Cool new prospects for Riverbend

Did you see the story yesterday about the new, smaller (4,100-seat) pavilion going into Riverbend Music Center that the symphony is building? If you could not open the virtual tour, here's a link to the video on the symphony's Web site.

I had a little chat with Mike Smith, the guru of Riverbend who brings all the big acts to you, and he said, don't get the impression that Riverbend isn't already selling out.

"This year's ticket sales are already 5 to 9 percent ahead of last year, depending on the attraction," Mike says. "Jimmy Buffett, Dave Matthews Band, Poison, Def Leppard will continue to sell out."

What the new venue will bring, he says, is more niche programming for folks who want bluegrass, country, alternative country, hip hop... The tour industry is changing, with people like Bob Dylan and John Fogarty playing smaller venues.

Diana Krall, hey how about Michael Feinstein? I'd love to see him play out there.

Who do you want to see?