Huntington Center

I agree. It's certainly strange that a building project that cost tax payers over $100 mil is without events during the summer and only sporadically during the other seasons. Maybe they don't want to compete with the Mudhens. Both enterprises are run by the Mudhens, after all.

That building should have something going on in it several times a week, 52-weeks a year. Toledo and Lucas County financed enterprises are run in a very weird way, in my estimation.

There are a lot of summer concert tours and other fun stuff. Supply of potential events should not be an issue.

Perhaps a lack of local (private) promoters with the (a) experience and (b) financial backing has a role? Other venues (Zoo concert series, Centennial Terrace, DTE Theatre) suck the oxygen/money out of potential shows at Huntington? Just spitballin'...

Very odd to say the least.

Van Halen cancelled their July show.

but the financing for the huntington center was based on an unrealistically high number of events... the commissioners ought to be asked specifics about how this impacts the center's and the county's finances

Does the fact that Cirque du Soleil was here Friday night count?

I'm not curious about the finances and impacts and such, I just want to know what the point of having the arena is if it isn't used for an entire quarter of the year.

Like OHT said, there is no shortage of summer concert tours and arena style entertainment in general. I don't think the zoo and Centennial Terrace have any impact on whats booked at Huntington as the acts booked there probably couldn't fill half the arena. Some singers/bands might choose DTE over Huntington for the capacity, but I have seen some tours come to both places. That could be part of it as far as concerts go I guess.

Justread - its awesome that Cirque was just here...world class entertainment for sure. What now though? The next things on the arenas schedule are hockey games and the circus, and if I'm not mistaken those things were happening BEFORE we had a $100 million dollar venue.

Found this earlier, wonder if they'll keep that ranking next year...

http://huntingtoncentertoledo.com/news.asp?id=73

That's an interesting theory, Pete. I wouldn't put it past them.

The commissioners need to be asked a lot of things about the arena and the teams operated by Toledo Arena Sports, Inc. since MANY people are feeling let down about more than just not enough events over the summer like why it's acceptable to everyone in charge that the hockey team is such a piece of crap.

The Huntington Center is operated by SMG, which has plenty of experience booking and promoting big acts. I believe the Zoo and others mentioned are all LiveNation, which is bigger in the industry, not that it's any excuse.

It's a shame that nothing is going on there. Even a monster truck or other BS would be something for the many downtown restaurants and such that were also promised some trickle down from the arena.

I know that there is a private event there this weekend, there may be others that help fill in the open dates. It seems that traditionally Toledo's entertainment moves outside in the summer months.

WalleyeWinger- JNP Concerts does Centennial, at least the "national" acts.

Could the lack of quality hotel options downtown be killing the convention business as well or is all that still going to Seagate?

Not that Toledo is a major convention draw, but something has to be out there the city can get.

I posted a thread about the Cirque Du Soleil show I saw a few days ago at the Huntington Center. I am a lifetime resident of Toledo – that was my first show at the Huntington Center. I was tempted to mention my impressions about the facility but tried to stay on comment about the show.

Speaking just from my own experience I am 43 years old. When I was in my mid-teens to early 20’s concerts were plentiful and enjoyable. I had no qualms ponying up $20 for Ozzy, AC DC, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden tickets (quit laughing…) at the Sports Arena and then driving North to the Detroit area for the bigger shows like The Who. When I was younger we went to concerts. The young people I know today go to Clubs but not many concerts.

It could just be me but it seems like the concert dynamic has changed. There does not seem like there are a plethora of bands drawing steady streams of young fans out to shows on a regular, steady basis filling small, mid-size and large arenas. Sure, there are exceptions but many of my devoted music friends my age and younger are more enticed by some of your smaller Indie type bands that stick to smaller regions and smaller clubs. I know I’ve travelled a few hundred miles to pay $8 to see a band near Columbus and such. Concerts and music have changed.

In regards to the Huntington Center lineup for the summer (which looks like there is no lineup) - For comparison here is a list of upcoming Palace acts up near Detroit: (This includes the Palace, DTE and Meadowbrook Festival) Notice how many of these acts are still “hanging on” to the crowd that is my age or older. I mean dudes… Rush, Huey Lewis… Neil Diamond for God’s sake. Eventually these guys will have to call it quits and then who is going to be going to live performances?
http://www.palacenet.com/splash.php

I do not really know if the Huntington Center can sustain itself based on the changing entertainment dynamic for younger people unless they get really creative. Oh boy, do I smell an operating levy in the future? (just kidding – I hope)….. Also, they are competing with the new casino, all the music venues near Detroit and don’t forget Ann Arbor which draws a lot more quality IMO. Many younger people I know have all been to the casino but few to the Huntington Center.

So a diverse lineup of music, and other type shows and sporting events is probably there best bet but despite my enjoyment of the show the other night I can’t tell you what will draw me back. I am not a big hockey fan and prefer smaller clubs for music.

Re: Impressions on the Huntington Center – Good seats, good parking – limited concession options.

I suggest that Rush and Huey Lewis are not comparables. Rush kicked serious rear end at the Huntington last year, also, btw.

But on the larger point, I agree that it seems underutilized. I think that the concert business does kind of move outside in the summer. The Zoo has a pretty strong line up.

I hope that the Hutington can sustain itself. I'm guessing that the increasing technological expectations of the youngins will help drive a newer, indoor facility like the Huntington. I don't want to see an operating levy.

Part of me wonders if it would have looked so bleak if VH hadn't canceled.

I think mailmanrandy hit the nail on the head. Other venues had to deal with NOTHING downtown to host a quality show so they adjusted and created their own venues. Now we have a bunch of dogs fighting over a ever increasingly smaller bone.

I think the trend in music moving to electronica/dance/hip hop has hurt the live music scene. Singer songwriter used to be mainstream now it's related to the fringe of the music world. An artist communicating his message to an audience WAS music, not how sweet the dance beat was. You can get the bass beat on your stereo at home, you just don't get the same connection to "sexy and you know it" or the Black Eyed Peas goofing around in space gear on stage. I don't know to many grown men who are going to drop 65 dollar to see Will I Am dressed like a Klingon for 2 hours. Music today is built for the club and not for the arena.

Rock and Roll is deader than a door knob, save a couple of bands like the Black Keys, Jack White, or Rival Sons there is no rock scene. Bands like Nickleback, Chris Daughtry, and Seether are not rock & roll. It's modern day Bon Jovi written for soccer moms. There is no edge left to rock music and it leads to adult males walking away from it.

Music columnist compares Nickleback show to hitting self with hammer

Nickelback and the economy share something in common: they both suck.

You're not going to find many people 18-30 who are going to drop $65+ to see any act live (and that's before the facility fee, parking, and the infamous Ticketbastard "inconvenience you to use your own printer and ink to print tickets"-type charges) But they might have $10 to see someone live in a club setting.

Also the "in thing" is to be a hipster and like some obscure band you've probably never heard of, not some geriatric rock stars who sold out long ago and keep touring because they have nothing better to do or are flat broke because between their shitty contracts and their drug habits or money-blowing binges. Let's not forget some other trainwreck younger people too (Britney Spears comes to mind) that were foisted onto us by the record labels courtesy of Auto-Tune™ and a team of songwriters who have fewer musical instrument playing skills than Keyboard Cat.

"I'm not curious about the finances and impacts and such"

You should be. Your tax dollars are paying for it. And, if they don't book enough acts to pay the mortgage, the county will be looking for even more of your tax dollars to sustain it.

I've enjoyed the events I've attended at the HC but to sit empty with no acts for five months??!! Only a facility built with public $$ would consider that a good business plan.

I wish the Huntington Center could have booked the Red Hot Chili Peppers tour. My husband would really like to see them in concert at least once before they stop touring, and we had a conflict with the Detroit show in June.

(I'm actually thinking about buying him tickets to the Milwaukee show for Father's Day, just to make sure he gets to a show. It's the next closest city left on the tour.)

It does surprise me that it will be this long without an event.

Though someone above mentioned that there is a private event booked for this weekend. (Wonder how many, if any, more private events are booked there that we don't know about? Hopefully at least a few.)

Yeah, I know there was supposed to be the Van Halen show in July, but that's still only one event that was originally scheduled.

I've been to the Huntington Center more times than I can count - several concerts, shows, and sporting events. Hell, I even spent the night there once (Scout Sleepover). Always have had an enjoyable experience.

Would still be nice to see more events scheduled though. I wonder if comparable arenas have the same gaps? (Maybe I'll check the schedule for Van Andel in Grand Rapids...)

I could see it being an issue of competition with other venues combined with it really only being suitable for big performances.

For one, it's summer. There are quite a few big-name concerts going on in Toledo this summer, and they're all at outdoor venues. During the warm weather, who wants to be stuck inside when you can be partying outside?

Second, Huntington Center is a big arena, and it probably has a considerable overhead when events are held there. So there's probably a pretty high break-even point, which means a show would have to bring in a substantial crowd to make it worth having. So if the outdoor venues are getting first dibs on the big acts, smaller acts probably aren't a feasible backup plan for an arena.

FWIW, it looks like Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids has a similar summer scheduling lull:

Jun 24 CHEAP TRICK with special guests THE VERVE PIPE and MID-LIFE CRISIS

Jul 19 The Fresh Music Festival

Jul 26 VAN HALEN (Postponed)

Sep 9 BIG TIME RUSH "BIG TIME SUMMER TOUR"

Sep 20 - Sep 23 RINGLING BROS. AND BARNUM & BAILEY CIRCUS - FULLY CHARGED

(I used Van Andel as a comparison, because I think it's a comparable facility based on my experience attending a concert there last year.)

You'll all laugh at this, but now that I see there's a Big Time Rush tour I'm disappointed that it didn't come to Toledo.

I absolutely would have taken my kids to that show at the Huntington Center. Wouldn't go out of my way to take them out of town for it, but I'd definitely take them to a Toledo show.

There's really no excuse for having absolutely nothing for five months, aside from private events. Doing a little bit of searching does show that other similar-sized arenas are not booked solid over the summer but they have more than zero events on the agenda.

Perhaps they need to evaluate how much they are charging for operations as a possible reason why nothing is being booked. Why book a convention or other similar event at the HC when Seagate charges undoubtably charges less? What about WWE, children's events, comedy tours, boxing, motocross? Sure, none of those are A-list events but still better than the goose egg.

Van Andel is slightly bigger but is also one of the top grossing arenas in the country if you take hockey out of the equation. They are also managed by SMG interestingly enough.

Here's an interesting story about a city promised the moon prior to the opening of their 6,000-seat arena only to find out that it sure didn't work out that way: http://blog.ticketforce.com/2011/07/11/big-companies-midsize-arenas-small-towns-ious/

Interesting quick link found on the Huntington Center website:
http://www.huntingtoncentertoledo.com/about/

Of special note from the link: (pay attention to the last sentence…)
Huntington Center is managed by SMG. SMG is the world leader in venue management, marketing and development. SMG provides facility services to more than 200 venues in 41 states, Puerto Rico, Canada and Europe. SMG is committed to excellence and versatility in making Huntington Center the premier stopping point for national touring concerts and performances including musicians from every genre and world renowned family shows as well as local, state and regional sporting events.

I'd love to see Coldplay. ( I can hear the stampede to the exits by the males. )

Major (country) concert announcement tomorrow morning at 7:30am. I heard it's in August, not for positive.

One thing all you naysayers have to remember scheduling these types of events are a huge task. A lot of variables come into play when doing this, so if it's an off summer, big deal. It's been a great ROI in my opinion and not every year is going to be a tightly packed schedule all year.

Hope no one things I was being a naysayer just because I also mused about the summer schedule. I really enjoy the Huntington Center and attend a variety of events there throughout the year.

I don't think it's the end of the world that the summer schedule is slow, but it would be nice to see a few more events added. Nice to hear there may be something in progress for August.

I would imagine the events would need a desire to even come to Toledo in the first place.

Still too many dark days in my opinion. It has to be tough on the employees of HC who have to endure long stretches on uncertainty. I really like the venue and think it is awesome.

Sure scheduling these types of events is a huge task but it's someone's job to do that professionally for a living. Surgeons perform the huge task of brain surgery daily because that's their job.

Not every year will be a tightly packed schedule but going months without a single event is just ridiculous.

The HC is great and I'm glad we finally got a modern arena, but let's not forget what we gave up in order to get it. Formerly located at 209 N Superior was Club Bijou, one of downtown's only remaining theaters and concert venues. I don't know how many people it held, but it hosted a number of well-known and local musical acts, and was a very cool venue for downtown. I remember going to see The Allman Brothers and a battle of the bands there, amongst many club nights. Another treasure removed in the name of progress.

I honestly wouldn't want a full schedule during the summer because I would miss most of it. I would rather be outside at a Hens game or doing other things outside then going to events indoors. I prefer to do that while the weather isn't so nice...So, I don't necessarily care.

Hoops - a lot of the vendors work at 5/3rd field for the Summer and HC for the winter (or during special events). Also, aren't a lot of the concessions manned by volunteers?

I was thinking more of the facilities people, ushers, etc. I do believe concession workers can work at all three sites..Seagate Convention included.

Major (country) concert announcement tomorrow morning at 7:30am. I heard it's in August, not for positive.

I'm assuming that the big show avinsurer was talking about is the Rascal Flatts show announced for October 4th.

I saw them at the Huntington Center for the 2010 show with Darius Rucker. It was a great show - packed house and the crowd seemed to be very entertained.

6th floor all your posts operate in a absence of reality. 329 has little to do with the arena. Diva that operated there was dependent upon lunch hour foot traffic from the 5/3 headquarters. The relocation of the headquarters has made that location significantly less viable. They were smart to exit when they did and refocus on the Secor Hotel. As for 329 if you know of some of the people involved in the promotion of it initially you knew they were doomed.

Everyone should cringe a restaurant failed. I guess that means Levis and the Arrowhead area are doomed also if the measuring stick is if a restaurant fails. New York City must be on the way down also I heard a restraurant failed there.

329 only opened back on New Year's Eve, so they had a short run. It's a decent building, despite being a 'tunnel bar' (long and narrow). I think the isolated location, not being close to other bars and restaurants, may have been a factor in their closing.