A music hall for South Philly? | Morning Newsletter

Good morning, Philly. Today, expect clouds with a chance of showers in the afternoon, with temps in the mid-70s.

Plans for the proposed entertainment complex at the South Philadelphia sports stadiums include a new music hall that could seat up to 6,000 concertgoers. We have the details on who might play there, and how it could fit into the city’s broader music scene.

And is there a more perfect meal than breakfast tacos? Controversial, perhaps, but I bet the local connoisseurs behind their rise in the Philly region would agree.

Plus, we have more takeaways from our poll of Pennsylvania voters. Let’s get into these stories and more.

— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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If Comcast Spectacor gets its way, the already music-rich Philadelphia may be getting another mid-sized live performance venue.

Within the 10-year, $2.5 billion plans to develop an entertainment complex around the South Philly stadiums is the proposal for a music hall at the former site of the Spectrum. The Inquirer’s business of sports reporter, Jeff Gammage, details what we know so far:

What’s the competition? Size-wise, the 5,500- to 6,000-seat new venue would rank between its future neighbor, the Wells Fargo Center — which fits 21,000 — and the 3,500-seat Met on North Broad Street. It would be similar to the Mann Center, which can fit between 4,500 and 9,500, and the Dell Music Center, with more than 5,200 seats.

Who might play there? Headliners could include big-name comedians who want more intimacy than a sports arena can offer, boxing and MMA matches, or musicians who are gaining a major following but are not yet at the peak of their popularity (or who are coming down from their peak).

What about that Sixers arena? Meanwhile, the Sixers say the $1.55 billion, 18,500-seat arena they want to develop at Market East would host about 150 events a year. Comcast Spectacor also thinks its new venue could also draw 150 to 200 events a year, and the Wells Fargo Center, where the Sixers currently play, annually hosts even more.

Read Gammage’s full story to learn what other amenities would be included in the vast development project, why tour revenue is so important to modern musicians, and whether Philly will reach venue oversaturation if these new projects come to life.

Over the past decade or so, Philly’s excellent Mexican food scene has expanded to include scores of breakfast taco variations.

🌮 What makes a breakfast taco? Eggs are not necessarily a staple of the classic Mexican meal. Potatoes and some stewed meat or vegetables, yes. But local chefs are going far beyond those traditional constraints.

🌮 As food reporter Jenn Ladd writes: “Not only are they more common than ever, they’re getting more interesting.”

🌮 Ladd also has you covered with 15 of the region’s best breakfast taco spots, from traditional taquerias to sit-down bruncheries.

Yesterday, The Inquirer shared takeaways from our poll of registered Pennsylvania voters, conducted with the New York Times and Siena College. The biggest lesson: Voters are narrowly split between the two major parties’ presidential candidates.

Here’s what else we found in the poll, conducted from April 28 to May 7.

On the economy: Voters’ pessimism about the state of the economy has persisted, despite a low unemployment rate and significantly slower rate of inflation compared to two years ago. The high cost of goods remains a sticking point.

On crime: More voters across the commonwealth think Trump will do a better job handling crime than Biden. Philadelphians are much more likely to call crime a major problem compared to voters in the suburbs, even as shootings and homicides are down.

On Casey v. McCormick: U.S. Sen. Bob Casey is outpolling his Republican challenger, but Dave McCormick is close behind. The longtime congressman’s familiarity is likely working in his favor. Casey is also performing better than President Joe Biden.

Punxsutawney Phil and Phyllis’ baby groundhogs finally have names. What are they?

A) Phil and Phyllis Jr.

B) Shadow and Sunny

C) Jack and Jill

D) Goober and Goobette

Think you know? Check your answer.

💈 Preparing: Our bodies for this weekend’s South 9th Street Italian Market Festival.

🏀 Cheering: The resurgence of the Penn-West Philadelphia Basketball League.

🌭 Trying: The famous kraut from the Fashion District’s Little Hot Dog Wagon.

The site of Wawa’s former flagship store at Broad and Walnut Streets will be taken over by this financial institution.

Hint: 🏃🏃

BANE SHACK

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Sara Reagan, who solved Monday’s anagram: Vision Zero. Parker’s proposed budget slashes funding for the program designed to end traffic deaths.

There are lots of sweet scenes captured in reporter Jason Nark’s story about the veterans who return to Schuylkill County to help a couple who helped them heal, but I had to give Loki the spotlight.

Thanks for starting your day with The Inquirer. See you back here tomorrow!

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