Al Green leads off L’Auberge’s BR concerts

Gospel and soul music legend Al Green will kick off a slate of entertainers appearing over the next three months at the L’Auberge Casino & Hotel Baton Rouge after it opens Aug. 29.

Pinnacle’s strategy is to compete on a regional level, and pulling in larger acts is a major part of that, said Kerry Andersen, Pinnacle’s director of media relations and public affairs.

“If we’re going to attract people and get people to stay in the market who are currently leaving, we have to compete with the markets that are already offering this,” she said.

Green will be take the stage at 8 p.m. Sept. 14 at the L’Auberge Event Center.

The concert list also includes Human Nature, Sept. 22; Randy Rogers Band, Sept. 27; Darius Rucker and Better than Ezra, Oct. 12; and Harry Connick Jr., Oct. 26.

Anderson said the same caliber of performers that appear at its casino facility in Lake Charles will come to Baton Rouge.

“We promised the same entertainment in this market and I don’t think anyone could argue we haven’t delivered or over-delivered on that promise,” she said.

L’Auberge’s event center seats 1,550. It also has an outdoor festival ground named The Lawn for 3,500 people. Darius Rucker and Better than Ezra will perform there.

One benefit, Andersen said, will be that with two Pinnacle properties between Houston and New Orleans, it will make more sense financially for performers to come to the region.

Andersen said that before L’Auberge du Lac opened in Lake Charles, Louisianians had to drive to Houston, leaving the state, to see certain performers. Since then, they can go to Lake Charles. In a couple of weeks, people in Baton Rouge won’t even need to leave town, she said.

“The fact that we have a property and entertainment budget in both markets now allows us to tap in and route some of that music here,” she said.

Green’s career has spanned more than four decades. He ranked No. 66 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, and has sold more than 20 million records. Tickets are $50 for stadium seating and $60 for floor seating.

The $368 million L’Auberge casino and hotel is located on 575 acres off Nicholson Drive.

The property will include a single-level, 74,000-square-foot casino; nearly 1,500 slot machines; 50 table games, including a poker room; a 12-story hotel with 205 guest rooms, a rooftop pool and fitness center overlooking the Mississippi River; four dining outlets; a casino bar with river views and 2,400 total parking spaces, including 800 in a covered parking garage.