Quality of Life

I'm glad EP Times celebrity Jay Koester mentioned my blog on his blog, and that so many people love EP as much as I do! Sweet. I do love El Paso, but do wish it could provide a better quality of life for its citizens via entertainment.

I've been a member of Ticketmaster.com for awhile now and hardly received any worthwhile emails about concerts actually in El Paso, but last year when I moved to Houston, the emails are frequent and actually have good concerts. In the next 90 days Houston will have the following artists in their neighborhood:

Linkin Park, Maroon 5, The Counting Crows, Toby Keith, Marc Anthony, Enrique Iglesias, Common, N.E.R.D, The Eagles, Finch, Santana, Nelly, Dave Attell, Gym Class Heroes, Citizen Cope, Neil Diamond, Weezer, Ben Folds, Alanis Morissette, Jason Mraz, Rick Springfield, Rise Against, Willie Nelson, , Carrie Underwood, Julieta Venegas, Madonna, Coldplay, Redman & Methodman, The Black Crowes and the legendary B.B King!

I know that El Paso had/has some of these artists coming to town (sorry Albuquerque and Las Cruces don't count people), but if they had artists of this quality coming to town on a regular basis I think that the young people of El Paso would feel that El Paso wasn't so boring as they do now and who knows... might like El Paso's nightlife. I know that Houston has a population hovering around 2.2M (2006 Census), but El Paso isn't THAT small to have nothing to do that doesn't involve Chico's. I also understand that El Paso has a lot of historical sights that reveal it's rich past, but seriously, how many teenagers really want to visit one of the Missions? Hiking and sightseeing are great in EP, but again, are those things that teenagers and college students would do (or even CAN do) on weekend nights?

I wish I had the money to go to a majority of these concerts in Houston but last semester was brutal on my wallet with Kanye West, Radiohead and The Cure coming to town. I do have a few of these artists on my wish list, but even if I couldn't go this time I know they will be back. Well except Madonna, she's really old and her Gap's black hole might swallow the venue up. Sorry, not a fan of her lip-synched D-list off-Broadway shows

Seriously, does anyone know why El Paso can't bring some decent musical artists to town? Is it a financial issue or is it El Pasoan's inability to buy tickets before the day of the show that keep promoters away? I really want to know because I think that if EP improved it's Quality of Life rating, it would really help us out in tourism and Forbes' rankings. People that are stuck in their cubicles all day see Forbes lists' of top cities as a possible future home, and at the very least, we are missing out on some influx of tourism dollars that their visits would bring. Improving the quality of life (not just with more concerts but other improvements) can at least be a shot in the arm and can keep people's minds off of the rising costs of everything in their lives - even if just for a couple of hours.

Comments

[Vatoman]

The fact that people in El Pasoans wait until the last day to purchase tickets is a factor impacting the willingness of promoters to risk bringing a show. This is due to low overall incomes and making sure the household basics are covered for the month before making an entertainment ticket purchase. Another significant fact is logistical. El Paso's isolation keeps it too far from the next or the last destination to ensure that a show can perform the next night. Hence playing in El Paso creates a travel day and that loses money. A tour usually needs a nightly gig to make a profit, especially when we consider the rising prices of fuel. Those equipment trucks and tour buses really use up fuel.

[Abraham]

I lived in Austin for 4 years (Texas-Ex), and I can offer my comments on this. Austin benefits from proximity to Dallas/Ft.Worth, San Antonio, and Houston. However, it still gets some decent shows. As for El Paso, the answer might lie in the demographics. KLAQ might be the most popular radio station in EP, but most people listen to the multiple Spanish stations. So, while some acts can come, demographically, it makes more sense to bring "ranchero" groups instead. Personally, I would love to see Metallica here in EP, but I doubt it.

[Dave]

Mike, your smart, but young. Concerts will not keep people in El Paso (if it is that important you can travel). You can travel if you have the money. Good paying jobs will keep people in El Paso.

[Gabe Trejo]

I've asked the same question many times over, and I've often heard part of the problem lies with the concert facilities within the city. The County Coliseum is small and has poor acoustics, while the Don has an awkward set up for big event concerts (from what I've heard). El Paso should get larger concerts considering it has the largest metropolitan population of any city below the 37th parallel and between the rest of Texas and Phoenix. A downtown arena could not only address this issue, but also give the downtown scene another shot in the arm. But that's a topic for another blog. Keep up the good work Mike!

[Greg]

Mike, you're not smart and young. It's all about the metro area and the amount of people in a metro area. El Paso's Metro area is nowhere near the size of DFW, Houston, or even Austin for that matter (metro of 1.2 million). It's all about money and lots of people in one area are more likely to sell out.

[Mike.Arriaga]

Thanks Dave, but I never said that bringing concerts would make people stay. I know that is not the solution, no way no how.

All I was saying is that by keeping the young people entertained it could possibly lead to a deeper connection to El Paso, one that could possibly be strong enough to make them reconsider staying in El Paso for school or a lower paying job in their career. I was about to leave to Baylor University and really didn't want to stay in El Paso, but I'm glad I did. The times I had at UTEP were amazing and we made the most out of what we had going on in El Paso.

I just wish more young people could feel as strongly as EP as some of us do. I know I'm not old or anything but the kids in high school are way different than I was and want more out of their city in terms of entertainment.

Higher paying skilled jobs, better health care availability, a better public transit system among other major things are some of El Paso's needs.

And Greg, if you take into account Juarez, Las Cruces and EP then you have a combined population of 2.4M (NY Times, 2007). Even if you don't do that, why is it that the Pan Am center brings in better acts than El Paso? Metro population can't be the only reason.

Thanks Gabe. Hope all is well at UT!

[Fred]

There are several obvious reasons... money, El Pasoans don't have as much; we don't have an arena with the capacity most artist demand; and word of mouth within the music industry has got around that El Paso treats the shows badly. Snoop and Busta Rhymes are two examples that come to mind but I'm sure there are more. If you were an artist why would you want to mess with all the negatives El Paso presents when there are probably 100 other places to perform that are easy?

[Charles Baudelaire]

The same obvious reasons that have been obvious for many, many years. El Paso is small, culturally isolated (heavy metal still reigns here, for Heaven's sake) and the people are cheap and generally have atrocious taste in music.

No mystery here.

[Charles Baudelaire]

Koester is a CELEBRITY? Because he writes a blog?

You people SERIOUSLY need to adjust your egos over this whole blog thing.

[John Boy]

You and me Mike Arriaga, we all know the answer why El Paso is what it is. But just thinking about the so many reasons just gets me bummed out. I just try to keep my head up in this city and not let the El Paso Times and or local TV stations bring me down either. Like Howard Stern said many years ago on his radio broadcast..."El Paso's population is 90% Hispanic but is run by the 5% Jewish population." And Howard knows this cause he is Jewish.... So there Mike, as you know already, its a losing cause to change this town....

[30youong]

How about using McKelligon Canyon for some outdoor concerts? Other towns have outdoor pavilions that they use for concerts and they find great success. (I don't know what the seating capacity is). Just a thought!

[Matt]

Hey Mike,
I was born and raised in El Paso,and have been working in the music business for the past 14 years outside of the city. Many of the people here have hit on some of the main reasons (geographic location, lack of proper venues) and the overall area's lack of support for the show's that do come to town. I think there are some other reason's that also factor into why promoter's and booking agent's shy away. Media support (radio and press) and the economic climate in the city. There is a also a lack of a proper record store in the city with a decent selection. And Metallica has played in El Paso because I am old enough to have been at the Big Apple off of Yarbrough to see them on the Ride the Lighting tour and at the Coliseum opening for Ozzy during the Master of Puppets record. You have to remember it's not the artists that have the choice all the time where they play. There are many other people and factors involved,
Matt

[Ben]

Obviously it is because folks in El Paso don't have enough disposable income.

[Marc Garcia]

Median Household income for El Paso $35,432 (off wiki, but sounds about right), Average median household income for Albuquerque, NM $46,979. I use Albuquerque because I believe it is very comparable (as far as size and location). If I were a promoter not considering any other factors (like venues) it would be a easy choice.

[Mike M]

I tend to agree with the comments related to demographics being the main issue in attracting concerts to El Paso. There is no way we could sell out a Dave Matthews concert in El Paso, for example. But bring in Luis Miguel or Mana and they may need two shows each to satisfy demand.

Our concert variety has nothing to do with isolation, population size (with Juarez and Cruces our metro area is well over 2 million). What matters is that we are a different bunch out here and we have to learn to deal with it.

[ElJuez]

I agree with Mike M., many people want El Paso to be like NY or LA, or even Dallas. It is funny to see how some try too hard to look like those places. El Paso is different, we have different interests. I lived in Atlanta for 6 years and Austin for almost 4, and I could not care less for all the concerts they had, since they did not reflect my El Pasoan tastes (well I do claim some exceptions to that :) ). In any case, I am back in El Paso and I am here because I want to be here and concerts won't make me change my mind. It is a matter of committment to this city.

[Michelle]

It's because this city is not one of the top 20 markets - it's that simple.
We are also not in close proximity to major cities like the metroplex - that's why.
El Paso really can't bring these acts so it's pointless to write about it.

[utepalum]

Greg,
Actually, El Paso is a pretty huge metro. In case you forgot, we have a city across the border that teeters at population of nearly 3 million. Or does Juarez not really count? A ton of shows, especially electronic acts visit Juarez often. That beats Austin any day. Disposable income, venues, musical tastes--all those things point to the problems much more than just sheer number of people.