Posted Jul 25, 2008, 11:24 AM
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It's Hammer Time
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Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Hamilton
Posts: 19,883
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Must see tours coming to Hamilton and "Mega" event for 2009
By Kevin Werner
Arts & Entertainment
Jul 25, 2008
The British rock supergroup The Who thinks Hamilton is alright.
Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend and the rest of The Who will be playing Copps Coliseum Oct. 22 as its only Canadian date on their fall U.S. tour.
"This is a huge coup for us," said Duncan Gillespie, Hamilton Entertainment and Convention Facilities Inc. chief executive officer.
Mr. Gillespie said the concert organizer, Live Nation, called and stated The Who wanted a date in Hamilton. He said HECFI was able to comply with the group's request.
Tickets will go on sale today (July 25). They will sell for $69.50, $99.50 and $147.50 Copps will be constructed to accommodate 12,000 people, said Mr. Gillespie.
"I expect the (concert) will sell out in a flash," he said.
Mr. Gillespie knows he has a hot ticket on his hands, when close friends and people he barely knows start calling him up asking for a seat.
"I'm getting inundated from people," he said. "That is usually a good sign."
The Hamilton date fit nicely into The Who's Maximum R&B show that begins in Auburn Hills near Detroit on Oct. 21. After Hamilton, the group plays in Boston, Philadelphia, Connecticut, East Rutherford, New Jersey, Atlantic City, Oct. 31, Washington, and ending up with two shows at the Nokia Centre in Los Angeles in November.
This is the group's second trip to North American in less than two years. In 2006-07 they completed a successful 36-city world tour that included stops in North America.. Mr. Daltrey, 64, and Mr. Townshend, 63, will be joined on stage by John Bundrick on keyboards, Pino Palladino on bass, Zak Starkey on drums and Simon Townshend on guitar.
The group, which officially began in 1964 when it changed its name from The Detours to The Who, released its last studio album Endless Wire in 2006.
The Who's announcement continues HECFI's winning streak this year of attracting top tier entertainment to Hamilton.
On Aug. 20, rock and folk icon Bob Dylan will be playing Hamilton Place. Tickets are also going on sale July 25 for Canadian rocker Alanis Morissette's Oct. 11 concert at Hamilton Place. HECFI also landed seventies icon Alice Cooper at Hamilton Place for Oct. 6, Great Big Sea and for eight shows in late August Cirque de Soleil.
"It has been a great year," said Mr. Gillespie.
And, said Mr. Gillespie, the year remains young with HECFI officials working on another must-see event later this year and a "mega" event for 2009.
Mr. Gillespie points out it's cheaper for people in the Southern Ontario area to travel to Hamilton rather than to Toronto to see a show, especially during tough economic times. Add up the cost of travel, parking and other expenses to see a concert in Toronto, and "it's almost the cost of another ticket," he said.
"The shows in Hamilton are huge savings for people," he said. Another key factor is HECFI's relationship with Live Nation, the major concert organizer in North America.
"We have a great relationship with Live Nation," he said. "They have been terrific. It's a good relationship for them, and a good relationship for us."
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