Murray Wood: Who's hot... and who's not
Every Friday, Murray Wood takes a look at the week's news and decides who's hot... and who's not. This week's list inclu...
The Foo Fighters will be rocking out at Mosaic Stadium in September along with Queens of the Stone Age.
The Regina Exhibition Association Limited (REAL) made the announcement on Thursday after dropping some hints on social media earlier in the week. The concert is set for Sept. 15, with general ticket sales opening on Halloween at 10 a.m.
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“It’s going to be big. It’s going to be absolutely incredible. It’s going to be over the top. It will be loud,” said REAL CEO Rick Bennett.
He said there will be around 41,000 people packed into Mosaic Stadium for the concert, including around 7,000 seats and standing room on the floor.
“That is a great indication of the horsepower of this event and the production side being absolutely entertaining and engaging. We’re going to see a very large stage set up, very large sound system, because we want everybody to know how incredible this band is, and the horsepower they bring to the entertainment scene.”
Bennett said it’s exciting that Regina is one of only four Canadian stops, and one of 11 North American stops on the Foo Fighters tour.
“The entertainment industry is fickle. No question, half the battle is, does the artist want to play in that particular city or town, and we crossed that bridge really early on,” said Bennett
“Then it becomes a question of finding dates, the logistics, that’s the heavy lifting. Part of it is bringing it all together. So the lead up to this has been months and months in development at this point, but I don’t think we have any issue presenting ourselves as a great market to play.”
When Bennett found out the Foo Fighters accepted the gig to perform at Mosaic Stadium, he said it was a celebration.
“It was a lot of hooting and hollering and fist bumping,” he said. “Live entertainment is a daily conversation in our office; there’s no question that this is a really big moment in time for the team here at REAL.”
Previously, Bennett said REAL was more “passive,” waiting for the touring industry to come to them; however, he said they have flipped that and are targeting acts that are important to Regina and Saskatchewan.
They’ve already started planning for next year.
“It’s a unique balance between all the activities in the Mosaic Stadium, between the Riders, the community events, and live entertainment that we find the right slot for major acts to work in. A major act would consume probably a week to two weeks’ worth of facility usage, space,” said Bennett.
“Overall goal, fewer dark days at REAL, and this is a good indication of where we’re going.”
According to REAL, tickets range in price from $59.50 to $299.50, with Bennett explaining they wanted to ensure tickets were accessible to everyone in Regina and Saskatchewan.
“Every ticket in our house is absolutely spectacular, regardless of the price point, certainly at the premium end that would reflect tickets that are in a suite or a specialized loge (private box), but general admission, that’s great.”
