MUSIC & NIGHTLIFE

Jason Aldean part of effort to bulk up Indy 500 fun

By David Lindquist
david.lindquist@indystar.com
Jason Aldean will play multiple baseball stadiums on his 2014 summer tour.

One of the hottest concert tickets in Indy this year will be at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, part of an intense effort to put the spectacle back in the month of May.

Country star Jason Aldean will perform on May 24, joining a schedule designed to attract big crowds on more than just Carb Day and Race Day.

In terms of attendance, Indy hasn't been your father's 500 for years.

"One of the things we hear from fans is, 'Bring in an A-list artist,' and this does that," IMS president Doug Boles said Monday. "And, it does that right in the middle of two big days at the track."

Aldean will play between Coors Light Carb Day on May 23 and the race on May 25. That makes it "easier for people outside the marketplace to come enjoy IMS for three days," Boles said.

An announcement regarding this year's Carb Day schedule "will follow at a later date," according to Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The Aldean concert is part of a broader plan to build up the weekends preceding the race and to draw different audiences to the track.

"There are a whole range of opportunities," said Mark Miles, who is entering his second year as CEO of Hulman & Co., the parent organization of IMS and IndyCar, among other entities. "We're trying to bring more people to this facility while being true to our heritage."

Miles said the total number of people at IMS in 2013 was about 400,000, and it's his goal to increase that figure by 50 percent by 2018.

"I think we have an opportunity in 2014 to make a big stride in that direction," he said.

"We're trying to give more reasons to be (at IMS) in May, and we're focusing on the three big weekends," Miles said. "The Jason Aldean concert speaks to that third weekend.

"We've got everyone in town and everyone in town knows about the race, but all we had was an autograph session and a public drivers meeting."

He said the goal is to use the Indiana Sports Corp. model that makes a specific event, like the Pan Am Games or the Super Bowl, an event shared by the community.

To that end, IMS has added an IndyCar road course event two weeks before the 500. Four classes of cars will compete May 8-10, capped by the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis for the IndyCar Series.

Miles said recent opening days have drawn closer to 5,000 rather than 50,000, the projected attendance for the Grand Prix. If the Aldean concert attracts a Carb Day-like crowd, that will be an instant upgrade for the Saturday of race weekend, because that was a free day at the track in the past.

And expect some changes to boost the excitement of the 500's qualifying format one week before the race. Miles' goal is to spread the excitement of pole day over two days, May 17-18. Drivers are likely to have to make qualifying runs both days, with the top nine starters participating in a Sunday afternoon shootoout.

"We've talked about (structured) a number of different ways, and we're still trying to get some feedback," Miles said. "Internally, we've said let's decide by March 1 what we're going to do."

The Aldean concert, scheduled for 5:30 p.m. inside Turn Four at the track, is billed as the inaugural Legends Day concert sponsored by Firestone.

Ticketholders to any upcoming Indianapolis Motor Speedway events are eligible to receive discounted general admission tickets for $25 or VIP tickets for $40. General admission tickets, $35 or $30 if purchased in advance, will go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday.

Aldean, known for songs "Hicktown," "Don't You Wanna Stay" and "Fly Over States," adds Indianapolis Motor Speedway to a summer schedule that includes concerts at major-league baseball stadiums in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

The Legends Day concert is a new attraction on a day historically dominated by the IPL 500 Festival Parade. Presented by the 500 Festival, a nonprofit organization independent of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the midday parade will begin selling tickets ($14.50 to $32) on March 3.

During the Indy 500, the annual Snake Pit concert will play to fans of electronic dance music. This year's entertainment has not been announced, but the 2013 Snake Pit featured international stars Afrojack and Diplo. Admission is an additional $10 for race attendees.

Carb Day shows, which routinely attract crowd of 50,000, have emphasized rock acts — some from yesteryear (Poison, Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top, for example) and some from today (Kid Rock, Staind and Three Doors Down).

Aldean represents a Nashville chart-topper at peak popularity. At Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he can sell more tickets than he's sold at 24,000-capacity Klipsch Music Center when headlining single shows in 2011, 2012 and 2012.

Call Star reporter David Lindquist at (317) 444-6404. Follow him on Twitter: @317Lindquist.