Lynn Community Development Director James Marsh said this week that he expects the recently installed air conditioning system in the Lynn Auditorium to have a major impact on the city’s ability to attract an even better lineup of shows going forward.
“The air conditioning has just been installed and we haven’t had our first show in there yet, so we don’t have any feedback from guests,” explained Marsh. “But the real benefit is going to be seen in the way we can use the space and the shows we’ll be able to attract going forward.”
Marsh explained that since the Lynn Auditorium was not able to be used during summer months (June, July and August), the venue had an annual problem of “dropping off the radar” of booking and talent agents.
“Without being able to hold shows in the summer, agents kind of forgot about us every year or didn’t really take us seriously,” said Marsh.
That’s because the summer months are a prime time for touring musicians, who have the option to play both outdoor venues and indoor, air-conditioned arenas and auditoriums.
Over the last few years, Lynn has frequently been offered the opportunity to book bands that were touring during the summer months and has had to turn them down. That has caused agents to look at the venue as a second or third class stage, and that has worked against Lynn even when its stage has been available.
“Our expectation is that as we begin to work with agents to book acts for next year, having the ability to put on shows during the summer time is going to make a big difference in our ability to bring in bigger shows,” he said.