Clearwater performance venue enjoys brief period of having a cool name

The Sound, a new outdoor waterfront concert venue in Coachman Park that will be operated by Ruth Eckerd Hall in partnership with the City of Clearwater, is scheduled to open on June 28th with a ribbon cutting ceremony followed by a free concert with rock band Cheap Trick and is currently enjoying what will be a very short period where it’s not burdened with a cumbersome and dorky corporate name.

“‘The Sound’, huh? Yeah, right on,” said local music aficionado Luke Melonkopf. “I’ll know exactly what to expect when I attend an event. I can’t wait to go see some shows there… until it starts to suck.”

“It reminds of when Tampa had Tampa Stadium, the Sun Dome, the Ice Palace and The Amphitheatre,” he said, with his voice cracking and tears forming in his eyes. “RIP to all those places, whatever the hell they’re called now.”

The Sound will host a year-round performance schedule and will include 4,000 covered seats plus an additional 5,000 lawn seats.

“Yeah, and sooner than later it’s going to be called the AT&T Lawnmower Citibank Lite Beer Chase Manhattan Snow Tire Center or something equally awful and I’m gonna hate it,” said Melonkopf. “I’ll still call it The Sound and people will look at me like I’m weird.”