Stockton Ports - Sports and Entertainment?

It's been a few days since Willie toasted the capacity crowd of 8,500 at Banner Island Ballpark with his red party cup, but I still find myself sifting through the photo gallery amazed at what took place here.  Since its Inaugural Season, Banner Island Ballpark's 5 year run has been a consistent reminder of what the Downtown Stockton revitalization was all about.  Stockton Ports Baseball and the future stars of the Oakland Athletics have rewarded the City of Stockton for its investment in revitalization with first class entertainment for 70 games throughout each summer.  In 2007 we hosted the annual California/Carolina League All-Star Game here at the ballpark (Which at the time was the signature event for this facility), and in 2009 we were honored to welcome our 1,000,000th fan through the gates.  However everything changed last Saturday night.

 The Bob Dylan Show starring Dylan, John Mellencamp, and Willie Nelson was the first event of its kind at the downtown ballpark.   Scheduled to appear in Stockton on Saturday, August 15th (Also the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock), we were tabbed as the finale of the 29 city tour.  Given the trio of headliners associated with this show we anticipated an amazing event, but what we experienced Saturday evening was well beyond our expectations.  To begin with the staging and concert setup in centerfield took on the look of a small village on our outfield grass.  Then imagine a sellout Independence Day baseball crowd of 6,000, and add another 2,500 enthusiastic and well behaved concert fanatics, and finish it off with "Pink Houses" at sunset and you've got the all of the necessary components for an ideal summer experience on the banks of the California Delta!  This IS what the City of Stockton had in mind when it built these facilities!

 Admittedly I am not a music aficionado; I like music and have my favorites, but I would never expect anyone to take my opinion as the final word.  However, I was here on Saturday night, I did get a chance to listen, I'm the one writing this blog entry, and I lied...I am opinionated and I'm going to tell you what I think.  Willie Nelson...he's still got it!  While you'll never convince me that the golden vocals chords sent straight from the heavens were bestowed upon Willie and only Willie, I do think the guy has aged as well as any singer I've heard.  On Saturday night, as Willie began his set with "Whiskey River" I distinctly remember thinking, "Wow, Willie sounds the same now as he did when I first heard him".  Simply put, I was impressed with the guy and he's gained a fan.

 Mellencamp is clearly at home on the stage.  He was by far the most entertaining of the 3, and gave the crowed a great show from start to finish.  Now I'm obviously biased because Mellencamp is from the Hoosier state and I'm myself am a Hoosier, but ask anyone who was in attendance and I think they'll agree that he is a great American performer and someone that most anyone can relate with.

 And finally, Dylan is Dylan.  You're always going to hear the "I can't understand what he's saying" complaints, but the guy is an absolute legend.  He's been covered more than Oakland Raiders wide receivers on any given Sunday, and his songwriting helped an entire generation learn to think and speak for themselves.  While he may not be the best "entertainer" in the business, he is certainly one of the most influential and unique personalities remaining in a growingly commercial business.  The facts are in the numbers, and I can tell you first hand that Bob Dylan is still a headliner.  The majority of our 8,500 tickets were sold because Bob Dylan was appearing in Stockton.

 At this point it is clear that I'm a Downtown Stockton advocate and believe that the best is yet to come.  While there are certainly critics out there, I think that the advocates for downtown grew in numbers last Saturday night.  Right or wrong, Banner Island Ballpark, Stockton Arena, the new marina, etc. are here to stay, and it is up to organizations like the Ports to make this work.   And I'm here to bang the drum, that's right the Stockton Ports Baseball Club hosted the biggest concert in the history of Stockton and got it right!  Let's take a look at the scoreboard:

 Stockton residents - Entertained
 Downtown Stockton businesses - Winners
 City of Stockton - Received revenue from ticket sales and parking with no direct investment in the concert, not to mention any tax benefits resulting from businesses affected by the concert.
 JAM Productions  (Concert Promoter) - Turned a profit, excited about the possibility of shows in the future
 Stockton Ports Baseball Club - Turned a profit, increased visibility of ballpark as a concert venue

The bottom line here is with all of the naysayers piling on Downtown Stockton over the years, this is a situation where everyone got it right.  So to those of you that incessantly focus on all that is wrong with our city, please, write your letters to the editor and make your comments.   This time you are off base, and it is time to focus on a positive byproduct of our situation.   Not only did the City of Stockton generate revenue, but the Stockton Ports operating as a private business in Downtown Stockton are thriving and looking to invest in more events and bring first class entertainment to Stockton in the near future.

Stockton Ports Sports and Entertainment?  Nah, not just yet.  We're always going to be Stockton Ports Baseball, that's what we know.  However, given the opportunity and the support of the community we'll work with the City of Stockton and other downtown advocates to move this thing forward!  Thanks again for all of the support Stockton, and I'll see you at the ballpark!