BY THE WAY: KENNY G CONCERT LESS IN ST. LOUIS

Kenny G's album "Breathless" apparently took on a slightly different meaning when it came to digging deep for tickets to the Oct. 13 concert at the Show Me Center.

Try Gasp!

Broadway Entertainment of Milwaukee, Wis., took a gamble that Kenny G was big enough to command ticket prices in the $45.50, $35.50 and $25.50 range. Then he took a hike.

Wondering why the concert was canceled?

The only band to ask for anything close to what Kenny G's promoter wanted from the Show Me Center was The Moody Blues. Tickets for that concert ranged between $35 and $28. Anyone who attended the concert will attest to the fact that the Moodies earned their salary and then some that night.

The only concert at the Show Me Center to cost more than what Kenny G's promoter was asking was a St. Louis Symphony benefit performance. That worthy cause went for $50 a pop.

So who ultimately pays for yanking this G-string and sax ensemble off the Show Me Center stage?

Show Me Center Director David Ross is left with an open date and some outstanding bills to pay for advertisement and promotion of a dead deal.

Ross said he thinks he can recover some of the money for the cancellation through an appeal to ethics and honest business practices with Kenny G's promoter. But even Ross admits it doesn't look good for fans who regularly attend Show Me Center concerts.

Some 2,000 tickets were sold for the Kenny G concert before Broadway Entertainment pulled the plug on the gig. The company would give no reason for the cancellation. However, Ross said he figured ticket sales weren't going well enough to satisfy the promoter.

"Actually, the individual I dealt with when we booked the concert doesn't work there anymore," said Ross. "The person who took over is the one who decided to cancel the concert."

Ross attempted to buy the show from the promoter. But that tactic failed when the promoter found the Fox in St. Louis would take the show. Interestingly enough, you can charge tickets for the Kenny G concert at the Fox for less money than it cost to buy them in person here. Tickets for the Oct. 13 concert in St. Louis go for $40, $30 and $25 via Ticketmaster.

Fans here can recover their money by asking for a refund from the outlet that sold them their tickets. Ross said questions regarding ticket refunds should be directed to 651-2297. Fans have 30 days to get their money back.

But that is not the end of the headache for Ross. There is a concert coming up Oct. 4 featuring the Pointer Sisters that is also creating problems at the box office. To date not even 1,000 tickets have been sold for the concert.

Ross was hoping a local band, Papa Aborigine, could stir up some excitement and bring ticket sales up to a respectable level. In an effort to avoid another cancellation, Ross slashed prices from $20 to just $10.50.

Papa Aborigine will have to play songs that are called "cover tunes." That means they have to rely on sure lyrics rather than venture too far into original stuff.

At any rate Papa Aborigine will be able to open and close with original material. This is the first local band to ever open at the Show Me Center and probably the one most likely to succeed beyond this region. Surely that's worth the price of a bargain-basement ticket price. At least that is what people at the Show Me Center are hoping these days.

~Bill Heitland is a staff writer for the Southeast Missourian.