Sunny Days<\/a>, a local in-home care service for seniors.<\/p>\nThe venue took Middleton, 48, of Upper St. Clair and Homistek, 35, of Liberty more than two years to build after it broke ground in 2023. Middleton said the arena cost several million dollars to renovate and outfit with high-tech audio and visual equipment, accounting for a decade\u2019s worth of lease payments and loans.<\/p>\n
Sunny Days has received largely positive feedback from performers and maintains a 4.8-star rating on Google based on 41 reviews. It has, however, yet to turn a profit.<\/p>\n
Middleton launched 247 Fighting Championships as a solo venture in 2016. Homistek joined him after more than a decade reporting on martial arts for DK Pittsburgh Sports and Bleacher Report.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re learning together that running a business can be similar to surviving a cage match.<\/p>\n
To date, Sunny Days has hosted about two dozen performances. Behind the scenes, the business partners have dealt with one challenge after another, from an eight-month delay in getting a liquor license to parting ways with their original food and beverage team.<\/p>\n
Sunny Days continues to play to Middle\u00adton and Homistek\u2019s passion \u2014 hand-to-hand fighting events \u2014 even as they seek a foothold in the music industry.<\/p>\n
One of the arena\u2019s first major events was its Jiu Jitsu tournament in October hosted by Flo Sports, the sport\u2019s largest broadcaster, that drew about 500 spectators, Homistek said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can host this multimillion-dollar company and live up to their standards, so we\u2019ve got something here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Men in the arena<\/span><\/p>\nSunny Days\u2019 centerpiece is a custom-\u00adbuilt hexagonal MMA cage on the downstairs level, which can convert to a 24-by-21-foot rectangular concert stage when needed.<\/p>\n
The downstairs setup can accommodate roughly 1,000 spectators for concerts and 1,300 for fighting events, while a smaller, 300-seat stage upstairs is tailored for more intimate musical performances and comedy shows.<\/p>\n
The downstairs stage\u2019s unique design was a collaboration involving Sunny Days\u2019 in-house jack-of-all-trades, Monongahela native Josh Lemon, and 247\u2019s longtime audio partner, Rob Thomas, a 35-year entertainment industry veteran from Pittsburgh who maintains an office in Elizabeth.<\/p>\n
Thomas also handled Sunny Days\u2019 complex lighting and sound systems on both stages, which he engineered to switch into different modes for combat sports or concerts. Sunny Days has more than 40 moving lights and Italian-made RCF loudspeakers operated by Midas digital mixing consoles to \u201cenergize the crowd\u201d during fighter entrances, for example, he said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Pittsburgh-based guitarist Byron Nash performed in front of 100 fans on Sunny Days\u2019 upper stage with his soul-rock band, NASH.V.ILL, in April.<\/p>\n
Nash said the venue\u2019s dynamic lighting and crystal-clear sound system elevated the show, giving it the feel of a national touring production. \u201cWhat they did really took it up a notch,\u201d he said, noting that the band could easily hear itself over the crowd.<\/p>\n
Sunny Days\u2019 snack bar was still under construction when the venue opened, so Middleton and Homistek brought in food trucks to cater the early events. After splitting with the first food and beverage team in May, they are working with a consultant to start offering a basic menu of cheesesteaks, fries, chicken tenders and the like.<\/p>\n
Finding the right pitch<\/span><\/p>\nAlthough Middleton and Homistek had never promoted a concert before opening Sunny Days, they assumed the transition would be relatively simple after navigating state regulations, licensing requirements and paperwork needed to stage MMA events with dozens of fighters.<\/p>\n
Sunny Days\u2019 comedy shows on the upstairs stage are even more hands-off in terms of production, since they typically require only a microphone, Homistek said.<\/p>\n
Sunny Days\u2019 biggest challenge with concerts has been promotion, rather than logistics. Since the venue isn\u2019t yet a known quantity in the music industry, Middleton and Homistek have turned to pouring money into Facebook, Instagram and Google ads to drive traffic. They\u2019ve found some recent success posting in community Facebook Groups in North Versailles, McKeesport and Murrysville, among others.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe still talk to people all the time who say, \u2018We didn\u2019t even know you existed,\u2019 \u201d Homistek said.<\/p>\n
Sunny Days\u2019 MMA events have 10 to 14 fights on any given card, so while audience members typically value certain fights over others, they\u2019ll still show up for the entertainment, Homistek said.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, a concert is essentially all-or-nothing, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s as if we\u2019re having a one-fight card \u2014 you\u2019ve gotta want to see this one fight, or else you\u2019re not coming,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
A number of local bands have helped boost Sunny Days\u2019 reputation by heavily promoting their shows, making fanbases aware of the venue. But not all bands make that effort \u2014 a \u201clearning lesson,\u201d Middleton said, as they lost money on sparsely attended shows.<\/p>\n
Things may be getting easier for Sunny Days on the promotion side, as the arena is on the brink of securing more artists from outside the Pittsburgh region that \u201cthe average Joe would know,\u201d Homistek said.<\/p>\n
Homistek added that, due to its sheer size, Sunny Days is better positioned in the long run to draw in big-name performers than local competitors like The Lamp Theatre in Irwin and Jergel\u2019s Rhythm Grille in Warrendale.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the end of the day, we can fit more people here, and that\u2019s going to be appealing to bigger national acts,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to fill that void.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018Trying to do it right\u2019<\/span><\/p>\nMost of this summer\u2019s large concerts were already booked by the time Sunny Days became fully operational, so Middleton and Homistek will have to wait until 2027 to truly take advantage of peak touring season for the first time.<\/p>\n
Despite the costs associated with high-end production equipment, Middleton and Homistek remain convinced that Sunny Days\u2019 commitment to quality will pay off in the long run. They view the venue\u2019s strong Google rating as validation of their approach and believe it will eventually help attract larger crowds.<\/p>\n
North Versailles Township Manager Joe Varhola said he has built a strong working relationship with Middleton and Homistek over the past several years and is confident Sunny Days will eventually draw crowds both to the arena and nearby businesses through their leadership.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to be honest with you: They are awesome,\u201d Varhola said.<\/p>\n
The pair also emphasize that they are not entertainment giants like Live Nation Entertainment or Ticketmaster, which they say burden customers with excessive fees.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re two Pittsburghers trying to do it right,\u201d Homistek said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n