
DATE: Saturday, October 18, 1997            TAG: 9710180339

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MIKE ABRAMS, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   92 lines

ATTENDANCE, INCOME RISE AT THE BEACH AMPHITHEATER FIVE ACTS BROUGHT CAPACITY CROWDS.

Global pop balladeer Elton John, the nomadic band Phish and high voltage singer Tina Turner, all sellouts, propelled the GTE Virginia Beach Amphitheater's attendance up 10 percent in the venue's second season.

Five acts brought capacity crowds of 20,000 to the arena, the others were Jimmy Buffett and FM99's Lunatic Luau, where the throngs enjoyed postcard weather and downed thousands of beers, bottles of water and personal pizzas.

``We pretty much hit it all,'' said Bill Reid, president of Cellar Door Productions of Virginia Inc., which runs the facility. ``We had rhythm and blues, country, classic rock. We had Tina Turner, The Who. When was the last time you saw The Who?''

Roughly 330,000 people passed through the amphitheater gates during the April-October season,up from last year's 300,000. Cellar Door released its unofficial season-ending numbers this week.

Among them:

Including the five sellouts, eight of the season's 33 shows attracted crowds of at least 16,000. Several others surpassed the 10,000 mark.

The place grossed about $6.25 million, roughly the same as it did in 1996.

Concession sales reached about $2.5 million, up several hundred thousand dollars.

The amphitheater posted the numbers despite design flaws making much of the facility inaccessible to disabled patrons, renewed criticism that the original schedule of acts wasn't diverse enough and continued noise complaints from some nearby residents.

In July, the city settled a lawsuit filed by the Endependence Center. The Norfolk group's complaint argued that the amphitheater lacked basic accessibility features.

The city agreed to adjust parking areas, improve wheelchair-accessible seating, add restroom equipment and correct other problems.

``Much of the work was to take place between the seasons because of the major structural work required,'' said Maureen Hollowell, education services coordinator with the Endependence Center.

Work on the diversity front, however, began almost immediately.

Cellar Door's Reid said the talent that performed through the season - from George Clinton to John Tesh to Sheryl Crow - represented a range of styles and tastes.

The promoters worked with the Beach chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to build a more diverse bill and attract a wider audience. In one of several efforts, the NAACP gave away about 400 tickets as part of a membership drive.

Two early season shows that figured to appeal to a broader audience - Smokin' Grooves and Mini-Fest II - drew sparse crowds of less than 5,000. A later show featuring Earth, Wind & Fire did better.

Karlton Hilton, a member of the NAACP's executive board, said pre-show publicity made the difference.

``We had some well-received events,'' he said. ``Planning and publicity will pay off.''

In the future, he said, fans could be treated to groups from the Caribbean, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Europe.

Amphitheater officials also want to increase the number of shows in the season from 33 to 40 and boost the number of tourists buying tickets. They agree it may take a few years for out-of-towners to learn about the arena.

Already, though, the venue is proving to be a solid investment for the Beach. The city put $10.5 million into the $17 million facility.

Cellar Door leases the buildings and subleases the land. It must return to the city a minimum of $730,000 annually until the original investment is paid off. That money comes out of ticket and concession taxes and a percentage of sponsorship and parking revenue.

Last year, Cellar Door failed to turn a profit but contributed $830,000 to city coffers. Reid said the company could see a profit this year, although he doesn't yet know what this year's payment will be.

``It will be more than what we gave them last year,'' he predicted.

Mark Wawner, project development manager in the city's Economic Development Department, said the amphitheater has surpassed expectations.

``It's huge,'' he said. ``It's the best thing that happened not only to the city but the whole region. It's bigger than a major league sports team. It increases the city's identity.'' ILLUSTRATION: Graphic

1997'S TOP 10

1. Elton John, Oct. 11, 20,000

2. Jimmy Buffett, June 11, 20,000

3. Tina Turner, July 3, 20,000

4. Phish, July 21, 20,000

5. FM99 Lunatic Luau, Sept. 14, 20,000

6. James Taylor, Aug. 23, 18,200

7. No Doubt, June 17, 18,200

8. Counting Crows/The Wallflowers, Aug. 2, 16,000

9. Aerosmith, July 29, 11,000

10. Hank Williams Jr./Travis Tritt, Sept. 12, 11,000

Source: Cellar Door Productions of Virginia Inc. KEYWORDS: GTE VIRGINIA BEACH AMPHITHEATER