Jason Aldean and Halfway to Hazard

Wednesday, 5/28/08 James Taylor

Saturday, 6/21/08 Toby Keith with Montgomery Gentry

Wednesday, 7/2/08 Dave Matthews Band with Michael Franti & Spearhead

Saturday, 7/12/08 Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with special guest Steve Winwood

Saturday, 7/19/08 Brad Paisley with special guests Jewel, Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough

Saturday, 8/2/08 Rascal Flatts with Taylor Swift

Tuesday, 8/12/08 Jack Johnson with special guests Rogue Wave and Neil Halstead

Friday, 8/22/08 Kenny Chesney with LeAnn Rimes

Saturday, 9/6/08 Brooks & Dunn with Rodney Atkins

Saturday, 10/4/08 Martina McBride with special guest

15 different events, and it is still somewhat early. A lot of country dates, as usual. June seems kinda weak with just one concert.

I think the name is long because Time Warner Cable is a different entity than Time Warner the media company. And they want to promote their services -- cable, internet access, phone, etc. -- and not other TW businesess. The "Walnut Creek" part comes from the overall complex, encompassing the softball complex north of I-440 (Google Map). It is a shame that there are two large parking lots in the area that sit empty most of the year.

Selling the naming rights for five years with an option for two more seems that the city is committed to keeping the site, at least till it is paid off in 2015 according to the N&O blog's comments. I don't know what this means for the "tent" venue west of the new CC, but they may serve different sized crowds.

We drove around there on Sunday and noticed a *lot* of houses have been built out that way in the last few years. Do buyers not realize there is an outdoor amplitheater so close? Or do they not care because the houses are "cheap"? I'll post more about them in the economic forecast thread.

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