DiCesare Engler Productions

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DiCesare Engler Productions was a Pittsburgh-based concert promotion firm. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Pittsburgh City in western Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the United States, and is the county seat of Allegheny County. A population of about 301,048 residents live within the city limits, making it the 66th-largest city in the U.S. The metropolitan population of 2,324,743 is the largest in both the Ohio Valley and Appalachia, the second-largest in Pennsylvania, and the 27th-largest in the U.S.

The company was formed in late 1973 when Pat DiCesare, who was the dominant concert promoter in the region, [5] chose Pittsburgh native Rich Engler to form a new partnership. [6] Engler was a drummer in a band and ran his own promotion company 'Go Attractions'. The firm promoted most of the major rock concerts and festivals in the Pittsburgh tri-state area (Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia) where the words 'Produced by DiCesare-Engler' became a familiar tagline in radio and television ads. [7]

Pat J. DiCesare Sr. is an American entrepreneur and rock concert promoter, whose career began at the early stages of rock and roll. His career in the music industry spanned the latter half of the 20th century, and his Pittsburgh-based company, DiCesare Engler Productions, was at one time one of the top-grossing businesses amongst US concert promoters.

Pennsylvania State of the United States of America

Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state located in the northeastern, Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The Appalachian Mountains run through its middle. The Commonwealth is bordered by Delaware to the southeast, Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, Lake Erie and the Canadian province of Ontario to the northwest, New York to the north, and New Jersey to the east.

Ohio State of the United States of America

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the Great Lakes region of the United States. Of the fifty states, it is the 34th largest by area, the seventh most populous, and the tenth most densely populated. The state's capital and largest city is Columbus.

In 1977 the firm purchased The Stanley Theatre in downtown Pittsburgh. The venue was named the number one mid-size concert auditorium in the United States by Billboard magazine in 1978. That same year, DiCesare Engler Productions was named as the number two production team. Bill Graham Presents was number one. [2] The theatre remained number one for several years until it was announced in November 1983 that the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust had purchased it for 12.1 million dollars. [8]

Benedum Center theater and concert hall, formerly a movie theater, in Pittsburgh, United States

The Benedum Center for the Performing Arts is a theater and concert hall located at 237 7th Street in the Cultural District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Designed by the Philadelphia architectural firm Hoffman-Henon, it was built in 1928 as the Stanley Theatre. The former movie palace was renovated and reopened as the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts in 1987.

<i>Billboard</i> (magazine) American music magazine

Billboard is an American entertainment media brand owned by the Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group, a division of Eldridge Industries. It publishes pieces involving news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style, and is also known for its music charts, including the Hot 100 and Billboard 200, tracking the most popular songs and albums in different genres. It also hosts events, owns a publishing firm, and operates several TV shows.

Pittsburgh Cultural Trust non-profit organisation in the USA

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust (PCT) is a nonprofit arts organization formed in 1984 to promote economic and cultural development in Downtown Pittsburgh. The "Trust" has focused its work on a 14-square block section called the Cultural District, which comprises numerous entertainment and cultural venues, restaurants, and residential buildings. All together, the organization claims to oversee more than one million square feet of real estate, including commercial and residential buildings, making it one of the largest landowners downtown. In recent years the organization has had a contentious relationship with the city of Pittsburgh concerning the tax status for many of its properties, resulting in a case being heard by the state Supreme Court in 2011.

DiCesare Engler also owned or operated other national top grossing venues in the 1980s and 1990s including the Syria Mosque, AJ Palumbo Center, and the IC Light Amphitheatre, [9] as well as co-promoting concerts at the Star Lake Amphitheater in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania. [10]

Syria Mosque performance venue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S., constructed in 1911; originally built as a shrine for the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (the Shriners)

Syria Mosque was a 3,700-seat performance venue located in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Constructed in 1911 and dedicated on October 26, 1916, the building was originally built as a "mystical" shrine for the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine and designed by Huehl, Schmidt & Holmes architectural firm of Chicago. It was recognized as one of the best examples of "exotic revival architecture".

Burgettstown, Pennsylvania Borough in Pennsylvania, United States

Burgettstown is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The population was 1,576 according to the 2000 census.

In July 1998 DiCesare Engler was sold to SFX Entertainment and became known as DiCesare Engler Productions/SFX. [11] DiCesare Engler/SFX promoted the last concert at Three Rivers Stadium and the first concert at Heinz Field – 'N SYNC. [12] They also promoted a pay-per-view concert [13] known as the Rolling Rock Town Fair which averaged 90,000 in attendance.

Three Rivers Stadium stadium

Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1970 to 2000. It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL).

Heinz Field American football stadium that is home to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pittsburgh Panthers

Heinz Field is a stadium located in the North Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It primarily serves as the home to the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) and the Pittsburgh Panthers of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The stadium opened in 2001, after the controlled implosion of the teams' previous stadium, Three Rivers Stadium. The stadium is named for the locally based H. J. Heinz Company, which purchased the naming rights in 2001. It hosted the 2011 NHL Winter Classic between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals on January 1, 2011. In 2017 it hosted the Coors Light Stadium Series game featuring the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers. On May 18, 2019, the stadium hosted Garth Brooks during his Stadium Tour, which set a new attendance record of over 75,000 people, making it the biggest ticketed show in Pittsburgh history.

NSYNC American boy band

NSYNC was an American boy band formed in Orlando, Florida in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich. NSYNC consisted of Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone, and Lance Bass. After heavily publicized legal battles with their former manager Lou Pearlman and former record label Bertelsmann Music Group, the group's second album, No Strings Attached (2000), sold over one million copies in one day and 2.42 million copies in one week, which was a record for over fifteen years. Among the group's singles, "I Want You Back", "Bye Bye Bye", "This I Promise You", "Girlfriend", "Pop" and "It's Gonna Be Me" reached the top 10 in several international charts, with the last being a US Billboard Hot 100 number one. In addition to a host of Grammy Award nominations, NSYNC has performed at the World Series, the Super Bowl and the Olympic Games, and sang or recorded with Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Britney Spears, Phil Collins, Celine Dion, Aerosmith, Nelly, Left Eye, Mary J. Blige, country music supergroup Alabama, and Gloria Estefan.

The company became known as Clear Channel Entertainment Pittsburgh by the time Rich Engler parted ways with the company in 2004. [14] It is now under name Live Nation.


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References

  1. ↑ Rutowski, R (31 December 1976). "Pittsburgh: a first-rate concert city today". North Hills News Record.
  2. 1 2 Barron, J (27 June 2012). "Rich Engler shares stories from 40 years in music business". Pittsburgh Tribune Review. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  3. ↑ King, Peter B (14 February 1991). "Publications name WDVE top station, hail local concert venues". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  4. ↑ Reinartz, J (3 June 2010). "A Promoter's Farewell to Mellon". Pollstar Magazine. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  5. ↑ Masley, E (30 September 1994). "D-E 20 Year Anniversary". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  6. ↑ Staff (23 November 1973). "Ross Man Promoted". North Hills News Record. p. 25.
  7. ↑ D'Astolfo, G (10 May 2012). "A piece of rock & roll history began a half-century ago at YSU". The Youngstown Vindicator. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  8. ↑ Stack, BW (29 November 1983). "3rd theater suggested for new cultural area". Pittsburgh Post Gazette. pp. 1, 4.
  9. ↑ Lubenski, C (10 February 1991). "Entertainment star still shining". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  10. ↑ Sheehan, A (10 March 1990). "DiCesare says he'll book acts for Star Lake". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 6.
  11. ↑ Waddell, R (6 August 1998). "SFX Buys Another Promoter, Locks Up Pittsburgh Market". Billboard .
  12. ↑ Suhr, L (19 August 2001). "'N Sync Thrills Fans at Heinz Opening". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
  13. ↑ Barbieri, K (21 August 2000). "First Rolling Rock Town Fair Draws 33,000; Adds to income with pay per view". Amusement Business.
  14. ↑ Masley, E (27 October 2004). "Engler, Clear Channel Communications part ways". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
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