MARREN: Hits and misses from the first concert

Staff Reports
Lockport Union-Sun & Journal

LOCKPORT July 06, 2008 12:17 am

— The first concert was a huge hit, no doubt about it. But I thought it would be fun to highlight what I thought was good about the first downtown show and what may have to be tweaked for future shows.
HITS
The crowd: The first crowd was very well-behaved, seemed to be having a lot of fun and was pretty sizable. It started out a little small, but by the time Lou Gramm took the stage, the crowd stretched to just past the middle of the lot. It had to be at least a few thousand people at the peak of the show.
Beer girls: No, not the looks of the beer girls ... I’m a married man. Just the idea of having these women walk around with the beer, in addition to the traditional beer line, was ingenious. It was an alternative to waiting in line for those looking for a refill. Plus they took cash, not just tickets, and disposed of empties. These were all purpose beer girls. Smart idea.
Tuscarora Inn: We didn’t eat at the new, or refurbished Walnut Street restaurant, but we passed by when checking out all that was going on outside the fences. The T-Inn had their upper patio open for people to dine, plus people were hanging out, enjoying a few drinks on the front porch. It will certainly be a stop for us at an upcoming concert.
Sound: I heard this from a bunch of people, but it’s worth mentioning; the sound at the City Centre venue was amazing. You could hear everything very clearly. Whether a band member was talking or singing, everything seemed clear. That’s not typically the case with shows indoor or out, and I’ve been told it was a lot better than when the concerts were at Gateway Park.
Taboo after the show: Wow. Taboo was packed after the show. That was a sight to see. I’ve been to Taboo a number of times already and I’ve never seen it that busy. I haven’t been there late on a Friday or Saturday, so it may get this busy every weekend, but this just blew me away. There were enough bartenders at the inside bar and outside, so waiting was never an issue. Plus there were bar-backs cleaning up empties and security at the entrance. It was a great atmosphere.
MISSES
Taboo before the show: OK, Taboo was one of the more popular spots before, which was great to see, but I do have a miss or two. First, the menu. It was four items. There was a chicken-Caeser salad, a chicken finger wrap, beef on weck and cheese fries. All were $7.95, even the fries. For four people, it ended up being $31 a couple. My wife wanted to get the beef on weck and substitute fries instead of macaroni salad. It wasn’t allowed, even though fries were on the menu. Even after we offered a buck or two, which most restaurants require for substitutes, it wasn’t allowed. She settled on the wrap, which had no side at all. The drinks had an added 50 cents surcharge for some reason. The waitress mentioned it, but it made little sense and we didn’t ask. Really, Taboo was great, it was just the limited menu, no substitutes and drink charges that baffled us.
Parking tycoons: The cash cow was bone-dry when it came to the parking entrepreneurs. This isn’t all that disappointing considering people still found a place to park, or walked and really the lots were the only businesses not booming. Ten bucks. Come on.
Garbage cans: There could have been more garbage cans, especially near the courtyard entrance. That’s where security asked you to drink or dump the beverage you just bought at Taboo or Metropolitan. Once you guzzled down your drink at the security fence, there were few places to dump the container.
Tickets: They were $3.50, which is fine. Even the process of doing tickets instead of cash works, it’s just everything is $3.50. That includes water. The Boy Scouts were selling it for a buck, but you couldn’t bring it in. So everything was $3.50. Maybe make the beer $3 even and sell $1 tickets. Three tickets for a beer, one or two for a water.
Managing Editor Tim Marren’s column appears every Sunday. He blogs daily at lockportjournal.com/blogs. He can be reached at 439-9222, ext. 6238, or marrent@gnnewspaper.com.

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