Bigger names at Mainstage bring fans, attention to town
Music fans reviewing the list of upcoming performers at the Ramona Mainstage may recognize Paul DiAnno as the original singer of Iron Maiden.
DiAnno, who will be performing at the Ramona Mainstage on Feb. 19, is expected to attract music fans to Ramona, as are some of the other singers booked later this year.
David Allan Coe is scheduled to be in concert in Ramona on April 21, and Pat Travers is booked for June 2.
“Some pretty well-known names are coming,” said Ramona Mainstage owner Orrin Day. “Ramona Mainstage is hitting the ground running.”
Day has lived in Julian since losing his Mussey Grade Road home in the 2003 Cedar Fire, but he lived in Ramona for 20 years. He purchased the Ramona Theater in 2002 and operated it as a theater and performing arts center until September 2006, when it closed for renovations for two years. The facility at 626 Main St. was opened as Ramona Mainstage in August 2008.
“It’s a great room because it’s acoustically correct,” Day said. “The room just lends itself to music.”
Day notes that the bands who play at Ramona Mainstage confirm that opinion.
“Every band that plays here wants to come back,”he said.
While some bands are from Southern California, other bands come from throughout the world. DiAnno lives in England, and the current tour is his first in the United States in 25 years.
Korpikilaani, a metal band from Finland, was at Ramona Mainstage on Jan. 27. “Ramona, California” is on Korpikilaani’s tour T-shirts and has also appeared on other band’s tour T-shirts, which are worn by fans long after the tour has concluded.
“This town benefits from it,” Day said.
Fans from outside Ramona have been patronizing the town to see the bands.
“People will travel to a decent place,” Day said. “They’ll travel here to Ramona to come see this stuff.”
When the band’s tour bus is stopped in Ramona, the contingent shops in town.
“Everybody benefits from it. It’s good for the town,” Day said.
Ramona Mainstage holds concerts Wednesdays through Sundays, although some nights are reserved for private events or non-concert activities. The concerts have averaged between 300 and 400 people.
“The people that are coming here are the people that are following these bands,” Day said.
While DiAnno and the six bands preceding his performance will attract metal fans, Coe is a country artist.
“We’re mixing it up,” said Day. “We’re not going to pigeonhole ourselves into a certain type of music.”
Joe Troutman is the booking agent for Ramona Mainstage. Day and Troutman expect B.B. King and Jerry Lee Lewis to play at Ramona Mainstage later in 2010.