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| gimmekeef |
July 5, 2006
It’s only rock ’n’ roll, but Mayor Kelly likes it
City to roll out $100,000 red carpet for rumoured Stones concert
Mick Jagger performs with the Rolling Stones in Moncton, N.B., last summer. (File)
By BILL POWER Staff Reporter
Many people were humming familiar rock tunes at Halifax city hall Tuesday as council agreed to pony up $100,000 to help open the door for what Mayor Peter Kelly described as the biggest entertainment event in the city’s history.
The wallet was out but lips were sealed as to what bands are expected to play at a massive concert on the Halifax Commons that is expected to draw more people than the memorable event that welcomed Pope John Paul II to the city in 1984.
"I do not want to say anything to fuel the already wild speculation that is underway about which acts are expected," the mayor said.
There have been widespread rumours that Mick and Keith and the boys will headline the show. But the phrase Rolling Stones was not heard officially at city hall on Tuesday.
All that is known is major acts and huge crowds are expected.
"Outlying hotels and motels will benefit," Mr. Kelly said.
He confirmed Sept. 23 is a date that has been mentioned in negotiations between the World Trade and Convention Centre and Donald K. Donald Promotions of Montreal, but logistics and the municipality’s expected liabilities have dominated the talks. The lineup of performers has not been finalized, he said.
Mr. Kelly said it is up to the promoter to announce the lineup. Officials with Donald K. Donald did not respond to inquiries Tuesday.
The mayor did confirm the concert will occur on the Halifax Commons and not on Citadel Hill, a smaller venue that has hosted several major rock shows.
He said the configuration of the concert site may resemble the arrangement for the pope’s visit, when a stage was erected near the intersection of Cogswell and North Park streets and an estimated 30,000 people turned out to hear him speak.
Mr. Kelly said the municipality will hold firm on its $100,000 share of the anticipated costs of hosting the concert. The money will go toward extra policing and cleanup expenses.
He defended holding closed-door talks on the concert contract at city hall. The talks went on for about two hours before a public session of regional council got underway.
"The contractual signoffs will be soon, within the next two weeks," he said. "And we had to understand the parameters that we would be engaged in this process."
But two councillors stormed out of the closed session, complaining the contract talks should be open to the public.
"The taxpayers are footing the bills, they should know what is happening," Coun. Gloria McCluskey (Dartmouth Centre) complained after she walked out.
She paced the hallway for some time and then headed to the councillors’ offices after council shot down her bid to discuss the contract in public.
Ms. McCluskey said a similar sort of "unnecessary" secrecy has surrounded talks relating to Halifax’s bid to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
"It’s a waste of time being in there until we find out what we’re voting on," said Coun. Andrew Younger (East Dartmouth-The Lakes), who also walked out.
He, too, favoured discussing the contract at a regular council meeting open to the public.
Mr. Kelly stood by the decision to discuss the contract in private and said details will be publicized in the coming weeks.
"It will be one of the largest events we’ve held," he said. "There were 30,000 people when the pope was here. This one is beyond that."
At Tuesday night’s regular council meeting, councillors formally agreed to the $100,000 commitment in a 17-4 vote with minimal debate.
( [email protected])
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| jb |
Charlie won't like the headline.... |
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| glencar |
Yet he'll still take the money! |
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| jb |
mini tour=tough sell |
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| glencar |
Agreed! |
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| jb |
[quote]glencar wrote:
Agreed!
[/quot
attendance will be down, prices higher. |
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| Some Guy |
concert is a dud. |
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| glencar |
"bust" is the correct word, my georgian pal! |
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| Some Guy |
dud is the new bust |
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| glencar |
Funny man!!! |
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| voodoopug |
quote:
jb wrote:
[quote]glencar wrote:
Agreed!
[/quot
attendance will be down, prices higher.
Thankfully Young Jake (now called "Jacob") has come of age and can paper any house in North America, although many Euro shows will be a tough fill due to the lack of interest in the band. (Combined with David Hassellhoff's recent injury, and world cup fever) |
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| glencar |
I will refrain from any posting about Jake Cohl. |
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| Dan |
quote:
voodoopug wrote:
Thankfully Young Jake (now called "Jacob") has come of age and can paper any house in North America,
Where the hell are all these mythical free tickets? I only saw one, in Anaheim, and had to pay $20 for it. |
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| gimmekeef |
Regardless of what happens elsewhere this Halifax show will be very well attended.Easy sell out...Look for other lesser market places too...Bigger demand if they've never/seldom been there... |
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| Lazy Bones |
quote:
gimmekeef wrote:
Regardless of what happens elsewhere this Halifax show will be very well attended.Easy sell out...Look for other lesser market places too...Bigger demand if they've never/seldom been there...
Atlanta is home to many smart people.
See Moncton...
[Edited by Lazy Bones] |
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| gimmekeef |
You headin down lazy?...Should be a great time...Schooner for all! |
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| voodoopug |
quote:
Dan wrote:
Where the hell are all these mythical free tickets? I only saw one, in Anaheim, and had to pay $20 for it.
I have heard rumors that there were tickets in Anaheim, but some had to pay $20.
These tickets are papered through the promoters, and many associated with the tour. VIP's are flown in, Corporations are given LARGE discounts on entire sections (See General Motors in Detroit). The freebies go out to the movers and shakers in the business world. |
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| Lazy Bones |
quote:
gimmekeef wrote:
You headin down lazy?...Should be a great time...Schooner for all!
It will be a great time - if it flies. Those Eastern kids know how to party.
No-can-do, though. I'm seeing Eric Clapton in Toronto the following day.
I'll have a few Moosehead's and relish a sold-out show in their honour, regardless! |
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| jb |
Maybe Cindy Shehan and that perky breakfest crew from Fox can cover itz? |
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| Lazy Bones |
quote:
jb wrote:
Maybe Cindy Shehan and that perky breakfest crew from Fox can cover itz?
Think they know where Halifax is? |
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| jb |
quote:
Lazy Bones wrote:
Think they know where Halifax is?
O'Riley will do a "factor" episode on it . |
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| glencar |
My sister-in-law is from that area. You would think it was God's pasture to hear her talk about it. |
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
Drop everything: Bring on the Stones
By Roger Taylor
chroncile herald
July 8, 2006
THE ROLLING STONES are considered by many to be the globe’s greatest rock band, so who am I to say it might not be such a great idea to bring them to Halifax on Sept. 23 for a concert on the Commons?
If the Stones do come to Halifax that weekend, however, it will be an embarrassment of riches for local businesses, which will already be benefiting from a multitude of other events planned for the same weekend, probably to the point where many will be forced to turn people away.
The biggest draw to the city on that Saturday, in addition to the Stones, will be the NHL exhibition game between the New York Islanders and the Boston Bruins, booked for the Metro Centre. The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators will play a game the following day.
But that’s not all. One of my favourite Canadian singer-songwriters, Sarah Harmer, will be competing for audience with the Stones, and the NHL exhibition game, when she performs at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium that evening.
And, don’t forget the closing gala for the Atlantic Film Festival, also scheduled for that Saturday night.
The Saint Mary’s Huskies football team will be hosting l’Université-de-Montréal Carabins at Husky Stadium on Saturday afternoon. And Dalhousie University’s men’s and women’s soccer teams will be hosting Memorial University in games at Wickwire Field.
There are plenty of other things going on that weekend, including the annual Word on the Street book festival, planned for Sept. 24 at the Cunard Event Centre (formally Pier 23) on the Halifax waterfront.
This might be one of those times the oft-used phrase "it’s a zoo" might truly be apt in describing the traffic and sea of humanity that will be invading peninsular Halifax.
Good luck trying to get around the city that weekend.
I also hope the RCMP is prepared for the amount of traffic coming from all over the place and funnelling into the strict confines of the peninsula. It should be bumper-to-bumper traffic on the highways leading to Halifax, and it will probably be the same when they leave.
Too bad the Stones couldn’t play Halifax on some other date or, as an alternative, have the concert at Truro Raceway or some similar venue that can be more easily accessed by multiple routes. Halifax would still benefit because it is just an hour’s drive away but for logistical reasons, the Halifax Commons might not make the best sense.
If the Stones do come to Halifax, the city will finally be able to remove that chip it has had on its shoulder ever since rival Moncton was able to attract the Stones last year.
Regional council voted to contribute $100,000 to the promoters who are said to be trying to bring the Stones to Halifax, and some were heard to boast Halifax will finally be able to show Moncton how to run an event of this size.
The arts community complains it is too difficult to find the kind of support the Stones seem to be getting from regional council. They suggest the $100,000 handed over to the promoters could have been better allocated to events such as the annual Atlantic Jazz Festival, which claims to attract 50,000 people over a number of days each July.
Last year, I wondered aloud why the Rolling Stones might have chosen to play Magnetic Hill rather than a venue in Halifax and mused that the veteran rockers have become little more than a bunch of has-beens willing to go anywhere for the money.
I can’t say my opinion of the Rolling Stones has changed much but I have to give them credit for their ability to create hype.
Moncton went way over budget for policing, and I don’t think the $100,000 contributed by Halifax regional council is going to cover the cost of policing the Halifax concert either. Then there is the cost of providing medical care, which also went over budget at the Magnetic Hill concert.
Then there will be cleanup during and after the concert. If Halifax matches Moncton in drawing 70,000 or more to the concert, the crowd will likely make the sports fields at the Commons unusable for the rest of the year, and they will probably need to be rehabilitated next year.
While September seems like a long way away right now, in reality, the Sept. 23 date doesn’t leave much time for the type of complex planning needed to host such an event.
Hopefully, Halifax will be up to the challenge. |
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| gimmekeef |
Moncton vs Halifax?....who knew?? |
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| mac_daddy |
maybe robert frank (who lives up there) can schedule a screening of csblues to crrespond with the event - that would be friggin' sweet!!!! |
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| TomL |
Nice but I had my share at SARS. That was my last big one. Great for NS. |
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