BOK Center again garners nomination for 'Arena of the Year'

[Hoss]

http://www.tulsaworld.com/scene/article.aspx?subjectid=269&articleid=20101116_441_0_hrbrFo178365&allcom=1

Yeah, that damned ol' crashship won't draw anyone after the first year.

[stageidea]

Oklahoma artists, venues top ticket sales charts

Read more from this Tulsa World article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/scene/article.aspx?subjectid=269&articleid=20110112_371_0_hrbrFo385213
Oklahoma again makes the top 100 lists in worldwide ticket sales, according to numbers recently released by industry tracker Pollstar Pro.

Nationally, Tulsa's BOK Center also made it to No. 10 in ticket sales in 2010, according to Pollstar Pro, with 360,871 tickets sold.

The venue ranks No. 23 in worldwide arena ticket sales, with the Oklahoma City Arena at No. 96 on that chart, with 124,766 tickets sold.

Carrie Underwood (Checotah), Kings of Leon (Oklahoma City), Rascal Flatts (Picher) and other musicians with Oklahoma ties broke into the Top 100 in concert ticket sales. Cain's Ballroom, Oklahoma City Zoo Amphitheater, Oklahoma promoters DCF Concerts and more also cracked the worldwide Top 100 charts, too:

Worldwide Top Concert Tours:
1. Walking With Dinosaurs, 1,943,508 tickets sold
2. Bon Jovi, 1,909,234
3. AC/DC, 1,820,962
4. Black Eyed Peas, 1,909,234
5. U2, 1,312,784
21. Carrie Underwood, 669,569
22. Toby Keith, 660,128
25. Brooks & Dunn, 632,186
31. Rascal Flatts, 583,056
45. Kings of Leon, 394,099
74. Alice in Chains, 237,016

Nationwide Top Arena
Sales:
1. Madison Square Garden Arena, New York, NY, 1,152,792 tickets sold
2. Staples Center, Los Angeles, Calif., 650,553
3. American Airlines Center, Dallas, 518,646
4. Philips Arena, Atlanta, 508,267
5. Sprint Center, Kansas City, 482,842
10. BOK Center, 360,871

Worldwide Top Concert Promoters:
1. Live Nation, 25,139,310 tickets sold
2. AEG Live, 12,502,833
3. Marek Lieberberg Konzertagentur (Germany), 2,579,582
4. MSG Entertainment, 2,481,529
5. Feld Entertainment, 2,473,990
48. SMG, 309,209 (Manages the Oklahoma City Arena and the BOK Center, among others)
100. DCF Concerts (Oklahoma City, Tulsa) , 102,308

Worldwide Club Venue Sales:
1. Terminal 5, NY, NY, 303,980 tickets sold
2. 9:30 Club, Washington DC, 259,792
3. Ancienne Belgique, Brussels Belgium, 233, 450
4. The Pageant, St. Louis, 186,342
5. The Joint, Las Vegas, 163,769
31. Cain's Ballroom, 77,812

Worldwide Arena Venue Ticket Sales
1. 02 – London, UK, 1,737,654 tickets sold
2. Madison Square Garden Arena, NY, NY, 1,152,792
3. Manchester Evening News Arena, Manchester, UK, 1,077,620
4. Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, Paris, 680,222
5. 02 – Dublin, Ireland, 656,174
23. BOK Center, 360,871
96. Oklahoma City Arena, 124,766

Worldwide Amphitheater Ticket Sales
1. DTE Energy Music Theatre, Clarkston, Mich., 688,023 tickets sold
2. Filene Center at Wolf Trap, Vienna, Virginia, 402,030
3. Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavillion, The Woodlands, Texas, 366,864
4. Verizon Wireless Music Center, Noblesville, Ind., 365,415
5. Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, New Jersey, 361,961
63. Oklahoma City Zoo Amphitheater, 62,099 tickets sold

Read more from this Tulsa World article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/scene/article.aspx?subjectid=269&articleid=20110112_371_0_hrbrFo385213

[heironymouspasparagus]

Still gotta wonder if an extreme makeover of the other center for 10 or 20 million wouldn't have had 'nearly' the same effect as 200 million??

Hey!  How about maintaining the existing facility in addition to the new one??  We could have an additional 50% useage/revenue with 10% extra cost!!

[sgrizzle]

Still gotta wonder if an extreme makeover of the other center for 10 or 20 million wouldn't have had 'nearly' the same effect as 200 million??

No

Hey!  How about maintaining the existing facility in addition to the new one??  We could have an additional 50% useage/revenue with 10% extra cost!!

They do maintain and even expanded the old one.

[Vision 2025]

Still gotta wonder if an extreme makeover of the other center for 10 or 20 million wouldn't have had 'nearly' the same effect as 200 million??

Hey!  How about maintaining the existing facility in addition to the new one??  We could have an additional 50% useage/revenue with 10% extra cost!!

10-20 or even $100 million wouldn't have added sufficient seating capacity, flexibility, and the amenities that facility requires in order to attract premium events.    

[nathanm]

10th in the nation and 23rd in the world. Pretty good for lil' ol' Tulsa.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Guess I will have to go downtown and look around the old one this weekend just to see how much improved it is.  Given 20+ years of pretty much absolute neglect, I am not optimistic.  I hope I am very wrong.
How much have we spent on remodeling/maintenance since the new one was built??

And since we never did even give it a shot, Sgrizzle, exactly how is it you can make a definitive "no" statement?

There have been good results from the new one.  I am very happy and overall pleased it is doing that.  I have the same investment in it as people who were overwhelmingly in favor from the get go.  The one thing I can't get past is the look.  Still looks like the ship from "The Day the Earth Stood Still".  I guess since I am a forward looking visionary type, embracing the future with open arms, I should get over that.  And perhaps I could have if they hadn't made it look like it had crashed!  Oh, well, just more evidence that architecture is dead.

[Townsend]

Guess I will have to go downtown and look around the old one this weekend just to see how much improved it is.  Given 20+ years of pretty much absolute neglect, I am not optimistic.  I hope I am very wrong.

How long's it been since you've been downtown?

[heironymouspasparagus]

Less than 36 hours.

Went by the new baseball stadium.  Wondering why they put it "underground"?
Where is everyone gonna park for the baseball game?

Still haven't been inside the old convention center for about 1 1/2 years.  Didn't make it this weekend.  Did they glue the ceiling panels back up?

[Hoss]

Less than 36 hours.

Went by the new baseball stadium.  Wondering why they put it "underground"?
Where is everyone gonna park for the baseball game?

Still haven't been inside the old convention center for about 1 1/2 years.  Didn't make it this weekend.  Did they glue the ceiling panels back up?

You just answered your question about reprovisioning the old CC with that one statement.

[tulsabug]

Less than 36 hours.

Went by the new baseball stadium.  Wondering why they put it "underground"?
Where is everyone gonna park for the baseball game?

Sunken fields not only give a feel of integration with the surrounding area, but also make it cheaper to build (per Ballparkdigest as your entry is at ground level and also allows handicapped access directly off the street.)

Still not sure why the main argument naysayers have about anything is parking. Parking is everywhere around the ballpark and readily available since most games aren't on when downtown is full of workers. Would you have preferred a gigantic parking garage right next door than not only holds 5000 cars but also is equipped with a crane so you could be picked up and dropped directly in your seat? Seriously - how about instead of driving by the stadium you instead go to a game and then come back with criticisms?

[sgrizzle]

Hilarious. Everytime I've visited oneok field I've had less than a walk than my trips to the old Driller's stadium. Parking there was horrendous but because it "wasn't downtown" it "must not be an issue"

[cannon_fodder]

Wow.  Thanks Heironymous for illustrating the challenges urban development faces in Tulsa.  Primarily a set mindset that suburban is the only thing that works and a set opinion based on ignorance.

1) the BOk center seats about 11,000 more people than the convention center ever did, has, or can.  Many events require a minimum number of seats - usually around 18,000.  That simply was not possible at the convention center.  Ive been to venues in many cities and the BOk is very nice by any standard.

2) The convention center received a multi-million dollar renovation on existing areas, added new areas, and improved the parking for the center.  This was underway 2 or 3 years ago and was completed nearly 2 nears ago.  There are several events there every week and it is open ever day to walk through the common areas.  The convention center can fulfill all of Tulsa's needs AND attract new events.

3) The baseball stadium has completed an entire season of play.  It was the talk of much of the town for MONTHS, the opening game, bedlam game, and season closer was covered by every media outlet.  More than 410,000 people attended the games.  The Tulsa World did a special edition on the stadium.  Your ignorance is amazing.

The field is below grade for 4 primary reasons.  1) to make it gel with the area - you can walk up to the gates and watch the game being played from street level... as opposed to have obstructing walls surrounding the area.  2) It saves money in construction.  3) It makes ADA compliance easier as well as making entering and exiting easier for everyone else (you can see the field as you wait to get in even).  and 4) it provides AWESOME views of downtown from more seating areas.

Wondering where people are "going" to park is sooooo a year and a half ago...

Whenever someone bitches about parking it INSTANTLY tell me they dont really go out and do things.  Not in Tulsa and certainly not anywhere else.  When I go to the BOk center I don't pay to park and still only have to wonder 5 or 6 blocks.  At the ballpark I probably walk less than that, again without paying to park.  Hell, OSU provides free parking to the games and isnt more than 4 blocks away.

Even when there is something at the convention center, a concert at the BOk center, a weekend night at the Blue Dome, and a ballgame... I STILL didn't have a problem finding FREE places to park.    Given that free 4 or 5 block walk, I doubt anyone would want to finance a parking garage to be used by ~3000 vehicles (6500 people) 70 times a year - since most people would still prefer to walk 5 blocks than pay. 

Parking isn't a real issue.  I know it might seem that way the first time you go to scary big city downtown Tulsa, but spend a minute on the internet before heading down and youll see that there is ample parking.

4) Finally, please try not to criticize things you don't have any knowledge of.  If you didn't know the convention center was renovated (it was a public vote ffs!), have never been to the BOK, and had your head in the sand re the ballpark - your thoughts on those issues probably have little value.  Sorry.

[Townsend]

CF's hand meet Heir's face.

Heir's face, CF's hand.

[Hoss]

CF's hand meet Heir's face.

Heir's face, CF's hand.

Sorry, just couldn't resist: