NakedCity Wichita

beyond the monolith

Posted on 23. Feb, 2010 by NakedCity in entertainment

words > TROY R. WELLS

About this time last year, I called the new Intrust Bank Arena a “monolith.” Though the terminology is not exactly correct, this new piece that juts into the Wichita skyline will be neither the music scene’s savior nor it’s downfall.

People are what make up cultural epicenters, not buildings. Wichita is a thriving community that is still evolving, with artists numerous and varied. I would have liked to attend the RokICT local music night at the arena, and am glad to hear it went off with out a hitch, but getting the arena behind local musicians isn’t very important to me. It’s the citizens of Wichita who will propel cultural growth, when they realize their power as facilitators and patrons of creativity in town.

The arena is just one small piece—though its size would say otherwise—of the puzzle. When it was announced that Brad Paisley was going to open the arena, I was hand-to-forehead unenthused, but I wasn’t surprised. He was on tour, and in this Midwest corridor, country music sells out. Sure, I wondered where Coldplay, U2, Bowie, and even AC/DC were. But then I remembered—I’ve never really liked many artists who play arenas. I can name on both hands the times I went to the Coliseum or some counterpart in another town to see an arena act. Arena rock has never really been my thing, and it’s rare that my taste in music ends up in a venue of 8,000-plus people.

Sure, my taxes helped pay for this place, but they also pay for places that I will never use like a public golf course. I will more likely be a patron of the arena for something besides music, like a sporting event or taking my girlfriends’ nephews to see some Disney whatnot-on-Ice. So I get it, that there’s something for everyone at the arena.

I’m ambivalent about Bon Jovi and the suck-fest Nickleback coming through.  The rock acts booked so far may not be my thing (I am bummed that I couldn’t get some mid-level tickets for Elton John and Billy Joel.), but it’s good to see that these tours, along with the mainstream country acts, are stopping here, rather than skipping us over. With this arena, we are now going to be as competitive as other markets for the attention of artists and their management/touring companies. It is now in the hands of the fans to show up and make it the place to stop on tour.

If people want to make the music scene more vibrant and eclectic beyond the arena, they need to demand do something about it. We’re making strides, and the national connections Wichita’s artists, promoters, and venues have made with touring acts are commendable. The idea is to bring more artists at the middle level through and make them accessible to people of all ages.

Wichita is not disenfranchised or neglected. And there are tours that play to all-ages crowds often and efforts put out by DIY promoters to make something happen here beyond the easy-outs of modern-rock radio acts.

But I often go to sites like pollstar.com and see potential for many mid-level acts and tours to stop in town. I’m not talking about obscure acts that no one has ever heard of. I know we aren’t a huge town, but I still feel there are enough people—especially young people—that if they are given the chance to show up and these shows are actually promoted, they will come out in full force. There is a lost opportunity for revenue and cultural development in Wichita, when its citizens, myself included, are down to drive three hours north or south to see acts in clubs of comparable size, because they aren’t coming here to begin with or no one is spreading the word.

It is a bit unrealistic to want to be like a college town like Lawrence or a big city like KC. But I think it is time for promoters, venue owners, radio, and artists to expand their horizons in regard to the acts they bring to town—and to work hard to really promote them. Again, it isn’t about trying to cater to something obscure, but to keep moving upward and build relationships with booking agents and artists, and see those artists climb the ladder each time they come through. Efforts like this have been evident here with country artists; it is time to make those efforts with artists that the rest of the country seem to be enjoying already.

Tags: intrust bank arena, local music, music