Xfinity Center (Mansfield, Massachusetts) Explained

Xfinity Center
Nickname:Great Woods
Logo Image:XfinityCenter Logo Stacked-Red.png
Address:885 S. Main St.
Mansfield, Massachusetts 02048-3148
Renovated:2002
Expanded:1994
Owner:Live Nation New England
Operator:Live Nation New England
Construction Cost:US$13 million
($ in dollars)
Former Names:Great Woods Center for the Performing Arts (1986–1999)
Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts (1999–2008)
Comcast Center (2008–2013)
Seating Capacity:19,900

The Xfinity Center (originally the Great Woods Center for the Performing Arts and commonly Great Woods) is an outdoor amphitheatre located in Mansfield, Massachusetts. The venue opened during the summer of 1986 with a capacity of 12,000. It was expanded after 2000 to 19,900; 7,000 reserved seats, 7,000 lawn seats and 5,900 general admission seats.[1] The season for the venue is typically from mid May until late September. In 2010, it was named Top Grossing Amphitheater by Billboard.[2] It mainly hosts concerts; other events, such as graduation ceremonies, including that of Mansfield High School, occasionally take place.

History

The venue was proposed by Don Law, John E. Drew and Sherman Wolf in 1985. Originally, the suggested site was in Brookline, Massachusetts. At that time, the venue was planned to be a performing arts center, consisting of concert hall, auditorium and black box theater. After conducting research, Law concluded the New England region was in desperate need of an outdoors venue (at the time, the main outdoor venues were Tanglewood, Cape Cod Melody Tent, and the South Shore Music Circus).[2] The performing arts center plan was changed to an amphitheater. The site was moved to Mansfield to create a regional venue, being within 40miles of Providence, Boston, Worcester and Cape Cod.

The venue opened June 13, 1986, as the Great Woods Center for the Performing Arts; with a performance by Yo-Yo Ma and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.[2] It was one of the busiest venues in New England, hosting nearly 80 concerts per season. Over the years, additional amphitheaters were added to the region. The Xfinity Theatre in Hartford and the Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston brought competition to the area, bringing the venue to an average of 36 events per season.[3]

In 1998, the owner of venue, Don Law Company, was sold to SFX Entertainment and naming rights were sold to Tweeter Home Entertainment a year later, with the venue now becoming the "Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts".[4] When the electronics retailer faced bankruptcy in 2007, multi-media organization Comcast bought naming rights, with the venue becoming the Comcast Center in 2008. The company renamed the venue "Xfinity Center" in 2014, to correspond with its current product branding.[5]

Naming history

Notable performances

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Comcast Center in Mansfield has new name: Xfinity Center . . December 11, 2013 . . . April 9, 2014.
  2. Web site: Outdoor arena known as the Comcast Center marks 25th birthday . Massimo . Rick . May 23, 2010 . The Providence Journal . April 9, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20110628184423/http://www.projo.com/music/content/ARTSUN-COMCAST_CENTER_05-23-10_SDIGBTD_v18.10dd1ea0.html. June 28, 2011 .
  3. Web site: Great Woods Not Sweating Meadows' Opening . Catlin . Roger . May 10, 1995 . . . April 9, 2014.
  4. Web site: Live-music czar Law returns to roots of his success . Anderman . Joan . May 22, 2009 . The Boston Globe . April 9, 2014.
  5. Web site: Comcast Center in Mansfield renamed Xfinity Center . December 11, 2013 . . April 9, 2014.
  6. Web site: Open-air theater finds private-sector believers . Foster . Catherine . June 12, 1986 . . April 9, 2014.
  7. Web site: Great Woods announces lineup . Monahan . Kerri . March 25, 1999 . . April 9, 2014.
  8. Web site: Comcast in, Tweeter out in Mansfield . Johnson . Carolyn Y. . June 5, 2008 . The Boston Globe . April 9, 2014.
  9. Web site: Comcast Center Changes Name To Xfinity Center . December 11, 2013 . . . April 9, 2014.
  10. Web site: Aero Force One - Login.
  11. Web site: Avenged Sevenfold Added to Mansfield, MA "Mayhem Festival" Date. 15 April 2010.
  12. Web site: Great Woods Center for the Performing Arts- Phish.net . www.phish.net . 7 November 2018 . en.