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I Love the 90s was the highest attended show ever at Cedar Park Center near Austin.
Texas venues have a story to tell. They have many stories, in fact. Some are high profile while others have their own quirky twists and turns. Some are firsts for not only the state but the country. Each, in true Texas fashion, bears sharing.
“Donald Trump’s organization called one day in September saying he wanted to have a rally in five days for 20,000 folks,” said Dave Brown, who when not a miracle worker is executive vice president and general manager of American Airlines Center in Dallas. “It sent us into frenzy not only because of the magnitude of the event but also because we were gearing up for a seven-show Garth Brooks run that following week.
“It was one of the first major rallies that Trump hosted and there was no plan and little direction. Everything from staging to ticketing to media and beyond was coordinated from scratch. Our team pulled together and the event came off without a hitch. Trump still references that rally in many of his speeches today.”
Granted, not every venue has the privilege of hosting a presidential candidate, but others in the state have their own stories of creating a VIP touch.
“Because of our border community, we wanted to make the back of the house very comfortable for the artists,” said Raziel Cano, marketing director of State Farm Arena in Hidalgo. “We wanted to offer them a bit of our culture and flavor, so we created the HIDALGO VIEJO catering room, decorated with Mexican décor.
“We decorated the walls of our back of house with logos of all the bands and artists that have visited us, all listed chronologically. Artists usually stop to admire it as they come into our arena. We created a game room complete with vintage Atari up to the most recent video games so that the artists and their crew can hang out and chill. We have revamped all of our dressing rooms and put in some really cool furniture. Many artists have said that it is one of the best back-of-house experiences they have ever seen.”
Cedar Park Center near Austin went back in time to create an event that became the venue’s highest ever attended show.
“We hosted an I Love the 90’s show in February with Salt-N-Pepa with Spinderella, Vanilla Ice, Coolio, Kid ‘n Play, All-4-One, Rob Base, and Young MC,” said Sammy Wallace, vice president of booking and marketing and assistant general manager. “The show was almost entirely marketed through social media, and it really caught fire from the announce. The show completely sold out all the way around to 270 degrees and including standing-room-only tickets, but it didn’t sell out in a big burst with buyers of two, four and eight tickets — it was larger blocks of tickets with big groups of customers wanting to attend the show and sit together.”
Wallace said that the show took on a party feel including a local DJ who in between sets continued the retro 90’s theme.
“The show really felt almost like a high school or college reunion,” Wallace said.
Then there are those who are breaking ground in a figurative sense.
“The Tobin Center is the first venue in the United States to own and operate a Gala Floor,” said Kelley Kendall, press and promotions coordinator for the San Antonio performing arts venue. “Each row according to a computer configuration moves upward and the seats roll backward and are stored under the row. Therefore within 43 minutes we can convert from a theater configuration to a flat floor, convert to a cabaret configuration, or an orchestra pit with theater seating. There are approximately 12-14 different configurations for 1,750 seats to flat floor for 1,000 standing concert.”
Talk bigger in Texas and you are talking Kyle Field at Texas A&M University, the largest stadium in the state seating 102,733. It, too, claims a first.
“We have added a series of communal suites on the east side of the stadium,” said Jason Cook, senior associate athletics director. “We believe that we are the first stadium, at least in the college space, to offer this arrangement in which 3-4 suites share a common gathering space behind them. These suite holders make joint food and beverage orders. Again, this hits on the social experiences of attending live events.”
Fittingly, we leave with food, a topic broached in an accompanying story. Leah Fillion, public relations manager at Houston First — Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau, said the following trends are currently playing out at venues across the state.
Use of local and sustainable items, including venues sprouting their own rooftop and backyard gardens for growing their own vegetables and herbs; use of open concept and display cooking; themed drinks and desserts; everything and anything bacon; local craft beers and hard ciders; use or Sriracha and other ethnic spices and condiments; small portions and bite-sized items, such as mini-dessert samplings and cake pops; and healthy alternatives, including make-your-own stations to allow guests to appeal to individual tastes.
Dig in.
Interviewed for this story: Dave Brown, (214) 222-3687; Raziel Cano, (956) 219-4059; Jason Cook, (979) 845-1030; Leah Fillion, (713) 437-5275; Kelley Kendall, (210) 2230-3333; Sammy Wallace, (512) 600-5195