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The Rolling Stones performed at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., Dec. 8, 2012. (Photo by Errol Anderson)
Grosses are up overall in the Year-End Top Stops report, which features more international venues than ever before. Of the top 10 venues in the 10,001-15,000 category, only four are from North America. Pink’s first tour in Australia since 2009 brought fans to arenas, and George Strait and Kenny Chesney pulled big numbers stateside.
Meanwhile, Cirque du Soleil’s tent shows continue to do strong business, mostly in repeat markets, and the company is debuting a new big top tour next year. This year, Venues Today has published a new chart showing the top stops for Cirque’s big top.
We also introduced a new North American Top 100 Stops chart for 2013, listing all North American venues that report regardless of size in order of gross total.
Numbers are higher in general, with the top two venues in each category grossing more than $730 million combined compared to last year’s $590 million.
Pre-Construction High Note in Orlando
Orlando’s Citrus Bowl posts high numbers before a major renovation.
Huge turnouts for Monster Jam and Electric Daisy Carnival at Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla., led to a more than $13-million year-end gross. Insomniac’s EDC has grown each year since beginning in Florida in 2011, now drawing more than 45,000 people over two days. Executive Director Allen Johnson said that the secret to hosting a successful electronic dance music event is all about the planning and the security.
Both the venue website and event organizers post the list of what is allowed in the stadium. “There are always going to be some people who try to sneak stuff in,” said Johnson. “The first 100 people in line will be the worst about having things that get confiscated, then you start seeing people getting out of line to go leave things in their cars or texting their friends not to try to bring anything.”
He added that it’s important to make lots of water stations available. The security that works at EDC is handpicked from the police department and consists of invited officers who are familiar with EDM events.
“We’re very big on customer service and satisfaction, which we call legendary memories and moments. That’s not usually what the police are known for,” said Johnson. “These guys that are picked really get the idea of the event, and with the right demeanor and attitude, it’s a really peaceful event.”
EDC, which grossed more than $3 million during its Nov. 9-10, 2012, run, is considering extending from the grounds into the stadium within the next few years.
Monster Jam grossed more than $1 million during its Jan. 26 date. Johnson said that none of the facility’s three largest events, including January’s Capital One Bowl, will be affected by upcoming construction, which will be underway Jan. 25-Nov. 15.
“We don’t even call it renovation — it’s reconstruction,” said Johnson. The $200-million project will affect the whole stadium. “Everything is going to be brand new and different, from arrival to departure.”
Contact: (407) 440-7070
Big Grosses in Big Tops
Cirque du Soleil’s traveling shows draw crowds around the world.
Six big top tent shows are currently traveling the world for Cirque du Soleil, including productions of oVo, Corteo, Kooza, Totem, Varekai and Amaluna. It’s expensive and time consuming to set up tents and travel with the shows. Around 80 trucks travel with each show, and though setting up the tent takes an average of 10 days, construction to the site takes four-to-five weeks and includes leveling the site and laying asphalt.
According to Cirque du Soleil’s Sr. VP of Touring Shows, Finn Taylor, each show needs to have a minimum of 40 stops in order to turn a profit after covering costs. Usually shows tour to about 55-60 cities per run.
Though production for big top shows is very expensive compared to the arena shows, Cirque du Soleil has never considered abandoning the concept.
“We’re a circus, and circuses perform in tents,” said Taylor. “The tents are really the soul of Cirque du Soleil. Putting a show on in a tent is a very traditional, very raw live art performance.”
“It’s a very intimate setting and you can’t get closer to the artist,” he added.
The life of a big top show is about eight-to-12 years. Some shows are then converted into arena shows to extend their life and go to markets that otherwise the tour may not have been able to visit.
The highest-grossing dates were at Cirque du Soleil oVo in the Big Top Tent at Docklands, Melbourne, Australia, which brought in more than $23 million during its Jan. 17-March 31 run. The big top tent of Corteo at Parque Villa-Lobos in Sao Paolo, March 30-July 21, also grossed more than $20 million.
“Cirque in Australia is a bit of a phenomenon,” said Taylor. “The market is very receptive and it always goes amazingly well.”
Cirque du Soleil is debuting a brand new big top show in April, which will begin in Montreal and is the first new big top show in two years.
Contact: (514) 722-2324
Mania at MetLife
WWE’s WrestleMania scored big numbers for the stadium.
With a gross of more than $12 million, World Wrestling Entertainment’s WrestleMania 29 was the most successful sports and entertainment event of the year. The event took over MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., April 17, bringing more that 80,000 fans to the stadium.
“It’s more than an event — it’s a week-long celebration that brings fans from all over the world,” said Ron VanDeVeen, president of MetLife Stadium. In fact, 54 percent of the attendees were from outside the New York/New Jersey area and stayed in the city an average of four nights, generating more than $16 million in local state and county taxes.
Bon Jovi had two of the biggest shows of his tour at the facility July 25 & 27, grossing a combined $9.6 million.
“There’s nothing like seeing Bon Jovi in his home state,” said VanDeVeen. “It was two incredible nights of music with people on their feet the whole time.
The operations department was kept busy this year with a couple of field conversions for international soccer games in August, but VanDeVeen said the year went well with the biggest challenge being that there just “aren’t enough hours in the day.”
Monster Jam returns to the building next year, as well as Supercross and college football with Syracuse vs. Notre Dame.
“It was a great year. We appreciate all of the agents and promoters that come here,” said VanDeVeen. “We never take it for granted.”
Contact: (201) 559-1735
Popular Artists Make for Big Year
Country music headliners sell out Intrust Bank Arena.
Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kan., had six sold-out events this year, including three shows by country artists.
“Country has always done well in this market, and this year we were lucky to get some of the biggest headliners in country music,” said GM A.J. Boleski. In addition to Blake Shelton, Taylor Swift and Luke Bryan, the venue had sold-out shows by the Eagles, and NCAA Basketball and Winter Jam also filled the arena.
“We just had a good mix including a lot of neutral court college basketball games,” added Boleski.
This year, the Intrust Bank Arena team focused on developing the facility’s social media, including Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Also, a new destination on the concourse helped shift focus to the guest experience. The Guitar Bar debuted at Blake Shelton’s show, Oct. 5, featuring a 20-foot-long guitar above the bar and 18 guitars around the space.
“The windows facing outside look right at the busses and the trucks, so guests can potentially get a glimpse of the acts,” said Boleski.
Contact: (316) 440-9015
TMG Takes Over Touring
Louis Messina promoted some of the biggest tours of the year.
Taylor Swift, George Strait and Kenny Chesney were three artists every building hoped to get this year, selling out shows at arenas and stadiums around the country. Strait’s farewell tour and Chesney’s latest offering both made the year-end Hot Tickets; Chesney for a more than $9-million gross at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass., Aug. 23-24, and Strait for stops at Reliant Stadium at Reliant Park in Houston and the Alamodome in San Antonio.
Strait will perform at Gillette Stadium for the first time on May 31 as part of the second leg of his The Cowboy Rides Away tour. Promoter Louis Messina of The Messina Group calls the tour a “can’t-miss event.”
“The fact that every show is selling out in about two minutes has added a lot of excitement,” he said. “It’s a phenomenon.”
The tour is a mix of buildings that have been on Strait’s touring schedule for years and facilities he’s never played, like Staples Center in Los Angeles where Strait will stop Feb. 8. The tour is scheduled to end June 7 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
“I’m looking forward to every single date, and AT&T Stadium is one that will be very bittersweet,” Messina said. “It will probably be the biggest day in my musical career and the saddest day in my musical career — and probably the drunkest day.”
Kenny Chesney will step back from touring in 2014 after a couple of years of being on the road. Messina said the secret of country artists’ success on tour is because they tour smarter and more often.
“They have careers as long as they do because they build fans and put on great shows,” he said. “If you only come once every four years, the fans might forget about you.”
Contact: (512) 721-2450
Barclays Center Breaks Through
During its first full year, the arena posts high grosses.
Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., broke through the pack during its first full year to become the highest-grossing arena in North America. Huge attendance brought by The Rolling Stones, Beyonce and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey helped the venue reach a total gross of more than $76 million.
“It’s been an incredible year and has exceeded our expectations, but I always say that we should be happy, but never satisfied,” said Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark. He added that Jay Z’s eight sold-out shows when the building first opened “sent a message to the industry that we’re here for real and Brooklyn is a real market.”
“The building became a must-play overnight,” he added.
He considers the building to have five different ‘franchises’ that helped it reach a year-end total of 129 events, not including the Brooklyn Nets franchise. Brooklyn Show represents the concerts at the facility, while the family shows are called Brooklyn Family. With more than 34 college basketball games, Brooklyn Nets is all non-Nets basketball, and Brooklyn Boxing had more than eight major championship fights.
“We’re focused on not just the event business, but big event business,” Yormark said. “Our goal is to have four to five shows every year that really define the building.”
The facility has a renewed focus on customer service, extending its staff-training contract with Disney for an additional two years. It’s also important for the facility to really reflect the city, especially when it comes to food. The popular Brooklyn Taste program has been expanded to include 55 Brooklyn-based vendors.
Contact: (718) 942-9533
Zurich’s Must-Play Arena
Hallenstadion surges onto Top Stops.
After a refurbishment in 2005 turned the fixed indoor cycling track into a more flexible space, Hallenstadion in Zürich, Switzerland, became a must-play venue for international artists.
“We had the big acts before, but since then we have a much higher capacity to host shows because of fast load-in and load-out times and a perfect technical setup,” said Director & CEO) Felix Frei. The venue hosted the most attendees in its capacity category with more than 580,000 visitors.
“Until now we had an exclusive partner for promoting rock and pop music at Hallenstadion, but from 2014 on we are open to all promoters and hope to have a broader portfolio of promoters and music genres,” said Frei.
The facility had 14 sold-out events this year, including Justin Bieber, One Direction, Iron Maiden, Macklemore, and Rihanna.
Art on Ice began at the facility in 1995, combining live music and live ice skating. Each year Hallenstadion hosts four days with six shows. This year, the Jan. 31-Feb. 3 event grossed more than $8 million. Hallenstadion’s Rihanna shows were two of the highest grossing of her tour, amassing a total of more than $3 million with tickets starting at more than $100.
“We see this often because Switzerland is a very strong market with a high buying power,” said Frei. “The ticket prices are higher than in the rest of Europe, but also the costs.”
Contact: +41 44 316 7777
Perth Arena Establishes Itself
In its first full year in operation, Perth Arena grosses nearly $48 million.
Several moments stood out to GM Michael Scott during Perth Arena’s first full year. After a stressful start when George Michael canceled his Australian tour and, consequently, the opening performance at the venue, AEG Ogden stepped in and delivered a successful grand opening performance featuring Sir Elton John last November. Also, the venue was able to bring Disney on Ice back to Perth for the first time in more than a decade.
“It was amazing to see so many generations return to see Disney On Ice after all that time — not just people with kids,” said Scott.
The arena’s highest gross came from four shows with Pink, which brought in more than $7 million.
“Being in Western Australia, we are often first on the touring schedule and, for Pink, the crew was here the week before the shows, too,” said Scott. “It’s a great atmosphere knowing that you’re leading up to some very special shows.”
Hosting Cirque du Soleil’s Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour pushed the boundaries at Perth Arena. The Sept. 18-22 shows were the first time the venue had hosted something that required such an elaborate setup, and paid off with a gross of nearly $6.9 million. Scott called the setup a challenge, but “also a really good showcase of what Perth Arena is capable of.”
Next year, the venue will focus on activating its outdoor spaces and developing products like Total Concert Experience and Sky Dining.
Contact: +61 8 6365 0700
SAP Center Fills the Shark Tank
Changing its name didn’t slow down business at the venue.
It’s more than just hockey at SAP Center at San Jose, Calif., which ended the year with 96 events for a gross of more than $96 million.
“It’s really a function of having great relationships with our promoters and working hard to secure as many events as we can,” said Director of Event Booking Steve Kirsner. “We were able to manipulate the calendar leading up to hockey finalizing its dates.”
SAP Center changed its name in the summer, but according to GM Jim Goddard, it was a move that made sense because of the facility’s main tenant. The owner of the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League is also the founder of SAP.
“It reinforces his commitment to our marketplace,” said Goddard. “Plus, it’s still a tech company, which fits well in our market.”
The venue hosted one date with the Rolling Stones that grossed more than $4.5 million. The May 8 date required a long booking process.
“We had been engaged in discussions for a long time,” said Kirsner. “You never know for sure until the show goes on sale, but we were in touch with the decision-makers throughout the process and they assured us we would get a date.”
Of the events at SAP Center each year, about one-third consist of Sharks games, with close to 35 concerts each year and around 50 family show performances.
Contact: (408) 999-5792
Pink adds her signature to a plaque commemorating her 18 sold-out performances at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia.
Seeing Pink
Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena hosts an 18-show marathon of Pink.
This year, everyone was seeing Pink at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena, where the pop star’s Truth About Love tour brought her back to the arena for the first time since her 17-concert run in 2009. She broke her own record by selling out 18 shows this year for a gross of more than $30 million.
“We can never say ‘never,’ but this is a record that is hard to imagine being broken,” said Melbourne & Olympic Parks CEO Brian Morris. “Pink moved a quarter of a million tickets here alone — the significant economic impact of this tour for Victoria cannot be downplayed.”
To celebrate the achievement, Rod Laver Arena set a star in stone outside the venue’s main entry.
“We also wanted a legacy item inside the arena, so we market the 18 concerts on a specially-designed pink door number 18,” said Morris. “Our patrons loved it and, with Pink part of all the promotion, the items gained widespread publicity for the venue.”
Apart from the Australian Open, which fills the venue with tennis for six weeks in the winter, most of the arena’s content is made up of concerts. Next year, Dolly Parton and Bruno Mars are scheduled, as well as four shows with Michael Buble.
Contact: + 61 3 9286 1600
Canada’s Top Stop
Bell Centre in Montreal proved the place to play With 79 events grossing more than $49 million, Bell Centre earned the distinction of most successful Canadian arena on this year’s Top Stops.
For multiple dates, Bon Jovi sold-out three shows at the venue in 2013, with Rihanna and Pink both having two sold-out dates. One Direction’s July date sold out nearly one year in advance, and this year marked Oprah Winfrey’s first appearance at the venue.
“The consistency of ticket sales and this year’s number of sellouts indicate that Quebec’s economy remains strong for the concert business,” said Jacque Aubé, VP and GM at Evenko, the largest independent promoter and producer in Canada that works extensively with Bell Centre, as both are owned by the same group headed by Geoff Molson.
Montreal has always been a strong market for UFC, and with popular UFC Champion Georges St-Pierre being from the city, the crowds at UFC events have been stronger than ever. Two sold-out UFC matches featuring St-Pierre grossed more than $6.7 million total.
Cirque du Soleil’s Saltimbanco had a strong holiday run Dec. 19-30, 2012, when the arena show came back to Montreal before retiring after 20 years of touring.
Contact: (514) 925-2005
Rio Rocks
Rock in Rio brings more than 600,000 to Cidade do Rock.
Huge festival Rock in Rio sold out seven days at Rio de Janiero’s Cidade do Rock for a gross of more than $54 million. This year’s headliners included Beyonce, Muse, Metallica, and Bruce Springsteen, as well as Justin Timberlake and Iron Maiden.
“We had a presale with no band announced in November 2012 where we sold out 80,000 tickets in 52 minutes,” said Rock in Rio CEO Luis Justo. In regular ticket sales in May, the remaining tickets sold out in four hours and four minutes.
The venue is a public space that is rented for the festival each year.
“We design the site and have an agreement for use with City Hall,” said Justo.
During the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Cidade do Rock will be used as a warm-up and training area for the athletes.
Contact: atencionalcliente@evenpro.com