Turning Stone Resort Casino is putting the final touches on improvements and upgrades to an all-new Showroom— the centerpiece of renovations to celebrate our 28th anniversary this year. The beautiful new Showroom will include a state-of-the-art sound system that will provide perfect acoustics for every performance genre; a new contemporary design, featuring dark mahogany woods and shades of deep purples and violets; more than 650 premium stadium-style seats; and an all-new bar in the newly added atrium.

The innovative new cabaret-style venue is slated to open later this summer, and we’re excited for all of the great concerts and shows we’ll experience in the new venue.

We have also spent a lot of time reminiscing about some of the spectacular shows that have occurred there over the last 28 years.

One usher, Diane, said a show that stands out for her was George Thorogood.

“Simple black t-shirt and black jeans,” she wrote on a Facebook group for Oneida Indian Nation employees. “Nothing fancy, but he was great.”

Kelly, who also has worked as an usher for the last 15 years, agreed, saying that the “intimate environment” of the Showroom makes every show amazing. She remembered an Aaron Lewis show from years ago for which her son and his wife had the privilege of sitting in the front row.

“They felt like [Lewis] was signing right to them,” she said.

Showroom memories flowed like Coors Light for a different Kelly, who also has worked as an usher for the better part of the last 20 years. She remembered Chubby Checker coming off-stage and doing the twist with her, and Englebert Humperdinck asking her to throw a giant pair of panties at him as an integral part of his act.

But perhaps the most vivid memory for Kelly had to do with fans.

Specifically, she recounted “standing in total disbelief as Dark Star Orchestra fans totally dismantled the Showroom setup so they could dance, twirl, and hulahoop.”

Other employees cited different shows from over the years: Rusted Root, Chicago, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Travis Tritt, Straight No Chaser, Alice Cooper, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, and Keith Urban, to name a few.

Of course, no-one could forget Dana Sovocool’s experience warming up for a Team Member Talent Show back in 2005. Dana, who now serves as vice president, Human Resources, was rehearsing the song, “You Raise Me Up,” when singer Josh Groban surprised him. Groban was so impressed he invited Sovocool to join him on stage for Groban’s performance later that night.

“I got done and he gave me a standing ovation, ” Dana told the Post-Standard at the time. “It was both unforgettable and [traumatizing].”