Originally Posted by MonctonRad
Second concert planned for Hill
Published Saturday May 2nd, 2009
Headliner, supporting acts to be announced Monday
By Brent Mazerolle
Times & Transcript Staff
Now the annual Magnetic Hill Music Festival has a summer kick-off.
Another top act mega-concert at the Magnetic Hill Concert Site will be announced at the Delta Beauséjour Hotel at 1 p.m. on Monday.
No one who can say with authority who that top act is isn't talking, but the City of Moncton's Ian Fowler says, "you're looking at an A-list act because of the size of the venue and cost of setting up."
Because any band playing the Hill will want 20,000 to 25,000 tickets sold at minimum, it's a pretty safe bet one of North America's premier outdoor concert sites will be hosting only household names now and in the future.
Who the latest household name is and who the opening acts are will be announced at the news conference, which is also open to the public.
"Any music enthusiasts are invited. If people are curious about what's happening, they should drop by," Fowler says.
The media conference is hosted by promoters DKD Events and AEG Live, along with the City of Moncton.
DKD Events is the Montreal-based company founded by Donald Tarlton (AKA Donald K. Donald) that brought the Rolling Stones' A Bigger Bang tour here in 2005. They partnered with AEG Live to bring the Eagles here last year and are doing the same to bring AC/DC to the Hill August 6.
While even the date of this other summer concert is a secret, Fowler would say it's coming earlier in the summer, before the AC/DC show. That's the best way to make things work, though he said it was premature to say if putting on two shows will provide the promoter with economies of scale.
Fowler believes the double bill for the summer of 2009, "reinforces the value of the infrastructure investments we and the province have made. The turnkey operation is starting to take hold."
Earlier this week, Premier Shawn Graham said the province will be on-board with another modest investment in making "Moncton the entertainment capital of Atlantic Canada," and Fowler says, "there's some ongoing dialogue between the province and the city."
Because provincial investment is a matter of providing matching dollars for each municipal dollar spent, the city is looking for a smaller investment this summer, as its own money is being pulled in a lot of different directions this year.
Nevertheless, there's no question the city will continue to expand the site slowly but steadily.
"We think we can handle three shows a summer if they're spaced out properly," Fowler says. Asked though if he's dropping a hint about a possible Magnetic Hill hat trick, he says it's no longer likely for this summer.
"I think people will be pleased that, for the first time, we're delivering two shows," he said.
Meanwhile, according to the independent report of the City of Moncton's auditor, provided to council earlier this month, the Eagles concert made a modest profit, about $12,000, when you include things like the city's share of service charges on its ticketing network, and revenues of Codiac Transit.
That profit is the municipal corporation's share specifically, and doesn't include the millions of dollars in economic spin-off the summer concerts generate.
|