Is this a marvelous venue for a Saturday night show—or what?
Paul Goldfinger photo © click left for full view; then arrow back
By Paul Goldfinger
Quite a few Bloogers have been complaining about the Saturday night shows that occur on fourteen occasions each summer in the Great Auditorium. Some have said that the acts are has-beens who only appeal to seniors. Others think that more famous or younger performers would be better, while yet others wish there were more parking and air conditioning. Some hate the Doo Wops so much that they would rather watch Broadway flood on a Saturday night.
It’s not clear what the bottom line is all about with these complaints, but they all seem to think that the Camp Meeting could have bigger crowds if only they changed their programming. This outpouring of appreciation arose after the CMA announced that they lost money on the Saturday night shows. As it turns out, the amount of money lost (money collected minus expenditures) was a small negative amount. Ticket sales were down, but Johnny Mathis was cancelled at the last minute because he needed emergency hip surgery. In addition, due to the economy, tickets are down everywhere — not just at the Great Auditorium.
Although no explanation is necessary from the CMA, you should know that these shows are very expensive, and the more famous acts can cost $100,000-$200,000 or more and are thus not affordable unless ticket prices are raised considerably. In addition, the costs for the shows have to be increased beyond the performers fees; there are thousands of dollars for sound and for advertising.
Perhaps you have noticed how inexpensive the GA show tickets are relative to others in the area. Tickets to Count Basie to see Fiona Apple cost $100.00 for the balcony and they go up from there.
The CMA is in competition with some major venues including the Paramount in Asbury Park. You can see Kiss at the PNC Bank Arts Center, but orchestra seats cost $100-$187. Many of the competing theaters are open all year, unlike the GA, so they have more flexibility to make money.
The target demographic for the Saturday shows in OG are families from towns around this area who may want to bring children to a show like Abba. Those folks want wholesome entertainment at an affordable price, and even though the GA has 5,000 good seats, that doesn’t mean that the 2,700 tickets that Sedaka sold are chicken feed.
The Count Basie has 1,500 seats, so 1,500 tickets is a good night for them. The other advantage a place like Count Basie has is that they can run a show for 3-5 days in a row or longer. This lets them make more money than the Great Auditorium, which has a very limited availability situation. It also gives them access to shows that won’t come for just one night.
The CMA is a private organization that likes to do their programming the way they do — and they are doing just fine. That’s not to say that they don’t welcome your suggestions, but you have to understand the complexity of the situation.
SOUNDTRACK: Listen to Ethel Merman. She knows the situation:
blogfinger.net 
Having been a performer, manager and director for many types of shows, I do understand the logistics and expense involved in staging events. 2700 is really a very nice house indeed. Sedaka is a true pro and he’s been ‘relevant’ for a very long time. His composing library alone spans 50 years! Mathis I’m sure would have probably drawn just as well, if not better; he’s just one of those special performers. Krall was fantasic, but even she is a ‘niche’ singer. It’s quite different for some of the other acts recently, considering their last airplay was in the 50’s and 60’s. Nostalgia is one thing, but it really doesn’t have to stretch back that far, does it? The Doo Wops, The Golden Boys et. al. are pure nostalgia. Solos, duos and small groups of the 80’s, 90’s and the oughts are plentiful and wouldn’t hit the 100-200k threshold. Just asking for a little more ‘relevance’.
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Well said, Paul. The CMA is doing a good job providing family entertainment at affordable prices.
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Question: People complain about a half-full Auditorium on Saturday nights, and also about Saturday night parking. I’m just double-checking that people realize a full Auditorium means a full town. That’s good for the Camp Meeting and the Grove businesses, but parking will be twice as hard. (Remember, long-term Grovers, in the mid 90s to early aughts, when it would take almost 90 minutes for town to clear out? I remember my neighbors and me standing at our doors and windows waiting for the stream of cars going out to Route 71 to die out and the parking spaces near the house to open up so we could go get our cars.)
Living in a national historic district with a 5,000 seat concert venue is an extremely unique situation that can be beyond vexing during the concert season. A financially healthy Camp Meeting benefits everyone who lives and visits Ocean Grove, but just remember that big shows mean big audiences. We have had little Seuss with offsite parking and shuttle service to relieve the parking pressure on beautiful summer Saturdays with Auditorium shows in the last two years. Please understand that the two issues are linked, and to ramp up show size means ramping up parking demand — and parking complaints.
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I give up. As usual OGCMA doesn’t want input from the people who actually live here. Surely there can be a happy compromise somewhere in the middle but its easier for the OGCMA to ignore OG residents than extend a hand halfway. Any marketing idiot can tell you that you have to expand your audience interest beyond the 65 years old + crowd. I am in my early 40’s but do have a number of older friends who mirror the same sentiments I do.
Mary Beth, I look at the thought of better acts in a different way. More Ocean Grove residents would attend, so it may not increase parking that much. We’re already here, and we all know better to move our cars on summer weekend 🙂
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OhGee, how do you want OGCMA to compromise? As Paul stated in his report, better shows are more expensive, where is the extra money supposed to come from? And he also stated that many shows do not want to book for only one night so that would limit the selection of shows who could be booked.
One point Paul didn’t address is that during the summer it is very hot inside the auditorium for people in the audience. I doubt that many people would shell out $100-$150+ for tickets in an unconditioned auditorium. It is, I imagine, even hotter for the performers onstage. Maybe some performers do not want to entertain in an unairconditioned auditorium.
I am sure that OGCMA would welcome any suggestions from anyone as long as they are realistic.
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Come on Paul, let’s do a survey for new acts. So far the Beatles tribute band and Bob Newhart are not cutting it. I want to see the Eagles.
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Crosby, Stlls, Nash AND Young!
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You mean … um … ah … there’s a parking issue in the Grove?
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Christine Ebersole, Cheyenne Jackson, Southside Johnny, Carol Burnett, Kristin Chenowith, Idina Menzel, Abba and Bee Gees tribute groups, Arethra Franklin, James Taylor.
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Talking with a friend tonight and she had a good idea. Perhaps the CMA booking agent could work with Disney or the Nickelodian people and get entertainers geared to teens. Shows could be earlier on Saturday or on Sunday afternoon. If anyone remembers when the Jonas Brothers were here, it was quite a crowd.
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Beach Boys were here a few years ago & the place was packed??/
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I know, Ogrover, can you believe it? The lack of parking is one of those silent issues that you really have to press residents to talk about; residents just suffer in silence. 😉
As for the Disney, Nickelodeon and other suggestions (I’m first in line for Carol Burnett!), it’s all a matter of money – the cost of the entertainer, the amount of paid promotion they require (TV, radio, newspapers) that will come out of the final count-out of profits, how much the tickets will cost and if/how to split the “covenence” fees that some promoters charge – and that is a LOT of work. It can also be a lot of money for the CMA. To deal with the big acts these days, someone with recent experience negotiating with the promoters is needed. (Now that the nationwide public at large has swallowed LiveNation’s hook baited with inflated ticket prices and ridiculous service fees, along with demanding cuts of concession sales, even medium and small promoters are shooting for these terms.) but at the end of the day, it’s the Camp Meeting’s call and they have the right to seek a certain audience and choose acts for their desired audience. It is a shame, though, that the summer lineup resembles the entertaiment available in Branson, Missouri.
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Mary Beth. “It’s a shame” that you had to end your comment with that snide remark about Branson, Mo. Perhaps you want to explain to us what you meant by that delightful sentence.
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She means that the acts are old and tired and they are mostly geared for the over 60 crowd. When I went to Branson (for business reasons), I saw a very large number of less-sophisticated, middle-income, older people, almost universally obese, who were nice folks. Not exactly like OG, but there are a few similarities.
This town needs to decide if it is going to continue catering to the declining number of oldtimers — until there are no more — or move forward to embrace the growing number of upwardly mobile, somewhat younger folks who have been buying and renovating homes here. Of course we don’t want to throw the baby out with the bath water, but to remain relevant and to help sustain/further revitalize this town, the CMA needs to begin to shift their focus to the next generation of homeowners who are substantially different than last.
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Jason: Do you have reason to believe that Mary Beth Jahn is incapable of speaking for herself? If not, then we will look forward to her explanation.
As for your demographic assertions, where did you get your data? Show us the reports about how many “upwardly mobile” people live here and what the ages are of those who renovate homes in the Grove. The fact is that not even the US Census measures the things you are bloviating about.
Do you really want to say that people over age 60 do not contribute to the revitalization of the Grove?
As for what the “town” should do, you need an OG history lesson. The CMA is not “the town.” Neptune is the town. The CMA is a private organization which can bring any act here that they want.
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Hi Dubious. What I can tell you is that I have seen over the past 3-4 years a growing number of oldtimers selling (or trying to sell) their typically somwhat run down houses on my block and the blocks around me and “younger” folks (typically 40 to mid-50s year olds moving in). As a general rule, I believe the folks moving in are more affluent than those moving out (is this point debatable?) and most are using their OG house as a second home (as the schools here are marginal at best).
I love the oldtimers, so please do not take offense if you are one. Yes. the CMA and the OGHOA are not governing entities –in the same sense as Neptune — but they do have a significant influence here and do shape the vibe of the town.
My only point is that OG should not be held hostage to the declining number of oldtimers (e.g., in choosing the acts that play at the GA) — as the oldtimers are an increasingly small demographic in this town. We need to continue the repositioning of OG from Ocean Grave to Ocean Groovy, while maintaining the decorum and unique elements that seperates us from other beach towns. I do recognize that there is a tension here — but I feel that this tension is healthy as it keeps both sides in check.
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Jason: You have a gift for unsubstantiated generalizations. And you keep attacking “old-timers” who have no say in what programs are brought to the GA.
You know, your bias against old-timers is dangerous because people will start to bully the old folks. Your hate speech will hurt people’s feelings, and you should not be allowed to speak here anymore. Blogfinger should disinvite you from offering your opinions , even if you are opining on the weather or anything else. People should fly old equal flags to support the seniors in town and the OGU should organize a demonstration in front of your house and they should invite all AARP members from around the state to that demonstration along with all the fair minded “upwardly mobile” people in town who want equality for seniors.
Gasp..excuse me, I need to go to the emergency room. Your opinions are hurting me. Hey Ma…grab the digitalis!
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I live in Brick Township and have attended many performances at the Great Auditorium over the years…the ticket prices were always more than reasonable. I don’t believe I’d know your town or be a lurker on this blog without attending those performances (mostly Broadway singers and classical). So don’t forget you also want to interest people who live nearby and will then shop at your stores and dine in your restaurants.
I think the concerts offered are great and fit the venue. I wouldn’t expect to see Kiss there !!!
It makes me sad to see the age discrimination, (frankly, snobbery.) Great music is great music…my 19 yr old daughter went with me to see Tony Bennett and LOVED it. Open up your hearts !
My favorite performance this year was the Verdi Requiem done by NJSO on a balmy Thursday night. It was Heaven.
Count your blessings, Grovers !
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Parking is an issue that effects Ocean Grove in every way and every day. We are into the off season so many of the problems will ‘disappear’ from our thoughts, but there needs to be a plan, something to deal with it in some way. There are doubters who think that no one visiting or living in Asbury takes advantage of the ‘free parking,’ but as a North Ender I can attest to the fact that it happens frequently every day, worse on weekends. People ‘warehouse’ their vehicles on the street during the off season, which makes street cleaning AND plowing impossible in some cases. In season Grovers use spare cars as semi-permanant beach lockers along Ocean Ave., for Heaven’s sake. Many others can give further examples.
IF the North End project ever moves forward, no matter how many parking slots there are on site, it will not be enough. Condo conversions will continue with only on-street parking. Bite the bullet and come up with a plan. It seems that the two obvious spots, the lot next to the old High School and the north end are off limits, but there simply has to be a solution. Other towns have done it and continue to exist. Some will be upset and object, but if there is something in place, people will adapt. Five thousand on a Saturday night should be celebrated, not something to be dreaded.
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Rosie … I like you! I love your sense of gratitude and appreciation … two things that can’t exist along side a sense of entitlement. Nice to “meet” you.
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