Even local concert and event promoters are not sure what the `E' in E Center stands for. However, they do know what the new facility represents - another multiuse center available for large events in the Salt Lake Valley.
Needless to say, they have very big plans for the E Center of West Valley City, which presents its first concert next month.Country singers Clay Walker, Lee Ann Womack and Mark Wills are first up at the venue Friday, Oct. 10. Other concerts on the slate include veteran rock band Jethro Tull (Nov. 6), the hippie-jam rock act Phish (Nov. 14) and Latino-pop crooner Enrique Iglesias (Nov. 16). The facility will also be used for events like the upcoming Holiday Festival on Ice, featuring Kristi Yamaguchi (Nov. 12).
"The quality of the E Center is very high," said Steve Boulay, executive vice president of Magicworks Entertainment (formerly the Space Agency). "This new venue will give more choices to the public. It will also be good for the promoter because there will be more available space to put on shows."
Dave McKay, vice president of United Concerts, agreed and said he expects the E Center to bridge the gap between big arenas like the Delta Center and Rice Stadium, and smaller concert venues, such as Abravanel Hall and Saltair Pavilion.
"Availability is the bottom line," said McKay, the promotions company's major concert buyer. "With more options of venues, it means we don't have to pick and choose on shows. We can be even more aggressive in the shows we pursue."
Seating capacity for the E Center is smaller than it is for the Delta Center, but McKay said United Concerts will work around that. "We think the E Center will work just fine. There are certain shows that aren't quite big enough for the Delta Center but are too big for Saltair. Those are the kinds of shows we're looking at for the E Center."
Boulay said the addition of the E Center to the venue group, which includes the Delta Center and the Huntsman Center, will help bring a more diverse array of events and concerts to town.
"Salt Lake already had a lot of venues," Boulay said. "Now we have more. And it will take less money to do shows, because there will more venues from which to choose."
And unlike the Delta Center, which was designed primarily for sporting events, the E Center was designed as a multiple-use facility. Its architects were given specific instructions regarding sound quality, said Bob Cavalieri, president for the Centennial Management Group, who oversees the E Center bookings.
The promoters say they have been assured that E Center concerts will have sound quality comparable to acoustically sound venues.
"Everybody always says negative stuff about the `big building' sound, but I like `big building shows'," McKay said. "I've always been told that it's not so much what the building sounds like, but it's up to a sound engineer to make sure things sound right. Sometimes these guys come to town and aren't willing to put in the work to make sure there are no dead spots."
"The E Center's acoustics are excellent," Boulay agreed.
In addition to the arena, which seats up to 11,000, the E Center is equipped with a half-capacity 5,000-seat theater plan, which can also be reduced or expanded as needed, said Boulay, whose company has also brought road companies of "Les Miserables" and "Jesus Christ Superstar" to Salt Lake City.
"In fact, `JCS' had a full concert production that couldn't fit in the Capitol Theatre," Boulay explained. "It would have done nicely at the E Center."
Then again, that production would have also fit nicely in the Huntsman Center, where the 9,000-seat concert capacity worked for bands such as Damn Yankees and the Monkees and comedian Jeff Foxworthy. Rick James, Huntsman Center director, said he's not too worried about the E Center taking his event business away. "It will have some effect on our bookings, but how much of an effect remains to be seen.
"When you look at all the venues we used to have - the Salt Palace, the Delta Center, the David O. McKay Event Center - you see the diversity in size. We'll probably have the same number of events that will pass through the area, we'll just have more places to choose from."
While McKay said United Concerts is planning to get a lot of use from the E Center, he said it definitely won't be a replacement venue for The Canyons, formerly Wolf Mountain, the site for its Summer Concert Series.
"Everything is going to be just fine there," McKay said. "We've been in discussions with the new owners, and they've promised that the facility will be bigger and better than before. They're really aggressive and have their own plan in mind for it."
Ultimately, United Concerts, Magicworks and other local promoters look at the E Center as simply another available space, in company with the Delta Center, Abravanel Hall, Kingsbury Hall, Saltair, the Canyons, the David O. McKay Center and the Huntsman Center.
"What we try to do is put the right building together with the right show," McKay said. "This just gives us one more option."
*****
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Schedule of Events
Confirmed upcoming events at the E Center of West Valley City, 3200 S. Decker Lake Drive:
- World Championship Wrestling Monday Nitro Live, Sept. 22.
- Clay Walker, LeAnn Womack and Mark Wills, Oct. 10.
- Jethro Tull, Nov. 6.
- Bulls & Broncs Rodeo, Nov. 7 and 8.
- Holiday Festival on Ice, Nov. 12.
- Phish, Nov. 14.
- Enrique Iglesias, Nov. 16.
E Center tickets are available from all Smith'sTix outlets or the ticket outlet at the Valley Fair Mall, or by phone, 1-800-888-8499 or 467-8499.