Mon, Jul 06, 2009
 Fans dance to the music of Blues Traveler during its show Monday at the Rialto. The theater has hosted hundreds of rock, country, hip-hop, R&B, folk and world music concerts since reopening as a concert venue in the mid-1990s.
Jill Torrance / Arizona Daily Star
More Photos (3):
  
Everready Glass Sales Reps Administrative & Professional Tucson Urban League CEO/President Trades/Construction RANCHO RESORT MAINTANANCE POSITION Mechanical Komatsu Equipment Co Resident Field Mechanic Finance and Accounting Charles E. Gillman Company Accounting Specialist Administrative & Professional Jorgensen Brooks Group Counselor CalienteHistoric theater not silent anymore
Rialto rocks hard in tough timesTucson, Arizona | Published: 11.13.2008
For its size, feel and history there's nothing in Tucson like the Rialto Theatre. Our city has several venues that cater to up-and-coming acts, such as Club Congress and Plush, but for bands that already have developed a sizable fan base, the Rialto is the place.
At the other end of Congress Street is the Fox Tucson Theatre, another historic spot that has a regal, colorful stage design, tender acoustics and ample seating. Yet where a Fox concert experience is mostly defined by the act of sitting and spectating, the Rialto inspires a more participatory vibe.
The majority of the Rialto is for standing, dancing and moving around. And if your legs get tired from the concrete floor, there are seats in the back of the theatre and a balcony filled with them above.
The acoustics at the Rialto used to be a rough going for some bands — the huge sound of an act like Queens of the Stone Age came across muffled, for example — but that's no longer an issue after a major sound-system overhaul earlier this year.
You also don't feel as though you're going to break anything at the Rialto, which has a loose environment with more rough edges than the Fox.
And the Rialto's booking team seems to be picking up steam this year, bringing in big-name rappers and comedians along with the hottest indie bands (Hot Chip and Vampire Weekend shared a bill in September).
The Girl Talk show, an unexpected sellout, resembled a frat party on HGH, as the young crowd flooded the stage and floor, dancing, throwing its hands up and generally celebrating with the Pittsburgh DJ who uses hundreds of samples from pop, rock, hip-hop and R&B hits new and old.
Today we look back at the rich history of the Rialto, which has had many lives since it first opened as a silent movie palace in 1920.
We also talk with the Rialto's leaders about the challenges of the concert business in today's rough economic climate.
— Kevin W. Smith
Read more:
• But what about the economy?
• She had a 'window to the world' working in theater's box office
• The Rialto revived by duo
• Rialto is HQ for Battle of Bands
• Curtis McCrary, Rialto GM
• Rialto brought wealth of talent in myriad genres since 1995
• Popcorn and porn, plus FBI raid in '73
• Rialto timeline
|
|
2 Comments on this story