PORTSMOUTH
Under the iconic white tent of the nTelos Pavilion, Etta James kicked off this year’s concert season last month belting out her signature R&B songs with her traditional gusto .
But the more-than-half-empty amphitheater sang another tune: On average, James and other performers at nTelos Pavilion sell only about 55 percent of the tickets they would at another similar-sized venue.
T hat’s not the only troubling statistic for the city-owned, 6,500-seat concert pavilion. Overall, paid attendance dropped last season. Only one concert has been booked for May. N one is announced so far for June, which is traditionally one of the busiest months of the summer concert season.
Two years ago, City Council members crowed that the troubled amphitheater’s problems – a roof destroyed by a hurricane and a years-long fight with the venue’s previous management – were finally behind them.
Now, they say they have new concerns that the city’s $13 million investment sits dark too
often on summer nights and isn’t crowded enough when shows come to town.
“It’s a diamond in the rough, it’s just not being used to its full potential,” said Councilman Bill Moody Jr., who raised the issue of the pavilion’s sparse schedule at a recent council meeting. “It’s too pretty, too unique of a facility to be underutilized.”
The attendance woes are the latest in a long string of setbacks for the venue. When the amphitheater opened in 2001, city leaders hoped it would drive downtown business and attract visitors from across the region.
In its first full season, the amphitheater hosted 41 concerts, including a number of sold-out shows that brought thousands downtown.
But in late 2003, Hurricane Isabel ripped the fiberglass roof off the facility, and Portsmouth had to sue the roof’s designers to pay for repairs. The next year, city officials acknowledged that no one had been tracking performance at the venue, and they had no idea how it was doing financially.
Eventually, the city and the facility’s prior management company, Harbor Center Joint Venture, agreed that both sides had breached the amphitheater’s operating agreement. The city dropped the old managers and hired IMG, promising that the new company would turn things around. The two co-owners of Integrated Management Group, based in Virginia Beach, have booked shows and operated venues in the region for years.
General manager Ken MacDonald has assured city officials that this season will be solid. The 12 events already announced will be supplemented with more shows later in the season, he said.
The past few years have been a gradual “building back process,” he said. When his company took over management in 2006, there had been almost no season ticket or box seat sales the previous season because of the ongoing roof and management troubles.
This year, MacDonald said, IMG has also sold nearly half of the 40 VIP box seats to corporations and organizations. There are other positive signs, he said.
Last Saturday’s Picnic at the Pavilion gospel festival was close to a sellout. Bands such as Poison and Crosby, Stills and Nash, which in years past played at the much larger Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater, are scheduled for the nTelos Pavilion this summer.
MacDonald said he expects that downsizing trend to continue, which would bring more big-name acts to Portsmouth’s smaller outdoor venue.
“It takes time to build,” he said. “It’s just a highly competitive market.”
The market is more crowded today than it was when the nTelos Pavilion opened. MacDonald said his amphitheater not only competes with new concert halls in Norfolk, Newport News and Virginia Beach, but other summertime staples such as Norfolk Tides baseball games and the beach.
The region’s other outdoor venue – the Virginia Beach Amphitheater, with a capacity of 20,000 – has 20 shows already lined up .
According to monthly reports submitted to the city by IMG, paid attendance dropped in 2007 to just less than 37,000 from about 40,000 – meaning that each show on average attracted fewer than 1,700 people.
Industry watchers and city officials say they aren’t sure why attendance isn’t better. But some warned that the performance may hurt its ability in the future to attract shows.
“Failure breeds failure, success breeds success,” said Gary Bongiovanni, editor in chief of Pollstar, a company that reports concert schedules and ticket sales. “Nobody has to play Portsmouth. If you’re only going to go out and do 40 or 50 dates in the summer, you’ve got choices.
“And if you’re looking at a track record of unfulfilled demand, it makes you a lot less optimistic.”
Venues such as the Virginia Beach Amphitheater also benefit from being managed by companies such as Live Nation, who book entertainment acts for dozens of venues around the country, industry watchers say.
In post-concert surveys of nTelos patrons, MacDonald said, reviews are positive, with people lauding the waterfront location and convenience of parking. The trick now, he said, is showing off Portsmouth’s entertainment asset to more people.
“It’s not uncommon to hear that it’s their favorite place in Hampton Roads to see a concert,” MacDonald said. “It’s just a matter of getting more and more people to experience nTelos Pavilion.”
Last fall, MacDonald told council members that his company was “operating on getting on a more even keel to our marketplace.”
That, council members say, needs to happen fast. They’ve pushed in the past for more non concert events and for the amphitheater and for its waterfront plaza to be more accessible to the public.
Far from Portsmouth, one city-owned amphitheater is doing just that.
Fraze Pavilion, just outside Dayton, Ohio, sold nearly 72,000 tickets in 2007, nearly twice the number the nTelos Pavilion did. Along with acts similar to those playing this year at nTelos, the Fraze – which with 4,300 seats is smaller than Portsmouth’s amphitheater – has $2 Tuesday night cover band shows and $5 Friday admission and hosts events such as citywide block parties, wine festivals and car shows.
There are six events already planned for the Fraze in May and 16 in June.
Councilman Moody said that, to be successful, nTelos needs to ascribe to that model. Ideally, the amphitheater would be used two or three times a week during the summer, he said. Although Portsmouth’s high school graduations are held there, only a few other nonconcert events are planned for the pavilion at the moment.
From his office overlooking the amphitheater, Mayor Jim Holley said in March that city leaders need to promote the venue more and look for more interesting uses for the public plaza and concert space.
“It has not become the success we envisioned,” Holley said. “Something’s got to take place to get people walking around there.”
Meghan Hoyer, (757) 446-2293, meghan.hoyer@pilotonline.com
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Here is what you all sound like:
I remember when you could go to the movies at the Bijou for a nickel. For another nickel you could get a bag of popcorn and a Coke!!! And still have change for the trolley!!
You kids turn down that danged music and (shaking cane) GET OFF OF MY LAWN!!!
The one that got away
Portsmouth has been on a downward spiral since the closure of Portside...years ago. There is nothing downtown to draw in patrons. Local businesses used to thrive off of overflow that attended functions at Portside. NTELOS is a fantastic place to see live music, but I personally have no interest in attending the UMOJA festival or whatever it's called now. Demographics is one thing, but let's face it......until Portsmouth brings quality back to the waterfront, the only place that will stay packed is our waterfront JAIL.
Look to what is being booked
My main point had to with age demographics which looking to past and present schedules shows, of what talent there is on schedule; whom it is geared towards. Either way, they are missing the mark but the youth culture cannot support by patronage, the acts that could fill in the blanks.Why is this, because they move from here unless they are in the military and then they support very few Nationally recognized heavy concert-based acts that do very well in other markets. This will only change with the cities of hampton-roads selling this area to those it has not aimed at yet. New representation of polititians that have visited municipal success stories in other parts of the country.
Ntelos Pavilion
All of these comments were very interesting. I live here and attend Ntelos concerts very regularly. It is a wonderful place for a concert! The breeze off of the water is great. Taking the ferry over and having dinner is great. Parking is free. I live here and have never had a problem with my vehicle or anyone harrassing me, etc. My teenage daughter attends concerts here regularly and I would never let her go to VB Amphitheater alone. Security is everywhere. The police outside do not allow people to stand around and harrass people as one person stated. There's VIP parking, smaller crowds, and great accoustics. It is the cleanest venue I've ever been to! Last year Bonnie Raitt was there, Celtic Woman, a Wine Festival, Tom Petty (with Stevie Nicks as guest!), Kenny Rogers, Nelly Fritado, etc. There just isn't enough marketing. I too am concerned about the lack of shows that are scheduled currently, but I am sure the scheduling will continue. Downtown Portsmouth has great museums, resturants, and even the Commodore Theater which is one-of-a-kind. And, everything is on a smaller scale, so easier parking, less crowds, less waiting. If the word would get out better, so people would make t
AC
Atlantic City.. Why go when you can go to Vegas? You can fly there in the same amount of time that you can drive and they actually have really GOOD entertainment. AC is great for a day trip, but you have to admit.. It's dirty and scary..
If you have been to the NTELOS Pavillion in Portsmouth.. Its really not as scary as some have made it out to be.
I have to agree, the ampitheatre ticket prices are outrageous! But the artists and venues know that people will pay that price to see their favorite act. It is ridiculous, but I know i am guilty of it. I allow myself one concert a year and I know that on tickets alone, I spend up to $200 for TWO seats.. Not to mention the drinks.. Beer is at least $7 and sodas are $5. Its crazy, but VB knows how to make the money. Which is why they acts coming to Portsmouth are "B" rated.. Heck maybe even "D" list.
There are always free shows around town.. Maybe we should check all of those out
I'd also like to add...
I'd have loved to see Journey, Heart and Cheap Trick this summer at Verizon. $104.50 per ticket, with surcharges. LOL.
I just can't afford concerts period
Probably telling my age here. There's only two concerts I'm willing to pay good money for, Yanni and James Taylor. JT is coming to Verizon Amphitheater this month. My husband and I talked about it awhile back, because we don't miss his concerts. We decided, due to ticket prices and because we saw him 3 years ago, we'd not go this year. So here's why we decided not to go. Straight from Tickemaster:
Ticket Price US $47.00
Convenience Charge US $12.25
Building Facility Charge US $6.00
That's $65.25 per ticket, not including parking. Add on the astronomic refreshment charges, it's easily a $200 night. Well, we have better things to do with our money, unfortunately. So, due to ticket prices and all of the surcharges, we'll not be attending any concerts in the near future. I've not checked NTelos nor have I heard on the radio of anything I'm interested in attending. I'm sure these prices for Verizon are no different than NTelos. So there you go. That's 2 less tickets sold. Sorry, NTelos and sorry, Verizon.
Really Funny
It's really funny to see all the folks knocking A.C. Just a quick check and I see artists like Kenny Loggins, Jerry Seinfield, Rhet Akins, Patti Labelle and the Manhattan Transfer performing at the various A.C. casinos. So if this is armpit entertainment, what the heck is in Hampton Roads?
What Happened To This Place?
Remember the first season? They had nothing but good groups, such as The Monkees, Erykah Badu, Aaron Carter, James Brown and Jill Scott. If they had artists of that caliber today, then there would be few empty seats at the Ntelos. Why don't they take MC Lyte and Keisha Cole from the Afram Fest so they can make some profit this year?
Look what the cat dragged in...
Okay, so out of curiosity (I'm all about seeing new places and things) I checked the schedule. It's... empty. I'd be down for Poison if it were like 20 bucks for the good tickets, 10 for the bad. Is downtown Portsmouth really any worse than downtown Norfolk? I haven't been to the Virginia Beach amphitheater since 2001 or so, but I've been to 10+ shows since then at the Norva! VNV Nation or Crystal Method being the best.
silcnlayc --
Dover Downs or A.C? Wow.. You do love the armpits of the Eastern Seaboard!
My mother who is in her 60's would rather go see a really great concert then sit in the retirement home known as Atlantic City. So, it is not an "age" thing. Personal preference.
Actualy; Concerts are not the problem
However, silcnlayc , your opinion on entertainment speaks volumes to the likes and dislikes of your generation here. I'm guessing you are between 40-60. What I find interesting about your opinion is that what your generation, at least in this area, represents is a differing view of entertainment. In say, New York, or say, Philly, both Amphitheaters would probably do quite well. There would be a wide range of music from Opera to rock and roll that would be supported. Just look to other second markets in other parts of the country, Sheds are very much supported. This area does not necessarily support a wide range of music. Look to the empty seats at many performances that are offered by VA Arts. The real question is, will our area grow and will we attract the kind of residents that will support these venues? That is a question that cannot be answered but it is not probable unfortunately. Our real hope lies with the Universities like the growth of ODU.
Atlantic City???
Wow, have you been to Atlantic City in the past, hmmm, 30 years? You can not leave the casino with out fear of being murdered. That "city" is the scum of the east coast, not to be confused with the "armpit" which is Portsmouth. That said I have been to three concerts at the Pavilion, all three were very enjoyable. But the past two years there have been no concerts worth the trip. I mean look at the schedule, I have no clue who any of those acts are. If you can't book quality don't complain about people not coming.
Concerts in Portsmouth
The venue in Portsmouth is an all right place to see a concert if there were any good shows to see. It is not as crowded and easier to get to the refreshment stands but there have not really been any good shows to see there. Here it is May and the schedule should be full of shows that appeal to people and it isn't. I think the manager is to blame for that as there are shows to book if he was doing his job. Maybe the city of Portsmouth needs to think about getting someone to do the job that can get the shows, I would go more often if there was a reason to.
Concerts are not that
Concerts are not that attractive to most adults that have money to do better things with. I would rather go out of town to Dover Downs and Atlantic City than to go to any concert this area puts on.
The mass human flesh upon flesh, the noise, the stink, the bawdiness that one has to put up with during a concert such as these are not very inviting..
Give me a nice free relaxing room with a free massage, a free dinner for two in a ritzy restauraunt, a great FREE show with a padded seat and an air conditioned theatre, and then some excitment in the casinos later in the evenings with the glitzy flashing lights and free drinks to boot..NOTHING compares to this...so, I wouldn't take my dog to anything in Virginia...if I had one that is...Virginia is stuck in the "old" mode..time to pick up the pace and go with "change" as others have..we might get out of the red if any of these people stop putting things out there no one wants and LISTENS to what the masses are looking for..a "getaway".
IMG's game plan?
I agree wholeheartedly that Ntelos is far superior to Verizon in that the latter seems content on booking the same tired, stagnant, repetitve acts year after year. In the era of cookie-cutter bookings @VB, its refreshing to know that the Ntelos folk aren't afraid to stray from the beaten path to attract a much more eclectic array of artists. Face it, we all know most of the bands and tours that play Verizon play there EVERY season and have since it opened. For whatever it lacks, Ntelos seems unafraid to mix up its musically diverse acts which should be applauded.
The $64000 question is how does IMG get back on the horse? There's plenty of music out there; are they willing to exert the energy to search it out? Perhaps the article could have dwelled more on that as opposed to merely stating Ntelos' hardships, which I feel most people already knew plenty about.
Just Not Worth The Hassle
The facility is a great place to see a show, however, the venues hosted there are rarely worth enduring the hassle of the traffic and especially the parking.
Great Place - Not Enough Concerts
I live in Portsmouth, however, I work with a multitude of people who live in the surrounding cities. Everyone that I have spoken with who has attended a concert at NTelos has LOVED IT! What's not to love about, other than the lack of concerts being booked there? That is the management's fault, not the City officials' fault. I am not sure if it is the same management booking for the NorVa or not (I had heard rumour of it), but if that is the case maybe there is a conflict there. We need management that will bring in some decent concerts and the people will come and when the people come for a concert, they will come to eat at the local restaurants too!
Really?
C'mon now! Did you see the KILLER lineup this year?? You know that Poison and Dokken is a sell out! Dokken?? Are you kidding me? They do need some better bands to come.. These bands wouldnt even sell out the Norva!
I actually like the venue so much better than the amphitheatre.. Its nicer, the seats are great and its easier to get in and out of. Not to mention, after the show, heading over to Paddy O'Brians to grab an excellent burger.. I consider it a good night out.
Bring some better bands and the profit will increase! Maybe lower the prices on the drinks and more will sell..
ROCK ON DOKKEN! =)
Taxpayer owned venues
This is another reason why that government has no business in gambling taxpayer money into venues of this sort. This should be left to the private business to let THEM take the risks and also reap the profits. The city will still collect taxes on admissions and concessions. You would think that they would would learn a lesson after the nose dive that Waterside in Norfolk and the Sportsplex in Virginia Beach has cost taxpayers to maintain when the venue fails.
nTelos Pavilion
My friends and I love Ntelos Pavilion. We were so glad to see the new management company there and to see it reopen. We have been there many times as a group. If you look for weakness you will find something. I wonder how many other city officials were interviewed. Being a citizen of Portsmouth and intimately involved from many levels, this new management company has gotten rave reviews from many council members and citizens from all of Hampton Roads. She continues to bash Portsmouth and always looks for the bad in everything. She is going to compare Portsmouth or any of Hampton Roads to Dayton Ohio? Are you serious? Ntelos Pavilion offers such a diverse schedule. The people are so nice and the experience of a concert is truly a great from beginning to end. I did some research and there has been many seasons that not only Ntelos but the Aphitheater in Va Beach did not have shows in spring or early summer. Maybe Meghan should do hers too.
Good luck
I would love to try going to N Telos, if they just have the music I would like. Sometimes they do, but leaving VB and dealing with the traffic is bad. But one poster had an idea, taking the ferry!! Verizon is terrible, parking lot - what parking lot?? It takes 2 hours to get out of the mud you park in!! I wish Portsmouth luck on this! I really would like to check it out!! They need to get the word out better
Venue
I for one think that Portsmouth's venue is much better than VB's ampitheater. IT is more intimate and the sound is better. Personally, if my favorite act were playing in VB, and I knew they were going to die the next day, I still would not go. Simply put, VB's venue is not enjoyable. There is no point in listing the reasons as we are all familiar with them. The parking fee though is a particular sting. At least in P-Town you only have to pay once. I saw Ben Harper there and it was an incredible show. I was lucky enough to have seen it since on TV.
I think that the problem is the location. People come out to the shows to party. Portsmouth residents and those lucky enough to hop the ferry are not going to fill the venue. I know Portsmouth would tell us to fill their hotels but that is not realistic for those on a budget.
Times are tough--luxuries are out the window!
When times are tough, luxuries are the first thing to be kicked out of the family budget--and luxuries get prioritized--and concerts and limos are a pretty useless luxury. A CD of the artist is $15 and it can be played over and over again. Concert tickets are expensive enough at $40 and up but concert venues rip off the patrons with exorbitant prices for refreshments--a ticket is high enough but figure out the real cost. $40 for the ticket, $10-20 to park at the venue, $5 for a soft drink or a BOTTLE OF WATER (and you aren't allowed to bring your own) and a beer is $8 or so, $6 for a stinking hot dog, $9 for a burger, $5 for popcorn--the list goes on. A family of four can't afford this with mortgage rages going up and gas at nearly $4 a gallon and food prices going through the roof!! It's got nothing to do with the venue or the performer--it's just simple economics--when you are struggling to keep a roof, food on the table and gas to go to work, concerts are unaffordable.
My 2 cents....
99% of the time the groups stink, are over the hill, washed up, etc. Maybe they can turn the place into a 3/8 mile dirt race track...first race....Mayor Holley vs. Chief Long...The Turkey Leg 200....Grand Prize all the turkeys legs you can eat for a year and free driving lessons...
well said bretticus
I fully agree with what bretticas said. Those same people are hanging around the Amp but because it's VB you don't think twice. Location and perception is what this is about. I would gladly spend more of my hard earned money to see more concerts if they were at the Pav. Promoters need to giv a little more attention to our money over on this side of 664 (WB, Suffolk, NN, etc). It's ridiculous to have to fight the traffic going to VB for the Amp (which is not that great). On a summer night there's nothing like that breeze coming off the water to add to a great ampitheater effect. GET BETTER ACTS AND THEY (I) WILL COME!!!
ticket prices the problem
I think a lot of the slowdown has to do with ticket prices and scalpers getting the "up front" seats. The pavillions, halls, etc. have also started adding "facility fees" to ticket prices. Last time I look a Billy Joel lawn seat was about $25 but with services fees, etc. it totaled $40! The Ntelos is a great place to see a show but the costs are out of hand for the average person.
NTelos is my favorite place to see a show.
NTelos is my favorite place to see a show. For those who live in Norfolk, I recommend taking the ferry over and making the short walk to the venue -- it sure beats waiting to get out of the parking lot at the Virginia Beach Amphitheater! Unfortunately, the NTelos line-ups the past few years have gotten worse while the Amphitheater's seem to have gotten better.
Coffee
Put a Starbucks next it.
Book concerts we want to see!
The quality of the bookings has really gone down. I used to go to a lot of shows there. It's the best facility in the area for a summer concert! But two years ago, I went to one show. Last year there was no one I cared to see. Van Morrison and Mark Knopfler are on tour and bypassing Hampton Roads again. Check out Wolf Trap's schedule -- we used to be the next stop for those shows. Now we're not. Bring back Bill Reed!