TUSCALOOSA (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Live Nation's Senior VP of facilities for the southeast made a trip to Tuscaloosa last month to confab with city officials about what would be needed for a successful venue in the city, the Tuscaloosa News reported.
The visit was arranged after the Councilman Lee Garrison initiated discussions on the idea of funding a new riverfront amphitheater or downtown civic center with $750,000 drawn from a recent increase in the lodgings tax.
Rogers advice to the city? Decide what direction you are going and what are your goals, the Tuscaloosa News said.
Garrison thinks that the city is ripe for a new performance venue, “We’ve got 40,000 18-to-22-year-olds within four or five miles of downtown,” Garrison said.
Rogers position was more realistic, cautioning the gathered city officials that they probably shouldn't expect to draw top tier acts but that he still thought a venue in the city could attract good acts that would sell tickets.
The perspective Rogers offered wasn't all numbers though. According to the Tuscaloosa News, he told the assemblage that “A concert is not just music, it’s about memories. What you’re talking about is more than a slab of concrete and a couple of sticks holding up a stage.” – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
