Arts Alive! podcast: Bobby Rossi of Ruth Eckerd Hall

Anyone who’s attended a performance at Ruth Eckerd Hall since 1996 has Bobby Rossi to thank.

Likewise the Capitol Theatre. Likewise the Baycare Sound Amphitheatre, which is about to celebrate its one-year anniversary.

Today’s guest on the Arts Alive! podcast, Rossi is Vice President of Entertainment for Ruth Eckerd Hall, which means he does the math, juggles the bowling pins and decides what acts are coming to the inter-related Clearwater venues.

It’s not particularly easy, he reports. “Routing” is a term familiar to concert promoters – will the touring artist be anywhere near Florida? Do we have any open dates during that time? Which is the most suitable venue? Can we afford it?

Will an audience show up?

Rossi discusses all the elements that go into making concerts happen. Because he has been involved in  this card game for nearly 30 years at Ruth – and because of his earlier history with storied statewide promoter Fantasma Productions – he’s a champion player who knows when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em. And he has relationships with all kinds of artists, managers and booking agents.

The 9,000-seat capacity amphitheater starts a whirlwind anniversary celebration – nine shows in 11 days – with July 31’s Lindsey Stirling concert. Rossi talks about each concert in detail.

Click on the arrow to listen to the interview.