From security to prices, Live Nation's changes at The Queen

When you're used to seeing shows at a certain music venue, you tend to get into a rhythm in terms of your expected experience.

For example, when catching a show at The Grand in Wilmington, you know you're going to be met by an army of friendly volunteers, showing you to your seats and serving your drinks at the bar. Security isn't going to be overbearing and the sound will most likely be pristine.

But what happens when one of your go-to music venues sees a change in ownership?

That's what's been unfolding at The Queen, three blocks down from The Grand on Market Street.

After a six-year run, World Cafe Live and its folk-friendly aesthetic ended its Delaware experiment and left The Queen, opening the door for Live Nation to move in six months ago.

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While having the world's largest live entertainment company in Wilmington is not new -- they booked acts at the Kahunaville nightclub and outdoor stage for years -- it's the first time they have gone all in with a venue of their own.

Over the past half a year, Live Nation has slowly been morphing The Queen into one of their own, booking a more diverse set of acts, beefing up security and redecorating the bulky former movie theater. (There's a marquee now -- perfect for selfies!)

"I feel like we have some positive momentum going into 2018. That's what we wanted to do and that's what we started building," says Trenton Banks, general manager of The Queen, who also helped launch The Fillmore Philadelphia and worked at Theatre of Living Arts. "When we first got in the building, we were figuring out where to market to, what people want as a product -- that sort of stuff you have to do when you come into a new market and start from scratch." 

Whether you've caught a show at the new Queen already or are still awaiting a booking that will get you through the doors, here are some of the changes that Live Nation have already made -- and a few that are coming around the corner. 

Tickets

One of the biggest changes at The Queen is how you get your tickets -- and how much you pay for them.

While World Cafe Live used the Ticketfly ticketing service, Live Nation goes with Ticketmaster, which is a Live Nation Entertainment subsidiary. (Ticketfly had been owned by Pandora before being sold to competitor Eventbrite in a $200 million deal that closed in September.)

Patrons now purchase their tickets through ticketmaster.com, livenation.com or thequeenwilmington.com. And when you do, be prepared to be met by fees that are generally more expensive than what Ticketfly offered at The Queen.

For example, let's examine a couple of $25 shows at both The Queen and Philadelphia's World Cafe Live, which still uses Ticketfly.

Two tickets to see "American Idol" winner Kris Allen's Christmas tour at The Queen on Dec. 6 costs a total of $71 through Ticketmaster with a $10.50 fee for each ticket.

For Nada Surf's March 9 show, a pair of tickets through Ticketfly came with a single $12 service fee total for a total bill of $62. (That's about 15 percent cheaper for those keeping score at home.)

While many fans will suck it up for national acts that they would normally drive to Philadelphia to see, the higher ticket fees could have more of an impact when it comes to local bands.

If they perform for free or for $5 covers in small Delaware clubs, will their fans be willing to pay twice that in ticket fees on top of the ticket price? 

Time will tell.

Acts

While the venue did book some shows during the summer, The Queen's management was eyeing the fall as the concert hall's proper debut as music fans returned from summer vacations and beach weekends.

Slowly but surely, the Queen's calendar has added more shows that most likely wouldn't have landed there otherwise, such as Friday's sold-out Regina Spector solo show. (That one would have landed at The Grand instead.)

Plus, with the recent booking of performers such as Chicago hip-hop artist (and Firefly Music Festival alumnus) Vic Mensa, Live Nation is targeting music fans a bit younger and diverse than your usual WXPN 88-5-FM crowd, which tended to dominate the floor when World Cafe Live was in charge. The Nov. 30 Vic Mensa show is all ages.

Even though they broke big in pop and rock worlds in the '90s and '00s, both Third Eye Blind and Breaking Benjamin drew large (and young) sold-out crowds at The Queen last month.

And if it hadn't been held on the same night as the Halloween Loop, The Queen's "Drake Night" dance party would have most likely filled the place with Firefly-aged music fans thanks to a $5 ticket price.

But don't worry -- The Queen isn't anywhere near turning its back on middle-aged and older music fans. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Cheap Trick (Nov. 16) and reggae legends The Wailers (Feb. 8) are also on the schedule.

At the same time, Delaware's love affair with cover bands is also reflected in the number of tribute acts with upcoming shows there, ranging from David Bowie, Pink Floyd and Grateful Dead to Bruce Springsteen, Allman Brothers and Selena.

So far, The Queen's bookings seem to be yielding mixed results. In recent months, local businesses, Queen employees and others have been given free concert tickets to give away -- a sign that ticket sales can be soft.

Among the shows that had (or still have) free tickets floating around to help fill the room: Howard Jones, Jim Breuer's late show and tributes to Led Zeppelin, Genesis, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pink Floyd and more.

Security

This is one of The Queen's biggest changes under Live Nation.

For six years, the venue ran with minimal security. If you were at one of the final World Cafe Live shows at the venue to see New York metalcore act Every Time I Die, you saw more than 50 fans storm the stage and headbang alongside the band.

Overall, the hands-off approach worked with the venue's folk-friendly shows and fans got used to it.

That's not how Live Nation rolls.

With venues stretched across the globe at a time when mass shootings at live music events are becoming more common (Paris in 2015, Orlando in 2016 and Las Vegas on Oct. 1), Live Nation doesn't take chances.

Several security officials now meet fans on the sidewalk in front of The Queen to check identification before fans are either patted down or checked with a metal detector. Once inside, you'll see more security -- a familiar site for those who attend shows at Philadelphia-area Live Nation venues such as the Theatre of Living Arts, the Tower Theatre or The Fillmore.

And no longer can fans walk right up to the stage with only small tables keeping them from their favorite artists. A metal barricade now lines the front of the stage, giving security guards their own space to roam and keep an eye on the crowd.

Upstairs stage

While Live Nation continues to look for a restaurateur to partner with for The Queen's upstairs stage, the space has largely remained quiet.

Welsh rockers The Alarm performed upstairs in July, but there haven't been many other shows.

Gable Music Ventures' weekly "Wilmo Wednesday" music showcase is no longer there, having moved to Ernest & Scott when World Cafe Live left, and other local acts have not yet been booked there.

But the small stage seems to be heating up for the winter.

There are now two shows on the books for upstairs -- Memphis, Tennessee-based quintet Southern Avenue (Nov. 25) and Nickel Creek guitarist Sean Watkins (Dec. 2) -- with officials saying they're still on the hunt for a new restaurant to open in the space.

Downstairs stage

The layout of the main music room has not changed much with the neon-shocked pop art by North Carolina artists Louis St. Lewis and Nate Sheaffer as perhaps the biggest visual alteration.

Pieces featuring everyone from Madonna and P!nk to David Bowie and Jimi Hendrix wearing crowns are now part of The Queen's landscape.

Above the stage, a large black cloth sign bears The Queen's new logo and tufted curtains will soon be added to each side of the downstairs stage. Not only will they add some grandeur to the historic theater, but the curtains will be used to cover the artwork for non-music special events.

Oh -- and smokers are now penned outside of the downstairs stage on East Fifth Street across from Merchant Bar and the parking garage. No longer will non-smokers have to cut through a smoke cloud at the front Market Street entrance.

Drinks

Craft beers, mixed drinks ($9-$11) and wine are all still available at The Queen's bars with beers served in both 12-ounce and 24-ounce sizes, ranging in price from $6-$14. 

Food

When Live Nation first took over for World Cafe Live, we thought the days of munching while rocking were over.

At World Cafe Live, you were able to order a full dinner at The Queen -- pasta dishes, salads, steaks and sea scallops were up for grabs at one point or another.

At first, Live Nation decided not to fire up the theater's massive kitchen, but then they quietly added a snack menu toward the end of the summer.

They now offer snackable, stand-and-eat offerings from chicken tenders ($8) and boardwalk fries ($4) to steak tacos ($8) and handheld, deep-fried mini calzones ($10).

Seats

Just like World Cafe Live, Live Nation makes full use of the space's flexibility.

While most shows are standing, general admission affairs, chairs are sometimes brought in for comedy shows, acoustic acts and other events. (Fans will know the set-up when they purchase tickets since Ticketmaster offers a map showing exact seats.)

The best seats in the house can be found in The Queen's balcony, which seems to be open more often than it was in the World Cafe Live days.

The highback sofa-like seats also double as the private VIP area for Live Nations' Premium Tickets program.

Familiar faces

Even though a different player in the music business is now in charge at The Queen, longtime visitors have been pleasantly surprised to find that some of the staff have remained and now work for Live Nation.

Talent buyer Christianna LaBuz is still booking the shows, Jason Hickman continues to manage the box office and Allison Wier, director of private events at The Queen under World Cafe Live, is now director of sales and still books special events.

And if you're ordering a drink, there are several bartenders who have remained as well. Some still know their regulars so well that they seem to start pouring before you even open your mouth to say, "Hi."

Coming soon

Even with half a year at The Queen under its belt, Live Nation still has plenty of projects planned at the theater.

Here's a taste of what's to come:

-- One of the biggest changes will include a re-design of what used to be World Cafe Live's box office and gift shop. It will be replaced by a corner bar, which will be open to all, whether you have tickets to a show or not.

The project, which will include a wraparound sidewalk patio that opens into the building via retractable windows, is currently in the permit process and construction has not yet begun, says Zane Duffner, The Queen's marketing manager.

A target opening date isn't available yet. "But I think the plan is to open it as soon as possible," he says.

-- A box office booth will be constructed with a window to the outside, allowing walk-up sales a la the Theatre of Living Arts.

-- The Olympia Room, the upstairs space mostly used for special events, will undergo a face-lift and will soon be open as a VIP lounge on concert nights. The plan is for the lounge to be open before, during and after shows, giving concert views of Market Street from up above.

-- Plans to expand capacity in both the balcony and on the main floor of the downstairs stage are still being considered.

While all of that could be in The Queen's future, here's something that won't be: a big grand opening concert concocted to make a splash.

When Live Nation opened The Fillmore in Philadelphia's Fishtown neighborhood in 2015, they brought in hometown heroes Hall and Oates to do the honors.

And while Live Nation officials said a similar grand opening celebration would be coming to The Queen this fall, it has yet to materialize and no one seems to have high hopes that one is coming around the bend.

Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier).

IF YOU GO

What: Regina Spector

When: Friday, 8 p.m.

Where: The Queen, 500 N. Market St., Wilmington

Tickets: Sold out. (Some tickets were available on ticket exchange services such as StubHub at press time.)

Information: thequeenwilmington.com

MORE UPCOMING SHOWS AT THE QUEEN

Nov. 16: Cheap Trick

Nov. 17: The Joe Trainor Trio Turns Ten

Nov. 22: Steal Your Peach (Allman Brothers and Grateful Dead tribute)

Nov. 24: Breakwater

Nov. 25: Ben LeRoy & The Snap

Nov. 25: Southern Avenue (upstairs stage)

Nov. 30: Vic Mensa

Dec. 1: Echoes (Pink Floyd tribute)

Dec. 2: Sean Watkins (upstairs stage)

Dec. 5: Brent Smith and Zach Myers of Shinedown (sold out)

Dec. 6: Kris Allen (Christmas tour)

Dec. 9: Peek-A-Boo Revue

Dec. 22: Wilmington Hometown Christmas Jam

Dec. 23: Montana Wildaxe

Dec. 28: David Wax Museum

Dec. 29: Megan Betley

Jan. 5: Dude Ranch and the Girl at the Rock Show

Jan. 6: Kategory 5

Jan. 10: Earl Slick and Bernard Fowler (David Bowie tribute)

Jan. 11: Yacht Rock Revue

Jan. 18: The Districts

Jan. 20: The Rock Orchestra (Bruce Springsteen tribute)

Jan. 25: Gaelic Storm

Feb. 8: The Wailers

Feb. 17: Tyler Farr

Feb. 25: The Musical Box

March 18: Trent Harmon

March 30: John Gorka

May 19: Celebrate Selena!

THE QUEEN'S MENU

Boardwalk fries (russet potato fries topped with sea salt, Old Bay and malt vinegar) $4Nachos (tortillas covered in your choice of pork, steak or chicken with cheddar cheese, pico de gallo and a chipolte drizzle) $8

Wings (wings tossed with your choice of habanero barbecue, buffalo or dry. Served with carrots, celery and your choice of ranch or blue cheese dressing.) $8

Chicken tenders (served with your choice of habanero barbecue, buffalo, ranch or blue cheese dressing) $8

Pork, steak or chicken tacos (two tacos with pico de gallo served on flour tortillas topped with chipolte aioli) $8

Mac & Tots (tater tots smothered in homemade macaroni and cheese) $8

Deep-fried pierogies served with sour cream $9

The Roadside (sliced beef with smoked bacon, grilled jalapenos, melted cheddar cheese and a basil pesto sauce served on toasted flatbread) $9

Handheld deep-fried calzone (three mini calzones stuffed with mozzarella and pepperoni and served with a side of marinara sauce) $10 

Apple cider doughnuts dusted with powdered sugar $4