Machine Gun Kelly’s hometown gig gets cinema treatment
Machine Gun Kelly is taking his 2022 Mainstream Sellout Tour to cinemas worldwide, for one night only.
The film, titled Machine Gun Kelly: Mainstream Sellout Live from Cleveland: The Pink Era, will recap the star’s sold-out hometown concert at the FirstEnergy Stadium (cap. 50,000) in Cleveland, Ohio, and give fans a behind-the-scenes peek at the whole tour.
The cut will include fan favourite hits from the night’s set list, including ‘Bloody Valentine,’ ‘lonely,’ ‘el diablo,’ ‘my ex’s best friend,’ ‘Till I Die,’ ‘I Think I’m OKAY,’ among others.
The film, directed by Sam Cahill, will be launched in cinemas on the 13 May via Trafalgar Releasing, the company behind BTS’s hugely successful cinema treatments.
The sellout concert in his hometown saw MGK become the first and only Ohio native to sell out the largest venue in the city
“Machine Gun Kelly’s remarkable journey from Cleveland to meteoric superstardom and back to where it all began gives us an unfiltered look at the emotion and rawness of coming home,” says Kymberli Frueh, SVP of programming and content acquisitions for Trafalgar Releasing. “We are so lucky that this moment was captured so it can be shared with fans across the globe.”
The Mainstream Sellout Tour encompassed 52 concerts across North America and Europe. More than 425,000 tickets were sold for the North American leg alone and several shows, including Madison Square Garden in New York, sold out.
The sellout concert in his hometown saw Machine Gun Kelly become the first and only Ohio native to sell out the largest venue in the city.
Machine Gun Kelly: Mainstream Sellout Live from Cleveland: The Pink Era is the first full-length feature distributed by Floor 13.
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Live Nation adds Cleveland’s Masonic Auditorium
The Masonic Auditorium in Cleveland, Ohio, has become part of Live Nation’s Club & Theatre division.
The 2,000-capacity venue, located in Cleveland’s former Masonic Temple – purchased from local freemasons by new owner TempleLive last year, and recently renovated –is Live Nation’s latest in north-eastern Ohio, joining House of Blues, Jacobs Pavilion and Blossom Music Center. Rival promoter AEG Presents took over its first venue in Cleveland, the 2,000-cap. Agora, last July.
“The Masonic was the next logical move for us in Cleveland. It is a vibrant music market with a very large population base that we think is under-served at the theatre level,” says Ben Weeden, COO of Live Nation Club & Theatre. “We look forward to establishing the Masonic as the must-play, 2,000-capacity venue in Cleveland.”
“The Masonic was the next logical move for us in Cleveland”
“We are proud to have The Masonic Auditorium as part of Live Nation’s portfolio of properties,” adds Mike Brown of TempleLive, which is backed by Arkansas-based Beaty Capital Group. “This agreement with Live Nation will enhance the concertgoers’ experience at the Masonic, while propelling Cleveland more aggressively into this very competitive music market.
Built in 1921, the Masonic Temple Auditorium originally housed the Cleveland Orchestra. Recent performers include MGMT, Bastille, the 1975, Pixies, Joe Rogan and Leon Bridges.
Live Nation Club & Theatre produces more than 15,000 events in 100+ venues US-wide, including House of Blues- and Fillmore-branded clubs.
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AEG Presents to operate first Cleveland venue
AEG’s live entertainment division, AEG Presents (né Live), has agreed a deal to purchase the operating rights to the Agora in Cleveland, expanding its reach into the “live music-loving” Ohio city.
The Agora (pictured), which comprises a 2,000-capacity theatre and 600-cap. ballroom, was established as the Metropolitan Theatre in 1913, opening in its current form in 1986. Acts who have played Agora, both in the current venue on Euclid Avenue and in its former home on East 24th Street, include Bruce Springsteen, U2, Duran Duran, Lou Reed, Patti Smith and The Clash.
The venue was founded by Hank LoConti, who died in 2014, and is currently owned by Chris Zitterbart, who has also operated the Agora for the past four years.
“Given its history and the litany of legendary acts that have played the room, the Agora has been the heart and soul of Cleveland’s live music scene for the past 50 years,” says Shawn Trell, AEG Presents’ COO. “It’s a truly unique concert venue and we look forward to bringing a wide array of artists to the live music loving-city of Cleveland.”
“The Agora is a truly unique concert venue and we look forward to bringing a wide array of artists to the live music loving-city of Cleveland”
Zitterbart adds: “The opportunity to work with AEG Presents and to have them enter the Cleveland music scene is significant. They represent the best of having not only the resources necessary to grow the business, but – because they also remain independently and privately owned – they can afford to be patient and do things the right way.
“That combination bodes well for the future of the Agora Theatre and the types of shows they will bring to this market.”
AEG Presents owns, operates or books more than 60 club and theatre-sized venues worldwide. It acquired New York’s The Bowery Presents in January, with the promotion/venues group joining Goldenvoice, Concerts West, Marshall Arts, Madison House Presents and Messina Touring Group as an AEG subsidiary.
Photo: © Levdr1lp on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
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