’Slow city’ tag makes SA music scene a risky business
Big acts fly over Adelaide because we’ve gained a reputation that can break a tour, the Entertainment Centre boss says, but coronavirus has revealed a chance for a return to our glory days.
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Adelaide has a unique opportunity to shake off its reputation as Australia’s “slow city” when it comes to concert ticket sales, according to the Entertainment Centre boss Phil King.
Mr King, who this week announced the AEC’s first major event since the COVID-19 lockdown – a concert by Delta Goodrem in April – said the entertainment industry was essentially in reset mode and now was a great chance for the city to shed its stigma.
“Promoters say Adelaide is risky because people don’t buy tickets like they do in the rest of the country,” he said.
“Instead of buying them early at the initial sale, it sort of slowly drip feeds along. Then when you get close to the show it’s often not hitting the numbers that the promoters need it to.
“Adelaide can make or break a whole tour. That’s not a great reputation for us to have.”
In recent years several major acts have chosen to fly over Adelaide on national tours, with some even choosing to perform in smaller cities like Canberra and Newcastle.
Adelaide has missed out on everyone from former Beatle Paul McCartney to classic rockers Fleetwood Mac and even homegrown talent Sia. Top promoters Michael Gudinski and Michael Chugg have repeatedly expressed frustration with the City of Churches, saying our tendency to buy late was a concert organisers nightmare.
“I think we now have a really good chance to change that cultural landscape in Adelaide,” Mr King said.
“We have to promote the idea of buy early, buy now. Then, instead of promoters putting on a third show in Sydney or Melbourne, they’ll bring that show here.”
Mr King said the Delta Goodrem announcement showed that promoters were confident that a return to something resembling the pre-Covid normal was looking possible.
“It’s the domestic stuff that’s going to lead us out of this,” he said.
“That’s why the Delta announcement is so important. It’s the first real announcement post Covid.”
It might be the first announcement, but it won’t be the first major show at the AEC, with Mr King saying there are other major acts booked for earlier next year that haven’t been announced yet.
“If you had asked me two weeks ago I would have said things would be starting to look more normal in November,” he said.
“But as it stands now I think we’ll be looking at probably around January.”
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Mr King, who also manages Coopers Stadium, said he was champing at the bit to get his army of casual workers earning money again.
“Adelaide Venue Management are the largest employer of hospitality staff in the state,” he said. “Right now I have a whole workforce of casual staff and there is no work for them. While they’re not working they’re not putting money in their pockets that they can then go and spend in the cafes, restaurants and pubs. The sooner this can change the better.”
Mr King said the AEC had a “really robust Covid management plan”, but had chosen not to submit it to government yet due to the rapidly-changing situation around the country.
However basketball fans should rest easy – hoops are back on December 3.
“That’s a lock,” Mr King said. “As it stands at the moment we could have 5500 at a 36ers game at half capacity, which would be great, but we’d love to have something closer to 75 per cent. However it turns out, the atmosphere will be electric.”
