REO Speedwagon, right?
The announcement last week that tickets went on sale for the 1980s rock band’s June 20th show at the Capitol Theatre was big news because the show became the “hottest ticket in town.” REO Speedwagon recorded hits like “Can’t Fight This Feeling,” “Take It On the Run,” “Keep On Loving You” in the 1980’s, and those songs have remained popular since.
“Anyone 45 years old and older knows their music because they grew up with it,” explained Frank O’Brien, the executive director of the Wheeling Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Their music is still popular with a lot of people. Hopefully it’s a nice June evening because that’s going to be a great night in downtown Wheeling.
“Our restaurants and bars will be busy, and I’m sure the hotel shuttles will be making several trips in and out of town,” he predicted. “And that economic impact is exactly why the programming at the theatre and Wesbanco Arena is something we’ve been working to improve for several years.”
The big question? The obvious, of course.
“’What do we want here?’ That’s really a great question I’ve been trying to figure out for more than a decade because the answer always changes,” O’Brien admitted. “Young people want new talent, and they want different types of music that I have never heard. But that’s also why we have our advisory committee. We are looking for ideas for all of the different demographics.
“The more insight we receive from varying groups of people, the better,” he said. “If we book it, though, people need to come to support it because the easiest part is demanding it. I know we have a lot of options now as far as entertainment is concerned and that’s why we really have to be realistic because of the way the economy is these days.”
And, of course, the dollars must make sense.
“Gasoline, the cost of food, everything is up 10 to 15 percent,” O’Brien reported. “Normally what happens is the entertainment dollar is the first thing held back by consumers, and that is very understandable when it comes down to feeding your family. We really do hope everything stabilizes in the near future.
“We just want the theatre to be programmed in a way that our community members wish to come see what is on that historic stage because that’s what entertainment is all about. What works in one community might not work here, so the input we received from that advisory committee is very important,” he explained. “It’s a terrific group of local residents who have offered great advice and suggestions to this point and I know everyone enjoys working together to make those programming decisions.”
One Lucky Community
Oglebay. Wheeling Park. The Capitol Theatre. Three quality high schools. Nearby universities. Wesbanco Arena. Professional hockey. Local media outlets. An entrepreneurial spirit.
Residents of the city of Wheeling and its surrounding communities are fortunate to possess such local amenities and many citizens have expressed hope that more live entertainment will be a part of the future. O’Brien, his staff, and Kelly Tucker, the new executive director of the Greater Wheeling Sports and Entertainment Authority, are concentrated on fulfilling that request.
“Comedy shows have worked in Wheeling for a lot of years and we’ve continued that over the past decade, and the people with the symphony orchestra have done a nice job performing shows that appeal to a broad audience, too,” O’Brien reported. “But there are only a few ‘sure things’ that can be booked and the rest of what’s available are really ‘what and see’ shows.
“But we do have some people in the area who have invested in bringing shows to downtown Wheeling, and most of the time those shows have worked out,” he said. “But that’s not always the case so, of course, those people are hesitant to do the same kind of investment again.”
Comedian Rodney Carrington will perform at the Capitol Theatre on January 19, a few Broadway productions are scheduled for the month of February and early March, and musician Aaron Lewis will bring his acoustic concert to the historic stage on March 4.
“For a lot of years we have had to wait to see who wanted to perform here whether it’s been the Capitol Theatre or Wesbanco Arena because we didn’t have a way to pay or promote any shows,” O’Brien said. “There are a lot of venues across the country that are in the same position so no one is doing anything wrong here, but other places have large endowment funds that allow some communities to book exactly who the communities want.
“We are doing our best to get us in that position, too, and the funds allocated to our advisory committee have helped in terrific ways, and we expect that to continue in the future,” he added. “We have terrific facilities for entertainment here and we have a lot of people working very hard to book the show we want to see. To me, that’s great news for the future.”
