SHOW ME CENTER GETS CAUGHT IN MARKET FORCES

The Show Me Center, since opening in 1987, has attempted to fulfill a commitment to provide a well-rounded schedule of events while warding off red ink. For the most part, the center has lived up to its charge. Where it hasn't, the obstacles are recognizable. In trying to fetch big-time entertainment to the Show Me Center, officials there have constantly to deal with market forces within that industry, and those forces often don't favor relatively small arenas in non-metropolitan markets.

This point made, it bears noting that the Show Me Center, framed by the Southeast Missouri State University academic year, has wrapped up another successful season. Not only did the usual events hold their own including an Ohio Valley Conference attendance record in the first year of men's basketball competition with that league but the entertainment events thrived. Those who fault this contention would argue that the schedule is no longer well-rounded: country music concerts have eclipsed rock shows as Show Me Center fare. The point is worth pondering.

Of the country productions held here in the last academic year, all have been resounding successes. George Strait drew more than 7,000 people, The Judds drew more than 6,000, Travis Tritt drew 5,067 and Alan Jackson drew 4,122. Pop singer Amy Grant attracted about 3,000 spectators. The last live rock act at the Show Me Center was 11 months ago, and the band Warrant got a crowd of 3,413.

Problematic in getting more rock shows to the campus arena is the nature of the music market. There has been an upsurge in rock acts being booked into outdoor amphitheaters around the country. There are more venues, and they are the type of venues that encourage summer touring by rock bands. Thus, arenas like the Show Me Center are put in a scheduling squeeze. Bands will go where the money takes them, and now the money is drawing rock groups to outdoor shows in larger cities. As the market evolves, that circumstance may change.

To its advantage, the Show Me Center is a good size for country music shows, and country music, long a favorite in this area, is riding a great wave of national popularity. Officials at the facility here could do worse than land top-flight acts in a genre of expanding popularity.

Ultimately, we must applaud those at the helm of the Show Me Center for opening this region to a greater range of entertainment. The instincts of those in charge have been on the mark. However, market conditions will not always please persons looking for particular types of acts, and rock fans might feel shortchanged by the current industry climate. Still, we can't recommend risky, excessive and against-the-grain investments in rock shows for the sake of placating a specific audience segment.