March 17, 2008

By By Mitchell Peters, L.A.

The historic 2,000-capacity Wellmont Theater in Montclair, N.J., will re-open its doors this fall under a recently formed partnership between the principals of New York-based independent concert promoter the Bowery Presents and longtime promoter Andy Feltz.

The new promotion company, Montclair Entertainment, was formed in September 2007 by the principals of the Bowery Presents and Feltz, who previously oversaw operations at New York's Beacon Theater and booked concerts into the city's United Palace Theater. The re-opening of Wellmont Theater, which will undergo a multi-million renovation, will be the first New Jersey venue to be managed and operated in part by the Bowery Presents.

Anthony Makes, who has enjoyed stints working with MSG Entertainment's Chicago Theatre and the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, has been tapped to book concerts into the Wellmont Theater. The venue's lineup will be announced in the coming months.

Montclair Entertainment, based in New Jersey and New York, holds a long-term lease on the theater with New York commercial real estate company the Rosen Group, which purchased the property in February.

The Wellmont Theater opened in 1922 and was later converted into a motion picture theater. It then became a triplex before closing in 2006. Part of the theater's renovation includes the removal of seating from the main floor. Once fully renovated, the live music space will feature state-of-the-art sound, lighting and recording systems, which will have the capability to be used for Internet, television and radio broadcasts.

The Bowery Presents, which has promoted concerts at such New Jersey venues as the Izod Center and the Stone Pony, primarily focuses on booking and promoting shows at such New York venues as the Mercury Lounge, Bowery Ballroom, Terminal 5 and Webster Hall. In 2007, the Bowery Presents produced approximately 900 concerts between its New York venues, according to partner Jim Glancy.

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