Salt Lake County arts officials and local presenters on Thursday announced a new performing series, Live at the Eccles, which will kick off Nov. 2 with a concert by the Seattle indie-folk band The Head and the Heart.
It's the first of 15 shows scheduled in the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Theater, 131 Main St. Also on the concert list: Goo Goo Dolls, Amos Lee, Morrissey, Johnny Mathis, the Chris Isaak Holiday Tour, Experience Hendrix and Postmodern Jukebox. Comedians Jay Leno and Kathy Griffin, along with David Sedaris, Neil deGrasse Tyson, AC2 (Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen), Elvis Lives! and the Golden Dragon Acrobats round out the series performances. (See box for ticket details or visit www.live-at-the-eccles.com.)
"The Eccles is such a fantastic addition to Utah," says John Ballard, president of MagicSpace Entertainment, which is partnering with First Tracks and Salt Lake County to present shows at the new theater.
Ballard underscored how the facility was designed with a front glass curtain so theatergoers and the city could see each other. Inside the house, patrons will appreciate the unencumbered sightlines to the stage.
It will be one of the best performing-arts centers in North America, thanks to its state-of-the-art design, prominent downtown location, audience comforts, backstage facilities and three stage-level truck loading docks, says Ballard, who wore a red tie promoting a legendary Jimi Hendrix concert.
Missing from the announcement was a KISS cover band and pyrotechnic flash pots, joked Bruce Granath, MagicSpace marketing director, referring instead to the backdrop of the building's six-story lobby, which features public art on the floor tiles and jewel-colored balcony panels.
"To see these acts in this dynamic, thrilling, engaging, compelling, comfortable new theater — my breath gets taken away," says First Tracks promoter Chris Mautz, who, along with partner Darin Piccoli, co-owns The State Room in Salt Lake City and O.P. Rockwell in Park City.
Concertgoers will have "an intimate and rocking experience. This place is going to pop," says Mautz, referring to the house's shallow and stacked design. Added Piccoli: "What memories are going to be made in this theater."
Mautz books Salt Lake City's popular summer Red Butte Garden concert series and a concert series in Grand Rapids, Mich., while Piccoli has booked shows for Snowbird and the Utah Arts Festival.
The new theater represents the city and county's ongoing vision to revitalize downtown, says Justin Belliveau, chief administrative officer of Salt Lake City's Redevelopment Agency, representing Mayor Jackie Biskupski and the Salt Lake City Council.
The Eccles is slated to open with a gala and public performances the weekend of Oct. 21. The new 2,500-seat, $119 million theater will also host MagicSpace Entertainment's Broadway at the Eccles touring series, with an already-announced season lineup that includes special events such as the return engagements of "The Lion King" and "The Book of Mormon."
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Live at the Eccles
Nov. 2 • The Head and the Heart
Nov. 4 • Goo Goo Dolls
Nov. 7 • Amos Lee
Nov. 11 • Jay Leno
Nov. 12 • Morrissey
Nov. 13 • Postmodern Jukebox
Nov. 22 • Chris Isaak Holiday Tour
Jan. 27 • Kathy Griffin
Feb. 15 • Neil deGrasse Tyson
Feb. 18 • Elvis Lives!
March 6 • Experience Hendrix
March 11 • Golden Dragon Acrobats
April 29 • Johnny Mathis
May 2 • David Sedaris
June 10 • AC2 – Anderson Cooper & Andy Cohen
Tickets • Visit www.live-at-the-eccles.com and join an email list to get priority access to tickets starting Friday, Sept. 9, at 10 a.m. Tickets go on sale to the public Friday, Sept. 16, at 10 a.m. at ArtTix.
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