Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall Reinvigorates Atlantic City With Shows By Stevie Nicks, The Who & Public Enemy

As the 2025 season begins to come to a close, Jim McDonald, General Manager of the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, and Gary Musich, President and CEO of Visit Atlantic City, are hanging their hats on a successful year. According to Musich and Visit Atlantic City, the venue is on track to generate more than $75 million in economic impact for the city, and that’s due in large part to their event calendar, which included performances from Stevie Nicks, Kane Brown, Lil Wayne, The Who and more, as well as numerous sporting events including championship boxing with the battle for the IBF, WBA and Ring Magazine World Welterweight Titles. 

The venue, operated by Oak View Group, has stood in Atlantic City since 1929, and hosts the world’s largest musical instrument with two pipe organs (which are currently being restored and will be completed by 2030). Situated between New York City, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, Atlantic City prides itself on being a destination for those on the east coast. 

“The bones are historic,” McDonald tells Pollstar. “There’s been a lot of modernization over the course of the years. This is a multi-purpose venue which hosts anywhere from high school basketball to wrestling, to a UFC boxing match, to a concert, to Disney on Ice. It’s about having the resources and staff to be able to provide a level of customer services to both-end users.” OVG is Pollstar‘s parent company.

Since 2001, the venue has submitted 366 reports of ticketed shows that have taken place at the venue to Pollstar’s Boxoffice. In all, 2.5 million tickets have been sold, grossing $212 million. On average 9,083 tickets are sold per night, with an average gross of $768,446. The venue’s main arena has a capacity of 14,770, with the smaller Adrian Phillips Theater can seat 3,200 people.

This year in Atlantic City has marked a turning point for the area, which consolidated its marketing to ensure its messaging remained consistent. Musich, who alongside Visit Atlantic City oversees the city’s marketing, admits the city has faced a negative reputation in the past. As neighboring states legalized gambling, the city became more vulnerable and faced a decline in tourism and revenue. However, with premier concerts landing at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, and a convention center just a few blocks away that’s host to numerous conferences throughout the year, Musich emphasizes the city is turning around. 

“We merged all marketing efforts for the city, so we started looking at how events affect our leisure economics,” Musich says. “Concerts, parades, festivals all fall into the events column. So, Jim and I started working collectively on how to keep going and create more of these things.”

Travelers have changed their habits in recent years, now wanting to explore an area more and have a plethora of activities. That boded well for Atlantic City, with visitors now purchasing a hotel room, dining out at nice restaurants and attending concerts, in addition to stopping by the casinos. 

“We’re more than a gaming destination,” Musich says. “We are an entertainment destination, and visitors are looking for experiential travel.”

Part of the challenge was attracting more top-tier acts to the city. With Atlantic City situated between many of the east coast’s major cities, that makes it an easy stop for tour routing. One of the city’s big initiatives this year was the turn Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall back into a premiere destination for touring artists, as well as working to attract fans in through the door who might be traveling in from surrounding areas. 

“Artists nowadays have a lot of places they can play,” McDonald says. “For The Who’s ‘Farewell Tour,’ we were one of 12 stops. The band has played here multiple years. There’s a lot of history in this facility with a lot of different artists and sporting events. We’re making sure we’re at the top of people’s lists, doing the right things as a venue to provide a platform for the artist, but also the attendees coming through the door. This is about being able to produce an experience on both sides – on the client end, as well as the attendee’s side.”

Musich adds, “We have a bigger variety of entertainment in there now. It’s the biggest building in the city. When the building is active, the city is active.” 

With a calendar booked into next year that includes performances by All Stars of Hip Hop featuring Public Enemy, KRS One, Montell Jordan, Furious 5 and Sugarhill Gang and Schoolly D on Jan. 18, “The R&B Lovers Tour” with Keith Sweat, Joe, Dru Hill and Ginuwine on Feb. 14, and more, Atlantic City is ready to celebrate its comeback.

“There’s one message that’s coming out of the city: It’s rebranded, it’s fresh, and we’re seeing the results of it,” McDonald says. “That’s playing a big part of the year we’re having it. This year we’re having, we’re putting one message out and it’s consistent. We’re consolidating what used to be multiple marketing arms with Gary, and we’re getting that message out there and it’s paying dividends for everybody.”