The Request

The Request

The following letter was sent to Sting's website, fan club,
publicist and the agency booking Sting's tour:

To Whom It May Concern,

I anxiously await Sting’s next tour for the opportunity to see him
perform live once again! Plans must be underway for the
upcoming tour, and I would like to request that you consider a
concert in Springfield, Illinois. I think Springfield would be an
excellent stopover between Chicago and St. Louis. In the past I
have driven from 60 to 300 miles to see Sting perform in St.
Louis, Indianapolis, Peoria, Bloomington, Champaign and
Carbondale and have always wished that he would come to my
hometown.

Springfield is a white-collar, highly educated and professional
community hungry for first-class entertainment and financially
capable of supporting high quality acts that venture to our fair
city. Unfortunately Springfield’s location midway between St.
Louis and Chicago causes it to be overlooked often, even
though it is the capitol of the state. You can learn more about
the city of Springfield at www.springfield-illinois.com and www.
visit-springfieldillinois.com. Currently Springfield has two
facilities available for large concerts. And people from all over
central Illinois, including the cities of Decatur, Champaign,
Bloomington, Peoria and Quincy, drive to Springfield for
concerts and performing arts events that take place in our fine
city.

Sangamon Auditorium would offer a spectacular 2,000 seat setting for an intimate performance by
Sting and might provide a welcome change of pace from the larger venues in Chicago and St.
Louis. You can learn more about this facility at www.sangamonauditorium.org and inquiries about
booking a performance at this venue can be directed to David Taylor at taylor.david@uis.edu or by
telephone at 217-206-6150. The Prairie Capital Convention Center is also located in Springfield and
can accommodate up to 8,000 people. Information about this venue can be found at www.
springfield-pccc.com or by contacting Jodi Davis at JDavisPCCC@aol.com or via telephone at 217-
788-8800. I would highly recommend Sangamon Auditorium as the facility of choice for an artist of
Sting’s caliber, but would also suggest The Center if a larger venue is required. I have heard that
Sting likes to start his tours in smaller venues to “warm up” for larger audiences, and Sangamon
Auditorium would offer the perfect venue for this purpose.

If the thought of visiting central Illinois isn’t exciting enough, I
would even gladly offer my services as a tour guide for those
willing to come to Springfield who might have some extra time
on their hands! This is Abraham Lincoln’s hometown, and
Lincoln is the city’s most beloved and well-known native son,
so there are lots of attractions including Lincoln’s Home,
Lincoln’s Tomb, Lincoln’s Law Office and the brand new
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. Or perhaps I could
tempt Sting and company to come and sample local cuisine
here called a “horseshoe”. I can’t explain this culinary
concoction other than to say it is a Springfield meal you must
see and taste to believe!

I hope that I have provided sufficient information for
consideration of Springfield, Illinois as a viable location for the
upcoming tour. I would be more than happy to answer any
further questions you may have about Springfield. David
Taylor at Sangamon Auditorium will send further information
about his beautiful facility to your attention. I’m certain a
performance in Springfield would sell out almost immediately,
the city would welcome Sting enthusiastically with open arms
and pocketbooks, and I would be thrilled beyond words for
Sting to finally perform in my hometown. It would be the best
thing to happen here since Honest Abe (or maybe the
horseshoe)! Thank you so much for your time, and I hope to
hear from you soon regarding this matter.

Sincerely,

Kathy W.