The story barely made its way through the fiber optics, wires and other obscure things that make up the Internet and the naysayers are already neighing and braying it won’t work.

Since you’re already down on the few shows that have been booked in almost land speed record time at the Royal Palace Theatre why don’t you tell the management there what you would like to see.

For some reason I don’t think you will because it wouldn’t serve your negativity in proper fashion; you wouldn’t be happy not being critical or saying this will never work.

When you have a theater manager who is constantly polling folks to see what they would like to see, how can you even begin criticizing the shows that have been planned?

Folks pay good money to see quote-unquote has been acts in Vegas and Atlantic City and I’m sure those venues aren’t met with the same delightful squeals of derision that any act booked at the theater gets.

Sure, the theater didn’t turn out like it was first envisioned, but I still say acoustically and aesthetically it is as good as any you’ll find anywhere else. The conductor of the North Carolina Symphony said the dressing rooms of Carnegie paled to the ones at the theater here. The guys of Old Crow Medicine Show loved playing here.

From my visit this morning I found theater manager Kaine Riggan to be nothing but sincere and open to ideas. The man has ideas but I doubt few will give him more because it’s so easier to whine about the shows being booked than it is to carry your carcass down to theater and tell him what you would like to see. I know it’s hard work to pick up a phone and dial 252-536-5577 to let your voice be heard.

The city has a chance now to rid itself of the venue and the venue has a chance to succeed. When’s the last time you’ve seen so many acts booked there in so quick a time?

So here’s what I’m going to do. The folks at the theater read rrspin.com and I’m sure they’re reading or will get around to reading the comments.

I’ll post here what I would like to see and in the comments section — I’m sure there’ll be a few calling me an idiot anyway — you post what you would like to see. Don’t give me that they won’t listen because I believe they will. I don’t believe you will post what you want to see because it means you’re not complaining but actually sharing and supporting.

So here’s my wish list:

Bring Old Crow Medicine Show back.

Bring the Carolina Chocolate Drops.

Bring Southern Culture on the Skids.

Bring the Drive-by Truckers.

Bring The Machine, a Pink Floyd tribute band.

Bring Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.

Bring back the North Carolina Symphony.

Bring Wayne “The Train” Hancock and pair him with Dale Watson.

Bring Todd Snider.

Bring Gillian Welch and David Rawlings.

Bring Fiona Apple.

These are only a few that I immediately thought I would like to see. Don’t just criticize all the time, let your voice be heard or is that just too hard to do or is getting behind your community just not as fun as neighing, braying and whining? — Lance Martin