THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 15, 1996 TAG: 9603150660
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM HOLDEN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines
With a mid-May opening staring them in the face, the Virginia Beach Amphitheater's promoters announced the premier season's artistic lineup Thursday.
Topping the list is Williamsburg native Bruce Hornsby, a Grammy-winning pianist and songwriter who will take the stage May 15 for the inaugural show at the $17.5 million concert venue.
Hornsby will be followed two days later by Rod Stewart, a rock icon whose most famous work appeals to the classic rock fans who are thought to be a core audience for the amphitheater.
County music stars Vince Gill and Patty Loveless will perform May 18, while Jimmy Buffett, an enormously popular songwriter and storyteller, and his Coral Reefer Band are scheduled in August.
Promoters added that negotiations with a range of performing artists are under way, and more concerts will be announced this spring. The amphitheater will host 30 to 35 shows this year.
``In the coming months, you'll see the shows at the amphitheater will not be skewed one way or another to any kind of musical taste,'' said Mike Tabor, the amphitheater's general manager.
Altogether, 10 acts were announced by Cellar Door Productions of Virginia, the concert promoting company that owns the amphitheater along with the Virginia Beach Development Authority. The facility will be owned by the development authority and leased to Cellar Door for 30 years.
Of the $17.5 million total cost, $10.5 million is public money, with the rest coming from Cellar Door, which operates companies from Milwaukee and Washington, D.C., to Atlanta and Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
As the concert announcement was made in the City Council chambers Thursday afternoon, workers at the amphitheater site about a mile to the north were feverishly working to complete the facility.
Work had been slowed by the unusually cold winter, but city officials declared the project on schedule. It is 80 percent complete.
The 93-acre site is at Princess Anne and Dam Neck roads (formerly Landstown), adjacent to Princess Anne Park. With seating for 20,000 people, 7,500 of whom will be under the covered pavilion, the amphitheater is expected to energize the local concert scene.
Bill Reid, local president of Cellar Door, also announced that Miller Brewing Co. will be the first corporate sponsor and this year's lineup will be called the ``Miller Concert Series.'' Negotiations also are under way for a main sponsor that would hold part of the amphitheater's permanent name.
Reid said his company is seeking several sponsors and, depending on negotiations, they will be granted advertising rights at important kiosks and other high traffic areas within the facility.
The amphitheater also will have corporate boxes close to the stage, featuring four to eight seats each.
A one-year lease on a four-seat corporate box will cost $9,900. A three-year lease lowers the annual rate to $8,950. The price includes two parking passes, tickets to all shows, special access to food and drinks, and a private wait staff.
A one year-lease on an eight-seat box runs $19,800. A three-year lease costs $17,900 per year, and includes all the perks. ILLUSTRATION: Color photos
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JOB FAIR
Cellar Door will hold a job fair to fill an estimated 600 to 700
part-time jobs for ushers, ticket takers, concessions, T-shirt
sellers, parking, housekeeping, stagehands and box office
positions.
The fair will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 30, at
Landstown Elementary School, next to the amphitheater.
by CNB