Four executives from Live Nation met with Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster and other city officials on Thursday, November 17, to discuss the potential of bringing shows to that region of New York State.
No specific artists were mentioned as possibilities, but the two sides agreed to meet again early next year to start fleshing out a roster of potential acts.
“The discussion was very open-ended, but I think they came away feeling positive about what they saw here,” Dyster told TicketNews. “It’s way too soon to talk about specifics, but we see music playing an important role in the revitalization of the city and the region.”
Representing Live Nation at the meeting were Ron Benison, CEO of Live Nation’s House of Blues chain; Jim Koplik, chairman of the company’s Northeast music division; John Huff, senior vice president of Live Nation’s New York and Connecticut region; and Marcel Thimot, vice president of booking for Upstate New York.
In addition to the discussion, city officials also took the executives on a bus and walking tour of downtown Niagara Falls. The tour concentrated on the Old Falls Street outdoor marketplace, a redeveloped area where the city has staged several free outdoor summer concerts.
For the past four years, Niagara Falls has worked with Hard Rock Café to put on a half-dozen shows each summer by acts such as Our Lady Peace and the Psychedelic Furs. But Dyster said the city is looking to bring in more acts.
The future Live Nation shows will not be free, however, Dyster said.
“We’re looking to achieve a broader effect with a diverse group of acts,” he said, adding that most of the shows might be indoors at the Conference Center Niagara Falls, which holds close to 4,000 people.
Thursday’s meeting was set up after U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer of New York wrote to Live Nation in October on behalf of Niagara Falls to gauge the company’s interest in bringing marquee concerts to the area.
“These concerts would enable Niagara Falls to capitalize on its existing tourism base, attracting thousands of new visitors who will provide a much-needed shot in the arm for our local economy,” Schumer said in a statement last month.
