What Does Lake Charles Want In Entertainment?

This weekend I witnessed what should have been one of the biggest shows to hit the area. It was the first ever SWLA Spring Jam held inside the Burton Coliseum. The lineup featured names like Plies, Trina who is currently featured on Love and Hip Hop Miami, Blac Youngsta whose riding high off of the success of "Booty" and countless other artist who gave one hell of a show.

But the turnout for the event was lack luster at best. There was talk afterwards that some were unaware of the event, however there was plenty of support from people at the show from Houston, Beaumont and Texas cities.

So my question is what does Lake Charles want in entertainment. There are plenty of Zydeco festivals that are held in the city, but even the turnout for those have been smaller then usual. Now when the various Casinos in the area have shows, all of the events look to be sold out. However that doesn't mean that they are, but general consensus is that most of them are. The same artist that go to Lafayette, New Orleans, Houston and other cities around us would come here as well. But there has to be a return on investment for the promoters of the event.

I have been here since 2001 and I can't say that I have seen one event that has been sold out to my knowledge, but there have been several that have come close. So who does Lake Charles want to see. Now keep in mind when these promoters consider bringing artist to the area. They usually do research. They also talk to other promoters and compare notes on previous events and turnout. Is the ticket price a factor? What about the location of the event? What is a deciding factor on whether you would go to the event and support it? This is something that has boggled me for years and I have always wanted to know. If there is someone that I truly want to see, the price is not a factor. While I know that's not the case for everyone. The lack of support is why we don't get much in the area as far as entertainment.

Another factor in a promoter deciding to bring something to the area is the amount of security that is needed for these events. By all accounts this past weekend had enough security to monitor a small town. So if you take into account the money that is paid for security, the venue and the entertainment including advertisement. If the ticket sales are low, that is not a good night for the promoter.

I would love to see Lake Charles get a variety of events that not only cover Country, Pop and Zydeco, but the city is large enough to satisfy the thirst for Hip Hop, R&B, EDM and other forms of music that the new generation wants. I'll stay optimistic that eventually things will change and there will be a shift in things so that the city will grow and continue to grow. But again I have to know what will Lake Charles support?