Washed-up Morrisville outlet mall to get Chinese makeover (via WRAL)

It is disappointing to see the project being scaled down, but frankly, with the bath that Sandreuter ended up taking on the oversized West at North Project, it is obvious that banks are putting pressure on Sandreuter to do something with the land. The truth is that the economy is worse than the media is portraying, and a project like the one originally proposed for The Edison is now probably more than 20 years away for Raleigh. In fact it will be at least 12 years before anything changes the Raleigh skyline.

With conditions as they are, we are lucky to see something proposed for this land. As it stands now, the block stands as a blank and a few run-down old buildings in the middle of a downtown that has much organic energy. We are now at the 3-year mark of a development drought in downtown Raleigh, and if we get too arrogant, we will lose all of the roaring momentum that Raleigh had six years ago. In other words we cannot afford to be too choosy now about downtown projects. Given the number of empty lots in downtown, we can afford to put up some bad projects because the momentum is what will eventually bring good projects, not our own stubbornness. Too much of that will make us a has-been. We need energy on the street, and this project does that.

Much hand-wringing has been going on over the last two days regarding the design of the project. I will caution readers, though, that the proposal looks more like a massing portrayal than a specific design, so even with this sized project, it can be something appealing. That said, the images look waaaaay too much like the horribly bland project on Glenwood where Tobacco Road is.

Hopefully the mass of building can be broken up with varied materials, colors, window frames, and window heights. Designers at North Hills East attempted this kind of breakup with windows and color on an EFIS-faced building, but forgot that relief also has to be in the design. Some sections should set back, others protrude. Another facet ignored is massive projects is the window height. North Hills is a godo project, but could have been great if the windows for each section were at differing heights. IT would have added some authenticity badly needed over there.

Nevertheless, I’m glad to see something going forward. I just hope that developers will still have some sense of pride in their developments while they try to please banks. Perhaps the name of the project should be renamed The Gillette, as the focus has clearly gone from being a brilliant idea to being something serviceable that we will one day throw away.

At this point I still don’t know if the restaurant will be in the old Audio Buys building or if it will go into the old Johnson’s Pharmacy spot (at Oberlin and Fairview). Word has been that the people who overhauled the old Audio Buys were hoping the space would be retail, but would upfit the space for a restaurant if that is the only potential suitor they could find.

I was able to visit Section 120 recently and saw that not only are the seats a solid, fairly bright red (though not as bright as Memorial Auditorium’s, thank goodness), the new frames for the seats are black, insuring against color slump from exposure to the arena’s bright playing surface lighting. The chairs are the same size as before, however the armrests feel slightly shorter and are bowed slightly.

Sections containing only the large chairs are being replaced first, so I still have not determined what style chair will be used in the upper rows in the end sections which previously contained smaller, less confortable chairs.

While the chairs themselves are a nice replacement, the aisle lighting is emphatically not. The RBC Center has followed the technology bandwagon and installed white LED lighting under the last armrest of the row. Unfortunately the lighting is distractingly bright during a concert and has a yucky, almost blue hue that probably reaches the upper 5000K range of temperature. The lighting from the original seats was an extra-warm amber that was a perfect balance during dark events.

The seating replacement is expected to be completed before the first exhibition game for the Carolina Hurricanes in mid-September.

There are many, many good memories of The Brewerrrryyyyyy (said in a monster truck-type voice). My first visit to the space was to see the Sex Police, a fantastic live band. They played The Lorax from a film projector on a movie screen behind them, which made the whole performance kind of artsy. Next was Detroit’s “Rhythm Corps” (in the Fall of ‘88 ) whose sound was eerily echoed later by a Seattle band named Pearl Jam. Earlier that week, if I recall, a woman named Melissa Etheridge apparently blew the roof off the joint. (back then she played rock music and was extremely energetic). The venue also played host to Jane’s Addiction, Black Flag, and many other big acts, however my occasional drop-ins were just to see great regional acts like Johnny Quest, Hootie and the Blowfish (gawd – did they play The Brewery every other Friday or what? It’s a tossup between them and Jennyanykind), Pipe, Mr. Potatohead, Follow For Now, Southern Culture on the Skids, Dillon Fence, and a few others.

What I loved about The Brewerrryyyy was the layout. The room was square with the band playing on a triangular stage in the corner, so sitelines were great, even after they bumped out the back. It was always scary-packed in there, too, and getting a beer from the likes of Nikki Coury was always kind of a mosh act (her father, an OBGYN, delivered me). Glenn Mitchener and Randy Richardson worked the door, so it was always fun to catch up with those guys when I went in.

Since those days, however, the billing has been decidedly metal, the barking dog variety, and I haven’t been back. I’ll miss my days there, but to be honest, they were gone long before the news hit Twitter on Saturday.

Times at The Brewweerrryyyyy were actually not my fondest in that block, however. The little place to the left of the The Breweerrryyyyy was once Mr. Ribs, a fabulous rib joint in the ‘70s. While those same ribs are now served at Crowley’s, Mr. Ribs was special. It was a dark restaurant with captain’s chairs and 4-tops throughout. However it wasn’t dark enough for me to recognize State’s tallest student, Junior Tommy Burleson. I was so excited to see one of my heroes that I squealed to my family that “Montie Towe” was sitting two tables away, which Burleson easily heard and responded with a laugh. (I say the opposite of what I mean sometimes when I get tired or overly excited).

The Cantina was also one of the most fun bars in the State ‘hood. The real deal there was a bucket of Rolling Rocks, which was pretty cheap (but not like the $3 pitchers at Trolls in Chapel Hill). They also were one of the first places in Raleigh to serve soft flour tacos, which weren’t bad.

While those memories live on, I have to say that this development can be a real seed to improvement through a section of Hillsborough street that needs some redevelopment. Hopefully it will be the first step toward a small, walkable urban village where students can afford to rent an apartment as well as a place to continue finding good “wholesome” entertainment.

map it

…Since 1985, Gallery C has been instrumental in North Carolina’s art scene featuring contemporary artists as well as historically important North Carolina art, Haitian art, folk art, animation art and antique prints.

The new gallery will be located at the corner of Blount and Peace streets in the
Historic Russ-Edwards House c. 1901. The property has served as the development and
sales office of Blount Street Commons Redevelopment project which is creating a rebirth of
one of Raleigh’s most prestigious historic streets and neighborhoods. Located just blocks
from the Governor’s Mansion, the Capital, and the museums, the neighborhood vision is
focused around integrating 25 historic homes, dating from the late 1800s, with newer urban
living concepts. The new space will allow owner Charlene Ferrell Newsom to expand the
gallery’s services and to feature outdoor art while providing an aesthetically prominent
anchor to the Blount Street Commons project.

Can you say “lipstick on a pig”? First of all, I don’t understand architects’ fascination with pulling rainwater back into buildings. This is a design that has failed time and time again. Secondly, what in the world are we doing dropping a dime into this facility for anything other than tearing it down? The terminal was originally supposed to be a hangar, and got a last minute upfit for short-term terminal space. Renovating this terminal is another step in the airport authority’s history of blowing money hundreds of millions of dollars at a time. There is a reason that people love airports like TPA, they are designed well and handle future growth well.

[Renderings at TBJ]

It appears this will be a 250-unit apartment building.

Mixed Use Project: Tucker/Boylan

Like we couldn’t see this one coming from a mile away. The appeal of Krispy Kreme lies in their hot, fresh product. The greasy, room temperature product has never been appealing, and was set for failure in City Plaza from the getgo. Had the chain focused on delivering hot, glazed doughnuts instead of variety at that site, there was ample opportunity for success. I still adamantly feel that a small, Hot Doughnuts Now stand in the RBC Center would be a booming success.

So what is next for this site? Success in City Plaza will not come from sales during special events. There aren’t many of these kinds of events and the plaza is not interesting enough to be the hangout the city was hoping it would be. It is the business that can attract a steady stream of customers from lunch thru the afternoon that will make it. For sure, the easiest slam dunk is a good, basic, hamburger or taco stand. This facility is essentially a food truck, so the aim should be to serve quick food that is good. Only Burger or Char-Grill would do well in this site because good burgers sell; period. Another idea is a taco stand featuring good ingredients. Chubbys and Los Cuates could handle the job. Food from Fonda Y Birrieria Jalisco would be even better (just get a better name!). The beauty of a taco stand is that it would attract tons of traffic during non-peak hours. There are many like me who could eat a good taco appetizer at any hour of the day.

Raleigh now sits in a position similar, but on a smaller scale, to Atlanta’s once the Olympics was over. The long-awaited event has passed, and it is time for the City to get back to making Fayetteville Street a “sustainable” destination for residents on every day of the year. There still is important work to be done.

The completed project now designates the new terminal with two concourses, C and D (map), though they are technically on the same hallway. The gates that opened in 2008 are on the C concourse, and the gates opening now are on the D concourse. Airports have now gone to new nomenclature with terminals numbered and their concourses distinctly designated with letters.

Terminal 2 is now the host of Air Canada (D5, D9), American Airlines and American Eagle (C17- C18, C20-C25), Continental and Continental Express (D1, D3, D6), Delta and Delta Connection (C1, C3, C7, C9, C14, C15), Frontier (C25), United and United Express (D5, D9), and US Airways and US Airways Express (D10-D13). The following airlines remain in Terminal 1, the one that should have been replaced: AirTran, JetBlue, and Southwest Airlines.

In May 2010, the RDU Airport Authority voted to spend an extra $500,000 in order to accelerate construction so the project could be completed before next week’s NHL All-Star game. Let’s hope that all of the media, tourist, and athletes all arrive in Terminal 2.

The terminal is gorgeous. It is the “first major airport to be constructed with wooden struts”, but those really only encompass the fascinating roof. Much stone is used to compliment the wooden tones in the ceiling, and the attention to detail is impressive. While the overall idea was conveyed with Phase I of the building, the true scale of the roof and use of light could not be appreciated until now. Whether it is with carefully placed artwork, mosaic patterns in the terrazzo flooring, or bag hooks at the bathroom sinks, an impressive number of details were considered in constructing the building.

There was one unfortunate oversight, however: the choice of glass for the ticketing area’s South Wall. Apparently the glass did not filter enough light, so an enourmous curtain was created to tone the intensity of the sunlight that hits this wall most of the day. While the giant white curtain is dramatic, it will likely be dirty and unsightly in a few years.

Terminal 2 will truly be an impressive gateway for visitors and prospective business clients who enter this terminal. For those who do not arrive via the terminal, the building will certainly find its place among citizens’ driving tours for out-of-towners (unlike another award-winning facility that recently opened). Hopefully the airport authority can make necessary changes to Terminal 1 in order to bring it up to Terminal 2′s high standards.

If you are interested in visiting the terminal, be sure to park in the “Hourly 2″ parking area. The entrance bays are to the far left in the deck’s entrance plaza. Parking is $1/hr. You will not be able to access the concourses without a plane ticket, but the atrium and baggage claim areas can still be appreciated by casual visitors.

The movie showing is showing at the Galaxy Cinema in Cary (map it) on Thursday, January 13, at 7pm. Tickets are $8 in advance and $9 at the door.

The project once showed 157 rooms planned, but now appears to be 126 units. The hotel will not have any special terracing or setback from the Glenwood Avenue sidewalk, but will only rise 5 stories on that face of the building.

Thanks, Chris!

map it

The three maps for downtown are the most interesting (map 1, map 2, map 3 – all pdf). The show alternative routes and possibilities for new crossing arrangements. One proposal puts the railway between Capital Blvd and Whitaker Mill Road. The other two put the railway on the Mordecai side of Capital Blvd.

The Task Force presentation falls on page 19 of the City Council’s 24-page agenda. So, while the agenda is not followed at a constant pace, and is sometime ignored, we can at least get a sense of when the presentation will be.

Many of the Southeast’s premier classic cars be featured at the Carolina Classics at the Capital, including a 1940 Cadillac LaSalle, a 1961 Chevy Impala Bubbletop and a 1969 Camaro RS/SS, just to name a few.

Top vendors already committed to the show include Danchuk Manufacturing, Pypes Performance Exhaust, Northern Tool and Equipment, Hamlett’s Chevy Parts, Detailer’s Dream, Page’s Custom, Ausley’s Chevelle Parts and Quality Air Tools.

With no charge for viewing the classic cars that will be parked on the closed-off Fayetteville Street, plus just $10 for admission to the Convention Center, this first-of-its-kind event is expected to attract thousands of attendees. Tickets can be purchased on site at the Raleigh Convention Center.

The festivities will culminate with an awards ceremony on Sunday, Aug. 22 at 1 p.m. on the Fayetteville Street Stage, with awards for Top 50, Sweet 16 and the Sir Walter Raleigh Cup.

“We’ve gotten great cooperation from the City of Raleigh, the Convention Center and automobile enthusiasts to make sure that everyone will have a good time,” said Greg Cox, one of the event’s organizers. “We hope this family-friendly event will become an annual tradition on the auto show circuit.”

As before the even takes place on Fayetteville Street, from the Capitol to the Marriott. The street and all cross streets will be closed in order to facilitate four main music stages (Cherry Bounce, World, Raleigh Rocks, Free Spirit), as well as a beer tent and other entertainment venues and booths. Additionally the space in front of the convention center will be used as well as the new downtown Raleigh amphitheater.

My experience has been that the best place to park for the event is in the municipal parking deck at Morgan and McDowell. A short walk puts you right in the heart of the action. Other options are the parking garages lining Wilmington Street, but be sure to swing several blocks wide of the Fayetteville Street axis in order to avoid stagnant traffic and pedestrians.

The Raleigh Wide Open crew has once again put together a very nice flyer (.pdf) which includes a map of the RWO territory as well as a schedule of the day’s events. Gogoraleigh adds to that experience, however, by publishing this calendar to Google Calendar. Simply subscribe to the Raleigh Wide Open Calendar or just add events that interest you to your personal Google Calendar by clicking on the calendar link, selecting “Agenda” in the upper right, then selecting the desired events.

We recently went to Taste of Chicago and Milwaukee’s Summerfest, both events with rolling musical events at different stages throughout the days. Each even had its own iPhone app, and it made the event much more fun to select events beforehand and let the app plan the day for us. While this isn’t a dedicated app, it still affords you the chance to add events to your calendar and turn on notifications to remind you of them as they approach!

 Subscribe in Google Calendar

Here is the RWO schedule:

11:00 am – Parade down Fayetteville Street
From Morgan through the City Plaza with marching bands, floats, and local celebrities!

Noon – Festival Opens
Food and art vendors, street performers, 4 stages throughout Fayetteville Street

RebBull Motocross Mayhem with Geoff Aaron 
Fayetteville Street between Hargett and Morgan St. Performance times are 2:45; 5:00; 7:15 (add according to time)

King BMX Stunt Show
Salisbury Street in front of RCC. Performance times are 1:30; 3:30; 5:00

Cherry Bounce Wrestling
Hargett and Fayetteville St. Performance times are 5:15 and 7:30

Fire Circus
Flames and high flyers set City Plaza ablaze. Performance times are 8pm and 10pm

Eating Contests
*Free Spirit Stage. Krispy Kreme Donuts at 3:00; Lumpy’s Ice Cream at 5:00

Cherry Bounce Stage

• Jews & Catholics 12:30-1:15pm
• Cherry Bounce SPECIAL Guest 1:45-2:30
• North Elementary 3:00-3:45
• Lake Inferior 4:15 – 5:00pm
• I Was Totally Destroying It 6:00-7:00
• Bomba Estereo 8:15-9:15
• Javelin 9:45 – 10:45pm

World Stage

• Crucial Fiya (reggae) 12:15 -1:45pm
• Shana Tucker Trio (soul) 2:15 – 3:30pm
• Mel Melton & The Wicked Mojos (blues / americana) 4:00pm – 5:00pm
• The Barn Burners (country) 5:30 – 7:00pm
• Old Habits (bluegrass) 7:30 – 8:45pm
• Rubberband (funk / hip hop covers) 9:15 – 10:45pm

Raleigh Rocks Stage

• Adam Pitts and the Pseudo Cowboys 12:30 – 1:15pm
• Will McBride Group 1:45 – 2:30pm
• Big Mama E & the Cool 3:00 – 3:45pm
• Wax Planet 4:15 – 5:00pm
• Sleep Control 5:30 – 6:15pm
• Airiel Down 6:45 – 7:30pm
• Design 8:00 – 9:00pm
• Nigthshift 9:30 – 10:30pm

Free Spirit Stage

• Kappa Xi Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi (stepping) 12:15 to 12:30
• D.LIV(E) (spoken word/hip-hop) 12:45 to 1:05
• Schizophrenic Octopus (breakdancing) 1:30 to 2:00
• Sabrosa (spoken word/hip-hop) 2:15 to 2:35
• Krispy Kreme Donuts (Eating Contest) 3:00 to 3:30
• Spotlight Creative Studios (Bollywood Dance) 3:45 to 4:00
• Dasan Ahanu (spoken word) 4:15 to 4:45
• Lumpy’s Ice Cream (eating contest) 5:00 to 5:30

Downtown Raleigh Amphitheater

Barenaked Ladies 9:15 – 10:45pm (ticketed event through www.LiveNation.com and also avalable at the Amphitheater box ofice.)

10:45pm – Fireworks

Note: I will repost this on Friday, July 30, as a reminder.

After these buildings are removed, the center will have new sidewalks, bike racks, improved accessibility for the disabled, additional parking, and additional public art. The gas station will be replaced with a charging station for electric cars. There will be no new retail space added.

Ridgewood Shopping Center has transformed itself nicely through the years. While it did have Villa Capri and a great stereo store for a while, it also had a Winn-Dixie and the most depressing sewing store on the planet. Through the last two decades they have done an outstanding job of finding tenants that make the center unique.

Some of the plan’s choices are a little bizarre, though. While the gas station is outdated and is no longer the last chance to get gas before Durham, it still is needed in a part of town where gas stations are less common than they were 20, 30, and 40 years ago. Five years ago there were 241 billion cars on the road. Only a few hundred have been replaced by plug-in models. The McDonald’s in Cary has a pair of plug-in stations, but employees I spoke to have never seen anyone use them yet. A renovated gas station that isn’t a cookie cutter (one that houses a cool coffee shop or has drive-thru full service with grocery pickup) could be a great source of new revenue for Ridgewood.

Very small retail spaces in a safe part of Raleigh are extremely rare. Perhaps some creative thinking could be implemented to utilize the aging offices as a source of revenue, rather that just putting up a parking lot.

The additional parking spaces will be the most inconvenient ones in the whole center. People wanting to go to lower level shops like Brueggers will benefit from the spaces, but nobody seeking stores on the main strip with Whole Foods will be happy settling for a space beyond the drug store.

This plan looks like a way to spend a lot of money and get nothing in return. With a very big 3rd recession dip likely looming, Ridgewood ought to hold tight and do whatever they can to keep rents as low as possible for at least a couple of years. We are getting ready to see a big wave of retail closings in the second half of the year, and local merchants, including restaurants, will be greatly affected. This is not the time to spend tons of money trying to cutesy-up a retail center.

Awards are offered in 11 different award categories, including new residential, commercial, or institutional construction, plus historic preservation, sustainable design, and tree and landscape conservation. The award for “Maintained Outstanding Appearance” honors appearance contributions by projects 5 years old or older. The “Individual” award is presented to a citizen who has consistently worked to preserve or improve city appearance.

The deadline for entries for the 2010 Sir Walter Raleigh Awards is Friday, July 9. Nominations for the can be made online at or by completing a printed form available at City government offices. In addition to project information, six or more digital photos of each nominated project or individual, submitted on CD or flash drive, are also required.

An independent jury will meet in July to review the nominations. Award winners will be selected based on specific criteria, including exhibition of a new standard of excellence, awareness of land stewardship, innovation, conservation of natural and/ or historic resources, and exceeding applicable ordinances. The Raleigh City Council will confirm the jury’s selections in August. Awards will be presented in October.

Apparently carrying the Bud Light name would result in scores of alcoholics in the area, so the City of Raleigh will have to make a contract with someone else, perhaps a company that serves palm-oil based fried food, radiation spewing personal electronic devices, or personal transportation devices people use in running up highway death tallies. Just so long as we don’t become like those people who live near the formerly named Molsen Center in Montreal. Now that is a bunch of worthless alcoholics if I’ve ever seen any.

The project stands on land formerly occupied by Sir Walter Chevrolet, one block to the west of the Raleigh Convention Center. That center was designed for future expansion into the lot. In the meantime Raleigh officials have erected a 5,500-seat, “temporary” amphitheater site which will host around 20 events per summer.

It is important to keep the long-range plan in mind when visiting the site, because it is bare bones to say the least. There are no velvet cloaks at the entrances. If you are expecting something nice like Koka Booth Amphitheatre or Time Warner Pavilion, you will be sorely disappointed. The stage is boxed in only by a very basic lighting rig that complies to industry shed tour standards. The bathrooms are in trailers, which is a step up from porta-johns in Moore Square. The concessions are all from temporary trailers and folding tables. There is no in-house video, and spot lighting is from extremely temporary scaffolding that looks like it could blow over in a 20 mph wind.

While all of those items are expected and excusable, there are some choices designers made that will severely hamper the experience, especially for those who drive long distances and pay first rate prices for shows.

The seating is somewhat similar to Walnut Creek in that it is arranged much like a baseball diamond. Around the outer infield arc there is “box” seating, which consists of stacking chairs separated by pipes, much like the boxes at Walnut Creek. Between the stage and this arc, however, there is nothing but a sea of concrete. Officials told me the plan is to place stacking chairs in this zone to simulate reserved seating. The problem here is that there is absolutely no rise from the front row to the box seats, so everyone in the entire infield will have to stand if Row A decides to stand (and you know they will). Are these the stacking chairs from inside the Convention Center? What happens during times like now when graduations and other events demand the Convention Center chairs? How is security going to control a crowd that has stacking chairs to throw?

Behind the box seats is the only East-West arc aisle, and behind this aisle there is a large section of permanent, reserved seats which slope upward only slightly. At Walnut Creek this East-West aisle is cleverly sunken so people on the lawn are not disturbed. Not here. Patrons in the reserved seating area will have to stand in order to see the stage. That may be par for the course at rock concerts, but it presents real problems for stage productions like Rent and Chelsea Lately.

The remaining land behind the reserved seating is general admission lawn “seating”. While this area does actually have a steep rise, the view of the stage from at least 1/3 of the space, at least right now, is obstructed by tents for the soundboard and for box seating. Most likely these tents will have to go.

The entire seating area is exposed, so be sure to bring a poncho if there is any chance of rain. There is no shelter to speak of, which may present problems for some productions. The real catalyst for the project was the receipt of a framework for a tent to cover much of the seating area. We received this for free from Denver, but had to buy a new fabric skin, which apparently was cost prohibitive given the extreme bare-bones nature of this facility.

While sight-lines and shelter are concerns for this facility, the sound looms as the biggest. Raleigh’s newest landmark, the Shimmer Wall, borders Left Field, and will probably be known as the Silver Monster to musicians. The angle of the stage is such that the entire stage left bank of PAs will be aimed directly at the shimmer wall, and likely create an acoustical mess. Rap Bap….Rap Bap is what two snare drum hits will sound like for anyone along the 3rd baseline. It will be interesting to hear music from the right baseline as the music from the stage left bank will be hitting those fans almost a full second after the stage right bank hits.

For some reason the design of the amphitheater is within the confines of the arcing access road to the Convention Center’s service tunnel. A better design would have been to relocate this road directly adjacent to and parallel to W. Cabarrus St. This would have allowed the stage to be tucked back closer to the Cabarrus/Dawson intersection, thus allowing the stage to be turned more to the south. Perhaps a better grading plan would have allowed the stage to be lower than Dawson, and the outfield to be higher than McDowell streets. This would have provided much better sightlines.

The real advantages the amphitheater has (over most in the country, in fact) come from its location. Ingress and egress will be outstanding, and a very welcome feature to those who have sat in office building parking lots in Cary for well over an hour without moving. Downtown Raleigh has well over 10,000 parking spaces, and most of them are empty during the times of use for this facility.

For people who want to kick around after the show, downtown Raleigh offers the finest nightlife experience in the Triangle. In fact, there are over 70 places to drink in downtown Raleigh, and most are a short walk from the amphitheater.

The amphitheater will end up being a great move for the City Manager’s books, especially if weather and crowd control are not problems. Built on a shoestring that would even make Tom Fetzer proud, the place is positioned to be a huge cash-cow for the city. The facility is built to be in place only a few years, and if convention center expansion gets pushed back, a renovation plan will have to be in the works. Given the rise of the internet and the stagnation of the world economy, that expansion may be further off than anticipated. In fact, I predict that the expansion of the convention center will not happen until at least 2025, probably 2030.

What will probably happen is that after 3 summers, the city will probably realize that expansion is still just a long-term goal, and must then deal with mounting complaints about The Walt. I expect to see permanent bathrooms, more substantial field lighting rigs, permanent gold circle seating implemented in the short run.

Is this review premature? Perhaps. Yes, I have not heard a band in the facility yet. The problem is that nobody else had either. As of 21 hours before showtime, the time all of these photos were taken, the facility had no PA system, no lighting in place, the bathroom access ramps had not been built, no vendors were in place, no ticketing facility was in place, and no seating existed for the gold circle. A lot will have to happen before the paying public comes in two days. We’ll know a lot more about the facility by the end of the weekend.