Practice Facility

[Rhody72]

Hockey would not be self supporting. I don't know why you're fixated on this idea.
...

Hi Blue Man. You are right that hockey would not be self-supporting, at least not initially. Hockey is the sport where RI has the best local talent. I am trying to understand why you are so negative towards hockey. From the many posts here, I am not the only one believing that URI should have a varsity hockey team(s). Is your issue that starting to build a D1 hockey program would most likely require taking resources from existing teams? I do not have the numbers to back this up, but I believe that there are flagship State Universities in New England where income from men's hockey covers expenses on a regular basis.

[NYGFan_Section208]

Also IMHO all this hockey talk should be in one of our myriad hockey threads here on the boards.

I firmly believe D1 URI varsity hockey teams could contend for a national championship within 5-10 years of promotion. Both men and women.

Go Rhody

No offense, but I went to a hockey school (that used to be good) and I think this is borderline hilarious

[Rhodymob05]

Our region , surrounding College hockey culture and local high school talent would absolutely support a competitive D1 hockey program.

[NYGFan_Section208]

Our region , surrounding College hockey culture and local high school talent would absolutely support a competitive D1 hockey program.

There's ~60 D1 teams, I think. How do you define competitive? I would LOVE for Rhody to be competitive at hockey...but if that even ever comes into play ....they're playing at The Hole (center of a Dunkn donut).

[Rhodymob05]

Our region , surrounding College hockey culture and local high school talent would absolutely support a competitive D1 hockey program.

There's ~60 D1 teams, I think. How do you define competitive? I would LOVE for Rhody to be competitive at hockey...but if that even ever comes into play ....they're playing at The Hole (center of a Dunkn donut).

We’re in New England , not Alabama. Hockey culture is huge here.

[Billyboy78]

Quinnipiac just won a national championship. We'd probably have a better chance to win a title in hockey than in any other sport.

[NYGFan_Section208]

Our region , surrounding College hockey culture and local high school talent would absolutely support a competitive D1 hockey program.

There's ~60 D1 teams, I think. How do you define competitive? I would LOVE for Rhody to be competitive at hockey...but if that even ever comes into play ....they're playing at The Hole (center of a Dunkn donut).

We’re in New England , not Alabama. Hockey culture is huge here.

16 teams make the playoffs...how do we define "competitive"?

[Brian Forster]

here's ~60 D1 team.
there is only 35-40 true D1 teams?
https://collegehockeyinc.com/teams-and-conferences.php
The others are given waivers due to lack of participation at the typically assigned level so they "play up".
Do hockey teams have buy games?
For example,would powers like Quinnipiac,UMASS or BU pay Rhody to play there?
Quinnipiac's attendance was pretty lean last year? Any ideas why?

[Billyboy78]

here's ~60 D1 team.
there is only 35-40 true D1 teams?
https://collegehockeyinc.com/teams-and-conferences.php
The others are given waivers due to lack of participation at the typically assigned level so they "play up".
Do hockey teams have buy games?
For example,would powers like Quinnipiac,UMASS or BU pay Rhody to play there?
Quinnipiac's attendance was pretty lean last year? Any ideas why?

We're in the age of student apathy.

[Ramfan22]

Update on practice facility, should be done very soon it looks like. Added banners for a few URI greats which look nice.

[Rhody15]

Update on practice facility, should be done very soon it looks like. Added banners for a few URI greats which look nice.

Just need an extra 20 million to finish everything else lol

But hey, definitely better than not being able to practice because the circus is in town (literally)

[Jdrums#3]

Update on practice facility, should be done very soon it looks like. Added banners for a few URI greats which look nice.

Looks good!

Thanks for posting this, Ramfan.

[NYGFan_Section208]

Update on practice facility, should be done very soon it looks like. Added banners for a few URI greats which look nice.

Just need an extra 20 million to finish everything else lol

But hey, definitely better than not being able to practice because the circus is in town (literally)

We need more circuses...or something...at the Ry. How many events, i.e, circuses or concerts there this summer? Oh, and 'member...'member when they talked about lights and field turf setting us up for outdoor concerts?....yeah...yeah...that was cool...

[RhowdyRam02]

Did the athletic department/University ever talk about concerts at Meade or was that something only talked about by fans? Honestly don't remember

[KeaneyBluBallz]

an empty arena, an unused stadium is just lost revenue.

go book some events.

Got to spend money to make money.

[Bartoburger]

an empty arena, an unused stadium is just lost revenue.

go book some events.

Got to spend money to make money.

Welcome to Rhode Island... where the citizens act driving more than 30 minutes is a long trip. So going to Kingston from Providence is a challenge plus the Dunk gets all the acts while URI may get a B rated comedy show/rock concert once a year. But seriously....
You can point the finger at many reasons why URI cant draw anything but with Mohegan Sun arena, Gillette, and the Dunk not far away, Kingston is an after thought to promoters/event planners.

[RIFan]

It would seem to me that concerts or other events at either Meade or the Ryan would make most sense during the summer when south county is most active and parking wouldn’t be an issue on campus. There are tons of mid sized venues all through New England that get decent shows during the summer.

[KeaneyBluBallz]

an empty arena, an unused stadium is just lost revenue.

go book some events.

Got to spend money to make money.

Welcome to Rhode Island... where the citizens act driving more than 30 minutes is a long trip. So going to Kingston from Providence is a challenge plus the Dunk gets all the acts while URI may get a B rated comedy show/rock concert once a year. But seriously....
You can point the finger at many reasons why URI cant draw anything but with Mohegan Sun arena, Gillette, and the Dunk not far away, Kingston is an after thought to promoters/event planners.

time to work with better promoters. don't be satisfied with the status quo.

it's funny, the npt folk fest is this weekend. yeah, it's had Dylan and whomever else back in the day, its has some history, no doubt. that said, look at the line up this year. have you heard of one act?

I got My Morning Jacket and couldn't name one one song. couldn't tell you who any of the rest are. I'm sure they're all wonderful and super talented.

friggin thing is sold out months before a lineup is even announced. people buying tickets on hopes and dreams of an seeing a certain act and to sit in the sun and cook in a decommissioned fort. think about that.

you're telling me the the RC couldn't sell out a couple times a summer with a decent act? poppycock. that's the promoters job. find a better agency.

sorry for the derail.

[SGreenwell]

an empty arena, an unused stadium is just lost revenue.

go book some events.

Got to spend money to make money.

Welcome to Rhode Island... where the citizens act driving more than 30 minutes is a long trip. So going to Kingston from Providence is a challenge plus the Dunk gets all the acts while URI may get a B rated comedy show/rock concert once a year. But seriously....
You can point the finger at many reasons why URI cant draw anything but with Mohegan Sun arena, Gillette, and the Dunk not far away, Kingston is an after thought to promoters/event planners.

Do any of those places have full event calendars? Maybe Mohegan. In July, Gillette had events or acts scheduled for 10 of 31 days, and half of that was soccer. Medium-sized venues have kind of been crowded out of the marketplace for various reasons, like the near-death of rock as a popular music format. I think the Ryan Center is still a fine venue for a basketball game, but most bands and artists seemingly want to go for larger venues (Gillette, whatever Mansfield is called nowadays) or smaller ones.

[SGreenwell]

an empty arena, an unused stadium is just lost revenue.

go book some events.

Got to spend money to make money.

Welcome to Rhode Island... where the citizens act driving more than 30 minutes is a long trip. So going to Kingston from Providence is a challenge plus the Dunk gets all the acts while URI may get a B rated comedy show/rock concert once a year. But seriously....
You can point the finger at many reasons why URI cant draw anything but with Mohegan Sun arena, Gillette, and the Dunk not far away, Kingston is an after thought to promoters/event planners.

time to work with better promoters. don't be satisfied with the status quo.

it's funny, the npt folk fest is this weekend. yeah, it's had Dylan and whomever else back in the day, its has some history, no doubt. that said, look at the line up this year. have you heard of one act?

I got My Morning Jacket and couldn't name one one song. couldn't tell you who any of the rest are. I'm sure they're all wonderful and super talented.

friggin thing is sold out months before a lineup is even announced. people buying tickets on hopes and dreams of an seeing a certain act and to sit in the sun and cook in a decommissioned fort. think about that.

you're telling me the the RC couldn't sell out a couple times a summer with a decent act? poppycock. that's the promoters job. find a better agency.

sorry for the derail.

If you haven't heard of Lana Del Rey, The Hold Steady, Jason Isbell, Aimee Mann and Nickle Creek, it kind of suggests you're just "out" on a lot of popular or critical-acclaimed music of the past 20 years. Which is fine, but Newport sells out mostly on the name, but because they've built up trust with their audience that they're going to have a great critical lineup, even if the top five acts on the bill probably can't lead a show on their name alone. To me, that's always been the niche of Newport, more than getting THE most popular artist of the time.

[KeaneyBluBallz]

Welcome to Rhode Island... where the citizens act driving more than 30 minutes is a long trip. So going to Kingston from Providence is a challenge plus the Dunk gets all the acts while URI may get a B rated comedy show/rock concert once a year. But seriously....
You can point the finger at many reasons why URI cant draw anything but with Mohegan Sun arena, Gillette, and the Dunk not far away, Kingston is an after thought to promoters/event planners.

time to work with better promoters. don't be satisfied with the status quo.

it's funny, the npt folk fest is this weekend. yeah, it's had Dylan and whomever else back in the day, its has some history, no doubt. that said, look at the line up this year. have you heard of one act?

I got My Morning Jacket and couldn't name one one song. couldn't tell you who any of the rest are. I'm sure they're all wonderful and super talented.

friggin thing is sold out months before a lineup is even announced. people buying tickets on hopes and dreams of an seeing a certain act and to sit in the sun and cook in a decommissioned fort. think about that.

you're telling me the the RC couldn't sell out a couple times a summer with a decent act? poppycock. that's the promoters job. find a better agency.

sorry for the derail.

If you haven't heard of Lana Del Rey, The Hold Steady, Jason Isbell, Aimee Mann and Nickle Creek, it kind of suggests you're just "out" on a lot of popular or critical-acclaimed music of the past 20 years. Which is fine, but Newport sells out mostly on the name, but because they've built up trust with their audience that they're going to have a great critical lineup, even if the top five acts on the bill probably can't lead a show on their name alone. To me, that's always been the niche of Newport, more than getting THE most popular artist of the time.

Plausible. Where does one find them on your FM or sirius/xm dial?

aside, to my point, the npt FF promoters obv know what they're doing to sell out a weekend long event without naming a single act.

so I ask again, you're telling me the RC can't sell out a 2 or 3 times a summer with a decent name on stage?

[SGreenwell]

time to work with better promoters. don't be satisfied with the status quo.

it's funny, the npt folk fest is this weekend. yeah, it's had Dylan and whomever else back in the day, its has some history, no doubt. that said, look at the line up this year. have you heard of one act?

I got My Morning Jacket and couldn't name one one song. couldn't tell you who any of the rest are. I'm sure they're all wonderful and super talented.

friggin thing is sold out months before a lineup is even announced. people buying tickets on hopes and dreams of an seeing a certain act and to sit in the sun and cook in a decommissioned fort. think about that.

you're telling me the the RC couldn't sell out a couple times a summer with a decent act? poppycock. that's the promoters job. find a better agency.

sorry for the derail.

If you haven't heard of Lana Del Rey, The Hold Steady, Jason Isbell, Aimee Mann and Nickle Creek, it kind of suggests you're just "out" on a lot of popular or critical-acclaimed music of the past 20 years. Which is fine, but Newport sells out mostly on the name, but because they've built up trust with their audience that they're going to have a great critical lineup, even if the top five acts on the bill probably can't lead a show on their name alone. To me, that's always been the niche of Newport, more than getting THE most popular artist of the time.

Plausible. Where does one find them on your FM or sirius/xm dial?

aside, to my point, the npt FF promoters obv know what they're doing to sell out a weekend long event without naming a single act.

so I ask again, you're telling me the RC can't sell out a 2 or 3 times a summer with a decent name on stage?

Who still listens to the radio for music? That being said, Lana Del Rey is this year's headliner, and she has two #1 Billboard 200 albums, two Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hits, and 15 songs that have charted in the Top 100. She's not really my cup of tea - I'm almost 40, so The Hold Steady and Aimee Mann are more my tempo - but she certainly qualifies as a popular artist nowadays.

I suspect its more that most musical acts have zero interest in the Ryan Center as a venue, because it's a mid-size arena. Its attendance is roughly 6,000. Can you show me some other venues with that capacity that have been scheduled well? Here in the Houston suburbs, we have the Merrell Center (roughly 8,000 seats for concerts), and its got a whole lot of nothing for most of the summer and beyond. Most artists either want to play football stadiums or 500-seat venues at this point.

[RhowdyRam02]

time to work with better promoters. don't be satisfied with the status quo.

it's funny, the npt folk fest is this weekend. yeah, it's had Dylan and whomever else back in the day, its has some history, no doubt. that said, look at the line up this year. have you heard of one act?

I got My Morning Jacket and couldn't name one one song. couldn't tell you who any of the rest are. I'm sure they're all wonderful and super talented.

friggin thing is sold out months before a lineup is even announced. people buying tickets on hopes and dreams of an seeing a certain act and to sit in the sun and cook in a decommissioned fort. think about that.

you're telling me the the RC couldn't sell out a couple times a summer with a decent act? poppycock. that's the promoters job. find a better agency.

sorry for the derail.

If you haven't heard of Lana Del Rey, The Hold Steady, Jason Isbell, Aimee Mann and Nickle Creek, it kind of suggests you're just "out" on a lot of popular or critical-acclaimed music of the past 20 years. Which is fine, but Newport sells out mostly on the name, but because they've built up trust with their audience that they're going to have a great critical lineup, even if the top five acts on the bill probably can't lead a show on their name alone. To me, that's always been the niche of Newport, more than getting THE most popular artist of the time.

Plausible. Where does one find them on your FM or sirius/xm dial?

aside, to my point, the npt FF promoters obv know what they're doing to sell out a weekend long event without naming a single act.

so I ask again, you're telling me the RC can't sell out a 2 or 3 times a summer with a decent name on stage?

But the "decent name on stage" in the summer is already playing a place in Boston, a place around New York City, and if they're playing in this area they're playing Mohegan Sun because Mohegan Sun can pay them more and make up for it in their restaurants and casinos. The one thing the Ryan Center has going for it is a student population, but that leads to concerts that might not draw from the people on the message board.

Also, it's important to note that since Meade got lights and field turf we've had a pandemic that shut down concerts and we've had the top of our biggest stands tarped off because of fire code issues. That doesn't even get into the staging and lighting issues of a venue not accustomed to running concerts. Hopefully once Meade is renovated we can get concerts there. Maybe partner with Bank of NH Pavilion which holds 8000 people in Gilford, NH to get acts to come to both places

[RhowdyRam02]

One thing URI should definitely try to do is partner with the Washington County Fair to try to bring in a big name country act as like a festival opener or closer. That would probably work during the summer where you might not need a student population to boost sales

[Billyboy78]

There used to be Spring concerts every year at Meade. I specifically remember one show when I was in school that had J. Geils (at the height of their career) and B.B. King. At one time, there were big name acts coming here.

[theblueram]

I didn't see the show's, but I believe Edward's Auditorium had Jefferson Starship in '79 and George Thorogood in '81.

[Jersey77]

I didn't see the show's, but I believe Edward's Auditorium had Jefferson Starship in '79 and George Thorogood in '81.

In the 70’s I saw the Blues Brothers and Stevie Wonder at Edwards.

[theblueram]

I didn't see the show's, but I believe Edward's Auditorium had Jefferson Starship in '79 and George Thorogood in '81.

In the 70’s I saw the Blues Brothers and Stevie Wonder at Edwards.

I saw a show in the early 90's, but can't remember who it was lol. Someone like Hudu Gurus or Gin Blossoms or something. Maybe it was Soul Asylum? Not sure.

[Blue Man]

Couple of things -

1) Folk fest always gets great acts. The Decemberists played a few years ago. Brandi Carlisle and Joni Mitchell were there last year. Weird take but OK.

2) when it comes to URI/promotions - we realize that a promoter needs to pay the act and then worry about selling tickets. Bank of NH pavilion will shell out $1M to book Dave Matthews, and then cover expenses with the couple hundred thousand they make off the show - if that. IDK if Global Spectrum manages Meade or if it's under URI - but I can't even imagine how messy it would be for any promoter to come in and try to book Meade as a venue.

Considering there wouldn't be any seats looking at the stage, the issues with capacity and the stands, and I can only imagine the ridiculous infrastructure that the University would require to be put in place if someone wanted to book an act there. I mean, it's hard enough for people that work at URI to get anything done at URI, imagine being a 3rd party?

Also, did the new field donations come with the floor boards to set up on top of the turf? Are there even speakers that could handle a concert? Let's just build a new stadium and start worrying about these kind of first world problems later.

[Billyboy78]

I didn't see the show's, but I believe Edward's Auditorium had Jefferson Starship in '79 and George Thorogood in '81.

Yes, and also Charlie Daniels, Southside Johnny and Jorma Kaukonen. I also remember Pure Prairie League at Keaney.

[Billyboy78]

Check out some of the names that Keaney and Edwards used to get. Amazing. Some all time greats were here.

https://www.rirocks.net/Search/Univ%20of%20RI.htm

[SGreenwell]

Check out some of the names that Keaney and Edwards used to get. Amazing. Some all time greats were here.

https://www.rirocks.net/Search/Univ%20of%20RI.htm

It is highly amusing to imagine Bruce as an opening act.

[Blue Man]

I didn't see the show's, but I believe Edward's Auditorium had Jefferson Starship in '79 and George Thorogood in '81.

Yes, and also Charlie Daniels, Southside Johnny and Jorma Kaukonen. I also remember Pure Prairie League at Keaney.

Billy Joel also played in Edwards way long ago.

The Ryan Center has also pulled in decent acts - whether they're you're type of music is a different story. But they've brought in known artists.

But it's also not a big venue - between 4-6k. If you're a promoter - where do you think you're covering your band expenses? At a 4-6k seat venue in the middle of nowhere? Or 40 minutes away at one of 2 casinos or downtown in a city with 10k+ capacity?

Literally unless someone from this message board wins powerball and wants to spend and lose a ridiculous amount of money to do everything at URI - it will not change.

[hrstrat57]

Yeah Keaney brought great shows
PPL was huge at the time. Pousette Dart band opened iirc

[theblueram]

Check out some of the names that Keaney and Edwards used to get. Amazing. Some all time greats were here.

https://www.rirocks.net/Search/Univ%20of%20RI.htm

Thanks for posting this BillyBoy. It was the Lemonheads and Guster I saw at Edwards.

[SGreenwell]

Is there a venue comparable to the Ryan Center that's bringing in a bunch of acts and regularly selling out? Like, I already brought up Gillette basically only running events for 1/3 of July, and the closest venue to me in Texas basically being empty for shows most of the summer. We'll get big concert tours here, as well as smaller bands playing more intimate shows at like concert halls. What's the "best" venue in Rhode Island at this point? I've been gone for close to five years, and it looks like the Strand just runs DJ nights.

The bottom has kind of fallen out completely from the touring industry. Its basically huge stadium shows, concerts at small venues and festivals that most artists play now. The Ryan Center opened in 2002, basically before Napster and a half dozen other things permanently changed the music industry.

[Blue Man]

Is there a venue comparable to the Ryan Center that's bringing in a bunch of acts and regularly selling out? Like, I already brought up Gillette basically only running events for 1/3 of July, and the closest venue to me in Texas basically being empty for shows most of the summer. We'll get big concert tours here, as well as smaller bands playing more intimate shows at like concert halls. What's the "best" venue in Rhode Island at this point? I've been gone for close to five years, and it looks like the Strand just runs DJ nights.

The bottom has kind of fallen out completely from the touring industry. Its basically huge stadium shows, concerts at small venues and festivals that most artists play now. The Ryan Center opened in 2002, basically before Napster and a half dozen other things permanently changed the music industry.

As someone who does a lot of shows, there's no summer venue in RI that has the modern amenities one would expect, plus that are geared for shows. McCoy is probably the closest - but lol. The dumb D2 soccer stadium that is destined to fail and be our next 38 studios is probably the only hope of a decent venue for concerts - if they even set it up for concerts but it wouldn't shock me if corners were cut there.

But you need a capacity in the 15-20k range or you'll have outrageous ticket prices that people wouldn't pay.

[theblueram]

Is there a venue comparable to the Ryan Center that's bringing in a bunch of acts and regularly selling out? Like, I already brought up Gillette basically only running events for 1/3 of July, and the closest venue to me in Texas basically being empty for shows most of the summer. We'll get big concert tours here, as well as smaller bands playing more intimate shows at like concert halls. What's the "best" venue in Rhode Island at this point? I've been gone for close to five years, and it looks like the Strand just runs DJ nights.

The bottom has kind of fallen out completely from the touring industry. Its basically huge stadium shows, concerts at small venues and festivals that most artists play now. The Ryan Center opened in 2002, basically before Napster and a half dozen other things permanently changed the music industry.

Not sure but I have tickets for The Fixx at the Greenwich Odeum. Holds about 500 maybe. My daughter just went to Boogie with a Hoodie or something like that at the Ryan Center this year.

[theblueram]

Is there a venue comparable to the Ryan Center that's bringing in a bunch of acts and regularly selling out? Like, I already brought up Gillette basically only running events for 1/3 of July, and the closest venue to me in Texas basically being empty for shows most of the summer. We'll get big concert tours here, as well as smaller bands playing more intimate shows at like concert halls. What's the "best" venue in Rhode Island at this point? I've been gone for close to five years, and it looks like the Strand just runs DJ nights.

The bottom has kind of fallen out completely from the touring industry. Its basically huge stadium shows, concerts at small venues and festivals that most artists play now. The Ryan Center opened in 2002, basically before Napster and a half dozen other things permanently changed the music industry.

As someone who does a lot of shows, there's no summer venue in RI that has the modern amenities one would expect, plus that are geared for shows. McCoy is probably the closest - but lol. The dumb D2 soccer stadium that is destined to fail and be our next 38 studios is probably the only hope of a decent venue for concerts - if they even set it up for concerts but it wouldn't shock me if corners were cut there.

But you need a capacity in the 15-20k range or you'll have outrageous ticket prices that people wouldn't pay.

I remember a place up north called the Mishnock Barn or something that used to pull in good bands. Not sure if it still exists.

[NYGFan_Section208]

There used to be Spring concerts every year at Meade. I specifically remember one show when I was in school that had J. Geils (at the height of their career) and B.B. King. At one time, there were big name acts coming here.

LOVED JGB....have seen them 6 times... BB King musta been awesome!

[Billyboy78]

There used to be Spring concerts every year at Meade. I specifically remember one show when I was in school that had J. Geils (at the height of their career) and B.B. King. At one time, there were big name acts coming here.

LOVED JGB....have seen them 6 times... BB King musta been awesome!

It was a great show. Spring of '75. Papa John Creach was also there. I didn't think anybody would know who he was, so I didn't name him. B.B. was still only 49 years old at the time. J.Geils was also the first concert I ever saw in the summer of '74 at the Civic Center. Notable was the ticket price at the time....:$4.75, and they were huge at the time. The Who played a few months later at the Civic Center and I didn't go because I thought the price was outrageous....$8.50. Times have changed...

[RIFan]

Is there a venue comparable to the Ryan Center that's bringing in a bunch of acts and regularly selling out? Like, I already brought up Gillette basically only running events for 1/3 of July, and the closest venue to me in Texas basically being empty for shows most of the summer. We'll get big concert tours here, as well as smaller bands playing more intimate shows at like concert halls. What's the "best" venue in Rhode Island at this point? I've been gone for close to five years, and it looks like the Strand just runs DJ nights.

The bottom has kind of fallen out completely from the touring industry. Its basically huge stadium shows, concerts at small venues and festivals that most artists play now. The Ryan Center opened in 2002, basically before Napster and a half dozen other things permanently changed the music industry.

As someone who does a lot of shows, there's no summer venue in RI that has the modern amenities one would expect, plus that are geared for shows. McCoy is probably the closest - but lol. The dumb D2 soccer stadium that is destined to fail and be our next 38 studios is probably the only hope of a decent venue for concerts - if they even set it up for concerts but it wouldn't shock me if corners were cut there.

But you need a capacity in the 15-20k range or you'll have outrageous ticket prices that people wouldn't pay.

Every summer I say to my wife why doesn’t RI have a decent outdoor concert venue. There are a bunch in MA and NH. I don’t want to drive from gansett to MA to see every decent outdoor concert except for the 2 festivals in Newport.

[ramster]

Is there a venue comparable to the Ryan Center that's bringing in a bunch of acts and regularly selling out? Like, I already brought up Gillette basically only running events for 1/3 of July, and the closest venue to me in Texas basically being empty for shows most of the summer. We'll get big concert tours here, as well as smaller bands playing more intimate shows at like concert halls. What's the "best" venue in Rhode Island at this point? I've been gone for close to five years, and it looks like the Strand just runs DJ nights.

The bottom has kind of fallen out completely from the touring industry. Its basically huge stadium shows, concerts at small venues and festivals that most artists play now. The Ryan Center opened in 2002, basically before Napster and a half dozen other things permanently changed the music industry.

As someone who does a lot of shows, there's no summer venue in RI that has the modern amenities one would expect, plus that are geared for shows. McCoy is probably the closest - but lol. The dumb D2 soccer stadium that is destined to fail and be our next 38 studios is probably the only hope of a decent venue for concerts - if they even set it up for concerts but it wouldn't shock me if corners were cut there.

But you need a capacity in the 15-20k range or you'll have outrageous ticket prices that people wouldn't pay.

Every summer I say to my wife why doesn’t RI have a decent outdoor concert venue. There are a bunch in MA and NH. I don’t want to drive from gansett to MA to see every decent outdoor concert except for the 2 festivals in Newport.

I've been to Bold Point Park in East Providence a number of times. Right on the water.

[Rhodyram]

As someone who does a lot of shows, there's no summer venue in RI that has the modern amenities one would expect, plus that are geared for shows. McCoy is probably the closest - but lol. The dumb D2 soccer stadium that is destined to fail and be our next 38 studios is probably the only hope of a decent venue for concerts - if they even set it up for concerts but it wouldn't shock me if corners were cut there.

But you need a capacity in the 15-20k range or you'll have outrageous ticket prices that people wouldn't pay.

Every summer I say to my wife why doesn’t RI have a decent outdoor concert venue. There are a bunch in MA and NH. I don’t want to drive from gansett to MA to see every decent outdoor concert except for the 2 festivals in Newport.

I've been to Bold Point Park in East Providence a number of times. Right on the water.

Closed this year- heard live nation is taking it over

[Billyboy78]

Every summer I say to my wife why doesn’t RI have a decent outdoor concert venue. There are a bunch in MA and NH. I don’t want to drive from gansett to MA to see every decent outdoor concert except for the 2 festivals in Newport.

I've been to Bold Point Park in East Providence a number of times. Right on the water.

Closed this year- heard live nation is taking it over

I read that they planned on building a mini-amphitheater there. I don't know if they did. I've been there a few times. Some good food trucks at the shows too. Good time.

[RIFan]

Thanks I’ll have to check it out!

[Billyboy78]

Thanks I’ll have to check it out!

What is going on with Bold Point Park?
East Providence town officials including Mayor Bob DaSilva joined Governor Dan McKee and renowned concert promoter Don Law for a groundbreaking ceremony at Bold Point Park Friday morning November 4. The seasonal concert venue is being upgraded to a full-size amphitheater that is expected to be completed in 2024.Nov 4, 2022

[Rhody72]

What does any of this have to do with the URI basketball practice facility?

[ramster]

What does any of this have to do with the URI basketball practice facility?

Actually 72, in looking back to where the discussion went off course to hockey and then to concerts it appears your comment led the discussion away from the practice facility.

Thanks for posting. This would have been helpful information about 5 pages ago. That is what I'm talking about. Looks great. Hopefully, this is feasible sooner than later.

So football takes the State money and basketball gets to go fund raising. Pipe dream. How long did it take to raise $8M for the practice facility? Now project how long it will take to raise $35M? Still, no talk about upgrading hockey which has the potential to be self-supporting and is played at a high level in RI.

So back to the MBB/WBB Practice Facility...........

[ramster]

Recent picture of hallway which is coming along nicely
Pictures are on the walls of the Practice Facility
Workers were busy in the hallway yesterday.

80855547-E841-4111-B6D1-F80B7D453147.jpeg