Rod Stewart Coming to Covelli Centre Aug. 24
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Eric Ryan and his staff “can’t quit smiling,” he says, knowing that come Aug. 24 at 8 p.m. a sold-out Covelli Centre will erupt into cheers when British pop/rock singer and songwriter Rod Stewart takes the stage.
The arena announced Stewart’s upcoming performance this morning, touting the event as the biggest summer concert in the history of the city-owned venue.
“We can’t take the smiles off our faces. If Rod Stewart in a 6,000 seat arena doesn't excite you, than I don't know what does if you're working in our industry,” says Ryan, executive director of the Covelli Centre, and president of J.A.C. Management Group LLC, the Struthers company hired by the city to manage its arena.
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday June 20. Ticket prices are $46.50, $76.50, $136.50 and $175. They can be purchased at the Covelli Centre box office, by phone at 800-745-3000 or online at Ticketmaster.com.
Ryan credits consistently sold-out, big-name shows -- most notably Elton John’s two concerts here -- for building the Covelli Centre’s reputation, as well as persistence in pursuring a stop on Rod Stewart’s summer tour.
“I think they got tired of my emails. It’s something we’ve been working on forever,” he says.
The Covelli Centre was recently added to the roster of arenas promoted by Venue Coalition, a California company that “actively program[s] live concerts and special events for our member venues across Canada and the United States," according to its website.
The Venue Coalition “helped us a lot in securing [Rod Stewart],” Ryan says. “They’ll help us get things in the future, something we're excited about.”
Still, it comes down to selling-out concerts quickly, shows being well received by the community and treating the visiting artists “right,” he says. “We’ve been able to do all those things and the more we can tell these success stories [to managers and agents], the more we’re able to attract these kinds of artists.”
The 69-year-old Stewart and Carlos Santana begin an 11-city joint concert tour July 31, according to the singer’s Facebook page.
On Aug. 23, Stewart is scheduled to appear at the Etess Arena in Atlantic City. The following night his concert takes place here.
Copyright 2014 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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