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monsoon

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Thanks. I was worried that had disappeared. Speaking of Neighborhood Theater, does anyone else feel like the quantity and quality of shows there has taken a nose dive since they reopened? There used to be at least a few events there every month that I would find interesting but since the renovation nothing.

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Thanks. I was worried that had disappeared. Speaking of Neighborhood Theater, does anyone else feel like the quantity and quality of shows there has taken a nose dive since they reopened? There used to be at least a few events there every month that I would find interesting but since the renovation nothing.

I was going to post about that...yeah it really has, its like they lost all momentum when they were closed for renovations. I went to the Doors tribute showcase show there and it was great, but nothing else has piqued my interest, and it used to be the venue that I went to for 70% of all shows. The same company, Zali, now owns NT and Chop Shop, but most of the higher-profile shows are now going to Chop Shop, which has also recently seen some renovations. This also makes me wonder why Zali would not dividing these high-turnout shows more evenly between their 2 venues. Chop Shop has a WAY fuller calendar in general now. 

 

The renovations look great btw, the bar situation is much better and there are numerous other more subtle tweaks, but none of the Neighborhood Theater vibe has been lost. I hope they can build up some steam again. 

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I wonder if people would visit Charlotte & stay in Charlotte to visit the casino or stay mainly in Cleveland & Gaston counties

It's a very boring area with trailer parks near by. My friend lives in a trailer near Dixon. Always complained there's nothing out there. Who would have ever imagined.

Edited by AirNostrumMAD
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Zali is the booking group that used to program Neighborhood Theatre. They never owned it, nor do they own Chop Shop, but they are now booking events at Chop Shop as well as other venues around town. The new ownership group of the Neighborhood Theatre is handling booking there now, and they are Maxx Music +Co., who are directly in competition with Zali. To be honest, both are cannibalizing each other at no fault of theirs, there is a very limited market for support in Charlotte right now, and Zali, Maxx, Live Nation, etc all undercut each other constantly to get acts to even come here (which I will also comment, is usually a struggle with the national booking agencies for medium and large acts - as they have never seen proof that Charlotte is a viable market like Chapel Hill/others. So Zali, Maxx, Live Nation are over-extending themselves often to bring in acts that you may have heard of). Neighborhood Theatre's model [in my opinion] is the best for Charlotte: support the local and regional musicians and splurge on big shows when they can. Unfortunately, most people in Charlotte are oblivious to the local/regional musicians. 

 

 

I was going to post about that...yeah it really has, its like they lost all momentum when they were closed for renovations. I went to the Doors tribute showcase show there and it was great, but nothing else has piqued my interest, and it used to be the venue that I went to for 70% of all shows. The same company, Zali, now owns NT and Chop Shop, but most of the higher-profile shows are now going to Chop Shop, which has also recently seen some renovations. This also makes me wonder why Zali would not dividing these high-turnout shows more evenly between their 2 venues. Chop Shop has a WAY fuller calendar in general now. 

 

The renovations look great btw, the bar situation is much better and there are numerous other more subtle tweaks, but none of the Neighborhood Theater vibe has been lost. I hope they can build up some steam again. 

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Zali is the booking group that used to program Neighborhood Theatre. They never owned it, nor do they own Chop Shop, but they are now booking events at Chop Shop as well as other venues around town. The new ownership group of the Neighborhood Theatre is handling booking there now, and they are Maxx Music +Co., who are directly in competition with Zali. To be honest, both are cannibalizing each other at no fault of theirs, there is a very limited market for support in Charlotte right now, and Zali, Maxx, Live Nation, etc all undercut each other constantly to get acts to even come here (which I will also comment, is usually a struggle with the national booking agencies for medium and large acts - as they have never seen proof that Charlotte is a viable market like Chapel Hill/others. So Zali, Maxx, Live Nation are over-extending themselves often to bring in acts that you may have heard of). Neighborhood Theatre's model [in my opinion] is the best for Charlotte: support the local and regional musicians and splurge on big shows when they can. Unfortunately, most people in Charlotte are oblivious to the local/regional musicians. 

Ohh ok thanks for the correction. Could have sworn I was seeing Zali post about both venues on facebook but I guess not. Things make more sense to me now. Is Maxx Music new to Charlotte venues entirely?

 

I have to disagree on your take of Neighborhood's current model, because they are not booking as many local/regional shows as they used to, or as many as Chop Shop is. Neighborhood is simply not that active right now...its not just the reputability and genres of the shows they're getting but the quantity. There are currently only 5 shows scheduled for the entire month of September. It is also too big a venue to try to shift focus too much to the local scene, as those rarely fill it up unless its a $5 or free show. When they do go after the bigger shows, its is a very different genre focus than it used to be, with a bit of an older demographic that is not turning out the crowds in NoDa. 

 

I just hope that Maxx is finding their footing and/or considering changing their game, because Neighborhood deserves to remain one of Charlotte's first-tier mid-sized venues. Chop Shop is great, but IMO Neighborhood is still the better venue, and with the central neighborhood visibility, I would like to see it occupied more than 5 nights/month! Amos' eventually came back and found a niche after being dealt a near death-blow by the opening of the Fillmore, but still hasn't held the same overall level of quality shows. I've seen Charlotte's music scene come a long way in the 6 years I've been here and think we're now much more visible on the radar of nationally-touring club bands, so there's no question in my mind that Maxx can do better. 

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Ironically, Raleigh's rightward shift has made this less likely. Conventions for both parties are held in "purple" states. Even if NC remains a swing state, the national perception has changed. And with the GOP being perceived more and more as a regional bloc, they'd be foolish to reinforce that perception by meeting in the South.

Edited by southslider
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So...I decided to accompany a friend to Columbus OH for support. I am on my own 9-5 today and tomorrow. There is no real activity on their thread, so thought I would ask you guys. Any hidden gems I should experience?

So far, brunch in Short North. Rented a bike (Alta system, 30 stations, 300 bikes) and rode through this hood and Arena District. I will post some photos if anyone is interested. I am a planning geek BTW. There are some AMAZING victorian/gothic houses around the park here.

I want that Plaza Midwood vibe. Seems cool here in Short North, kinda gay (as am I) but not really here for that. Any other suggestions?

Also, fellow LGBT, please forgive me for missing the parade today. I was begged and bribed to come here. I hope the parade I wonderful and someone please post photos!

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Glad to hear that it was well received! Update on my time here: Rode down the river front, we really should flood 277...

On a serious note, they have an event space called Columbus Commons that is essentially a huge lawn (~2000 ppl maybe) and a permanent stage with roof and truss. The infrastructure may be temporary, but it was fully set up today and the platform is definitely there to stay. I will post an image when back at the hotel. I really hope we can get something like this at Bearden. I'm an event nerd too.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I have a new fantasy.

I was thinking about mthe airport authority and how there could be better places for a world trade center.

I'd love to see a World Trade Center by the convention center. Too bad Crescent isn't going to be a World Trade Center.It could tap into local incentives then

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  • 3 weeks later...

just wanted to drop a plug for www.nextdoor.com, which I've found to be a very useful new take at social networking. it's sorted by physical neighborhood, so you can communicate directly with folks just in your neighborhood or surrounding hoods. here in noda i've gotten a lot of mileage out of it from classifieds to crime reports. (there's an "urgent alert" option that will send all the neighborhood users a text, CMPD is on board, too)

 

if your hood doesn't have a site set up, i think i can send invites to do so (and we both get giftcards or something), otherwise i def recommend joining it. 

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Yeah in the BB&T building, it was mentioned in a thread somewhere. They already got the sign up. Also speaking of the overstreet and BB&T, freshii in the space after Brad's

There was a freshii accross from my office on 38th and Broadway, it wasn't very good and it only lasted 6 months. Hope Charlotte's is better.

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I have a question for some of the regulars here that either work in or have a wealth of knowledge about real estate, development, and planning. What is everyone's opinion on how well Charlotte is growing and planning for the future? I know that many if not most cities in this country have made great strides in urbanizing and densifying, but how is our fair city doing in comparison to others? Is Charlotte positioning itself for smart growth better than other similar sized cities?

Edited by go_vertical
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I have a question for some of the regulars here that either work in or have a wealth of knowledge about real estate, development, and planning. What is everyone's opinion on how well Charlotte is growing and planning for the future? I know that many if not most cities in this country have made great strides in urbanizing and densifying, but how is our fair city doing in comparison to others? Is Charlotte positioning itself for smart growth better than other similar sized cities?

This is a relatively uninformed opinion, but my impression is that we are currently doing a respectable, maybe even above average job of embracing urbanity and smart growth, but we are coming off of an era where Charlotte arguably made worse development mistakes than other similar size cities. So doing well, but playing a bit of catch-up is my take. 

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