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Forum staff reports, The Forum
Published Tuesday, November 30, 2004
The Halloween Van Halen concert proved to be a frightful event for the Fargodome.
Not only did the show not generate any money for the dome, it ended up costing the facility $25,000 to pull off. That money was paid to the promoter, Joe Fletcher Presents, to offset his loss.
Fargodome General Manager Rob Sobolik said the promoter, who fronted the money to bring the act to the dome, will lose about $250,000 on the dismally attended concert.
The $25,000 came from an event promotion fund in the 2004 dome budget.
"It (the concert) just didn't work," Sobolik said at a Fargo Dome Authority meeting Monday night. "I learned a lesson about what people are willing to pay for a ticket."
Van Halen tickets ranged from $40 to $84.50. Ticket prices are set by the promoter and the act. The Fargodome even tried slashing ticket prices for a short time period, but that didn't do much for overall sales. The Van Halen concert had 4,618 paid attendees. (Note: Place holds 27K.)
Despite the disappointment, the Fargodome still had a strong October with concerts like the Gaither Homecoming, Alabama and Rain.
The dome exceeded overall budget expectations for October with a $167,762 net income, compared to the $120,096 it had budgeted.
Published Tuesday, November 30, 2004
The Halloween Van Halen concert proved to be a frightful event for the Fargodome.
Not only did the show not generate any money for the dome, it ended up costing the facility $25,000 to pull off. That money was paid to the promoter, Joe Fletcher Presents, to offset his loss.
Fargodome General Manager Rob Sobolik said the promoter, who fronted the money to bring the act to the dome, will lose about $250,000 on the dismally attended concert.
The $25,000 came from an event promotion fund in the 2004 dome budget.
"It (the concert) just didn't work," Sobolik said at a Fargo Dome Authority meeting Monday night. "I learned a lesson about what people are willing to pay for a ticket."
Van Halen tickets ranged from $40 to $84.50. Ticket prices are set by the promoter and the act. The Fargodome even tried slashing ticket prices for a short time period, but that didn't do much for overall sales. The Van Halen concert had 4,618 paid attendees. (Note: Place holds 27K.)
Despite the disappointment, the Fargodome still had a strong October with concerts like the Gaither Homecoming, Alabama and Rain.
The dome exceeded overall budget expectations for October with a $167,762 net income, compared to the $120,096 it had budgeted.
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