Save Raleigh's Amphitheatre!

Raleigh’s beloved Red Hat Amphitheater might be just a memory. And we need to save it. There is much at stake. Economic impact. Safety. Tourism. Cultural and family-friendly attractions. Local businesses would suffer. Raleigh’s soul is on the line.

As part of the Raleigh Convention Center?plans for expansion, music venue Red Hat Amphitheater is planning to move one block south and expand by 1,000 seats — at the price of a partial closure of South Street. Due to community pushback, the venue could leave downtown for good.

Here is the extended version of what I shared with Raleigh’s City Council today in hopes they will vote For not Against:

My name is Danny Rosin and I’m here representing my role as:

-????????? Co-owner of a downtown Raleigh brand merchandising business, Brand Fuel .

-????????? Co-founder of the Raleigh-based nonprofit, Band Together NC Together that uses concerts at Red Hat Amphitheater to donate over $1 million annually to our local nonprofit community.

-????????? And I am someone who spends disposable income on and with family and friends to see all genres of live music. You could say that I am polyJAMorous.

First, my company, Brand Fuel, moved to downtown Raleigh after 20 years in a tired office park in RTP. We moved because of the social allure of downtown - and the amphitheater was a big driver. Why? Outside of giving our staff Valentine’s Day off (b/c we love them), a key Brand Fuel staff and customer perk is concert tickets. The experience often starts with a meal or drink before the show at some of our favorite spots like Crank Arm Brewery, Whiskey Kitchen or Aunty Betty’s. All of these local places will suffer. Taking this amphitheater away means you are taking away one of the main reasons we just invested in a five-year lease to remain downtown.

Band Together, with its community investment partnership with The City of Raleigh Municipal Government , has made Red Hat Amphitheater its home for nonprofit community concerts for the past decade. This means Red Hat Amphitheater is a community amphitheater. And I’m thinking and really sad about a future without it. Imagine if Band Together moved its community concerts to other Triangle venues. The positive impact on those we serve in our community would shrink.

If you like numbers, here’s something to chew on. $3 million, from Band Together events, has gone back into the community from Red Hat concerts in the past 3 years! And $13 million in our history! Now imagine a future without Band Together at Red Hat Amphitheater. Based on growth and a shift to 2 major events a year over the next 10 years, our nonprofit community could lose approx. $20 million! That is real money that would be at risk of helping those with food insecurity, lack of housing accessibility, and mental health challenges.

I’d ask you to imagine what a bigger community partnership with the City of Raleigh could look like that might ease concerns being addressed today. I have a dream. Imagine an incremental percentage of every ticket sold going to local nonprofits. Our (emphasis on “our”) Amphitheater would become one of the only community-impact amphitheaters in the world! With every ticket sold, The City of Raleigh could proudly share that it is investing back into its community and areas of greatest need. That’s good marketing and goodwill.?

Here is the public comment section at Raleigh’s City Council Meeting where I spoke at 6:25 and the thoughtful, hard-working Thorne Daubenspeck , Band Together’s Executive Director, spoke at 2:45: https://www.wral.com/story/residents-ask-raleigh-council-to-consider-traffic-jobs-community-cost-of-plan-to-move-expand-red-hat-amphitheater/21585688/

What can you do? Make some noise (music anyone?!) to keep this theater downtown by visiting this site and taking action: https://saveouramphitheater.com/

[Thank you, Bill King and The Downtown Raleigh Alliance as well as Kerry Painter CVE , CMP , CEM (she/her/hers) and the good folks at The Raleigh Convention Center !]