There wasn’t an empty seat in the house Monday night at the Charles Bailey Theatre in Trail when Bryan Adams filled the 700-seat venue to capacity but the theatre wasn’t the only place in the downtown core to notice an increase in traffic.
“It was excellent,” said Jeff Boag, owner of the Arlington Hotel pub and restaurant. “It was a very good day, we even stayed open later for the crowds after the show.”
Boag said the popular local eatery saw a noticeable increase in reservations before the show, filling the establishment, and forcing an even higher pace than usual in the kitchen to make sure concert goers could make it to the show on time.
“We even had an order for 12 to-go meals for the Charles Bailey,” he said. “I don’t know if Bryan had dinner with us but it’s nice to think so. It was great for business, I’d like to have Bryan Adams in the Charles Bailey every week if possible.”
Boag said that the Adams concert and other performances held at the downtown venue generally do mean a spike in business for his operation as well as other restaurants in Trail.
“I follow the events at the Charles Bailey on their website to plan staffing on concert nights, it’s a big plus to us,” Boag said. “The more the Charles Bailey does the more the whole city benefits.”
Other restaurants in town also saw business pick up before the show.
“It was definitely busier for a Monday night,” said the Colander’s Mary LeRose. “We certainly noticed a difference.”
One downtown dining establishment even took things one step further than most, offering a set dinner menu with the service specifically timed to allow patrons to have their dinner and get to the show on time.
“It went extremely well, we filled all the seats,” said Debra Barembruch, owner and front-end manager of Amore’s Ristorante. “Everybody had a wonderful time and we played Bryan Adams music through dinner. I had to turn people away.”
Bringing in more well known acts into the Charles Bailey is definitely intentional and in-keeping with the future plans of the theatre.
“We’re hoping that, if our new business plan goes through in March, we’ll be able to attract more promoters come on-board,” said Nadine Tremblay, front house manager for the theatre. “We had only been working with one promoter and now, with Bryan Adams and Gordon Lightfoot, we’ve got three we’re working with. Unfortunately, we’re not even on many of the promoter’s radar yet but hopefully that will change. The smaller shows , in more intimate venues, are becoming more popular with a lot of performers and hopefully we can tap into that.”
While the upcoming events at the theatre may not all have the draw of Bryan Adams, they will nonetheless appeal to a wide variety of music enthusiasts and continue to stimulate the economy of downtown Trail.
Future shows include the Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital’s, Enema Awards, Selkirk College Music program instructor, Gilles Parenteau and local drumming go-to guy, Tony Ferraro, and Snowbird – A Tribute to Anne Murray, all in March, as well as Canadian folk legend, singer/songwriter, Gordon Lightfoot in October.
For a full event schedule and details on the various goings on at the Charles Bailey go to www.trail-arts.com.