From more lower-bowl seats to "restrooms in the loading docks," the Bucks' new $500M, 714,000-square-foot arena project is "designed with concertgoers, artists, promoters and crew members in mind," according to Piet Levy of the MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL. New Arena GM Raj Saha said that he "already discussed possible bookings and the arena with promoters." Saha: "What you're going to see is an impressive opening push in 2018." But Levy noted the question is "whether that initial push can be sustained." Bucks President Peter Feigin said The BMO Harris Bradley Center over the last five to 10 years "has leveled out at 10 to 15 shows a year. We're going to change that dynamic. Our expectations is to really look closer to 20 plus." Levy noted at its peak, Bradley Center "hosted 17 concert tours" in '08. The leading architecture firm behind the project, Populous, "designed some of the most successful concert arenas in the world." Lead architect Brad Clark said that about 65% of the arena's 17,500 seats will "be in the lower bowl ... allowing concertgoers to be closer to the action, and promoters to potentially charge more for tickets." By comparison, Bradley Center has "about 40% of its seats in the lower bowl." The seats will be an "inch to three inches wider, with an inch to two inches more legroom, compared with the Bradley." Clark said that a curtaining system "can drop capacity as low as 5,000 seats." Clark added that to "score the biggest blockbuster tours, the arena's rigging capacity can accommodate up to 200,000 pounds, about double what the Bradley can handle." The new arena also has "six loading docks, all indoors, to protect trucks and crew members from potential rain or snow." Bradley Center by comparison has "one outdoor dock" (JSONLINE.com, 11/22).
