Who would have thought that in 2020 we would not have had the chance to attend at least one ticketed concert at our civic event venues during the spring and summer? Our previous years had been going well; we had multiple genres of artists performing at the Foster Communications Coliseum and the Bill Aylor Sr. Memorial River Stage. The bookings were ramping up in late 2019 to have another great year of entertainment at our beloved facilities. Some of those events included starting a new tradition at the River Stage with the Simply Blues Festival, a Texas country music festival and ZZ Top returning. All of those plans changed around the third week of March.
Personally, I knew the entertainment industry was going to take a huge hit when the SXSW music festival canceled a week prior to the event in Austin. When COVID-19 numbers started rising, promoters had no choice but to cancel their events, with no date to reschedule. This has hit the entertainment industry hard, including artists, promoters, concessionaires, ushers and other important roles.
On the positive side, we have been able to catch up on maintenance issues at our venues. We have completed minor upgrades to our restrooms, concession stand and box office at the River Stage. We have also worked on upgrading the dressing rooms and repainted the inside arena at the Coliseum, along with other needs. We have also implemented other additions to help reduce the spread of COVID at all of our facilities.
With only a few months left in 2020, I doubt that we will see a concert before the end of the year. Although this year has put a damper on events, I do believe that the future is bright for entertainment in San Angelo and surrounding areas. Artists and bands of all genres will be eager to perform again in sold-out arenas and outdoor venues. I hope that time comes sooner rather than later.
Sidney Walker is the Civic Events Manager for the City of San Angelo. Contact him at sidney.walker@cosatx.us or 325-653-5328.
