Building for Intimacy

Last November, I attended the annual Billboard Roadwork conference, which is a meeting of many of the movers and shakers in the concert industry. While many managers, agents, promoters, and venues shook their fists about the dip in profits over those two days and wondered where the next arena acts were going to come from, a few promoters accepted the idea that perhaps arena rock is dying. A few posited the idea that maybe the benchmarks will be lower; instead of selling out a 20,000 person room, a band will aim to sell 10,000 seats or sell out two nights at a 5,000 person ampitheatre.

I've recently noticed a number of bands scaling down and doing tours in smaller rooms, or special dates in smaller clubs. From Pearl Jam to Red Hot Chili Peppers to Radiohead, many bands may be noticing that there is no need for their show to be coated in glitter, flashy light shows, and 50 truckloads of stage equipment. That maybe the fans just want to see them do the songs.

This article discusses the debate taking place in Tacoma Washington over what to do with the 23,000 person Tacoma Dome. A plan on the table calls for the venue to shrink down to less than a 1/3rd of its current size.

The plan calls for borrowing money from the city’s general fund to purchase new turf with a price tag of $750,000, and spending $1.9 million to fit the Dome’s ceiling with a structure that would create a smaller, theater-style setting for concerts -- shrinking the Dome from a 23,000-seat facility to a facility seating some 5,000 to 8,000 people.

A smaller Dome could mean bigger profits for the 23-year-old facility, said Dome officials. According to Rob Henson, deputy director for the Dome, the top 100 U.S. concert tours drew an average of 7,940 people.

I am interested to see whether this becomes a trend. I--for one--have many questions: Will the smaller rooms encourage people to come see more shows? Or will the ceiling for band success and profits just be lowered? What are the long-term plans on the promoter/agent side? Is everyone giving up on US arena rock?