Going to a concert? Don't Be Scared & Confused...

Ford Ampitheatre gets a new name: 1-800-ASK-GARY

By Sarah Hutchins and Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writers
Posted: Jun 10, 2010 11:30 AM

TAMPA — Forget the Ford Ampitheatre.

The concert venue at the Florida State Fairgrounds will now be known as the 1-800-Ask-Gary Amphitheatre.

General manager David Harb said the venue wanted to partner with a local company that had a good standing in the community.

"We're doing a lot of things to support this community, and this is just another way that we can do that," Harb said.

1-800-Ask-Gary is a free lawyer referral service with offices in Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Fort Myers and Gainesville.

Harb wouldn't say how much the company paid for the three-year deal. The venue has been under the Ford name since it was built in 2004.

"For the most we were referred to as the amphitheater, and now we're the 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheater," Harb said. "I don't see why something like that would affect someone saying, 'Gosh, I really like Brooks & Dunn but I just don't like the name. I'm not coming out,' Really?"

Said Marc Abend, a senior vice president at event ticket retailer Live Nation: "1-800-Ask-Gary helps eliminate the anxiety of car accidents. The amphitheater eliminates the stresses of everyday life."

The 1-800-Ask-Gary's spokeswoman who appears in nearly all the company's commercials, known as only Roz, posed for photos and answered questions after the announcement.

"It feels good to be a part of this," she said. "It really feels like a good fit."

What would she say to those who think the name is strange? Roz dropped a familiar line: "Don't be scared and confused!"

The Ask Gary folks didn't waste any time promoting the new name on Twitter, offering the chance for free concert tickets for those who re-tweeted the announcement.

Keith Ulrey, who works at the Vinyl Fever music store in Tampa and runs across plenty of concert fans during his shifts, thought the name change was a joke.

Ulrey said he doesn't like when any venue takes on the name of a corporate sponsor — the Staples Center, the St. Petersburg Times Forum, even — but this one is especially offensive to him.

"Ask Gary? Come on," Ulrey said. "That's just silly."