This is part of The Enquirer series on the future of downtown.
Colleen Reynolds has been attending concerts in downtown Cincinnati since 2011 when she was a student at Xavier University.
Big concerts back then usually meant a trip to the US Bank Arena, now the Heritage Bank Center, and maybe a trip to Mount Adams afterwards. She and her friends had to take a taxi.
The Banks project was still in its infancy, but had nothing to do with the entertainment destination it is today.
As Reynolds prepares to catch Taylor Swift at Paycor Stadium on June 30 and July 1 — yes, the superstar is in town both nights — she expects a much better concert experience.
“I grew up with Taylor Swift and now she’s coming to my town,” Reynolds said.
That’s hardly a coincidence. Everything that has happened in Cincinnati over the past two decades has prompted Swift to choose Cincinnati for her Eras Stadium Tour. At one point, Swift even considered adding a third night in Cincinnati.
Swift isn’t going to Louisville. She’s not going to Indianapolis. She’s not going to Columbus or Cleveland.
She’s coming to Cincinnati.
Reynolds, Swift’s biggest fan at Oakley, said, “We have 100% everything in Cincinnati that makes it possible to attract one of the biggest music stars in the country. It’s a real opportunity to showcase Cincinnati, not just to neighboring cities, but to competitive cities as well.”
A stadium that offers space for 61,000 concert-goers? Check over.
An entertainment district next to the stadium? Check over.
Enough hotel rooms, even if they are spread over the suburbs? Check over.
An easy-to-reach destination by car or plane? Check and check.
Hamilton County voters made it all possible. In 1996, voters approved a half-cent sales tax that was used to construct the Cincinnati Bengals’ Paycor Stadium in 2000, the Cincinnati Reds’ Great American Ball Park in 2003, and the infrastructure to support them. Over the past 20 years, the city and county have worked together to develop the waterfront lot between the stadiums, creating an entertainment space.
Today, this area – an 85-acre open drinking district and a 21-acre park – is home to bars and restaurants, apartments and a hotel. Smale Riverfront Park runs south along the Ohio River. Music and Event Management Inc. opened the Andrew J. Brady Music Center at The Banks in 2021.
Growing pains aside, and there have been many, The Banks is now a destination for entertainment – whether it’s game day or not.
More than 100,000 are expected at Banks for baseball and Era’s tour
City officials estimate that more than 100,000 people flock to The Banks for Swift, baseball games, and just for fun, even if they don’t have tickets to either. Visit Cincy and the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber estimate the economic impact of Swift’s tour stop at $92 million.
“That’s why you do big things,” said former Mayor Mark Mallory, who was elected in 2005 and made it his priority to restart ailing riverfront development after a handful of failed attempts. Phase I broke ground in 2008, at the start of the recession. The Holy Grail was the first bar to open there on St. Patrick’s Day 2011.
“You want to be able to take advantage of the opportunities that are coming up across the country,” Mallory said. “We’re expanding Cincinnati to accommodate almost everything that’s happening across the country. This puts us on a more equal footing with other cosmopolitan cities.”
Bob Bedinghaus, who was the Hamilton County Commissioner when the county passed the stadium tax and later served as the Bengals’ director of business development before taking on a new position in 2020, will direct the concert. He said Swift’s tour company, Messina Touring Group, contacted the Bengals about a tour stop.
Swift’s touring company is also representing Kenny Chesney, who performed at Football Stadium in 2012 and knew Paycor Stadium had everything the Swift tour needed. And that’s a lot. The tour is so popular that tickets sell for thousands of dollars more than face value. Thousands of ticketless fans flock to venues just to hear what’s on outside the stadiums, and merchandise sales begin days before the concerts.
“This is the type of event that Great American Ball Park and Paycor Stadium can attract,” Bedinghaus said. “Riverfront Stadium did a good job back then, but you don’t even get a chance without a big venue.”
While Swift is making headlines now, Pink will soon be there with a tour stop at the Great American Ball Park in July.
“You just don’t get a call without one of these big facilities,” Bedinghaus said. “Many cities within thousands of miles of us simply don’t have the facilities. We are blessed with a very solid urban core that meets the needs of an urban area today. There is entertainment, hotels and restaurants.”
“I absolutely believe we’re going to get more big concerts like this,” Bedinghaus said.
Swift in Cincinnati: “Combination of Elvis meets the Beatles”
Jim and Rosemarie Moehring had front row seats to the success of The Banks.
Jim Moehring owns The Holy Grail, a sports bar across from Great American Ball Park in The Banks. His wife, Rosemarie Moehring, is Vice President of Marketing for the owner of the Brady Center.
“That’s why we’re here,” said Jim Moehring. “That’s why we’ve campaigned so hard for concert venues. That’s why we put so much effort into The Banks. Everything we believed in has come true.”
Jim Moehring was Vice President and General Manager of the Heritage Bank Center, then US Bank Arena, from 2001 to 2009. A sold-out Van Halen concert, with no downtown bars open, prompted him to open Holy Grail.
There’s only one way to describe the excitement leading up to Swift’s Cincinnati Era tour stops: Jim Moerhing said, “This is a combination of Elvis and The Beatles. The passion behind it is literally something I’ve never seen before.”
The Beatles performed at Crosley Field in 1966.
“We built a destination that has drawn artists to look to Cincinnati when they might not have done before,” said Rosemarie Moerhing. “We get a lot of tours that we haven’t done before. We’re on the map.”