JACKSONVILLE – Jaguars and Bold Events President Mark Lamping's message was clear:
For those planning to attend the first show at Daily's Place Saturday, the one-of-a-kind, state-of-the-art venue connected to EverBank Field will be ready.
Absolutely, positively and without question.
"We will open Saturday, and it's going to be a spectacular experience," Lamping said.
The project that began 232 days ago will host its first show featuring Tedeschi Trucks Band Saturday. Train with O.A.R. and Natasha Bedingfield will play Sunday with a sold-out show Tuesday featuring Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds.
Lamping said 42 concerts are scheduled between Memorial Day and the end of the year.
"We're going to have a great first year," Lamping said.
Lamping said work has continued at Daily's Place 22 hours a day for the last month, with construction stopping only between 4:30 and 6:30.
"You have a lot of tired workers, but you have a lot of excited workers," Lamping said, also acknowledging the City of Jacksonville, Hunt Construction Group, Danis Construction and the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office for their roles in the project.
Lamping said much of the remaining work to be done between Wednesday and Saturday is under the already-completed roof, with some concrete not under the roof still needing to be poured.
Lamping emphasized the uniqueness of the 5,500-seat facility, saying that the sightlines will be superior to other venues of its size. Balconies are 115 feet from the stage with what Lamping called "the worst seat in the house" only 150 feet from the front of the stage.
"Our partners at LiveNation were in here this week and they were just blown away," Lamping said.
Lamping emphasized several other areas Tuesday, including:
*Parking. All tickets to all Daily's Place events include parking. "If you purchase a ticket, you have also purchased your parking as part of that," Lamping said.
*Bag size. Concert attendees will be limited to a 12"x12"x6" bag as is the case for Jaguars home games, with the difference being bags need not be clear as is the case at Jaguars games. Every bag will be inspected, and all concert-goers will go through security upon entering.
Lamping also on Wednesday also said the Jaguars/Bold Events will co-manage the facility with SMG Jacksonville, the same group that manages EverBank Field.
"They do an outstanding job and we're thrilled SMG is our partner going forward in terms of the management of Daily's place," Lamping said.
