<\/p>\n
ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) \u2013 Mayo Civic Center premiered 2024\u2019s highest-grossing stand-up comic at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nate Bargatze. Med City fans buzzed with excitement as the show could mark the start of something bigger for local entertainment. <\/p>\n
Experience Rochester Marketing and Communication VP Bill Von Bank said it was the second-largest single-day entertainment event ever in civic center history, behind Bon Jovi\u2019s concert in 1987. <\/p>\n
\u201cNate is probably the biggest comic on the planet right now. He just hosted the Emmys this past Sunday,\u201d Von Bank said. <\/p>\n
Bargatze\u2019s visit to the Med City was his third stop in Minnesota on his \u201cBig Dumb Eyes World Tour.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s selling out everywhere he goes. He\u2019s been in Duluth. He\u2019s been in St. Paul. So, our turn in Rochester tonight, and it is a sellout crowd,\u201d Von Bank stated. <\/p>\n
Von Bank mentioned A-list acts like Bargatze\u2019s bring value to the entire community.<\/p>\n
\u201cShows, conventions, anything in Mayo Civic Center usually spills out into the community,\u201d Von Bank said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t just benefit Mayo Civic Center. We\u2019re happy to host, but the community benefits with people coming. Some might stay in hotels overnight because of the show, go out for dinner or have a cocktail before or after the show, maybe even come a little bit early and do a little shopping. So the money spreads out in the community and it\u2019s a great benefit to have shows like this.\u201d <\/p>\n
The sellout show kicked off Rochester\u2019s fall season full of live entertainment at the Mayo Civic Center. One of the 6,000-plus fans with a ticket, Jen Goldberg of Rochester, was excited not just for the laughs, but was also pleased to see Rochester bringing Broadway-caliber entertainment into town. <\/p>\n
\u201cI feel incredibly blessed and lucky to be going to see Nate Bargatze tonight,\u201d Goldberg said. <\/p>\n
Goldberg said she bought her ticket in advance last spring for about $200. <\/p>\n
\u201cI love comedy shows, and not too many come to little \u2018ole Rochester here,\u201d Goldberg said. \u201cI\u2019ve seen a few of his stand-ups and got tickets to the show a while ago.\u201d <\/p>\n
As a New Jersey native, Goldberg said shows like these are something Rochester could use a lot more of. <\/p>\n
\u201cHere in Rochester, there isn\u2019t that much to do. So, I think that this could be a big thing to help us have a little more entertainment, especially on the weekend,\u201d Goldberg said <\/p>\n
For those craving more big-name entertainment, Bargatze\u2019s sellout show is a promising sign that the spotlight has finally shifted the Med City\u2019s way. <\/p>\n
Other top-tier live entertainment scheduled in Rochester this fall includes Rob Schneider on Sept. 27, as well as Dustin Lynch and Scotty McCreery on Nov. 8. <\/p>\n
Click here for Mayo Civic Center\u2019s fall schedule, dates, and tickets.<\/a><\/p>\n