The Mountain East Conference women’s and men’s basketball tournaments were the tenants last week at Wesbanco Arena while the Capitol Theatre hosted the Wheeling Symphony’s “Simon & Garfunkel Story” Thursday, the Linsly Extravaganza on Friday night, and then a sold-out Aaron Lewis Saturday night.
“SOLD OUT!!” are, by the way, the two most magical words in the entertainment industry.
“Our staff did amazing and we had big crowds at the arena for a lot of the games, and each of those nights at the theatre were very crowded, too. The concessions revenue was record-setting,” said Kelly Tucker, the executive director of Wesbanco Arena and the Capitol Theatre who left a 30-year Live Nation career to return to her roots. “How do we get to the point where we’re that busy at both buildings every weekend? That’s what I want to find out.”
Tucker was the general manager of the Jamboree in the Hills from 2005-18 before Live Nation ended the annual country music festival after 41 years and then was named the GM of The Pavillion at Star Lake in western Pennsylvania.
Last summer alone, the Burgettstown amphitheater hosted more than 30 shows, including performances by Brad Paisley, Jimmy Buffett, Willie Nelson, Kid Rock, Jason Aldean, The Doobie Brothers, the Backstreet Boys, and The Lumineers.
The ”name” bands on the schedule for Wesbanco Arena and the Capitol Theatre this spring and summer are Casting Crows on April 6, and REO Speedwagon on June 20. In addition, tickets are available now for Broadway shows, the Jamboree’s 90th-anniversary concert, the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra, a rock n’ roll doo-wop, and a comedy show in June.
“When I was interviewed with the (Greater Wheeling Sports and Entertainment Board), I told the members that Wheeling is a B-market, and that’s something everyone needs to realize. The thing is this – we’re a strong B-market and that’s a great thing,” Tucker emphasized. “A B-market is one step lower than the big cities and that means we’re not going to have Harry Styles here in Wheeling because we don’t have that capacity. But B-markets can be very successful.
“It’s all about working with the right promoters to find the best acts for this market. Once we get promoters to appreciate the Wheeling market because they have success here, then they will bring more events here,” she said. “But our venues are ‘rentals’ right now, and that means we wait for promoters to call us with their shows. One of my goals is to start bringing in our own shows and the City has taken a good step toward making that happen.”
Deep in the Dungeon
She can’t open a window to get some fresh air, and she can’t feel the sunshine without navigating concrete hallways in some sort of direction.
That’s because Tucker’s office is tucked away beneath a portion of the west concourse of Wesbanco Arena. Her walls already are partially covered with photographs and mementos from her years in Belmont, Ohio, and featured in several of the pictures are the largest crowds anyone in the Upper Ohio Valley has ever seen let alone been in the middle of during those four glorious days in July.
Jamboree in the Hills will forever be the greatest outdoor event ever staged in Belmont County, but an announced “hiatus” became a permanent “gone for good” once Live Nation sold the 210 acres nearly two years ago. While the skeletons of what was remain on the property and can be seen from U.S. Route 40, the property has remained silent since July 22, 2018.
“At least my office now has the wood paneling on the back wall,” Tucker said with a smirk. “I’ve worked in a lot of trailers in this business, at Jamboree and at Star Lake. It’s the wood paneling that makes life feel normal these days, but that’s about it.
“The arena life is very new to me, but the city has performed a lot of upgrades to this facility that have made a terrific difference. Now, I still do believe this building has a ways to go to be completely up-to-date as far as what other facilities are now offering throughout the country,” she explained. “One example is the equipment in our concession stands. Some of it is original from when the building opened in the late 1970s.”
Updates, however, have been performed on the Capitol Theatre since the Wheeling Convention & Visitors Bureau purchased the venue from Live Nation in April 2009. Bathrooms and an elevator were installed, a new concessions area was added, and an ADA-compliant interior fire escape was constructed. the Capitol Ballroom was renovated into an event space, and all of the theatre’s seats have been replaced.
“I have loved the theatre my entire life, and it’s where I got my start in this business, and that’s why I will always cherish the Capitol Theatre. There is so much history there, it’s incredible,” Tucker said. “I would put our theatre up against the theatres in Pittsburgh, and I’m not just saying. It’s because it’s so beautiful, and the acoustics are wonderful, and it’s OK to have different kinds of events there, too.
“But right now, there’s not a lot of urgency to buy tickets to the events we have at the Capitol Theatre or here at the arena because people are used to there being enough most of the time. That’s something I want to change. The only way I do that is to keep bringing in great events so there’s the demand that causes the urgency,” Tucker said. “It’s not difficult to figure out. The difficult part is getting it done.”
Just a Phone Call Away
She was 11 years old in 1986 when Denny Magruder was named the general manager of the Wheeling Civic Center, and Tucker’s office had moved away from downtown Wheeling by the time he took over the management of the Capitol Theatre in 2009.
Concerts, hockey, quarantine shelters, presidential visits, weddings, a staged-based circus, wrestling championships, religious celebrations, demolition derbies, bull riding, Broadway shows, chef auctions, basketball tournaments, home shows, banquets – you name it and Magruder managed it.
“I have known Denny for a long time and thankfully these days I have him as a valuable resource because there’s no one who knows this building better. He’s a wonderful human who would do anything for anyone, and it’s a really one of the best parts of this job,” Tucker said. “Denny has always answered all of my questions and he’s given me his input, too, but at the same time, he’s always said to me, ‘I am never going to get in your way.
“He tells me that this is my turn and it’s time for me to run the operation the way I believe is best, but he has assured me that he always will be there for me,” she said. “I believe we have a beautiful relationship and I am very thankful for him.”
Over the past decade, Magruder guided more than $20 million in major construction projects that propelled Wesbanco Arena into a 21st-Century future with significant exterior and interior upgrades that added a new lobby, video boards, a new scoreboard, seating, and new icing-making machinery.
“This building, for a lot of years, was his life and he threw everything he had into it, so I really want everyone to know the last thing I would ever try to do is fill the shoes of Denny Magruder. I am not Denny. I won’t manage like Denny did. And I won’t go about things the way Denny did. But I doubt I could have more respect for Denny Magruder,” Tucker insisted. “He’s leaving a great legacy behind no doubt, and he’s done some really wonderful things for the city of Wheeling, that’s for sure.
“There has been so much love thrown his way since his retirement announcement, and he deserves every bit of it,” she said. “I seriously doubt anyone could say a bad thing about Denny Magruder because he has always been such a wonderful person.”
Her. Turn.
Now, those two words are, by the way, the two most magical in Tucker’s life right now.
“I wanted this position because I love Wheeling and always have, plus this kind of job had never been open here in Wheeling since Denny did such a great job for as long as he did,” Tucker said. “That’s why after Jamboree in the Hills, I had to go to the Pittsburgh market and Star Lake (Amphitheater) if I wanted to continue my career in this industry. When this position did come available, I believed it was a perfect fit for me.
“I’m very happy to be working here at home again. And yes, I’m happy for the 10-minute commute, too,” she said with a smirk. “I’m happy to see my children more. Honestly, I’m blessed to have this opportunity and I can’t wait to see what we can do next. Our success last weekend is something I want to see every weekend, so let’s see if we can get there.”
