Concert king Chris Fritz’s re-jiggering of Sandstone includes amenities such as Mr. Fritz’s Sausage Parlor, an alcoholic drink called the Fritzo and standing room only in what used to be the up-close-and-personal seating area.
“Now everybody has a front-row seat,” Fritz says. “We’re a scalper’s worst nightmare. You can’t scalp because everybody can go up front. The bands love it because they get all the people up front, and it doesn’t matter if there’s 2,000 or 20,000 people because the energy is all up front.”
That said, it’s a bit of a departure for folks with fat wallets used to the choicest seats. But, hey, people pay six figures to sit in nosebleed at the Sprint Center in bathroom-less suites.
As for Sandstone’s new green theme? “The Green Team stays on top of recycling,” Fritz says. “And they stay on top of the garbage cans. They go through them and make sure there’s no plastic bottles or aluminum cans in there. Where in the past everything went into a landfill, we’re probably down to 10 percent now.”
This year’s concert calendar numbers 14 shows with a possible 15th this fall.
“We were thinking initially that there might be six or eight, 10 tops,” Fritz says. “Just because we didn’t get started booking shows until Jan. 17. Everybody’s amazed that we took it in the state it was and took it to the state it is in such a short time. I can’t even tell you the (artists) that are talking about coming here next year, but it’s huge.”
The concept at Sandstone is to serve as a niche venue, not to compete with Sprint or Starlight, Fritz says.
“Our whole structure is not to do 20 or 30 shows,” he says. “We’re about a whole new music age with bands that are coming up for the future.”
But back to the present, or recent past, if you will …
How did the venue fare during that massive hailstorm a few weeks back?
“Uh, on the Warped Tour we had the last band on, and it just got stupid … they took cover for about three hours, but everybody got out of there safe, so it was all good.”
Which brings us to the “sausage parlor” …
“It’s right across from the VIP area,” Fritz says. “We have turkey, Italian, brats and hotdogs along with beer and water.”
As for the PG-13-sounding name: “Yeah, sausage eaters beware,” Fritz jokes. “You know, we have to have a little fun. Everybody’s getting a kick out of that name. And I’ve got my own drink named after me. It’s killer. It’s called the Fritzo, and it’s 360 Vodka in a lemonade concoction.”
What, no other additives, like ground rhino horn?
“No, it doesn’t make the sausages get bigger,” Fritz says.
Dave Stephens reunion alert
Swing king Dave Stephens’ 10th birthday bash tonight at Jardine’s for his first-ever CD “Swing Out” has turned into a reunion jam of sorts.
“This has gotten a little bigger than I thought it would,” Stephens says. “It’s grown. We’re doing some tributes to people like Milt Abel, the legendary Kansas City bass player, and Russ Long — he was my main piano player for the whole beginning of my career.
“And Steve Patke, he was my clarinet and sax player for about 10 years. So all three of them were on my first CD, and they all have passed. So all of their families are coming down.”
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