About Those Two Florida Shows...
Big coverage of the fact that EC is playing two successive nights in Tampa.
Excerpts: "In an unprecedented bit of cross-bay concert scheduling, Elvis Costello will perform Feb. 19 at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, and then follow up the next night at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center"
..."Ruth Eckerd Hall and the TBPAC have been talking about presenting the same artist in both venues for some time now," Bobby Rossi, director of entertainment at the Clearwater hall, said in a statement. "The act had to be very special, not only in their popularity but also in the content of their show and their ability to perform some different songs in Clearwater and Tampa. . . . Elvis Costello nails it in both of those areas."
"...Costello's last show in the area was just more than a year ago at the Clearwater hall, and it sold out almost immediately. Considered one of pop's best musician/songwriters, the native of Liverpool, England, burst onto the scene in 1977 with My Aim Is True. He has recorded in just about every genre from punk to classical, writing songs with Paul McCartney and recording a critically acclaimed album with Burt Bacharach. It's likely many fans will try to attend both shows, but if the experience of comedian Jerry Seinfeld holds, Costello could draw fairly distinct crowds." (Huh?)
FULL TEXT
=========
In an unprecedented bit of cross-bay concert scheduling, Elvis Costello will perform Feb. 19 at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, and then follow up the next night at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center.
Although the halls are usually fierce rivals to book the biggest acts, both sides said Wednesday that they hope the Costello booking will lead to future collaborations.
"Ruth Eckerd Hall and the TBPAC have been talking about presenting the same artist in both venues for some time now," Bobby Rossi, director of entertainment at the Clearwater hall, said in a statement. "The act had to be very special, not only in their popularity but also in the content of their show and their ability to perform some different songs in Clearwater and Tampa. . . . Elvis Costello nails it in both of those areas."
Michael Kilgore, vice president of marketing at TBPAC, said sharing the booking "opens it up to two different geographic areas. . . . If it's unprecedented, it's good to break precedent."
Costello's last show in the area was just more than a year ago at the Clearwater hall, and it sold out almost immediately. Considered one of pop's best musician/songwriters, the native of Liverpool, England, burst onto the scene in 1977 with My Aim Is True. He has recorded in just about every genre from punk to classical, writing songs with Paul McCartney and recording a critically acclaimed album with Burt Bacharach. It's likely many fans will try to attend both shows, but if the experience of comedian Jerry Seinfeld holds, Costello could draw fairly distinct crowds.
Lex Poppens, director of marketing and communications at Ruth Eckerd, said the management for Seinfeld, who recently sold out four shows in Clearwater, asked for statistics on the audience to help decide if it would make sense also to perform in Tampa. The majority, 72 percent, came from Pinellas, 16 percent from Hillsborough, 9 percent from Pasco and the rest from other areas.
Depending on the act, TBPAC's audience figures generally mirror those, drawing far more heavily from Hillsborough, Kilgore said.
Tickets for Costello's Clearwater performance go on sale to members today at 9 a.m., and to the general public Dec. 12 at noon. The Tampa tickets are available at noon today to members, and to the general public Dec. 12 at noon. Seats at both shows are $42 to $77, plus service charges. Call TBPAC at 813 229-7827, or www.tbpac.org Ruth Eckerd at (727) 791-7400 or www.rutheckerdhall.net