The Prague Post http://www.aaaradiotaxi.cz/index.php?xSET=lang&xLANG=2
October 12th, 2008
Prague accommodation
Prague Art & Antiques Prague Art Prague Antiques
Prague Real Estate
Shuttle Bus to/from Prague Airport

Accord sets stage for rock concerts

Beat goes on for tops in pops McCartney, others at Prague 9 site

By Zuzana Kawaciukova
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
(April 8, 2004)


Rest easy, Paul McCartney fans: Your man will indeed be playing Prague June 6.

Interkoncerts Europe signed an agreement April 1 to rent a 14-hectare (35-acre) property in Prague 9 to stage already-booked concerts by McCartney, David Bowie and other rock legends this spring and summer.

The company had intended to put on the shows at the planned T-Mobile Park in Prague 11, even announcing the concerts and location on its Web site and on posters all over town. But the deal fell apart over a dispute between Interkoncerts and Prague 11 officials over whether the promoter had obtained legal permission for the construction, which had already begun.

Telecommunications company Tesla, sole owner of the Prague 9 property, agreed to rent it to Interkoncerts for 18 months, said Lenka Vyborna of the firm's economic office. The contract does limit the number of concerts at the outdoor venue. Interkoncerts spokesman Petr Novak said that the agreement allows time for two full seasons of shows.

Prague 9 will reap 5 percent of gate receipts for the slated shows by McCartney, Bowie, Lenny Kravitz, Metallica and Santana. The city estimates its total take from the five events at about 10 million Kc ($370,000). "We are planning to invest the sum in extension of primary schools, the capacities of which can not accommodate all pupils," said Prague 9 Mayor Vladimir Rihak.

Ticket prices range from 795 Kc ($29) to 4,995 Kc, representing the top ticket for McCartney's show. The concert will mark the first time McCartney has played here.

Interkoncerts had planned T-Mobile Park to accommodate up to 80,000 people. The company expects about 60,000 people to come see the former Beatle and about 30,000 patrons for each of the other shows.

The Tesla property, located in a largely industrial area, is three times the size of Letna Plain, where the Rolling Stones played last summer. Rihak said the upcoming shows should not disturb residents of nearby Vysocany because the nearest homes are 500 meters (550 yards) away.

The new venue is also within easy reach of public transportation, about 100 meters from the Kolbenova stop on the metro B line. The Prague Transport Authority said subway trains could be routed to the area as frequently as every three minutes on concert nights, moving an estimated 20,000 passengers an hour.

Interkoncerts' Web page still offers tickets to "T-Mobile Park," but the mobile-phone firm has not signed any naming-rights deal on the Prague 9 site. T-Mobile remains interested in participating in the project but, as it did in Prague 11, first wants to make certain the venue will meet all legal requirements, company spokesman Jiri Hajek said.


Zuzana Kawaciukova can be reached at zkawaciukova@praguepost.com





Hotel booking
The Prague Post Online contains a selection of articles that have been printed in
The Prague Post, a weekly newspaper published in the Czech Republic.
To subscribe to the print paper, click here.
Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.