THE MOVIE
Film Synopsis
In the 1970s, the Agora Ballroom concert clubs brought rock-and-roll to the heartland of America and became a springboard for some of the most legendary artists and musicians of our time. These clubs gave voice to a generation of music fans and became the epicenter of a music revolution. The man behind it all, Hank Loconti, was a visionary whose passion for music and community changed the landscape of the music and live entertainment industry forever. But when the music died down the Agora was all but forgotten. Decades after the Agora first opened its doors two documentary filmmakers and passionate music lovers embark on a journey to uncover the truth behind the Agora’s legacy and the man behind its success. From the streets of Cleveland to the highways through the Midwest, their journey leads to a surprising discovery that changes everything we thought we knew about the history of rock-and-roll.With exclusive interviews and never- before-seen footage, you’ll witness the triumphs and tragedies of a man who lived for the music, and whose legacy continues to shape the rock and roll landscape today.
Topic Summary
At what cost should one pursue one’s dreams? How much risk is too much?
While on its face, Live at the Agora is a rock ‘n’ roll story, it is also a human story — albeit one that is depicted through the narrative of the rise, fall, and rebirth of a legendary concert club. The Agora’s story is forever intertwined with the story of its founder, the late Hank LoConti. It is his story that brings the human side of this film to the forefront, embracing themes to which almost any viewer can relate: this is a film about taking risks, about pursuing one’s dream at any cost, about embracing one’s visionary side, and about paying it forward.
Hank LoConti was a dreamer. Back in 1966, when he opened the Agora at its original location in Cleveland’s Little Italy neighborhood, he had a vision of what concert promotion could be. He turned that vision into reality through relationship-building, outside-the-box thinking, an immense amount of hard work, and perhaps a dash of good fortune. Hank was genuinely invested in the artists who played on the Agora’s stage. He wanted to help them break into the music business. He wanted to make them household names. But most of all, he wanted them to know that he genuinely cared about them, and that his only interest wasn’t in how much money they could make him and his club. In this respect, Live at the Agora is a feel-good story about a dreamer who did everything in his power to make his dream come to life.
But Live at the Agora is also a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of risk-taking, the danger of chasing dreams, and the downside of paying it forward. For the very things that made Hank LoConti such a special promoter and brought the Agora to the pinnacle of its success also ultimately sowed the seeds of its downfall: dreams can fail; calculated risks don’t always pan out the way one has planned; and sometimes a generous spirit is repaid with exploitation rather than gratitude. When the nature of the concert promotions industry changed with the advent of corporate promotion giants like Live Nation, and money became the ultimate driving factor in the music industry, Hank’s commitment to running the Agora in an artist-centric way ultimately betrayed him, and the Agora barely survived.
In looking at both sides of these themes, Live at the Agora poses questions to its audience that are timely and relevant on a personal level to almost every individual: At what cost should one pursue one’s dreams? How much risk is too much? When attempting to balance dreams with reality, where does one set the bar? And in a society where trust is difficult to come by, how does someone with a benevolent spirit help others without that generosity becoming a detriment to his own success?
The producers of this film believe we are in the best position to tell this story because Executive Producer Jay Boland knew Hank personally. Hank was a mentor and a father figure to Jay, sharing his insights on the industry, on business, and on life in general on a regular basis. Given that unique look into Hank’s life and thoughts, Jay can lead this team of filmmakers in bringing this story – and the themes contained in it – to life in a way that no other production company could.