One week before the Josh Ross concert takes the stage at Cenovus Energy Hub, Lloydminster residents still don’t know how many tickets have sold, and the city isn’t telling them.
BorderPulse first asked the City of Lloydminster on June 1 for ticket numbers and venue capacity for the June 12 concert. No response came. A follow-up sent June 4 gave a noon deadline and noted the answer would be reflected in the story regardless.
The city responded that afternoon.
“Ticket sales have continued to build as we get closer to the Josh Ross show at Cenovus Energy Hub on June 12,” wrote Nyah Foote, Coordinator of Communications for the City of Lloydminster. “We are encouraged by the response we’ve seen so far.”
No numbers were provided for actual sales, which are final, of tickets priced over $120 for the concert. Foote said a report on ticket sales would be compiled following the concert.
The June 12 show is the first major concert at Cenovus Energy Hub since the facility opened. The arena was constructed at a cost of more than $100 million, with city officials citing its concert and entertainment capability as a key feature of the investment — a step beyond what the Vic Juba Community Theatre could offer.
For some residents, that promise has always carried a question mark. Whether a facility of that scale could attract and fill major acts in a city of Lloydminster’s size has been a point of public skepticism since before construction was complete.
The Josh Ross concert was positioned as an early answer to that question. With one week remaining, the city is not saying where things stand.
Josh Ross is one of Canada’s fastest-rising country artists. British Columbia singer-songwriter Zach McPhee will open the show. McPhee won SiriusXM’s Top of the Country competition and has earned national attention in recent years.
Preparing Cenovus Energy Hub for a concert of this scale is no small undertaking. Arena staff remove 165 panes of glass surrounding the ice surface to improve sightlines. If the show falls during hockey season, more than 530 special floor tiles are laid over the ice. The rented stage measures approximately 40 feet wide by four feet high.
Nearly $1 million in lighting, sound equipment, and rigging is assembled by the Maz Entertainment team, requiring several transport trucks and kilometres of cable.
“People see the finished product on concert night, but what happens behind the scenes is an incredible team effort,” said Don Bowey, Manager of Cenovus Energy Hub.
The Lloydminster Bobcats handle food and beverage service at the Hub. A pop-up bar will serve floor guests during the show.
Mayor Gerald Aalbers called the concert a milestone for the facility and the community.
“The facility was built to create opportunities like this — bringing major events to our community, attracting visitors to the region, and creating experiences that people will reminisce about for years,” Aalbers said.
Tickets remain available. The concert begins June 12 at Cenovus Energy Hub.
Read more: Lloydminster sets guardrails on Cenovus Hub concerts