Presque Isle Downs & Casino plans a summer outdoor concert series of 3 to 4 shows.
Don't expect big names, though. While Seneca Allegany Casino & Hotel in Salamanca, N.Y. readies a $40 million venue, and NIagara Falls hosts all sorts of big names, Presque Isle Downs & Casino has no intention of getting into the concert business, said Ted Arneault, the CEO of MTR Gaming Group, which owns the Downs.
"We don't have the facility to do those kind of acts," Arneault said Thursday at a press conference at the Downs. "Those kind require 4,000 seats to make them doable. We have never really intended to compete with the convention center."
Arneault said regional casinos don't face similar competition.
"We feel, for Erie, there's really only room for one of those and we'fd have to go up against the convention center. We're not really interested in doing that. But we can augment what the convention does."
That means a series with mid-level acts. The names won't be announced for at least a month but Areneault said the facility is looking at such acts as the Temptations, Four Tops, Sha Na Na, and Gary Lewis and the Playboys.
Concerts will be free but you'll need a Players Club membership -- which is free -- to get in. They'll be held outdoors on the track's apron.
"We might look at putting a tent over them depending on the time of year," Arneault said. "But probably not. I like the feel of the outdoors and everyone being out there right after the races are over. It more or less continues the night and creates more of an atmosphere.
Presque Isle Downs will continue booking local and regional acts on weekends but, by the end of 2008, they'll shift from the second level to a new, expanded area on the casino's north side. That new area will also include a gift shop and fast-foot restaurant. Upstairs will feature piano-type lounge acts.
Penn State Behrend has announced Third Eye Blind will play at the Junker Center on April 4. Tickets are $15 for students, on sale Monday. The $20 tickets for the general public go on sale Tuesday. You can get them by phone at 898-6171, or online at www.behrend.psu.edu.
For a couple years there, Third Eye Blind was hot as blazes with hits like "Semi-Charmed Life," "Never Let You Go," "Jumper," and "How's It Going to Be?" An opening act will be announced later.
Pollstar reports today that Rod Stewart and Bryan Adams will team up on Aug. 9 at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. The report says tickets go on sale this Saturday, however a LiveNation spokesperson disputed that on Thursday, saying the show had not been announced. So, if you're desperate to go, trying calling 456-7070 on Saturday and checking, just in case. You may score seats before Ohio residents become aware of this show.