Celebration of the Indianapolis Concert Hall’s 100th birthday

Indianapolis, Indiana – This week marks the centennial of the Egyptian Room at the Old National Center, giving a stately old showplace a burst of fresh vitality.

As befits a concert hall, the Thursday night celebration features music, with Here Come the Mummies providing a costumed and funk-filled show known as the “Party of the Century.”

Marco Lopez, the general manager of the Old National Center, spoke with News 8 on Daybreak about the plans and background of the space.

“You know, the Shriners, they built the entire complex, they still own it,” Lopez said. “And the first Potentate that was over that building, his daughter, he entrusted her with the responsibility of coming up with a theme for this room. She went to sleep that night and had dreams of Egypt, the pharaohs ruling over the lands, the pyramids, and the Sphinx. She knew when she woke up that was that room, and much of what you see today is original to that time.”

One of the two primary performance venues in the Old National Center, the Egyptian Room shares main stage programming with the Murat Theater.

The Egyptian Room is slightly smaller, with a raised stage and an open, flat floor that looks designed for shows that evolve into parties, while the Murat Theater is larger, with aisles, a balcony, and comfortable seats.

“So we really, really, have heavily invested in the last few years into that room, putting in a brand new sound system, a brand new lighting system to give you the best concert experience that you can get,” Lopez explained.

The anniversary celebration of the Egyptian Room takes place on Thursday. Here Come The Mummies take the stage at 8 p.m. after the doors open at 7 p.m.

For the next few weeks, the Egyptian Room schedule will be dominated by humor and music:

• CloZee – Oct. 1.
• Michelle Wolf – Oct. 7.
• Lil Yachty – Oct. 8.
• Russell Howard – Oct. 20.
• Deon Cole – Oct. 28.

Just down the hall, the Murat Theater has a diverse run of headliners in the coming weeks and months:

• Ringo Starr – Sept. 29.
• Matt Rife – Oct. 15.
• Bob Dylan – Oct. 16.
• Wynona Judd – Oct. 26.
• Disney’s Frozen – Nov. 16-26.

To get tickets for any of the above shows, click here.