At the Luke: Kenny Chesney
Kenny Chesney will headline the first concert at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sept. 13, but industry insiders predict that live music will be a rare attraction at the new NFL facility.
It's unreasonable to expect more than one or two concerts per year, says Gary Bongiovanni, editor of concert industry magazine Pollstar.
"That's going to be typical of every stadium," Bongiovanni says. "It's not something that's specific to Indianapolis."
For starters, Chesney is one of few touring acts that can attract tens of thousands of paying customers in multiple cities. A short list of peers includes the Dave Matthews Band (which played two dates at 24,000-capacity Verizon Wireless Music Center this summer), Jimmy Buffett (who played one date at Verizon this summer) and Miley Cyrus (who sold out 18,000-capacity Conseco Fieldhouse last December).
The production cost for the Chesney show -- which doesn't include undisclosed fees paid to the headliner and supporting acts Keith Urban, LeAnn Rimes, Gary Allan and Luke Bryan -- is $1.4 million, according to show promoter Louis Messina.
"That's why I have ulcers, why I'm on nerve medication and why I see a therapist three times a week," says Messina, the Houston-based entrepreneur who staged his first show in a stadium when the Louisiana Superdome opened in 1975. "I ask myself, 'Am I really doing this? Am I crazy?'."
Anxiety aside, Messina's partnership with Chesney is working out. Lucas Oil Stadium will be the 11th NFL stadium on this summer's "Poets & Pirates" tour, and about $3 million in tickets have sold for each.
The single-day concert is a weeklong commitment for Lucas Oil Stadium. A road crew began building Chesney's stage on Sept. 8, and the last of the tour's 55 trucks will roll out of town on Sept. 15.
'N Sync was the last mainstream act to perform at the RCA Dome, now the former home of the Indianapolis Colts. Justin Timberlake and Co. attracted 32,000 fans in 2001.
Messina says it was important for Chesney, who has a well-documented friendship with Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, to make a mark at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The stadium will have a capacity of 52,000 for the Chesney show, and fewer than 2,000 tickets were available at press time, according to Messina.
"Kenny grew up as a fan of both country and rock music," Messina says. "He's been to every show you can think of. The idea of him playing a stadium like the Rolling Stones and U2 and George Strait, it's like a dream."
Kenny Chesney
With: Keith Urban, LeAnn Rimes, Gary Allan and Luke Bryan.
When: 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13.
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, 500 S. Capitol Ave.
Tickets: $99.50, $79.50, $59.50 and $29.50. For more information, call (317) 239-5151 or visit www.ticketmaster.com
Kenny Chesney, keith urban, LeAnn Rimes, Gary Allan, Luke Bryan, Lucas Oil Stadium, Country, Country Music
The concert was awesome! I totally agree that when the roof was closed the sound was aweful. However when the roof opened it was great, plus all of downtown got to hear Kenny and Keith rock out! I really wished the roof would have been open the whole time. I would also love to find the setlist for Kenny's performance, he played some great classics.
We bought our tickets the day sales opened to the public. We arrived in the middle of Gary Allen's show and were astounded at how bad the sound was. I can't imagine how those who came for the beginning felt about what they were subjected to for hours. Poor Leann Rhimes' concert was a complete waste of my time but.............the power that be and a VERY patient Keith Urban & company straightened it out. The roof was open and it was obvious that Keith Urban and his band spent the first 20-30 minutes of their time on stage entertaining and communicating with the sound staff. By the time Keith sang his 4th song, the sound was as good as it was going to get....and that was pretty good. Kenny and his band were fantastic and the sound was never an issue while he was on stage. He spent a solid 3 hours on stage, was ringing wet with sweat when he left us at midnight and gave the show of his career........over all glad I spent the big bucks to take my family to the first concert at Lucas Oil Stadium. To all who have heard terrible things about the new stadium, it is new and the bugs will be worked out.....I am glad I was there for the growing pains.
I thought all performers were excellent. I didn't think the sound was that bad with the top closed but there were diffently problems. There were some issues but hey it was the first concert in the new stadium. They need to figure out the air conditioning because it was freezing in there until they opened the top. Everyone around us was cold. I didn't like the mostly crue group - I saw no reason for them!! Although, Uncle Cracker was a big suprise & a good one!! Keith Urban was the best of the night!! Thanks for a great concert!
Does the star pick and choose which comments get posted here? They must, because I can't believe no one has written to complain about the bathroom situation for concert go-ers who had floor level seats.
There are basically no public restrooms on floor level, so they brought in port-o-lets. Yes, that's right. This new state of the art, multi-million dollar facility that is going to host the Super Bowl had people lining up 10 and 15 people deep to do their business in a port-o-let! It was a mess. It was an embarrasment. It was a shame. Not that people who spent $100 for a ticket deserve a better toilet than the $30 nose-bleed section who had construction debris falling on them, but they deserve a real toilet, and enough of them that they do not have to endure a 20-30 minute wait. I saw numerous people throwing up in trash cans and peeing in corners. More than one woman couldn't hold it and peed her pants. I am sure alcohol played a part in this. But the human capacity and humane need clearly overwhelmed the system put in place to accommodate this many people. It would have been more effective and user-friendly to open the garage-style doors at the back of the facility and let people pee in the gutters at the bottom of the ramps. This is clearly not something the city can be proud of.
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