peop073108.target

On the homepage

Scanners

Full-body scanners headed for MSP

Out There

Gas lines

10 years later, same fire, anger

Club Outdoors

Behind closed doors

Home | Local + Metro

Target Center should sound $1 million better

By Jon Bream, Star Tribune

Last update: July 30, 2008 - 7:27 PM

The oft-maligned acoustics of Target Center should sound better by the time Celine Dion unleashes her stratospheric voice there on Oct. 30. That's because the city of Minneapolis approved $1 million in acoustic improvements for the city-owned arena.

"Acoustical technology and its importance have vastly changed since 1990 when Target Center opened and that change has accelerated even more over the past decade," Mayor R.T. Rybak said in a statement.

He was probably alluding to the superior acoustics of St. Paul's Xcel Energy Center, which is often regarded as one of the top-sounding arenas in the country. Since opening in 2000, Xcel has landed more big-name concert bookings than Target Center. However, since AEG Facilities took over management of the Minneapolis arena last year, it has booked more shows, including Nine Inch Nails, Journey, Tina Turner, Reba McEntire/Kelly Clarkson and Dion in the coming weeks.

Technically, the improvements will try to lower the building's low frequency reverberation and eliminate echoes and sonic reflections.

Recent Local + Metro stories

Couple helping Haitian orphans - July 30, 2008

Couple helping Haitian orphans - A couple from Prinsburg, Minn., oversee an orphanage on the north coast of Haiti. More

Comment on this story | Read all 3 comments | Hide reader comments

More coverage

StarTribune.com: Steals + Deals & Classifieds

Learn how to do it right.

Simplify your job search by learning the best way to approach networking, resumes, cover letters, and interviewing.

Tips for getting more for less

Subscribe to the weekly Steals + Deals e-mail newsletter.

Win tickets to The Midnight Movie Society's screening of cult-classic film "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" at Red Stag Supperclub.

Vita.mn and DJ Jake Rudh present the first meeting of The Midnight Movie Society at Red Stag Supperclub on Feb. 19, with drinking, dancing and a midnight screening of cult-classic film, "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls."

See all contests