And now, turning away from my pup and back to Irish Fest where we belong...
We at Irish Fest fight a constant battle over our two larger stages. Or at least the public perception of them. We don't, and have never considered one stage the "main stage" and another secondary. But much to our consternation, other people seem to. Yes, the Terrace Stage has that big, crazy, space-age looking tent over it. But the Boulevard Pub Stage is second to no stage when it comes to the quality of the entertainment we put up there. Look at this year's schedule: The Fuchsia Band. Different Drums. John Spillane. 2U. Solas. Gaelic Storm. Beoga. All appearing on the Boulevard Pub Stage. That line up is nobody's seconds.
If the line-up isn't enough to get our point across, this year the Boulevard Stage will also look second to none. It'll be bigger. With our expansion to the North, it will have more room for the crowds that great roster of talent will draw. And nearby food and drink, including it's namesake beers and stout. It's Boulevard Pub Stage version 2.0.
So put away any thoughts you may harbor about Main Stage/Other Stage. Think of it like we do here at Irish Fest. A Great Stage, Another Great Stage.
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I still remember the very small size of the Boulevard Pub stage at the first KC Irish Fest held at Crown Center. Which I think validly led to a view, of the Terrace Stage as the main stage. (And no Atrium stage yet that year if I recall correctly.) I wonder if that contributes to folks seeing it as a lesser stage.
Another thought... maybe rename it the Boulevard Stage, getting rid of the word "Pub". Pub implies small. "Pub" fit the small, under a tent, space that first year. It doesn't too much fit the space last year, and will even less this coming year.
P.S. Maybe, to reflect location (like the Terrace stage name does) call it the Boulevard Street Stage. Okay, doesn't fit together as nicely as Boulevard and pub, but reflects reality better, I think. Just an idea, feel free to use or reject.
I love the idea of dropping the "pub." As I was typing and used "Boulevard Stage" in the post, I was thinking exactly as you are. That original name came from when our pub front served as the entrance to the big tent that as you mentioned, held the stage. The pub front is now our front gate, so the whole pub reference isn't accurate any more anyway.
Interesting (constructive) discussion. Indeed... it's all about perception. Here's an out-of-towner's point of view.
My first "perception" of "The Boulevard Pub Stage" was at the second Crown Center Festival. Didn't make the first CC festival but I heard it was even smaller that first year.
There was no doubt in my mind, on first impression, that this was the "secondary" stage and myself and friends I was with weren't familiar with the stage names so all weekend we just referred to the Terrace stage, as, obviously, the "Main Stage" and the Boulevard Pub as "the other one". Before I really studied the program I actually thought the "Atrium" stage wasn't even officially part of the festival since it isn't even inside the paying area. First impression there was that it was just something organized hastily by the Westin mall or food court people OUTSIDE of the festival itself.
That perception was reinforced by the fact that it doesn't even stay active after dark or for the duration of the festival day.
When the food people go home, that stage closes... so I just naturally assumed it was their deal and not part of the festival itself.
I guess it's just human nature at something like this for people to try and identify which is the "Best" stage.
Some people just take one look at the size of the speaker towers and the sound board and immediately identify "The Main Stage".
Any multi-stage festival has the same problem.
Down in Dallas at the NTIF the stages inside the huge west-side hangar are all, actually, the same size and feature the same powerful sound systems but even there people have come to refer to the one stage at the southern end of the hangar as the "Main" stage. I don't know why.
Similar situation in Milwaukee, I hear. If you ask someone where a band is playing and they say "The Main Stage" that actually means different things to different people. Aer Lingus stage? Other one? Depends.
Maybe it's all about the name.
What if, instead of "Terrace" and "Boulevard" stage the names were actually just "Main Stage 1" and "Main Stage 2" or "Main Stage East" and "Main Stage North".
On second thought... dumb idea. That would probably just confuse the heck out of people and would make the program(s) and the banner printing and the advertising a total nightmare.
There probably is no real "solution" to the perception issue. At any multi-stage event people will always be looking around trying to identify which stage is the "Best" one... and they will usually succeed.
The other issue of course with the naming is that we don't call it "The Boulevard (Pub) Stage" just because we all enjoy the products that fine company produces. Which we certainly do. The naming rights to those stages is a sponsorship perk, and not an inexpensive one. If we find the right presenting sponsor, you'll see the Terrace Stage get a new name in a New York minute. The Sheridan's Atrium stage, obviously isn't and never will be on the same level in terms of size and sound as the Terrace, Pub, or even Heritage stages. But it is ours, and we love having it for a lot of reasons. It can get hot here in late summer and it's a wonderful thing to have an air conditioned place to slip into and still have the fest experience, especially for some of our older patrons. It also allows for a level of intimacy that you simply can't get at any of the other tents, making it a great venue for more subtle playing. Not to say it can't rock, too. Anybody who's seen Amanda Kapouzous play that stage knows what I mean. She (and the crowd she whipped into a frenzy) had the walls shaking. And with the now annual exhibit brought to us by the Milwaukee Irish Fest also in the atrium, that area has become a festival plaza. I only wish we could ticket it and sell beer!
Obviously a lot of the choices we make as to stage size, placement and layout are dictated by the cozy confines of Crown Center. We don't have the expanse that a Milwaukee has, and honestly we don't really want to get that big. We have limited space to work with and it is a challenge sometimes. But I think the changes you'll see at the Boulevard Stage this year will go a long way, no matter what they're called, to lessening the Main Stage/Other Stage identification we're trying to get away from.
Fer sure. The 'naming' of a stage has to be tied to economic realities.
The corporate prefix has to be there if the check is written. That's the way things work these days.
I don't think the perception of a stage at a festival being the "Main" one has anything to do with the name of it. It has more to do with the sheer size of it and/or it's physical location and focus on the grounds, or something. Dunno.
The Atrium stage is a really special place. I have experienced it from both sides of the "footlights". It is, indeed, a great place to sit and hear some amazing talent AND it's also fun as heck to play the stage as well.
I did, however, have a question which I hope isn't taking this thread off-topic, it's just something I have been wondering.
Since the Atrium stage IS, in fact, such a great little stage... why can't it at least stay open for the duration of the festival day?
I suppose I can understand why all the mall vendors wouldn't want to stay open even though KC Irishfest has brought thousands of customers to their doors... it being the weekend and all... but even if they all choose to call it a day at 6:00 PM why can't the Atrium stage stay active during the evening? The area itself certainly doesn't "close". You can enter/leave the area all evening long to get to/from the Westin lobby.
I do, in fact, believe that there are any number of people attending the festival in the evening who would rather have an easy-listening stage to retreat to when all the rock-and-roll is blasting away.
Is there a simple answer such as "not covered by insurance policies after 6:00 PM" or something?
Just wondering.
It's a good question. There are a couple reasons for the Atrium Stage closing early. Crown Center policy on our events in their building after the shops are closed is one. But the larger reason, not to sound too mercenary about it, is that since we can't really ticket that stage or sell concessions there, every band we put on that stage we're essentially giving away for free. Now we're happy to do that to a point, because it is a great asset. But the economic realty is that we can't stay afloat if we don't cover ever-increasing expenses. So at dusk, we like to encourage people, if they haven't already, to buy a ticket, join the crowd outside, enjoy a cold beverage, buy a T-Shirt, etc.
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