Alt-J Leads Off Santa Barbara Bowl Season with Mark Knopfler and Diana Krall on the Way
The Santa Barbara Bowl is selling tickets for the first show of the season scheduled for Tuesday April 14, when Alt-J comes to town for the first time.
The bowl staff greeted a line of ticket buyers at 11 a.m. who purchased tickets at the brand new box office sponsored by the Dreier Family.
Among the first person to buy tickets was Michelle Kimball who bought six. She plans to attend with her high school age daughter, her husband, mother and friends.
The Santa Barbara Bowl is one of the most popular venues in the city for a concert. It holds about 4500 spectators, and most say they are out quickly after a show with no delays. Compared to traveling south for a concert in Los Angeles, they say the cost is better, and the convenience factor is unmatched. In recent years, the bowl has added an upgraded stage, bathrooms, seats and amenities.
Nederlander Concerts says also coming this summer will be Mark Knopfler, the lead singer for Dire Straits, and pianist Diana Krall. Both are multi-Grammy winners. Dates for those summer shows or ticket sales will be announced soon.
The bowl has a permit that allows up to 37 shows. That includes several community outreach shows, and educational events.
Santa Barbara Bowl Manager Rick Boller says, “we don’t have the ability to book an entire season as some of the larger markets do here in Santa Barbara as we have started to gain a reputation we getting bookings earlier and earlier each year.”
The audience is often more than just the core Santa Barbara and Ventura residents.
“We see quite a few people coming from out of the area. More and more folks that live down south chose to drive north rather than Los Angeles, because of less traffic, the access, ending time and intimate venue we have,” said Boller.
He says the line for the new box office will extend back towards Milpas Street. Nearby the shuttle bus will have a pickup location.
The facility has three windows compared to two for the old building which is nearby and will be used for other needs at the facility.
