The new outdoor entertainment and events venue at Bingemans already has its first booking. 570 News has learned that Busta Rhymes will headline a "summer jam" style show at Bingemans on Saturday, July 17th. Tickets for the show will go on sale Tuesday, May 25th.

 

 

 

 

 

Concert promoter Andy Sukhiani (Front Row Productions) says he originally planned to bring the show to The Aud but his mind was quickly changed after a conversation with Mark Bingeman. Sukhiani tells 570 News he was well aware of Bingemans reputation for hosting events like Oktoberfest but had no idea the property could accommodate more than a few thousand people for a show like the one he plans to stage. When he learned that the new outdoor venue could accommodate 10,000-plus people, Sukhiani says it was a no-brainer to bring Busta Rhymes to Bingemans.

Sukhiani says Waterloo Region has a tremendous reputation across the province, primarily thanks to Research in Motion's ubiquitous BlackBerry and a heavy student population. He says the demographic here is perfect for a hip hop show based on its relative youth and interest in that genre of music. Sukhiani cites the style of music that continues to be played in bars and nightclubs around the region as an example of what makes the Busta Rhymes show a good fit in our area.

One of the biggest stumbling blocks to bringing big name acts to the region is the inability to assure those artists a big pay day, according to Sukhiani. With The Aud maxing out at just over 7000 seats for a concert, Sukhiani says it can be tricky to work out the finer financial details with an artist. A 10,000 seat venue, however, is exactly the sort of size that can attract bigger names to our community on an ongoing basis.

Sukhiani's comments are echoed by Emmanuel Patterson, a promoter with Live Nation, the largest live entertainment company in the world. Patterson, who works out of Waterloo, thinks the new venue is a great thing for the community and he believes Waterloo Region is ready for it. He tells 570 News the Bingemans venue is a step up from The Aud and The Centre in the Square in terms of its size and he's confident it can help to attract bigger acts to the area. Patterson cautions, however, that the venue must have seating that is a little more than just "bums on the ground" on a grassy hillside and that access into and out of the event venue must be smooth.

Patterson says the payday or a really unique performance environment are what attract an artist to a venue. And he admits there is a lot of competition in southern Ontario when you consider the proximity of our area to both London and Toronto. Patterson helped bring Elton John to The Aud in 2008 and that concert had a capacity of 7400. While he says it's not as easy as "if you build it, they will come," Patterson admits there will be greater interest in the Bingemans venue simply because it can offer a greater crowd capacity. He says this community can sustain anything we throw at it because there's a great population base, a lot of youth, and a real sense of vibrancy.

 

http://www.570news.com/news/local/article/57877–bookings-begin-as-new-venue-readies-for-july-opening