Remember when stadiums, arenas, amphitheaters - all the huge entertainment venues - used to have innocuous, acceptable names like the Ice Palace, the Astrodome, or Tampa Stadium? heck, the corporate-named Tropicana Field sounds pretty delightful in comparison to this fourth new name for the 8-year-old Amphitheatre at the Florida State Fairgrounds announced earlier today....
The MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre.
We'll just let that super cool, fun to say, just-rolls-off-the-tongue name marinate in your mind for a second.
Mildly annoyed yet? Is anyone seriously going to call the Amphitheatre by this terribly unsexy name in real life conversation? Except to maybe make fun of it? Just like we all did when it was the 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre?
The amount of questions arising are probably as abundant as the pile of cash this identity-crisising Amphitheatre received to shed what sliver of integrity it had with its recent, perfectly OK name, the Live Nation Amphitheatre, and change it to the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre.
What are we supposed to do with that?
"The Mint? The MidFlo? The MF?!", Tampa Bay Times pop music critic Sean Daly humorously asked in an article regarding the Amphitheatre's name change earlier today. Only time will tell, and most probably won't care much as long as the beer keeps a' flowin and the music keeps a' playin, but come on - MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre - really? That's the first impression you want to give one of the biggest entertainment venues in our city to?
Have at it, please. Then ask anyone who remembers Houlihan's Stadium, or better yet, the 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre how well they think it'll go over.
