Operators of Philly music hall consider Pittsburgh for location

World Cafe Live, Philadelphia's two-year-old music hall linked to the city's famed public radio station WXPN-FM, could be coming to Pittsburgh.

Hal Real, founder and president of Real Entertainment Group, which opened the World Cafe Live in Philadelphia in 2004, said Pittsburgh is one of a handful of cities the company is considering for its second location.

Real said he has engaged North Side-based Fourth River Development LLC to assist in the search, which he expects will result in an investment of between $5 million and $10 million for a new facility.

While the search is still in its preliminary stages, Real said Pittsburgh "is one of a half a dozen (cities) that we are seriously considering," all either on the East Coast or in the Midwest.

"Certainly Pittsburgh is a leading contender," Real said. "We think that there would be a good synergy. We think it would be terrific to be able to put folks on stage in Philly and Pittsburgh."

Real said he hopes to make a decision and be under construction by the end of the year.

A potential Pittsburgh facility is not likely to resemble the Philadelphia location, Real said, but the size and capacity will be similar if not slightly larger -- upwards of 20,000 square feet and standing room of 1,000 or more.

World Cafe Live, named after the nationally syndicated radio program on WXPN, which broadcasts from the same building, opened in October 2004 and features lives music including jazz, classical, gospel, indy rock and hip-hop in a 300-seat main music venue. A 100-seat cafe upstairs also has performance capabilities.

Mark Schneider, managing partner with Fourth River, said neighborhoods currently under consideration include the North Side, South Side, Oakland, Downtown and the Strip District.

"They really want this to be a state-of-the-art venue," Schneider said. "If you go to their Philadelphia location, it's just outstanding."

Real said he had not yet made contact with WYEP-FM, Pittsburgh's public adult alternative radio station.

"I hope that if we came to Pittsburgh, we would work with WYEP," Real said. "We seek to form similar partnerships with nonprofits, for-profits and the arts community so that we are more than a nightclub."

Jack Tumpson, publisher of Whirl Magazine and former executive director of the Coca-Cola Starlight Amphitheater, said the addition of another live performance venue would, all things considered, be positive for the Pittsburgh region.

"Because of WYEP there is a market for this in Pittsburgh," he said. "We would welcome a stage."

Still, Jon Rinaldo, owner of Strip District-based Joker Productions and booker for the 150-capacity Club Cafe in the South Side, said the arrival of a large, prominent club, like World Cafe Live, could hurt Pittsburgh's smaller venues.

"It would be tough for us," he said. "It would be good for the market, but it would hurt all of us independents here. It would be kind of like if the House of Blues came in here."

Furthermore, Rinaldo said he wondered if, considering the city's existing venues, booking agents could attract a sufficient number of big artists to Pittsburgh on a normal basis.

"Are there enough nationally touring artists to support that sort of thing?" he said.

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