When it was announced last month that boy band One Direction will play a concert at Miller Park next year, it made me feel young again. Not because I’m a diehard fan of pop bands marketed to teenage girls (more of a casual fan), but because I’m old enough to remember when big summer music tours were common. With the fragmentation the music industry has gone through this century, bands that can play stadiums and amphitheaters are few and far between. It’s nice to know the Big Music Show isn’t dead yet.
Miller Park has hosted a few other concerts over the years – 2013 appearances by Sir Paul McCartney and Kenny Chesney come to mind – but I was under the impression ballpark-sized concerts were on their last legs. As is too often the case, I was completely wrong. Yesterday, the Brewers announced they would be adding post-game musical performances to the promotional calendar next year:
The Brewers Postgame Concert Series Presented by Miller Lite will debut during the 2015 season, and will feature concerts performed by three nationally-acclaimed touring acts following three weekend games at Miller Park.
The schedule includes concerts after the Friday, May 29th game vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks; the Saturday, June 13th contest against the Washington Nationals and the Saturday, August 15th game against the Philadelphia Phillies.
“We survey our fans often, and one idea that is frequently referenced is the creation of a concert series following games. Miller Park is a great option for major concerts, so we know this will be terrific added value for Brewers fans in 2015,” Brewers Chief Operating Officer Rick Schlesinger said.
I’m all for trying new things, and I wish for the success of any Brewers marketing ploy that can bring in more fans (and I’ve got a Hank the Dog bobblehead to prove it). That said, this promotion doesn’t particularly appeal to me personally – and since my first instinct is to assume my good taste is shared by the public at large, I wonder how successful this concert series will be.
I’ll take Schlesinger at his word that this is idea was driven by fan survey data. But filling out a survey and saying “if would be nice if…” is one thing. Actually showing up is another. What type of person who wouldn’t ordinarily go to a ballgame will go if there’s a band playing afterward? I suppose it depends on what musical acts the Brewers are able to book, but still – as someone who goes to Miller Park for the games, it’s hard to wrap my head around.
Sometimes a game has a dreadful pace and you just want to get the get the hell out of there once it’s over, or well before it’s over. What if it goes into extra innings? I recall a Friday game against the Cubs in 2012 where the teams combined to walk 21 batters, and the whole wretched affair took five goddamn hours. No one’s going to be in the mood for music after something like that.
But then again, what the hell do I know? A quick Google search finds that plenty of other MLB teams have post-game concerts, so they can’t all be wrong. A 2008 Billboard article indicates that plenty of clubs have had success with this tactic:
In Tampa Bay, Florida, the Rays will host eight post-game concerts at their 45,000-capacity Tropicana Field before the end of their 2008 season, a jump from two such shows it held the previous season. “Somebody may not be interested in a baseball game, but if they come out and see Trace Adkins and have a great time watching the ballgame, then we can grab them as long-term fans,” Rays vice president of marketing and community relations Tom Hoof said.
Post-game performances in 2008 by Adkins, the Commodores, Kool & the Gang, Loverboy, LL Cool J, We the Kings and MC Hammer, among others, drew 10,000 to 15,000 more fans than comparable games in 2007, according to Hoof.
Similarly, the Florida Marlins found success after instituting Super Saturdays in 2007, a program of 13 concerts that follow Saturday night games at Dolphin Stadium. “We’ve seen an incremental increase (in ticket sales) on Saturday nights of about 50 percent to 60 percent,” Marlins VP of marketing Sean Flynn said. Featured acts this year included Michaels, Gramm, the Bangles, KC & the Sunshine Band and a number of Latin acts.
I guess you can’t argue with results. I suspect Brewers have a more loyal fan base and better attendance than other teams that have tried this, but anything that can bring in more folks and keep the lights on (and pay for Gallardo’s and Ramirez’ 2015 options) is fine by me. I just doubt I’ll be one of the fans who sticks around to see Loverboy late on a Friday night.
(Image: OnMilwaukee.com)
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