This afternoon, MoCo exec Ike Leggett officially announced a deal that would bring Live Nation’s Fillmore concert hall into downtown Silver Spring.
“This is a great day for Silver Spring, more importantly, for Montgomery County,” Leggett declared at a press conference inside the AFI Silver Theatre.
The done deal “can help us start the second half of Silver Spring’s revitalization,” Leggett said.
The $8 million, publicly funded concert hall would be used for Fillmore-produced shows, as well as public- and community-sponsored events. Live Nation is throwing in $2 million to cover the cost of interior elements like lighting, audio equipment, kitchen gear and furniture.
Now that the Fillmore will officially rock Silver Spring, who will rock the Fillmore?
Murray Horwitz, director of the AFI Silver Theatre, said the new neighbor could host events for SilverDocs, AFI’s annual documentary-film festival. “It’s a small second step but a great leap forward,” he said.
On the flip side, The Fillmore would work with AFI to host a music-based film festival, Live Nation’s Ted Mankin told The Penguin. Mankin also speculated concert films being shot at the Silver Spring Fillmore.
The Fillmore also would book local bands and theater productions, said Stacie George, who books gigs for Live Nation at Baltimore’s Ram’s Head venue. The Fillmore’s flexible capacity — ranging from 500 seated dinner patrons to 2,000 moshers without the furniture — would allow a variety of acts to perform there, she said.
Construction on the Colesville Road venue could take two years, with the first show dropping in 2010.
Image courtesy of Live Nation.
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Boxed wines and rosés are back in vogue. Just ask The Penguin's sommeliers.
Giving $8 million dollars in taxpayer money to a company that generates over 2.8 billion dollars in revenue? I know this is the Fillmore…but seriously, who’s smoking what here?
Just wanted to clarify something …
The county keeps the $8 million building, and will collect rent from the Fillmore.
And the county also collects sales tax, liquor tax, etc. not only from the Fillmore, but on the increased sales and property values from the expected continued revitalization of Silver Spring. The $4 million the county puts in is pretty minimal given the long term return on investment. As if Silver Spring wasn’t already on a roll, this should kick into hyperdrive. Now what to do with all those multi-colored vinyl awnings along that stretch of Colesville?
Something’s cooking (or not cooking) under those multicolored vinyl awnings, Woodsider. I passed those store fronts earlier this week, and at least three adjacent spaces were vacant.
Silver Springer reported over the summer that a rotisserie chicken place would be moving into the space closest to the Lee building. But the sign announcing the business’s application for a liquor license is gone. Don’t know if the business is gone, too.
One door up, another vacant space. And next to that, the Red Stix Cafe appears to have left town, too.
I know what I’d like to see in those three retail spaces: BAR! BAR! and BAR!
I couldn’t agree more! When the first real bar opens, I’ll buy you a Penguin Coctail (since you’re the Penguin, you get to decide what goes in it). Hell, why wait…do one of your polls and see what concoction makes up the readership’s favorite. Maybe the bars around town will start serving it.
OK, here’s my entry (admittedly stolen from 1001cocktails.com). A little “girly” but probbably mighty tasty.
Penguin Cocktail Recipe
Category: Vodka recipes
Ingredients : – 1 oz vodka
- 1/2 oz blue curacao liqueur
- 2 oz lemon-lime mix
- 2 oz soda (7-up, sprite)
- 1/2 oz banana liqueur (pisang ambon)
——————————————————————————–
Use a “In glass” for Penguin drink recipe
Pour the vodka, blue curacao and lemon-lime mix into an ice-filled highball glass. Fill almost with sprite, floating the banana liqueur on top.
Serve in “Highball Glass ” Garnish: No
Ingredients: vodka. blue curacao liqueur. lemon-lime mix. soda (7-Up, Sprite). banana liqueur (Pisang Ambon).
No no no. A Penguin cocktail needs to be made with black and white ingredients. Off the top of my head, I’d say Black Sambuca and, what? Pernod? White Rum? Soy milk? I say it’s worth experimenting to find out.
Thanks, Woodsider!
I’ll take my Penguin cocktail without the vodka, curacao and banana liqueur. I’m strictly a club soda drinker these days, though Kaliber (and O’Doul’s, to a far lesser extent) works during a pinch.
Nonetheless, I’d still like to see more bars, preferably some that host live music acts. Maybe Seth Hurwitz would consider a small venue along Georgia Avenue for local bands.
YOU HEAR ME, HURWITZ?
Springvale Roader said:
If I threw myself off the wagon tomorrow, I’d say Kahlua and vanilla soy milk (I’m lactose intolerant).
Any suggestions for a non-alcoholic Penguin drink? (Please don’t say Pepsi and milk!)
You always wonder how much of what a politician does is based on what they believe and how much is just crass political calculation. Well, former County Exec is demonstrating that he’s all about getting ahead as he gives Montgomery County the shaft.
For years Duncan and others worked to bring a music hall to downtown Silver Spring, eventually getting the state to agree to foot the bill. Now that Duncan is an official at the University of Maryland, he’s trying to take the money promised to Silver Spring to open a music venue in Prince George’s County. Community leaders in Montgomery County have been moving forward on putting a music venue here and expect to use that money as it had been appropriated.
It’s not a shock that Duncan is eager to curry favor with his new masters in College Park, but the speed with which he went from being a supposed advocate for Montgomery County to someone willing to screw us to move his career forward illustrates how devoid of principal he is! (see today’s Post for more)
Editor’s note: This comment has been edited for URL content. — JD (Sep 27, 2007)
How about a Hard Rock Cafe?
Why would anyone be surprised about Doug Duncan? He’s just doing the job he’s paid to do. It happens in private enterprise all the time when executives switch companies and it’s no different in the public realm when they switch jurisdictions (or in his case, to UMCP).
I say, give him a “special” Penguin Coctail (with the alcohol and maybe some xtra ingredients) and he’ll forget all about it.
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