Clearwater’s The Sound will bring much-needed midsize music venue to Tampa Bay

Sharon Kennedy Wynne, Tampa Bay Times
Updated ·6 min read

CLEARWATER — Sporting a white Adidas wide-brimmed golf hat over his long blond hair, Cheap Trick’s Robin Zander looks every part the 30-year resident of the Tampa Bay area that he is. And this month, the rocker is looking forward to breaking in a new music venue close to home.

On June 28, his legendary band will put on the first concert in the new music venue called The Sound at Clearwater’s Coachman Park.

“What I prefer is the smaller 5,000- to 10,000-seat venues that are more intimate and more comfortable for the audience,” said the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer in a recent interview from his home in Safety Harbor. “You get a much better feeling from the crowd and a better response.”

The free show “feels fantastic, like we’re cutting the ribbon or something,” said Zander’s son, Robin Taylor Zander, whose band will open for Cheap Trick for the first time.

The Sound marks a big step for Clearwater. But the design and size of the venue put it in a unique spot to attract talent, say show bookers. With 4,000 seats under cover and another 5,000 available for lawn sitting, it will sit alone in the space between big arenas and smaller concert theaters. Organizers said the venue will be primarily using the undercover space. They also said they have no problem with local residents pulling up a blanket nearby or their boat in the harbor to hear the waft of music coming from the stage.

The Tampa Bay area has more than 20 different venues that can put on a show, from the 175-seat Palladium in St. Petersburg to the more than 70,000 seats in Raymond James Stadium that Taylor Swift sold out three nights in a row.

In between, there are midsize venues like the Capitol Theatre (which holds 766 seats), Tampa Theatre (1,252) and the most-frequently used 2,000-seat locations, like Ruth Eckerd Hall, Jannus Live, Mahaffey Theater and the Carol Morsani Hall at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts.

After that, the capacity leaps up to 10,000 seats at the Yuengling Center at the University of South Florida, and 20,000 for Amalie Arena and the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre.

Bobby Rossi, who has been booking acts for Ruth Eckerd Hall’s properties for three decades, has long pined for a medium-sized venue of 4,000-8,000 seats. He calls it the “sweet spot” for nabbing well-known acts who don’t like arenas, and multiact tours that together can draw a bigger crowd. Ruth Eckerd Hall is managing The Sound for the city of Clearwater, and Rossi expects to have 30 to 35 shows this year, and double that in the next year or two.

John Valentino, senior vice president for AEG Live, the world’s second-largest presenter of live music and entertainment events, has spent his career booking acts in Florida. He said a venue of this size has been sorely needed.

“It’s a very attractive size for artists who can’t fill up arenas and large amphitheaters and choose to play boutique amphitheaters,” said Valentino, who has already booked Peter Frampton, Ringo Starr, Billy Currington and John Fogerty for The Sound. “They don’t like to see empty seats, so it really fills a void. There hasn’t been anything like it in the market.”

The only other similarly sized venue in the state is the St. Augustine Amphitheatre, which has just under 5,000 covered seats in a state park with camping. The industry publication Pollstar Magazine ranked St. Augustine as No. 1 in its 2022 Mid-Year Ticket Sales Report, and it was No. 2 in the world based on tickets sold Jan. 1-June 27, 2022.

Gabriel Pellicer, general manager of the St. Augustine Amphitheatre, said he was a little surprised 2022 started off so strong, with nearly double the sales of outdoor venues like Red Rocks Amphitheatre, the iconic concert venue in Colorado.

It helped that they landed acts like Grammy Award-winning bluegrass phenom Billy Strings, two nights of comedian Sebastian Maniscalco, Jack White and Bonnie Raitt, among many other sold-out acts that turned it into a destination venue for fans.

Artists can sell more tickets without the overwhelming aspects of a huge stadium or arena show, Pellicer said.

“It gives you the ability to bring arena acts like Kane Brown to the area and do shows for two nights, and the artists love it,” Pellicer said.

Another reason a midsize venue like this is important to artists is the changing fortunes of the music business, said Zander, who is in the midst of planning Cheap Trick’s 50th anniversary tour next year.

“Albums don’t sell very well these days unless you are one of the biggest stars in the solar system,” Zander said. “They can get music for free, so touring is more important than ever.”

Music venue sizes in the Tampa Bay area

Here is the seating capacity at various Tampa Bay entertainment venues.

  • Palladium Theater’s Side Door: 175 (the venue’s Hough Hall fits 800)

  • Crowbar: 300

  • Dallas Bull: 300

  • Orpheum: 720

  • Capitol Theatre: 766

  • Floridian Social Club: 800

  • Skipper’s Smokehouse: 800

  • Ritz Ybor: 1,114

  • Tampa Theatre: 1,252

  • Ferguson Hall at the Straz Center: 1,976

  • Jannus Live: 2,000

  • Mahaffey Theater: 2,031

  • Ruth Eckerd Hall: 2,180

  • Carol Morsani Hall at the Straz Center: 2,610

  • The Sound at Coachman Park: 4,000 under cover, plus an additional 5,000 in lawn seating

  • Yuengling Center at the University of South Florida: 10,411

  • MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre: 20,000

  • Amalie Arena: 21,500

  • Raymond James Stadium: 75,000

The Sound’s concert schedule (so far)

Only 16 shows have been announced so far, but there are more to be announced soon. The goal is to have 30-35 shows booked this year, officials said.

Cheap Trick with Robin Taylor Zander: 7 p.m. June 28. Sold out.

Colbie Caillat and Gavin DeGraw: 7 p.m. June 30. $9 and up.

Dave Koz & Friends Summer Horns 2023 Tour: 7 p.m. July 1. $9 and up.

Peter Frampton: 7 p.m. July 2. $9 and up.

Sad Summer Festival featuring Taking Back Sunday, The Maine, PVRIS, LS Dunes, Hot Mulligan, Mom Jeans, Stand Atlantic and Cliffdiver: 2 p.m. July 7. $39.50 and up.

Greg Gutfeld King Of Late Night Tour: 7 p.m. July 15. $49.50 and up.

Michael Franti & Spearhead, with Fortunate Youth: 7 p.m. July 21. $36 and up.

Goo Goo Dolls with O.A.R.: 6 p.m. July 24. $49 and up.

John Fogerty with Hearty Har: 8 p.m. July 29. $65 and up.

Billy Currington with Jessie James Decker: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 9. $35 and up.

Kenny Loggins with Pablo Cruise: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 16. $59 and up.

Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band: 7 p.m. Sept. 26. $39 and up.

Chicago for Hooters 40th Anniversary Benefit: 8 p.m. Oct. 7. $9 and up.

Sammy Hagar and the Circle with George Thorogood, Damon Fowler: 7 p.m. Oct. 28. $39 and up.

Chris Young with Nate Smith and BRELAND: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 10. $39 and up.

Steve Miller Band with Samantha Fish Band: 7 p.m. Dec. 14. $49.50-$164.

For tickets, go to rutheckerdhall.com/events or the Ruth Eckerd Hall box office at 1111 McMullen Booth Road, Clearwater. Call 727-791-7400.