Fab indeed. The Beatle’s August appearance in Grand Rapids now ranks as the highest grossing show in arena history.
History-Making: Sir Paul McCartney’s August concert set sales records at Van Andel Arena. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
In the weeks since Paul McCartney made his Grand Rapids and Van Andel Arena debut on Aug. 15, West Michigan fans have continued to buzz about the epic, 2-hour-and-45-minute concert unleashed by the 74-year-old Beatle and his band.
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“McCartney is by far the best,” gushed one concertgoer who traveled from Wisconsin for the show.
Capacity Crowd: The arena was packed with McCartney fans. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
As it turns out, he was right in more ways than one: Van Andel Arena announced today that McCartney’s concert broke all venue sales records to become the highest grossing show in the arena’s 20-year history.
McCartney’s “One on One Tour” stop topped Fleetwood Mac’s 2015 appearance at Van Andel Arena, the previous sales champion. The ranking is based on ticket sales only; the arena declined to share overall gross revenues for the concert.
The 12,000-seat venue was filled to capacity for the August show, with McCartney and his band delivering a brilliant career retrospective — from “A Hard Day’s Night” to “Live and Let Die.”
“It’s tough to get bigger than Paul McCartney, who has a huge demand virtually everywhere on the planet, so to be able to bring him somewhere, whether it’s New York or Los Angeles or Grand Rapids, means a lot,” SMG Regional General Manager Richard MacKeigan said in a prepared statement. “We cannot be happier or more appreciative of Sir Paul’s visit.”
“One on One Tour”: McCartntey with his band on stage at Van Andel Arena. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
The concert was presented in partnership with Marshall Arts USA and Olympia Entertainment. SMG manages the arena and DeVos Place.
The arena also noted that the sales record adds to an already successful year, with the arena — celebrating its 20th anniversary — already ranked by Billboard as the highest grossing venue in the United States among venues with a capacity between 10,001 and 15,000 for mid-year 2016.
Check out the Local Spins review and photo gallery from McCartney’s concert here.
And speaking of Fleetwood Mac, the arena earlier this week announced an upcoming concert by band member Stevie Nicks as part of her “24 Karat Gold” solo tour, with The Pretenders opening. Get tickets and details online here.
Copyright 2016, Spins on Music LLC
