Beeghly Center transformation for concert was an eye-opener

Last week’s Third Eye Blind concert at Youngstown State University didn’t get anywhere near the attention that Elton John’s show at Covelli Centre received. But it was a good one, and Beeghly Center never looked so intimate.

San Francisco-based Third Eye Blind started off at the top with its monster 1997 debut. Unfortunately, that left the band nowhere to go but down, and 3EB fell off the radar screen for a while.

The act seems rejuvenated these days with a new album (“Ursa Major”) that retains their distinctive sound and a concert tour. The Youngstown show demonstrated that frontman Stephan Jenkins’ voice still has that snotty rich-kid charm.

Another pleasant surprise was how well Beeghly Center — a basketball arena with a capacity of 6,300 — can be transformed into a 2,880-seat theater.

Floor-to-ceiling panels along the sides completely blocked off everything above the collapsible seats, so it was like the upper decks on both sides of the court didn’t exist. A stage with full light riggings was at the north end of the court, and 750 folding chairs were set up on the floor.

The acoustics weren’t perfect, but it was way better than it would have been if the cavernous space had been left open.

The concert drew 2,500 people, with YSU students accounting for 2,000 of them.

BLUEPRINT FOR nightlife

Joe Zumpella and Joe Safarek opened Downtown 36 in Youngstown a few years ago, and now they are expanding their dance-club empire.

The businessmen recently opened Blueprint on the upper floor of the downtown Struthers building (162 S. Bridge St.) that also houses Kelly Pavlik’s 13th Round and The Cellar.

Blueprint is in the space formerly occupied by Fat E’s Restaurant, but it has been completely made over and has an upscale nightclub/lounge atmosphere.

There is a large dance floor and six VIP areas with bottle service, including a back room that holds about 30 people and has a pool table, leather couches and a huge flat-screen TV.

The menu is the same as the 13th Round (pizza, wings, sandwiches, etc.). Both local and national DJs provide music.

The crowd so far has consisted of all ages. “It’s a bit older earlier in the night, and it gets younger as the night progresses,” said Zumpella.

future FILM PROJECT

Ben Garchar is a budding filmmaker who is turning to his hometown to help raise funds for his next movie.

Garchar, a Youngstown native who now lives in New York, graduated from Cardinal Mooney High School in 2004 and Wright State University in 2009.

He was an assistant editor, cameraman and interviewer for the 2009 HBO documentary “The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant,” which was filmed in Dayton. The doc was nominated for an Oscar (it didn’t win), and Garchar got to attend the Academy Awards earlier this year.

Garchar’s next film project is “Megan’s Bridge.” He’s trying to raise $5,000 to make the movie, and is already half way there.

To learn more about the film or to contribute, go to www.indiegogo.com/megansbridge.

“Megan’s Bridge,” which Garchar wrote, takes place in a future New York City (and it will be filmed in that city), where children are dying from a mysterious infection.

Here’s a synopsis from the Web site: “Left to fend for themselves, parents and children find no choice but to seek alternative and illegal means of treatment, no matter the danger or cost.”