Elton John concert a key event in improving Sears Centre image

Sears Centre officials hope that Sir Elton John's 3½-hour set in front of a sold-out crowd of 10,500 tonight in Hoffman Estates will help mend the arena's reputation.

Yes, arena General Manager Ben Gibbs wants the community to feel the love tonight and beyond - altering the besmirched image of the arena sitting near I-90 and Rt. 59.

John kicks off the weekend early for the arena, a coming-out party of sorts for Gibbs and Global Spectrum, the division of cable's Comcast Spectacor that's managed the Sears Centre since late last year after the village of Hoffman Estates took ownership. Christian rockers Hillsong United will play their own sold-out date on Saturday.

"Money can be made here. We do have a strong market," Gibbs said.

Since its opening in 2006, the $62 million Sears Centre never reached expectations and lost more than $500,000 in 2008 - not the type of buzz Hoffman Estates officials expected when they took out a $55 million construction loan. The building's original owner has since departed and left the village responsible for operating the arena and paying off the loan, whose cost could total $88.4 million including interest over the next two decades.

So far, village officials said, they are pleased with the performance of the management company they hired. "We are tracking at a better direction than we thought we'd be," Hoffman Estates Trustee Gary Pilafas said.

Officials had projected 87 shows this year at the arena, but they're on pace to host 90, Gibbs said. Also, events held this year are selling better than the same shows last year. February's bull riding event sold 22 percent more tickets than last year's, and the Chicago Slaughter indoor football team's opener sold 31 percent more tickets.

Drawing a top-tier talent like John shows the arena can sell tickets and attract big-name artists, demonstrating its viability, Gibbs said. The support of a marketing "behemoth like Comcast" helps, Gibbs added.

"I don't think it's a shocker that Elton John is coming," said David Stone, a senior associate at AECOM, a firm that consults on arena-management and has worked with the Sears Centre. "This is still part of the Chicago market, but it's a different niche given the size of the facility."

Global landed John thanks to its network of venues across the country, an advantage the previous operator - the Ryan Cos., a Minnesota development company new to the arena business - lacked. Being an independent was a disadvantage in a competitive market with a stalwart like the Allstate Arena in Rosemont just a few miles away.

Operating other venues gives Global leverage, village officials said when hiring the firm. If a performer wants to play at a certain Global-owned arena, Global can request the act to also play others, such as the Sears Centre. That affords the arena an opportunity to land on a booking agent's radar in a way that wouldn't have happened previously.

The strategy helped lure concert booking giant Live Nation, which is promoting the John tour, to use the Sears Centre for the first time. John will play at a Global-operated building in Des Moines, Iowa, the day after his Hoffman Estates appearance.

If tonight's show goes well, it could open the door to future Live Nation-backed shows at the Sears Centre, making it more competitive with the Allstate Arena. That facility holds a close relationship with Live Nation, getting deals to host many of the promoter's acts before they're offered to any other venues. Gibbs said he hopes to book more Live Nation shows once its officials see how well the Sears Centre handles Thursday's crowd.

Meanwhile, Live Nation rival Jam Productions is presenting Saturday's Hillsong United show, and yet another promoter, AEG Live, will present the May 27 sold-out show featuring "American Idol" alumnus Chris Daughtry's band. That allays a fear of Jam President Jerry Mickelson, who had worried last fall that a new manager might lock out his firm due to the degree of competition in the business.

Hoffman Estates Trustees Raymond Kincaid said Global has "done everything they've suggested."

Parking problems were a big issue for Kincaid. When the venue opened there weren't enough spaces and traffic snarled getting in and out.

Management cured that problem long ago, Gibbs said, and now overflow parking is available at Cabela's and the Trillium office building, both close enough that concertgoers who park there no longer need to be bused to the arena.

But first impressions from that parking situation - and the bad publicity when officials canceled the arena's first hockey game just minutes before faceoff because the ice was melting - still linger.

The sagging economy, with consumer entertainment spending often the first casualty, and an overall decline in the concert business in recent years with fewer acts touring also hurt, Gibbs said.

But he scoffs at those who say the building was a mistake, and he has ideas for how to make the venue more successful.

He's reaching out to the community, hosting a Pinewood Derby for Cub Scouts last month and discussing using it as a wintertime indoor dog park down the road.

He also wants to book more events tapping into the suburbs' large Indian and Hispanic populations. The June 18 A.R. Rahman show is an example.

While the Sears Centre isn't a threat to steal shows from larger venues like the United Center in Chicago, arena consultant Stone said it's a viable venue for rising stars and for established performers on the back end of their careers.

As far as village politics around the construction loan and the possibility of a property tax hike to pay it off, Gibbs said he ignores the chatter and is focused on making the building profitable. He's focused on winning the Sears Centre a niche as the "premiere venue for suburban Chicago."

"Elton John doesn't know anything about debt service," Gibbs said.