Tampa Bay Rays Plan for Friday Night Fun: Dome It Like It's Hot

Who among us hasn't thought after a baseball game, "I'm so jazzed up I want to go clubbing?"  Well, if that's how you feel, and you live in the Tampa Bay area, you must be on cloud nine by the Rays latest announcement. 

If you are still feeling like wanting to get jiggy with it after a Friday night game, you won't have to go far to shake your groove thang.  Just jump, jive, and wail your way to the field for a postgame clubbin' like atmosphere.  Minutes after B.J. Upton finishes patrolling center field, local bands will take his place.

The interesting thing is, this just might be crazy enough to work.

Think about it.  Who are the people with the most money to burn?  How about those who are too young to have too many bills?  Once again the Rays are thinking outside the box to draw in fans.  And they are taking something that was a success—the Saturday Postgame Concerts—and trying to create that same type of atmosphere and fun on Friday nights.

The question is, will local bands create as much of a buzz as say ZZ Top (who comes to the Trop May 1)?

In its own right, I think it actually has a chance.  How many of these bands will be inviting their friends and "groupies?"  What a better way to get the most bang for your buck than three hours of baseball entertainment followed up by a nightcap of rock and/or roll?  In all seriousness, the Rays are hoping for an additional 5,000 to 10,000 fans on these Friday nights.

If they are can reach that, it will result in 60,000 to 120,000 more fans a year. 

That is some serious dough for just one home game a week.  There are 12 home friday games this season.  However, three of them are against Boston and New York.  Those games are already more than likely to be packed.  But when looking at the numbers from 2009 there still was an 8,000 to 10,000 gap between Friday and Saturday night games against Boston and New York.  In other words, there is still room to party.

Another 60,000 to 120,000, even cheap seats, generates an additional $900,000 to $1,800,000 in ticket revenue.  If even outfield seats, you are looking at up to $2,400,000.  This doesn't even factor in concessions or parking or return visits. 

Do you think the Rays can pull this off?  Is 5,000 to 10,000 fans a realistic number for Friday night games?  Can they create a "baseball nightclub?"  Would you go to it?