| Mid-level touring acts that previously had no place to perform in Calgary may benefit from an expansion of the University of Calgary’s student centre.
Students’ Union programs director Greg Curtis says the new 2,000-capacity MacEwan Hall, which opened earlier this month as part of the renovations to MacEwan Student Centre, fills a gap in the city that discouraged many music acts from braving the prairies en route to or from Vancouver. Until now, there were 1,000-seat venues like the Mac Hall Ballroom (now referred to as the Ballroom) or the Max Bell Centre, in southeast Calgary, which holds 4,000.
"There was nothing in between," says Curtis. "We’re hoping this will be a good thing for us, and for the city of Calgary as well."
Curtis used an upcoming gig by thrash band Slayer as an example of the niche the facility fills. Booking a band of Slayer’s popularity into the Ballroom might have made a show unprofitable, leaving the promoter too few seats to make up the price of the band’s fee. Simultaneously, the same band might have had trouble selling out the Max Bell.
At the new MacEwan Hall they can sell enough tickets to make the trip worthwhile, and not worry about playing to a half-filled venue.
Curtis also says the new space will remove the university from competition with the handful of other 1,000-seat venues in the city, including larger nightclubs like Whiskey and The Palace.
But Ryan Murray, promotions manager for downtown nightclub The Palace, says the renovated MacEwan Hall is going to put more pressure on facilities like his to attract popular acts.
He says The Palace tends to book artists that work better in a nightclub atmosphere, but there’s no doubt the new MacEwan Hall will mean tougher competition.
"A big act is a big act," says Murray. "We’re going to keep doing our thing... but to be quite honest, 1,000 more people probably makes (MacEwan Hall) a little more versatile."
The non-smoking MacEwan Hall also has different configurations that can accommodate smaller acts and, until further renovations are completed in MacEwan Student Centre, the Ballroom is still usable.
The trick for the U of C now will be getting the word out to agents that a stop in Calgary may be worthwhile.
"We’ve built the place. Now, we’re trying to get things going so the reputation of the place will precede it," Curtis says. |
