Shoreline Amphitheater Upgrades...
The managers at Shoreline Amphitheatre say the improvements they made this winter to the 22,000-seat outdoor theater's sound and video systems were like upgrading a home entertainment center from simple stereo to massive surround sound.
Judging from last week's opening night, that's a pretty apt analogy.
Shoreline's building manager, Matt Prieshoff, beamed Tuesday as the venue's 20th season opened with a Jimmy Buffett show that brought in 15,500 people, even though most of Buffett's party-hearty fans were probably not thinking about the 38 new speakers on the lawn, the two improved daylight screens above the stage, and the large video screens over the bathrooms. And they probably didn't notice the raised boxes for customers in wheelchairs.
``We're in the back, but it still sounds great,'' said Hilary Faust, 21, a Stanford University student who said she plans to return for more shows.
That will please the theater's management, which has had more problems selling 16,500 lawn spaces than the 6,500 reserved seats, which usually sell out. The lawn, which in earlier years could make the music experience distant and uncomfortable, represented the venue's biggest room for growth.
``We really tried to make this a more positive experience, especially on the lawn,'' said Prieshoff, 31, who has managed theaters in Indiana, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. ``To get some people to sit on the lawn is a lot more difficult, and it helps to have the sound and video equal to the pavilion.''
Shoreline's managers are hoping to increase the number of shows this year. Only 19 were held last year; Prieshoff says this season will have at least 30 shows.
Meanwhile, replacing 18 speakers with 38 appears to be money well spent.
Speaking as someone who spent his first 10 years at Shoreline only on the lawn, I think the results are phenomenal.
The sound on the not-so-gently-sloping grass was as clear and free of distortion as it is in the closer, reserved-seat sections.
During Buffett's show it wasn't loud enough in the very back, thanks in large part to residents of Palo Alto, 10 miles away, who complained for years about the noise bouncing off the cloud layer and have forced Shoreline to keeps its volume down. But now, standing in the cheap seats, you could hear none of the rumbling echoes or squeals of the past.
The new system made the sound equally clear from every seat, whether you were right below a speaker or off in the far corners.
And during Depeche Mode's Thursday show, the sound was loud and clear, even in the last row.
The new video screens also helped. During the Buffett show, at any time on the lawn, you could see five screens more clearly than ever before. Two at the side of the stage were supplied by Buffett, two above them by Shoreline. There were two more on the lawn, one that could be seen from any angle.
It's made the place feel a lot more like the area's best large amphitheater, Concord's Chronicle Pavilion, which is a third smaller.
One of the secrets in the concert business is that the artists control the sound levels from the Shoreline stage; the venue is in charge of the sound on the lawn. And the venue has to ask the artist to turn it up if it isn't loud enough, as happened partway into Buffett's first set Tuesday.
The venue replaced 1,000 worn seats at stage center with new ones, something Prieshoff plans to continue doing over the years.
More noticeable, it added two raised areas for people on wheelchairs, guaranteeing they can see over fans standing in front of them.
``It's really well done,'' said Sher Sheldon, 54, who drove 70 miles from Novato for her first Shoreline show. ``It was well worth the drive. We will definitely be back.''
Taking a cue from baseball and amusement parks, Shoreline has beefed up its menu. Or unbeefed it, rather, adding a Miyake sushi booth, and vegetarian wraps at the Wild Bill's barbecue booth.
Prieshoff said he has tried to bring a more positive spin to the concert experience. He has sent many in his staff of 500 to customer service training sessions, adding 15 guest service specialists who can handle problems such as a lost car or a rude drunk in the next seat.
Those staffers wore parrots on their shoulders, in keeping with Buffett's ``Parrothead'' theme, opening night.
The venue has also added two shuttle buses to bring people to and from parking lots as far as a mile away.
One of the biggest changes had nothing to do with the concert promoter: Caltrans finally finished the Shoreline exit from Highway 101, speeding entry. The promoter has also added an entry from the west-side lots to the arena that should reduce some of the long lines.
Prieshoff has taken down the signs from the front that advise patrons of what they can't bring in, moving them to the parking lots and adding positive messages to the entries.
``Have fun, relax, dance, sing, enjoy the great outdoors, see friends and most importantly smile,'' say the signs.
And some past restrictions have been lifted. Patrons can now bring in small beach chairs and blankets for most shows, as well as food and non-alcoholic drinks in plastic containers.
``We know they have choices,'' Prieshoff says. ``And we know it can be an expensive night out. We want to make sure we perform the guest services people expect and exceed their expectations.''
And Prieshoff apparently shares the perfectionist tendencies of the man who opened Shoreline, one of the first outdoor venues designed specifically for rock concerts, Bill Graham. As he leads a tour of the new seats, he stops and reflexively reaches down and picks up a gum wrapper smaller than a pinkie fingernail.
The company that owns Shoreline is now called Live Nation. It was spun off last year from Clear Channel, the radio, billboard and entertainment company that has been steeped in bad publicity. That company's founder, Lowry Mays, chairs Live Nation's board of directors.
The company, which is still embroiled in a lawsuit with the city of Mountain View over its finances, wouldn't reveal how much it spent on the improvements, but its annual report declared that it spent $39 million on improvements at three outdoor theaters.
The suit, which charges that the venue's operators weren't disclosing all of its revenue, is in settlement talks, and an agreement is expected soon.
New at Shoreline
38 speakers on towers on the lawn
Two 15-by-20-foot screens on the lawn
Two Sony LED daylight bright screens on the stage
Two 6-by-8-foot screens over plaza restrooms and dining areas
Food: sushi, vegetarian wraps, $5 domestic beers, Armadillo Willy's sandwiches
Two raised areas for fans in wheelchairs with unobstructed views
Two shuttle buses to parking lots
Entrance on west side
Small beach chairs and blankets allowed on the lawn (most shows)
Cheap lawn-seat shows KISS Old School Fiesta featuring War, May 13: $9.81
Black Crowes, Robert Randolph June 18, $25
Nine Inch Nails and Bauhaus July 8, $24
Sammy Hagar Aug. 4, $10.
Kelly Clarkson Aug. 9, $25 (My BiRTHDAY!!)
Comments