The Casino File
Global pop monarch Shakira made but 12 stops on the recent U.S. leg of her current world tour (not including her World Cup appearance in San Jose, Calif.). Among the cities were such no-brainer locales as New York, Boston, Atlanta and Los Angeles. But also on the itinerary was Atlantic City.
The “Whenever, Wherever” singer’s July 25 extravaganza at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall was hardly an outlier. Thanks to a three-pronged cooperative effort, Our Town has established itself as a destination for large-scale concerts, both at the historic, almost-14,000-seat auditorium and on the beach. Besides Shakira, Journey — reportedly on its farewell tour — hit the massive Boardwalk Hall stage on May 23. Other 2026 bills have featured the likes of ’70s R&B favorites Tower of Power and WAR (April 3), classic soul titans The Spinners (April 23) and Jodeci, XSCAPE and Kenny Latimore (May 9). And the hits keep coming:
This Saturday, top Electronic Dance Music attraction RUFUS DU SOL headline a sold-out beach concert that will draw 35,000 revelers. October 2-4, “jam band” giants Phish hit Boardwalk Hall for what is expected to be three sold-out shows, while another major, similarly formatted unit, Goose, brings its beloved “Goosemas” rave-ups to the hall Dec. 11 and 12.
Of course, having major acts come to town is hardly a novelty. After all, casinos have hosted countless top-shelf attractions from Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. to David Bowie and Prince. Nor is Boardwalk Hall a stranger to big-name entertainment: Past decades have seen it visited by such immortals as Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand and The Rolling Stones.
But this time, the shows aren’t just one-offs. Instead, they are part of an unprecedented tourism-marketing strategy being jointly executed by three entities, Visit Atlantic City, which oversees the town’s tourism efforts, Oak View Group, which manages entertainment venues (including Boardwalk Hall) around the world and concert-promotion behemoth Live Nation.
“A year-and-a-half ago, Visit Atlantic City took on all marketing responsibilities. So that means leisure marketing, that means it’s a different visitor that we focus on,” explained Gary Musich, Visit Atlantic City’s president and CEO.
“We said, ‘Okay, we have to change how entertainment’s handled because that’s a big part of what makes people come here, and [figure out] how to get visitors to stay an extra night. We stopped doing that, and Atlantic City was just meetings, trade shows and events. Now we have this leisure component.
“So, [the challenge was] how do we change this? I’m going to point to collaboration because that’s how you change this.”
The next step, he continued, was to create a working partnership with Boardwalk Hall General Manager Jim McDonald. The two men and their respective organizations had worked together before, but what was new was a semi-formalized partnership that extended beyond specific events and instead focused on a much bigger picture.
“Jim and I sat down and talked about what entertainment here looks like,” recalled Musich. “And it’s not just concerts. It’s other things. It’s boxing matches. It’s beach concerts. It’s ‘Disney on Ice’ [booked at Boardwalk Hall Nov. 6-8] It’s all these different things that drive a diversified visitor to Atlantic City with different reasons to come. So that plan’s been in place now for a year and a half.”
While the beach plays a role in the marketing blueprint, the linchpin is Boardwalk Hall. According to McDonald, the lure for artists goes beyond the physical structure and its location in an East Coast leisure-time capital.
“It’s the history,” he insisted. “A lot of the artists that come through here know the history of the building, know that it’s been standing since the 1920s. And they want to play this unique venue.
“Look at Shakira. She stopped at twelve venues throughout the United States. But she picked Atlantic City. She picked this building. And truth be told, when an artist has a great experience here at this venue, they go out and they amplify the message that we’re pushing day in and day out.”
History may be a powerful draw for an artist, but if those responsible for booking tours don’t know — or don’t believe in — the viability and credibility of a venue, all the history in the world is not going to matter.
Live Nation, the other member of the triumvirate, is arguably the key player as it controls so much of the concert industry. And, thanks in large part to what Musich and McDonald have conjured, it is solidly with the program.
“We’ve had tremendous success delivering unparalleled experiences in Atlantic City over the years,” said Molly Warren, executive vice president of Live Nation Northeast. “We’re excited to partner with Visit Atlantic City to bring more great shows and unforgettable moments that give people new reasons to visit and enjoy the region.”
As noted above, there’s a larger story to tell than just about a specific concert or two. As McDonald sees it, it’s about making the argument that AyCee can hold its own with any tourist destination on the East Coast and beyond.
“I invite people that may have a negative perception about Atlantic City to come down to a show here, to have the experience that you get, not just [at Boardwalk Hall], but in that restaurant, in that hotel,” he offered.
“And I think that this collaboration that Gary and I are talking about is specific to Boardwalk Hall, but it’s really that everybody else is buying in and they’re doing their part.
“But Gary’s organization is allowing [visitors] to see what else Atlantic City has to offer. And I’m here at this venue servicing [visitors] and servicing artists.”
Chuck Darrow has spent more than 40 years writing about Atlantic City casinos.
