Indianapolis—
Glee, John Legend, Katy Perry -- even the biggest act on the planet right now, Lady Gaga, have at least one common Hoosier connection: playing at Conseco Fieldhouse."We're fortunate to have attracted a lot of top rate entertainment to the city," Conseco said.
Conseco spokesman Greg Schenkel said a recent contractual relationship with concert promoters Live Nation has made all the difference, often times encouraging heavy hitters to make the trek south of Chicago to the circle city.
"They can sometimes advocate and be a real influence on that entertainer," Schenkel said.
"A lot of those major acts that we used to miss we are getting in indianapolis now," Jonathan Medley said.
Conseco isn't just competing with Chicago, though. The Indy Metro has several outdoor concert venues as well. Medley at fanfare tickets in Carmel said many traveling shows have become more elaborate than what an outdoor stage can handle. That's something that can definitely work in Conseco's favor.
"There's something to the fact that that might be easier to accomplish indoors with the infrastructure they have there," Schenkel said.
The influx of big stars is translating into more cash for Fanfare and Conseco. It's also meant less cash Hoosiers have to spend to catch their favorite entertainer.
"It's a fun drive to Chicago, but it's nice to have you know big acts come into your own backyard," Brandon Bowman said. "As long as we can give them the respect that they need they'll keep coming back and that's good."
