Moncton city council wants plan to revive concert site

Some city councillors say they are worried about the increasing costs of the Magnetic Hill concert site, especially when there were no shows in 2013 and there are none scheduled for 2014.

Coun. Charles Leger says with no summer concerts, questions are being raised about the cost of maintaining the site.

"We're spending $117,000 per year to have something sit there and we don't know what we're going to do with it," Leger said.

He is asking city staff to come up with a five-year plan for the Magnetic Hill concert site.

Coun. Paulette Thériault also wants to see the site used more for both local performers and international acts.

"I'm reminded of the ECMAs [East Coast Music Awards] that were held here and the talent that we have is incredible," Thériault said.

"And if we were to match that, along with a major closing act, I think it would be just incredible for the music industry — not just in Moncton, but Atlantic Canada."

New concert plan on the way for Moncton

Moncton's general manager of economic development and events, Maurice Belliveau, warns that the more the city takes on the role of concert promoter, the more it will cost taxpayers.

"The more we tackle on our own, the more the investment will have to be from our side," said Belliveau. "So we're looking at the pros and cons and looking at budgets and how to do that."

Belliveau says city staff will have a new plan in place for the Magnetic Hill concert site in the new year.

Last month, Belliveau said the current model for staging concerts wasn't working, but he didn't say what needs to change or what promoters are asking for to bring a show to Moncton.

Since 2003, the Magnetic Hill concert site has hosted shows by the Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, the Eagles, AC/DC, U2 and Bruce Springsteen, among others.

The U2 concert in 2011 attracted about 75,000 people.