Maryland residents are about to get a state-of-the-art new entertainment venue.
Live! Casino & Hotel, in Hanover, Maryland, launches a 75,000-square-foot, three-story space dubbed The Hall at Live! later this month.
That includes soft openings with Kristen & The Noise on Dec. 26 and Charm City Devils on Dec. 29, followed by an official launch bash for “It’s a Sweet New Year” on Dec. 31.
“The way we built the venue allows us to be extremely flexible to be able to match the artist or private event,” Cordish Gaming Group President Rob Norton told WTOP.
“The Hall in its full configuration will be able to handle about 1,800 people dining-in-the-round. It will also be able to hold 4,800 people in its maxed-out capacity for a show or entertainment [event], but it’s also designed in a way that it can be scalable, so an act that requires 2,200 seats will also be able to be experienced in a very intimate way.”
The 2020 concert lineup includes Jill Scott, Prince Royce, Iliza Shlesinger, Air Supply, Gabriel Iglesias, Patti LaBelle, Squeeze, Josh Groban and O.A.R.
“We announced a lineup of comedians and singers, but we will also be doing boxing events and MMA events,” Norton said. “I expect we will have a great party for championship games such as the NFL Super Bowl or NCAA March Madness, so the venue allows us to do a lot of different things.”
The technology includes a giant video screen that lowers for sports broadcasts and rises up above the stage during live concerts.
“The AV in this facility is quite exceptional,” Norton said. “It in and of itself is an over $10 million investment. It has a 128-foot center screen, just one of many screens we have around the facility. That’s flanked by two 60-foot screens. Wherever you go in the facility you’ll have a screen within arm’s reach distance, so you’ll never feel like you’re more than a step away from the artists.”
Unlike other casino venues with stadium seating, The Hall is curved like The Anthem.
“What it does is it brings all the seats closer to give a great angle,” Norton said. “We’re very proud of how the seating is configured in here.
“There isn’t a spot that you’ll sit where you’ll feel like you’re not a part of the show or part of the entertainment. There is not a bad seat in the house,” Norton said.
“The suite level can hold about 450 people. It comes with an upscale bar … so when you have a ticket up here, the experience will be another level.”
The goal is to make Arundel Mills a larger entertainment destination.
“When we first came to Maryland and decided to put the Live! brand into the market, we came at it with the expectation of delivering a true entertainment experience,” Norton said. “In partnership with the mall where we have over a million and a half square feet of retail and entertainment. We came and added a world-class casino, 10 incredible restaurants, 300 unbelievable suite rooms that are now rated ‘four diamond.’ Then we added The Hall on top of that, so no matter where you go any night of the week around this casino, you’ll have artists, acts and live entertainment around this facility.”
What’s the economic impact of such an addition?
“It’s going to be huge,” Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman said. “Just this facility, The Hall, is going to create some 500 permanent jobs. That’s big for the region as well, so we’re very excited about it. … This is right in the middle between Baltimore and Washington D.C. We’re creating an entertainment destination for the whole mid-Atlantic region and maybe the country.”
Beyond the financial implications, it’s more importantly a cultural gathering place for high school graduations, non-profit banquets, weddings or just weekend date nights.
“To me what’s important isn’t just the economic impact, but it’s really important to have places for people to gather,” Pittman said. “People get off their cellphones and get together and have fun. I’m looking forward to coming here for date night with my wife and having some fun.”
