Spectrum Center plans to reopen for events at 100% capacity. Here’s what that means.
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The folks who do the bookings for Spectrum Center have been on a pretty good hot streak lately.
Over the course of the spring, Hornets Sports & Entertainment has announced and started selling tickets to live shows by a diverse range of artists, including country music’s Eric Church, Latin music superstar Marc Anthony, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band Genesis, pop phenom Billie Eilish, and Mexican singer Ana Gabriel.
But it hasn’t been entirely clear whether the crowds heading into Charlotte’s largest indoor venue post-COVID-19 would look just like the ones that attended shows there prior to the pandemic ...
... until now.
On Thursday morning, Hornets Sports & Entertainment made it official: When Spectrum Center celebrates a return to hosting live, non-NBA offerings in August — starting with the Harlem Globetrotters on Aug. 8 — the arena will be open at 100% capacity.
“We just thought it was time to let people know: We’re back in business,” said Donna Julian, Hornets executive vice president and Spectrum Center general manager, in a Zoom call with the Observer on Wednesday. “And (being) at 100% capacity... basically that opens us up to be able to do all of the events we were doing before. On a personal level, it just feels really good to get to that point.”
Julian said Gov. Roy Cooper’s recent easing of restrictions by executive order — namely the lifting of capacity restrictions in all settings and the ending of all social-distancing practices — paved the way for a return to normal for Spectrum Center.
So, as far as the Hornets are concerned, masks are optional, and they won’t require any health or safety checks. So if it’s up to them no one will take your temperature at the entrance and no one will ask you if you’ve been feeling sick. Spectrum Center management won’t itself designate vaccinated and un-vaccinated sections, and in fact, it doesn’t plan to question you about your vaccine status at all.
In other words, it should likely be very close to a pre-COVID-19 experience. With a few caveats.
The main one is that the promoter of each individual event can come up with their own protocols. As of yet, Julian said, none of the 18 shows on the schedule between August and next June have indicated they plan to impose any restrictions or special policies.
But they’re empowered to. (Julian strongly recommended regularly checking www.spectrumcentercharlotte.com for updates on how shows might be tweaking protocols.)
In addition:
Don’t plan on bringing cash if you want to buy concert T-shirts, or a beer or hot dog. Like it’s done to most of the rest of the world, the pandemic has turned Spectrum Center into a cash-less marketplace, from paperless tickets to contactless payment methods to the use of QR codes to facilitate the placing of food and drink orders before you get to the concession stand.
Food service might skew more toward pre-packaged items and grab-and-go-style service, although Julian said they’re still weighing options.
The number of workers you’ll see cleaning high-traffic areas — like railings, restrooms and high-top dining tables — will almost certainly be greater than it was the last time you were at the venue.
As for buying habits, Julian said all signs point to fans being bullish.
Tickets for Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny’s March 26, 2022, concert at Spectrum Center sold out the day they went on sale in April, Julian said, and when Eilish’s Feb. 6, 2022, show went on sale in May, it sold out even faster.
Julian indicated that even the August events (the Globetrotters on Aug. 8, Alabama on Aug. 13, WWE Supershow on Aug. 14 and Michael Bublé on Aug. 17), which one might assume would be the most concerning for apprehensive fans, have been selling as strongly as they would in quote-unquote normal times.
“People are ready to get back,” Julian said, noting that the venue hasn’t been able to offer a form of live entertainment besides NBA basketball since it hosted the Wild n Out Live comedy tour with Nick Cannon there on March 8, 2020.
“And I think it is going to be the same,” she continued, “but I think it’s going to be even better in a way, because I think we’ve missed this gathering of us coming together to hear live entertainment. People are going to be hungry for it, and probably coming with a different appreciation that they didn’t maybe even have before. ...
“We love watching entertainment on TV, but there is nothing like a live event.”
Upcoming Spectrum Center events
Aug. 8: Harlem Globetrotters.
Aug. 13: Alabama.
Aug. 14: WWE Supershow.
Aug. 17: Michael Bublé.
Sept. 11: Marc Anthony.
Sept. 25: LIT AF Tour hosted by Martin Lawrence.
Oct: 14: MercyMe.
Oct. 27: Gold Over America Tour featuring Simone Biles.
Nov. 5: Maverick City Music.
Nov. 20: Genesis.
Dec. 4: Kane Brown.
Dec. 17: Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Shootout.
Feb. 6: Billie Eilish.
Feb: 15: The Weeknd.
Feb. 26: Eric Church.
March 3: JoJo Siwa.
March 26: Bad Bunny.
June 16: Ana Gabriel.
Worth noting
PNC Music Pavilion in north Charlotte is actually scheduled to host the first major concert in the area since the pandemic began: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band Chicago will perform at the outdoor amphitheater on Tuesday, June 29.
Due to the pandemic, PNC — which can accommodate as many as 20,000 fans — has been dormant since 2019.
