Features
It’s All About The Show
The competitive Southern California concert market has a new contender with the February 12 grand opening of
Director of Entertainment Steve Macfadyen, previously with House of Blues and Live Nation, said the $76 million, 2,028-capacity venue is not the typical casino showroom that some might expect.
“I think … that name gets used because casinos have showrooms by tradition and history. This is, in fact, a concert theatre,” Macfadyen told Pollstar. “This is a theatre more in the style of the new
The Show is the final stage in the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians’ $400 million development, which includes a 340-room hotel, casino renovation and spa and resort pool area.
With several other casinos booking name entertainment within a 50-mile radius and a full-time PAC in nearby Palm Desert, Macfadyen said tribal owners made sure the venue’s design, acoustics and amenities are top-notch.
“It’s all serious competition but other than the performing arts center, none of the [other] facilities have actual, purpose-built concert facilities,” he said. “A group like
“The level of amenities for both the patron and artist are notable here.”
Patron amenities include 12 luxury boxes seating 12 to 14 people, large-format screens, wider, tiered seating with more leg room and excellent sight lines.
Artists have the benefit of state-of-the-art sound and lighting, a green room, six dressing rooms, dedicated loading dock, flexible seating and more.
Macfadyen, along with Billy Brill of
“One of the things about working in the casino environment is trying to attract all audiences, especially those that gamble. It’s no secret that’s our business,” he said. “We’re introducing people to the facility that might not have been here before.
“I have a number of international artists of different languages – not strictly the bands that you would typically look at in Pollstar. We [recently] had Eason Chan, one of the biggest pop acts out of Hong Kong.”
In the meantime, Macfadyen and staff are moving full speed ahead.
The Show has Chelsea Handler, Gabriel Iglesias, Lisa Lampanelli, Chris Isaak, Jay Leno, Big & Rich, Frank Caliendo, Diana Krall and Lewis Black on the books through mid-November.
“Concerts are what I do and has been for nearly 35 years,” Macfadyen said. “The opportunity to [be involved with] a purpose-built concert theatre, then book it and run it is pretty cool for a guy that does what I do.”