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Keep bringing concerts to Affinity Place

The numbers are in for the most recent concert in Estevan, and they likely aren’t what the City of Estevan expected. Financial statements for Alice Cooper’s visit back in August showed the city suffered a deficit of about $17,000.

The numbers are in for the most recent concert in Estevan, and they likely aren’t what the City of Estevan expected.

Financial statements for Alice Cooper’s visit back in August showed the city suffered a deficit of about $17,000. It’s believed that an additional 200 tickets had to be sold in order for the concert to break even.

Alice Cooper generated rave reviews from the 1,800-plus people who attended. It was a fun night in which we heard many of his biggest hits, and saw some of the antics that you would expect from a pioneer of shock rock.

But it still lost money.

There will be a variety of reasons cited for why the concert wasn’t a financial winner: the cost of the tickets, the cost of the band, and the timing of the concert which cut into ticket sales and alcohol sales.

But would the city have sold a couple hundred more tickets if the concert was on a Friday night? Would it have made enough money on alcohol to offset the tickets if the concert was on a Saturday night?

Yes, the city would have sold more alcohol on a Saturday night, but not enough to make up for those 200 tickets.

Perhaps Alice Cooper was going to attract 1,800 people regardless of whether the concert was held on a Sunday night in August, a Friday night in October or a Saturday night in April.

As for the cost of tickets, yes, it is expensive to spend at least $80 per ticket to see a show that will last about two hours. You’ll get three hours of entertainment if there’s an opening act and an intermission.
The city has to charge enough so that it can cover the cost of the performer. And it won’t break even if the average ticket price is $60.

And while you might find cheaper tickets in Moose Jaw, Regina or Saskatoon, you also have to factor in the cost of travel, food and possibly accommodations for that out of town concert.

It’s worth noting that the report from the city came four days before the next concert at Affinity Place, which will be by famed rock start John Mellencamp on Oct. 26. Ticket sales for Mellencamp have been great; the vast majority of the tickets available, as of Monday night, are on the floor, in the rows surrounding the sound booth. Approximately 100 tickets were available in the permanent seating area.

The show likely won’t be as spectacular as Cooper’s, but Mellencamp appeals to a broader audience.

It’s hard to say how the concert will do financially. The city said after the Cooper concert that they thought they would make money or break even. They didn’t. It looks like Mellencamp will be a winner financially, but we won’t know until the bills are tallied.

If Mellencamp is a big success, will the critics still say the city shouldn’t be bringing in this type of entertainment to the community?

We hope the concerts will continue. They diversify the entertainment offerings at Affinity Place, which was supposed to be an events centre.

We’ve had some great entertainment come through Estevan since Affinity Place opened. Many of them have made money. In fact, in 2011 and 2012, when Affinity was its busiest for concerts, only one show lost money.

In a perfect world, promoters would rent out Affinity Place and bring shows here. It’s a low-risk proposition for the city, since they don’t have to worry about a deficit, and we get a night of great entertainment.

Unfortunately, when that has happened in the past, those shows have struggled. Even Hedley’s concert in 2014 (a rental) was nowhere near as successful as when the city brought the band here in 2012.

But the city has to be smart about the acts it brings here, just like it has to be smart with all of our taxpayer dollars. They have to factor in all pros and cons associated with an act, most notably whether it will sell tickets in Estevan.

Bringing in Alice Cooper was the right move. The revenues came up a little short, but it was a good decision.