Item Photo by OWEN O’ROURKE
Community Development Director Jamie Marsh, standing, and administrative assistant Joanna Mills are half of the team that gets the great shows for Lynn Auditorium.
By GABE MARTINEZ
LYNN — Jamie Marsh may have the most sought-after job in Lynn. He and a team of three others, including Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy, choose the entertainment acts for the Lynn Auditorium.
Marsh and the group spends its time researching acts and making sure they will generate enough ticket revenue for the auditorium, and bring in enough money to positively affect the economic impact for the downtown area.
Last year, the team made its way to the Association of Performing Arts Presenters Conference in New York City.
“We did it as a one-day conference and that was really intense,” said Kennedy. “It’s a large exhibition hall with different talent agents and you see what bands they represent.”
Marsh and his team plan on attending the conference again this year, on Jan. 18 in New York.
They primarily look for classic rock bands such as Deep Purple, or acts that have a broad appeal like Cesar Millan.
“I think the ideal act would be Gloria Estefan,” said Kennedy. “She encompasses everybody that comes to shows here.”
Kennedy spotlighted Estefan’s ability to appeal to a broad audience, which includes Hispanics, people in their 30s, and older people.
In many cases, the auditorium team is approached by promoters who want to rent out the venue, such as Meatloaf, who will play City Hall in March.
Both Kennedy and Marsh spoke highly of Boz Scaggs,who has performed at the Auditorium three times.
“Boz Scaggs is one of the most talented performers I’ve seen here and I’ve seen him twice,” said Kennedy. Scaggs will return to the auditorium later this year.
Marsh excitedly mentioned some of the shows for 2016, including Chicago, Get the LED Out (a Led Zeppelin tribute band), Alice Cooper, Happy Together, Brit Floyd (a Pink Floyd tribute band), a 1940s revue called “In The Mood,” a Janis Joplin tribute show and “Dancing in the Streets,” a Motown revue.
Gabe Martinez can be reached at [email protected].
