Jump to content

Venue Tower at the BOB - 20 Monroe Live - House of Blues/Live Nation Venue


Sailor

Recommended Posts

I'm confused by this whole 20 Monroe venue thing.  I think we know the Gun Lake Casino people bought the naming rights, and we know that Gilmore sold it but I think I must have missed who actually bought it.  Live Nation was operating it but now there is this story that the convention authority is being asked to run it (taking over from Live Nation I presume.)  But  who is the owner doing the asking?  This story doesn't say who the owner is:

WOODTV: grand-rapids/convention-authority-may-take-over-running-20-monroe-venue

signed:

a confused old man 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites


Why would Live Nation be giving it up though? The article mentions struggling during the pandemic, but so did every venue in the country. 20 Monroe seems to do well attendance wise and I have issues with their high concession prices and high security,  I feel Live  Nation has helped bring in new acts and give a different flair to our venues.

Unless, maybe the new owner has found some events too controversial, a la midget wrestling (I think only happened once but sold out), and decided Live Nation is not a fit for our community? But what about their management contract? Buyout?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, walker said:

I'm confused by this whole 20 Monroe venue thing.  I think we know the Gun Lake Casino people bought the naming rights, and we know that Gilmore sold it but I think I must have missed who actually bought it.  Live Nation was operating it but now there is this story that the convention authority is being asked to run it (taking over from Live Nation I presume.)  But  who is the owner doing the asking?  This story doesn't say who the owner is:

WOODTV: grand-rapids/convention-authority-may-take-over-running-20-monroe-venue

signed:

a confused old man 

Well Mlive cleared up my confusion somewhat this morning in that they name the new owners,.  But the name itself leads to more questions about who really is behind it since the deal passes through three separate but apparently interrelated  limited liability corporations.  The tribe says they don't know who these people are and the story says GLC is an acronym for Greats Lakes Capital (not Gun Lake Casino as most of us had assumed.)   I rarely say this but good job Mlive.  Of course what's still unknown is who is really the money behind the LLCs and why do they appear to have a fast track to the attention of the county administrator.  And considering all their clout in booking, why not stay with Live Nation?  

MLIVE: grand-rapids-music-venue-20-monroe-has-been-sold-and-van-andel-arena-operator-may-run-it

I'm not trying to imply some kind of conspiracy, I'm just curious and half-assed news stories like what was posted on WOODTV drive me crazy.     

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Honestly, Occam's Razor suggests that a real estate company has decided to invest in real estate, but is being as hand's off as possible on the management side. And that the CAA sees an opportunity to add a venue to its portfolio, which can now be more effectively used when pitching potential conventions. There might be more to unpack, but it's also possible that it's as simple as that. 

Now what this means for the BOB, I'm not sure. There has to be more to that story, given that Gilmore closed it in advance of the sale - which would indicate that the potential buyer was planning significant changes. 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/29/2022 at 12:27 PM, Raildude's dad said:

Great Lakes Capital  owns 2 strip malls and a  297,000 sft spec building at 4 Mile & Hendershot in the Grand Rapids area. It looks like a different type of investment for them. 

Great Lakes Capital is also involved in this project in Muskegon:  Viridian Shores – Harbor 31 - Great Lakes Capital

and one in Traverse City...  Looks like a developer with PE $$ looking at expanding real estate portfolio to me...

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.woodtv.com/news/grand-rapids/the-b-o-b-set-to-reopen-in-september/amp/

The BOB is reopening. I'm happy to see Dr Grins back, but overall i think its a missed opportunity. It was a fresh concept when it first opened but I feel this building needs a major revamp.

Not sure if the footprint allows but something to liven it up like  Lucky Strike, Hampton Social or even  Hard Rock Cafe.

Perhaps this is a temporary placeholder for future development.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, egrguy said:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.woodtv.com/news/grand-rapids/the-b-o-b-set-to-reopen-in-september/amp/

The BOB is reopening. I'm happy to see Dr Grins back, but overall i think its a missed opportunity. It was a fresh concept when it first opened but I feel this building needs a major revamp.

Not sure if the footprint allows but something to liven it up like  Lucky Strike, Hampton Social or even  Hard Rock Cafe.

Perhaps this is a temporary placeholder for future development.

It sounds like they're going to renovate the interior somewhat, and move the brewery to the main floor with a beer garden. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

It sounds like they're going to renovate the interior somewhat, and move the brewery to the main floor with a beer garden. 

They could have done so many little things to make it seem more appealing (without a huge amount of money). Open a Beercade on one of the levels (not terribly expensive if they partnered with the right company, all the rage in bigger cities), craft cocktail lounge, change up the decor a bit, un-roofie the drink menu (J/K)...

A beer garden seems like a new concept from 2010... sounds like a "use it so it doesn't sit empty until we sell the building again" sort of strategy.

With all that being said, I didn't like seeing the building sit dormant so glad it is opening again. Just wondering if that ship has sailed (especially with the premature shut down / we were going to throw one last New Years Eve party .... awe, screw it sort of vibe near the end). :)

Joe

  • Like 2
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.