VENUE NEWS: Springsteen Sells Out Seven Giants Stadium Concerts & John Root To Step Down at San Mate

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band sold out seven July shows at Giants Stadium on March 1 setting a Ticketmaster record for most stadium concerts sold on the same day by the same artist. Three shows were advertised: July 15 and 17-18. Performances for July 21 and 24 were quickly added and finally shows for July 26-27 were added. Over 400,000 tickets priced at $75-$55 were sold for "The Rising's" return to New Jersey, Springsteen's home state. This would put the gross somewhere in the neighborhood of $26,000,000.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band previously only played Giants Stadium in 1985 for six concerts.

John Root To Step Down at San Mateo County Expo Center

John Root will step down May 3 as general manager of the San Mateo (CA) County Expo Center after 30 years in facility management. "It's time for me to explore other things I want to do, which may or may not be involved in the facility management industry," said Root. Since becoming general manager of the San Mateo County Expo Center in 1987, Root has helped transform the facility into one of the leading hosts of consumer shows in Northern California. The Expo Center, including the annual 10-day fair, attracts more than one million visitors annually to consumer and trade shows. Root was previously general manager of the Cow Palace in Daly City for more than 11 years.

D.C. Theatre Benefit Draws Varied Artists

WASHINGTON (AP) — Celebrities and artists from the country music and Latino community entertained President Bush and the first lady Sunday evening at the annual presidential gala benefit for Ford's Theatre.

Grammy Award winning country artist LeAnn Rimes, standup comedian George Lopez and the Texas group Lonestar were among those who performed for an audience of senators and corporate leaders in the historic theater.

Standing on stage with the Naval Academy Glee Club, Bush praised the theater for having a "place in the history of our country and also a special place in the life of this city."

Bush also paid tribute to the late Frankie Hewitt for making Ford's Theatre "more than a museum and a reminder of a sad day in our nation's history." Hewitt, 71, died of cancer last Friday the day after Bush awarded her the National Humanities Medal.

Other performers included Grammy winner Alison Krauss & Union Station and 6-year old singer Jamia Simone Nash.

Nash, who sang a rendition of Alicia Keys' song "Fallin'" charmed the president. Winking at her when he took to the stage, Bush called Nash the "definition of the future."

The performance will be aired later on ABC television.

Lawsuit Threatens Seattle Shed Construction

A lawsuit to stop the construction of a 20,000-seat, $30 million amphitheater by the Muckleshoot Tribe has been filed by Citizens for Safety and Environment, reports the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce.

The suit alleges that the state violated environmental laws by approving access from the amphitheater to two-lane State Route 164.

The Clear Channel Entertainment-operated venues is scheduled to open in June.

Pittsburgh Shed Gets Narrow Approval From City

The 5,600-seat, $9 million amphitheater proposed by the Pittsburgh Steelers was narrowly approved by the city Planning Commission on February 25, despite complaints from nearby residents about potential noise problems from concerts at the venue, which will be built on a parking lot area across from Heinz Arena, reports the Post-Gazette.

Heinz Field general manager Jimm Sacco said he anticipates construction to start in late spring or early summer, making the amphitheater ready for the 2004 concert season.

Karen Totaro Named Assistant Executive Director of Oregon Convention Center

Karen Totaro has joined the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, OR as the assistant
executive director. The new position was created in large part due to the 500,000 square foot expansion of the facility scheduled to open in April. She was previously the associate director of the newly renovated University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, OH.

ncG1vNJzZmiblaGyo77IrbCam5OawLR6wqikaJuRlr%2BktMivnGiulaPCpnnNnq6sZaOlv6q6xqyrnp2eYsCmuMusZKitpGLApsLEp2SgoZGjwbR50q2YnaGlonqku82cnKuso2K3sLTNZqmop6RiwbB50q2cqWWUpMSvecCtZKyZnmK6osDEqGScp6Wjwbp5xLGnqGWTmru1sdFmmqWhk6B6sLqMpqarnV2pvG7CyJ6uZpmcoXqivtOimqWdo2Q%3D