Silverdome Suit

The Canadian company that scored the 82,000-capacity Silverdome near Detroit for a screaming deal last fall has filed suit against a local promoter after a stage collapse left the arena full of debris for more than one month.

Palace Entertainment Group, which is not connected to Palace Sports & Entertainment, reportedly contracted with Silverdome operator Triple Sports and Entertainment to hold a concert featuring A.R. Rahman June 20 for $20,000 plus fees.

But when a stage collapsed the day before the event, the aftermath of the accident stayed put inside the Silverdome until July 30 while insurance companies inspected the site, according to court documents obtained by the Detroit News.

TSE’s complaint alleges Palace Entertainment, along with a handful of other parties, reneged on the contract and TSE seeks $25,000 per day the arena was out of commission ($750,000) plus other damages.

Silverdome general counsel Basil Simon told the News TSE was forced to postpone some events at the venue and sustained significant damages.

However, Elizabeth Thomson, an attorney for Palace Entertainment Group, thought otherwise, calling the suit “a farce.”

“The truth is they’re having trouble booking that place, and they stand to make more money with something like this than if they had booked that show,” she told the paper.

TSE purchased the Silverdome for $583,000 from the city of Pontiac last year. The arena opened as the largest stadium in the NFL in 1975 at a cost of $55.7 million.