Rose Quarter Blog

America’s #1 show comes to Portland tonight at 7:30p. American Idol Live! Tour 2010 features American Idol Season 9 top 10 contestants Didi Benami, Crystal Bowersox, Lee DeWyze, Andrew Garcia, Casey James, Aaron Kelly, Michael Lynche, Siobhan Magnus, Katie Stevens, and Tim Urban. We had the privilege of catching up with Didi, Aaron, Tim, Casey, and Crystal earlier today.

This entire experience has taught the Idol contestants to become stronger individuals as they have been pulled in many different directions. Tim Urban says, “One thing I learned about myself throughout my time on American Idol was to maintain my core – who I am and what I believe in.” He admits that the spotlight can definitely allow you to get carried away and distract you from who you really are and that is when it becomes difficult to stay on top of your game.

For the American Idol contestants one of the common misconceptions of the show is how much work actually goes on behind-the-scenes. They state that after watching previous seasons, the idols did not realize how busy they would be. Didi Benami says, “All you see is the contestant perform one song, but you don’t realize that every minute of every day is planned out for us; we don’t just practice one song for the entire week.”

The American Idol contestants are all excited to be performing for their fans in Portland. Casey James’ most memorable fan moment was when he went to a secret screening of Shrek 4 and Antonio Banderas came to tell him that his wife had asked him to personally tell Casey hello. Casey could not believe that they actually had a conversation about him and that Antonio Banderas’ wife was a fan of his. So, let’s get out there and create more memorable fan moments as we support our American Idol contestants!

Tickets are priced at $70.50, $50.50, $40.50 and $31. Tickets are still available at the Rose Quarter Box Office.

Thousands of screaming girls, homemade shirts and signs. What do this things have in common? This was the scene at the Justin Bieber Concert, July 14, 2010. At 7pm, the experience began. The Stunners came out and showed their stuff. Although many don’t know of this girl band, they rocked the house. Up next was Jessica Jarrell. She brought great energy to the crowd and got everybody ready for what was coming, Sean Kingston. Sean did a great job and really seemed to interact well with the audience. He was definitely my favorite opening act. He did a great job on stage and he had a surprise no one saw coming. About half way into his performance he brought out an artist he has signed to his record, no one expected Iyaz to come out. He shocked the crowd and everyone was ecstatic! He preformed some of his songs and then Sean was back to finish off his turn on the stage. And then the countdown began. During the set change everyone was anxious and ready to see their idol, role model, son-in-law, husband, boyfriend, Justin Bieber. Five, four, three, two, one, The screaming really kicked up. Justin had wonderful energy. He really kept everyone on their feet. He surprised girls by throwing some of his personal belongings into the crowd, people went crazy! He made it feel as if he was just singing to you, with no one else in the arena just you and him, and his wonderful hair. He seemed to be able to make a real connection with his fans, he knew how to captivate them with song and dance. By far, one of the crowds, and mine, favorite songs were ”Never Let You Go” and “Favorite Girl”. Here was the first time he used a type of chair that was suspended in the air and made him fly over his audience. Throughout the whole concert, Justin was always complimenting his fans telling them that they are beautiful and they look even more gorgeous in person. He always kept the energy flowing during the show, and there was never a dull moment. With this tour, Justin is proving he is a true performer. With the singing, dancing, and all the compliments he had a wonderful show. If I had to pick the best part of the show, I probably couldn’t. The experience as a whole cannot be divided up into my least and most favorite, that’s how good the show was. I have been to many concerts, and this, by far, is the best one I have ever gone to. I would highly recommend this show to any people who doubt Justin’s abilities and talents as an artist. With this show i think Justin has proved all his haters wrong. And showed his fans why they love him, not just for his amazingly good looks, but also for his touching music. I would like to thank Justin Bieber for letting his fans go into his world with this tour, and the Rose Quarter for giving me the wonderful opportunity to go to his concert. Thank You!

Dew Tour makes its return to Portland August 12-15. To help celebrate, the Rose Quarter is having a contest; we want videos and photos of local skaters and BMX riders. Send us your original photos or videos for a chance to win tickets to the Wendy’s Invitational, a Dew Tour Prize Pack, Meet and Greet, and have your images featured on the Rose Quarter social media sites.

There are two separate categories for this contest. There will be a winner for photos and a winner for videos. Submissions are due by 11:59pm Sunday, August 8 and winners will be announced Monday, August 9.

To enter, send your photos or videos to rosequarterpdx@gmail.com

Congrats to Stacy Sanchez for winning the Justin Bieber Jr. Blogger Contest! Stay tune to see her review.

Justin Bieber Junior Blogger Contest

Excited for Justin Bieber? Enter our Junior Blogger Contest to see him live on July 14. The winner will receive a pair of tickets and is required to write a review post that will be featured on rosequarterblog.com. For a chance to win, enter your name in the comment section and explain in 50-200 words why you want to be the Rose Quarter’s Junior Blogger. The contest ends July 12 at noon.

Since the Rose Quarter is home to the Portland Winterhawks and hosts a couple of other skating events each year as well, ice making is a very important part of the physical operations on the campus. Before I witnessed the ice production for the recent Stars on Ice show, I had assumed that you just flooded the floor and waited for the water to freeze. As it turns out, ice making is a much more intricate and time consuming operation. From start to finish it takes around eighteen hours to prepare a surface for a hockey game and thirty-four hours for an ice skating event.

To prepare for an ice make, hockey dashers are put up and the temperature of the floor is lowered. Under the concrete at the Rose Garden there are copper pipes that run every four inches for the entire length floor.  Those pipes allow the area where the ice will be made to be lowered to a temperature of eight degrees. With that in place, the ice making can begin.

The first step in the production is to lay out a thin sheet of ice. This is done by having someone slowly walk around the arena floor in a specific pattern spraying water in the air creating a “rain” effect. The reasoning behind this method is that the droplets freeze almost immediately upon contact and it allows for density control over the ice. It is important to control the density of the ice because air pockets in the ice can lead to holes.

After an initial layer of ice is made, it is then painted white. Painting a plain white coat for figure skating events only takes an hour, but painting for a hockey game can last up to six. Hockey takes a lot longer because of the logos and lines for play that have to be painted. This process is quickened by the use of giant stencils, but it still takes a while to get everything lined up perfectly.

Once the ice is painted, the longest and most tedious part begins. For eight consecutive hours, someone again walks around spraying water into the air. When he is done, someone else takes over for another shift. In sixteen hours it is possible to lay down an inch of ice, enough for a hockey game. For other skating events, another sixteen hours are needed to create an inch and a half of ice. These events require thicker ice because of the sharpness of the blades and the impact from the landings on the jumps. After the desired thickness is reached, the ice make is complete.

Ice making has become a science in the last decade. Each venue tinkers with its own method to find better processes and then shares their innovations at conventions across the country. Details as small as the best pH level for the water and techniques on how to paint the ice are just some of the intricate steps that have been studied in recent years. As more is learned, the ice making process will only become more complex.

You have most likely attended a concert, seen the Trailblazers, or maybe even had your high school graduation here, but do you really know the Rose Quarter? My answer to that would be a definitive no. Yes, I know what events are coming and the layout of the campus but when it comes to the history and physical operations of this place, I am lost. Now that sounds awful coming from a Rose Quarter employee, but let me explain. My name is Mark and I am the new Marketing Intern. I arrived in Portland two weeks ago and will be here through the summer.

One of my goals for the summer is to get to know the Rose Quarter as well as possible and to share what I learn with you. Since I have only been here for two weeks I do not have much to write about in regards to the campus so far. What I can write about is why I chose to travel over 2000 miles for an unpaid internship.

About Me:

I am a student at the University of South Carolina, home of the Gamecocks, or as you may know it, the school Steve Spurrier coaches at. I am from North Augusta, SC (Right across the river from Augusta, GA). This internship is part of the requirements of my major, Sport and Entertainment Management.

There are a couple of reasons why I chose to come to Portland, but the main reason was to work for Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG). AEG is a worldwide facilities operator and concert promoter. This spring they announced that they would be starting a management training program for recent graduates. I attended the meeting at my school when they came to explain the details of the program and I immediately knew that I had to do anything I could to get be accepted when I graduate in two years. The “sizzler” video at the meeting literally gave me goosebumps, I was that excited. Later that day I mailed a cover sheet and résumé to every AEG venue in the country.

Of the venues that I mailed letters to, Portland was at the top of my list. Portland fit the bill for everything I was looking for. It’s far away from South Carolina, it is a bigger city, and it gave me the opportunity to see a part of the country that I had never seen before. After being accepted for the internship I moved out here without knowing anything about the city or anyone in it. I have learned a bit thus far and I like what I have seen but there is much more that I want to know. As the summer progresses and I post more articles about the Rose Quarter, I would love for you to tell me about Portland or the state of Oregon in general. Anything regarding history, music, sports or just places to have some fun I am interested in. This is a wonderful city and I feel like I am missing out on a lot of things. I will keep you posted on what I learn about the Rose Quarter. I hope that you will introduce me to the city.

The Eagles are almost here, don’t miss out on your chance to see some true rock ‘n’ roll  at the Rose Garden this Saturday! Tickets are still available at the Rose Quarter Box Office (M-F 10a-5p), all participating Safeway/ TicketsWest outlets, by calling 877.789.ROSE (7673), or at ComcastTIX.com.

Get your tickets!

-The Eagles  play there hit Hotel California-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyDRWMnfEAw

This weekend we have two highly anticipated Rose Quarter events:

First on Saturday, May 29, The Eagles are coming to the Rose Garden. The show starts at 8:00p and will be sure to take you back in time with the well known band who have excited fans since the ’70′s. There are still plenty of seats available.

Secondly the Rose Garden will welcome Smucker’s Stars On Ice on Sunday, May 30. Come see the top figure skaters in the world as they continue their tour in the Rose City. The show will start at 4:00p and there are still tickets available.

Tickets can be purchased the Rose Quarter Box Office (M-F 10a-5p), all participating Safeway/ TicketsWest outlets, by calling 877.789.ROSE (7673), or at ComcastTIX.com. Prices do not include service charges.

See you there!

Today at 5:30p the Weigh In for Strikeforce Challengers in The Game, which is across the commons from the Rose Garden Arena!

All fighters who will compete in the STRIKEFORCE Challengers mixed martial arts (MMA) event this Friday, May 21, at Rose Garden in Portland, Ore., will weigh in the day before, Thursday, May 20 at The Game at the Rose Quarter near Rose Garden.  The weigh in is OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, free of charge.

Oregon’s own middleweight (185 pounds) MMA superstar and former Olympic wrestling silver medalist Matt “The Law” Lindland (21-7), who recently ran for the state’s House of Representatives seat, will return to the cage to face Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expert and former Rickson Gracie protégé “King” Kevin Casey (3-1) in the main event.

Tickets for Friday’s Strikeforce Event are on sale now at the Rose Quarter Box Office, all participating Safeway/ TicketsWest outlets, or by calling 877.789.ROSE (7673), as well as online at ComcastTIX.com and STRIKEFORCE’s official website (www.strikeforce.com). Rose Garden doors will open at 5:15 p.m.  The first preliminary card bout will begin at 6 p.m. and the first main card bout will begin at 8 p.m.

-RQ

Strikeforce will come to the Rose Garden on May 21 headlined by a main event including Portland native Matt Linland!

Are you coming? With tickets as low as $25 Strikeforce at the Rose Garden is a must see. The full fight card has not been released but for the most recent information on fighters for Strikeforce in Portland stay tuned here to RoseQuarterBlog.com!