There is a buzz in the musically-inclined city of Portland, and it is one of pain. The city is hurting for a medium-sized music venue. Hurting badly.
The State Theatre formerly served as the provider of quality entertainment to Portland. It wasn’t as big as the Civic Center, but bigger than any club or bar. It could hold about 2000 people, and often, it did.
The kind of bands that played the State Theatre were usually up-and-coming acts on their first tour, or bands whose creative boundaries stretch further than mainstream radio.
A number of highly popular acts have also graced the stage, including Jimmy Eat World, the Foo Fighters, and Ray Davies of The Kinks.
The venue was also a great chance for local acts to play for a larger audience than usual.
More love could be transmitted between performer and audience, as there could be more audience, more stage. And imagine the band’s delight: more people, more dancing, more audience telling a friend the show was great (more fans, more shows).
The State Theatre closed in 2007.
Many, myself included, believed the venue closed due to fire code violations, but the state fire marshal’s office instead cites a management dispute.
Whatever the reason, the State Theatre is sorely missed.
When it closed, the number of concerts in Portland dropped off immediately.
Bands had a dramatically different, much smaller, even drearier choice of venues – they either had to cram their national tour into a small club, or they’d have to fill the 9,000-seat Civic Center.
Maine has a hard enough time convincing acts to head north of their usual travel route. Acts that come to Maine usually aren’t on their way to anywhere else. When they’re done playing Portland, they turn around and go back home.
Whether the State Theatre is reopened or a new place is built, Portland needs a medium-sized venue.
This would boost the Maine music scene, increase state revenue, and create an overall heightened sense of excitement in the city.
A rumor floated recently that Kevin Spacey considered buying the State Theatre, as an investment, as he’s been known to do around the country.
The story goes that he came to take a look, and it looked like it would take way too much money to shape the place up – this coming from a multi-millionaire.
If not even a movie star can save the State Theater from rotting on Congress Street, Portland and its musical heartbeat may be in trouble.