Thursday, May 24, 2007

We won't get fooled again...

I really like reading stories like this one about Merriweather's resurgence, especially because it kind of validates what I and so many others were saying several years ago. Namely, Merriweather's viability (or lack thereof) was less related to the condition of the pavilion itself (as was argued by its owner) than it was to the competency of its management, at the time handled by Clear Channel, owners Merriweather's main competitor, Nissan Pavilion.

I mean, what would you expect to happen to Target if the Walton family was put in charge of running it?

Do you see what happens when you install competent managers who aren't faced with an egregious conflict of interest? You get a profitable venue where acts actually want to play. Wow, it's, like, magic!

I really can't say enough good things about IMP. It's time they were given a long term contract. Are you listening, GGP? Goodwill, and all that.

And, of course, all of this reminds me that I need to update the old website.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ken Ulman deserves sole credit for anything good associated with Merriweather. He alone saved Merriweather.

MerriweatherRaven said...

Yes, update the Website!
I want to read praises about Ken Ulman and how he singlehandely saved Merriweather.

Anonymous said...

I'll ignore the previous silly comments and say that last month I saw John Legend at Merriweather and it was easily one of the best concerts I have seen in years. Not only because Legend is truly gifted as an artist but also because of the wonderful ambiance at a fine outdoor venue! It reminded me of the "good ole days" :-)
Welcome back Merriweather.

FreeMarket said...

I saw a concert at Merriweather last weekend. I love how you can just park anywhere in Towncenter and walk to the concert.

Contrast that to Nissan Pavilion, where you park in the middle of nowhere and have a single lane out. It took me two hours to get out of that hell hole of a parking lot after a Jimmy Buffet concert.

Merriweather can’t be beat.

Anonymous said...

The only good thing I can say about Nissan is that it is bigger. Other than that, it sux. Getting to and from the venue, as FM stated, is a nightmare. Enough so that I do not consider it an option for seeing concerts.

Merriweather's big draw is its location. You can get to Columbia early, do dinner, walk around, then head over to the concert. Thanks to the numerous escape routes, after the concert, you can be out of the mall area in a matter of minutes, especially if you know where to park.

Still hoping for a Buffett return...