46 replies to this topic

[DJ MC]

Wasn't there a Bayrunners basketball team (who knows what semi-pro league that was) that played at the arena like 15-20 years ago?

 

Certainly were. Played a year in the International Basketball League, and had Keith Booth with them for a while.

[BSLMikeLowe]

Here it is:

 

Baltimore Sun: Royal Farms Arena named top-grossing venue of its size in U.S.

 

Obviously it's because Baltimore is the biggest metro area with an arena that only seats 10,000-15,000, so it stands to reason.

[RShack]

It's such a shame that they didn't make that thing just a little bigger... with more space inside, they could have reconfigured it since... but they didn't....

[BSLMikeLowe]

Whoever thought that stage was a great idea should be shot (though he's probably already dead).

[NewMarketSean]

Yeah the stage is lame...makes it look like a high school gym.

 

However it does lend itself well to concerts which is probably the biggest moneymaker for the arena nowadays.

 

Remodeling the arena and removing the stage and adding seats doesn't bump up the arena to the major leagues, so why bother?

[RShack]

Whoever thought that stage was a great idea should be shot (though he's probably already dead).

 

At the time they did it, it made perfect sense... it was before sports palaces existed, and it was multi-purpose which at the time meant having a stage...

[BSLMikeLowe]

In the concerts I went to at the arena, the stage wasn't used, they constructed one in front of it.

[NewMarketSean]

True, they do pretty much build out the stage so they can do without it.

[NewMarketSean]

I was in 301, the cheap seats in the upper deck in the corner by the stage. Terrible vantage point, but whatever. The seat was $12, $22 after fees.

 

I believe they could remodel the arena and get in another 2,500 seats and improve vantage points but I guess they're not going to dump any more money into this relic.

 

This will be Baltimore's arena for the next 10-20 years, sadly.

[DJ MC]

I believe they could remodel the arena and get in another 2,500 seats and improve vantage points but I guess they're not going to dump any more money into this relic.

 

This is one of the biggest problems with it. They likely could do a few things to improve the venue by removing the stage for permanent seating or truly renovating the building, but it's a 53-year-old building. There's only so much they could do without tearing it down and starting over, and anything major they did would disrupt the current performance schedule too much--that's been the rationale for why they need to build on a new site in the first place.

[RShack]

In the concerts I went to at the arena, the stage wasn't used, they constructed one in front of it.

 

Back when they designed it, any approximation of in-the-round was just for Ancient Greeks and Romans and beatnik folk singers... everybody else needed a normal stage with all of the audience dead ahead...

[RShack]

This is one of the biggest problems with it. They likely could do a few things to improve the venue by removing the stage for permanent seating or truly renovating the building, but it's a 53-year-old building. There's only so much they could do without tearing it down and starting over, and anything major they did would disrupt the current performance schedule too much--that's been the rationale for why they need to build on a new site in the first place.

 

ATL tore down The Omni and built Phillips Arena on the same spot... but they had GT's Thrillerdome and the GA Dome to tide them over... which sucked for many things, but they got by... if there was a big university in town, they could do it... but there isn't one....

[BSLMikeLowe]

Back when they designed it, any approximation of in-the-round was just for Ancient Greeks and Romans and beatnik folk singers... everybody else needed a normal stage with all of the audience dead ahead...

 

But I'm sure even back then nearly every arena of that size consisted of a 360-degree seating bowl, with no permanent stage. Which means concert tours had their own stage that they set up and tore down (at some point they started using multiple stages) when they went from city to city. My point being that a built-in stage was always going to be completely useless for a multipurpose sports/entertainment arena. I'm all for thinking outside the box, but you have to recognize when something is completely impractical.

[RShack]

They also had the Georgia Dome for larger indoor events.

 

That's what I meant by GA Dome  

[BSLMikeLowe]

That's what I meant by GA Dome  

 

Yeah, I need another cup of coffee.

[RShack]

Yeah, I need another cup of coffee.

 

Well, GA might have stood for Geodesic Associates...

[DJ MC]

But I'm sure even back then nearly every arena of that size consisted of a 360-degree seating bowl, with no permanent stage. Which means concert tours had their own stage that they set up and tore down (at some point they started using multiple stages) when they went from city to city. My point being that a built-in stage was always going to be completely useless for a multipurpose sports/entertainment arena. I'm all for thinking outside the box, but you have to recognize when something is completely impractical.

 

They didn't have the kind of tours we do today, though. That was right before the British Invasion, and most acts weren't playing large indoor arenas consistently. They would be more likely to play a real concert hall with a real stage, so that's what the Civic Center was trying to be.

[BSLMikeLowe]

They didn't have the kind of tours we do today, though. That was right before the British Invasion, and most acts weren't playing large indoor arenas consistently. They would be more likely to play a real concert hall with a real stage, so that's what the Civic Center was trying to be.

 

Ok, so when time travel is a thing I'll go back to about 1960 and tell folks that there are these four beatnik looking dudes from Liverpool that are gonna change everything, and they'll bring their own stage. I'll also be sure to let them know when the 70s roll around to watch out for some guy named Irsay....he'll be bad news.

[DuffMan]

This will be Baltimore's arena for the next 10-20 years, sadly.

 

Someone's optimistic about Baltimore getting a new arena.

[BSLMikeLowe]

Speaking of The Beatles, how many US arenas/stadiums that they performed in are still in use today? The Civic Center, obviously. They played out here in Veterans Memorial Coliseum, which for some ridiculous reason is still standing today, despite a relatively new arena right next door. Anyone know of any others?