The Frank Erwin Center, affectionately known as ‘the Drum’ due to its shape, has recently celebrated 35 years of being open to the public and still thriving, with rock legends Bon Jovi and Rush both set to appear there in April.
Bon Jovi’s ‘Because We Can’ tour will reach the Drum on April 10, and will no doubt see the soft rock veterans perform several tracks from their upcoming album ‘What About Now’, which will have been released by the band hits the Austin stage.
Following this, rockers in Austin will not have to wait long until their next fix, as legendary rock band Rush set the venue alight on April 23. Having recently been decorated with two honors at London’s Classic Rock Awards, fans of the group can expect to hear plenty from the new Billboard chart #2 album ‘Clockwork Angels’.
The associate director of the venue, Jimmy Earl, has been involved with the venue since it opened in November 1977, and has a collection of memorabilia in his office gathered over the last 35 years from various events and shows. A number of diverse events have taken place at the venue over the years, along with some of the most famous names in the music industry.
The building was constructed in 1977 at a cost of $34m, undergoing renovations between 2001 and 2003 at a cost of $55 million. The total estimated attendance since opening in 1977 is more than 25.8 million.
