THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 18, 1996 TAG: 9610180013
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: 43 lines
So far so good.
That's the consensus as Virginia Beach officials study season-end reports for the new 20,000-seat Virginia Beach Amphitheater.
With healthy-sized crowds and brisk concession sales - despite cool rainy weather and a scarcity of really great bands for booking agents to choose from - the city stands to make about $825,000, or a 7.8 percent return on its investment, since the amphitheater opened in May.
That's excellent. In an interview last week Patricia Phillips, the city's finance director, said that with normal financial practices the city would be lucky to see returns in excess of 5 percent on most municipal investments. And those investments would not be nearly as entertaining as The Eagles, Rod Stewart or Bruce Hornsby.
Cellar Door Venues and amphitheater management learned a few things from the inaugural summer that should result in improvements next year: more Jimmy Buffett (he was the summer's lone sell out) and less Alice Cooper, for one thing. And more baby boomer bands and fewer heavy metal or country singers generally.
While some overly optimistic amphitheater supporters were predicting a $1 million return the first year, they couldn't have predicted an unseasonably cool and rainy summer which made the open-air venue a damp adventure many nights.
Still, profits from the first season were almost $100,000 above the $730,000 guaranteed to Virginia Beach under the terms of its contract with Cellar Door and that's a good start.
Virginia Beach should be congratulated for taking a chance that music lovers would travel away from the popular Oceanfront and risk sitting in the rain to hear some of their favorite bands in an acoustically fine-tuned arena.
While the city took the financial risk, the amphitheater is a big plus for the entire region.
Now that the booking agents know what the people want to hear, there should be fewer duds on stage next summer. And improved shuttle service to the amphitheater may make it even more convenient to enjoy Hampton Roads' latest attraction. by CNB