Dear Friends and Neighbors,
A new year is coming, and a new roster of events. We look forward to sharing some exciting performances with you!
Something that audience members ask me all the time is why we don’t have more younger or newer performers at the Florida Theatre? The simple answer is, “economics.” There are exceptions, but generally speaking, younger acts do not sell enough tickets at the right prices to be financially viable at the Florida Theatre.
The Florida Theatre is a big, expensive building to operate. It has 1,864 fixed seats, and costs us $5,000 to $10,000 per night to open and staff, plus, on average, we spend another $5,000 per show on advertising. Right off the bat, we’re looking for performers that can sell enough tickets to cover $15,000 to $20,000 of costs, plus whatever the performer’s own fee is, too. With artist fees ranging from $10,000 to over $100,000 a night, we’re looking for performers with a track record. The reality is that most new and young performers don’t move enough tickets to cover these numbers. We are lucky to have several smaller, intimate venues in our community for these acts to play, but the nature of the Florida Theatre is that a new, young act selling 100 tickets at $10 or $20 each is not financially feasible.
There is one way, however, that the Florida Theatre is able to give a younger act exposure, and that’s in the opening act slot. In the new year, I encourage you to try a show you don’t know anything about, and be in your seat for the opening acts, too.
It’s always mystified me when audiences do not pay attention to the opening act. You’ve paid your money, why not give the new kid (or kids) a try? If you don’t like it, then you can go out in the lobby and talk to your friends, but why not at least give the opener a try? I’ve seen some great opening acts in my time, including REM, the English Beat, the Clash, Melissa Etheridge and Blackberry Smoke. Some of them were outstanding. Some of them showed little to no sign of the greatness to come, but I saw them in development, and I think it ultimately gave me a better sense of their artistry.
A quick trip through the Florida Theatre’s archives reveals a fascinating list of openers since just the 80s. If you were not in your seat on time, you missed opening sets by Ivan Neville, John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band, The Godfathers, Clint Black, Bela Fleck, Kings X, Joe Williams, The Tragically Hip, The Wallflowers, Shawn Colvin, Jim Lauderdale, Dave Attell, Robert Cray, Grace Potter and Bon Iver. You also missed opening sets from Derek Trucks, opening for BB King in 1992, and Susan Tedeschi, supporting Johnny Lang in 1999. Susan was supporting her second album, and Derek was 5 years away from his first release.
Many of these acts have returned and returned again as headliners in their own right, but the moral of the story is if you want to be a serious music connoisseur, and if you want to have bragging rights, then be on time for the show!
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Glenn is the founder and publisher of First Coast Life. He is also a wonderful storyteller. Born on the 4th of July, he spends his spare time taking his camera and exploring everything beautiful this region offers with his rescue dog Callie by his side. He loves meeting new people and capturing the many beautiful moments and amazing local stories that showcase the true spirit of the area.
