“Previously, our barriers attracting major concert promoters and national touring acts, included a lack of elevated seating and the sound quality in this industrial complex”, says I-X Center Vice President of Business Development Jeremy Levine in a press release. “We now offer a state-of the art performance space with remarkable flexibility and world class sound. The acoustical environment has already blown away expectations and will only get better as we tweak the room. I-X Center’s new transitional Arena/Theater is a wonderful addition to the facility that already hosts large trade and consumer shows, as well as, our growing portfolio of self-produced events. We’re extremely excited with the capability to add live concerts, family shows, theatrical productions and corporate events to our calendar, while I-X Center continues to serve as an economic and entertainment engine for Northeast, Ohio.”
The venue will be available beginning in the spring of 2016 for graduations, corporate functions and, of course, events related to the Republican National Convention. VC Strategic Partners, a division of Venue Coalition, will “develop content and introduce this new venue to the live performance industry.”
On Thursday, Oct. 22, the general public gets a sneak preview of the space. National recording artists Here Come the Mummies and locals Pop Rocks Cleveland will perform at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20; they’re available at ixcenter.com and Discount Drug Mart. Tickets are only $10 for guests wearing a costume.
This article appears in Sep 23-29, 2015.
And the biggest assets outside the grounds include proximity to an airport and hotel(s) for artists and fans, along with freeway – and “back-road” – access. If future plans include a rotating circular stage, the facility could also become a new Front Row Theater.
Is this needed? It seems like we have too many of these spaces already.