Five years ago, the doors to Save Mart Center opened and more than 12,000 people walked through to see opera singer Andrea Bocelli christen Fresno's new, state-of-the-art arena.
That concert and the A-list acts that followed -- The Rolling Stones, Madonna, The Who, George Strait, Metallica and Britney Spears -- thrust Fresno back on the radar of an industry that had largely looked past our city and its sluggish concert market.
"It changed dramatically," says Rick Mueller, president of the California branch of Live Nation, the largest concert promoter in the world. "Selland Arena was very old and outdated as far as modern amenities, capacity and usability for the industry. Most people were passing by the [Fresno] market because it didn't offer a viable play. Five years later, the building has had a very strong start, and it's hosting hugely grossing shows."
George Lopez, left, Shania Twain and the Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger are among the biggest concert draws in Save Mart Center's five-year history.
Shania Twain, from left, Prince, Mick Jagger and George Lopez.
Since Bocelli performed that first concert on Nov. 7, 2003, more than 1 million tickets have been sold to 164 entertainment events -- everything from Prince to World Wrestling Entertainment to "Dancing with the Stars" to Cirque du Soleil.
And that's just the entertainment side.
Overall, more than 3.2 million people have come through Save Mart's doors to one of the roughly 150 events per year. Among them: Fresno State athletics, Fresno Falcons hockey, Easter Sunday church services, home and garden shows, monster truck rallies and commencements.
"With what we've been able to attract and the support that the public has shown to those events, I think you can say that the quality of living, from an entertainment standpoint, has been heightened by the Save Mart Center," says Steve Tadlock, the arena's general manager.
In addition to luring music stars, the arena is credited with spurring new construction, increasing the marketability of the city and lifting a bit of Fresno's inferiority complex.
To hear Mueller tell it, Save Mart Center single-handedly flipped the concert industry's view of Fresno. It certainly brought in more business from Live Nation, which has booked 30 concerts there, The Rolling Stones and Madonna among them.
"I can guarantee the previous five years weren't even close to that number," Mueller says.
AEG Live, another of the concert world's big players, has also increased its load in Fresno, with shows featuring Justin Timberlake, Miley Cyrus and Elton John.
"Fresno has a much better reputation," says Susan Rosenbluth, AEG vice president.
That improved reputation has led to more than $65 million in ticket sales and 38 sellout shows at Save Mart Center, according to data from Pollstar, the Fresno-based concert industry trade publication.
"Fresno is still a secondary market," says Gary Bongiovanni, Pollstar's editor-in-chief. "The difference is today we have a modern building that can really accommodate just about any tour."
From the beginning, Tadlock promised we'd see A-list stars, and today he maintains the arena has exceeded expectations.
"We opened a lot of eyes," he says. "Ever since then, Fresno has been on the radar for routing. We definitely don't get to capitalize on everything, but our chances have been increased. The U2s and the Paul McCartneys [not coming to Fresno], you can argue those are a little bit of a letdown, but it shouldn't diminish the track record we've achieved."
Community adjusts
Save Mart Center hasn't come without its share of growing pains.
On nights there's a big event, it has meant backed-up traffic on Shaw Avenue.
It has meant road construction in the area, particularly Chestnut Avenue, which was closed for almost two years.
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