Canadians In For Aerosmith

The government of a Canadian province is in discussions to invest as much as $150,000 to help secure an Aerosmith concert for the upcoming summer, an event that officials project could pump millions into the economy.

Prince Edward Island’s government apparently put up nearly $70,000 to help bring the Black Eyed Peas to the province last September, and Tourism Minister Philip Brown told CBC News the show produced about $2 million to $3 million for the region.

An Aerosmith show, therefore, could prove to be an even larger economic draw, but there is some risk involved.

"It would be a whole lot less risk [to the organizers] for this event to take place in Halifax or Moncton or Montreal or Calgary, so the people that are going to benefit, which includes the taxpayers of P.E.I., have to be prepared to share some of the risk," Brown said.

News of the concert, which would reportedly take place at the Charlottetown Driving Park Entertainment Centre in late July during an all-day festival, was received with mixed reactions, P.E.I.’s Guardian reported.

While fans were naturally excited, members of the city’s chamber of commerce and tourism board were less enthused with the show, which could coincide with an annual Festival of Lights that takes place around the same time and draws thousands to the city.

Michael Bird, a member of the board, told the paper he was concerned the events would battle for public attention.

"The timing could be better," Bird said. "The Festival of Lights is a real success with a solid reputation and a track record in the region. Experts in the concert business will tell you that there’s always going to be a threat when you have such a big name that close to another event."

Still, the council has reportedly approved funding for police and fire services for a major concert this summer, and promoter David Carter told CBC News he was very close to securing an Aerosmith show.