Touring
The Challenges (And Thrills) of Returning Hundreds of Tour Buses to Road Duty
“They’re like workhorses,” says Doug Oliver, general manager of Pioneer Coach in Nashville, whose 50-some buses have transported road regulars from James Taylor to Old Dominion. “They want to be running. We don’t like to let them set for long periods of time.” Financially, those who run tour bus companies view the upcoming concert schedule with relief. Hemphill Brothers lost $30 million in revenue from March through December 2020 and “had to downsize a little bit,” says CEO Trent Hemphill, who co-owns the company with his brother Joey. Coach Quarters had to take out a small PPP loan to afford the $7,000-8,000 it owes on each of its buses. Like artists, roadies, lighting and sound companies and rehearsal studios, bus companies have teetered on...
Demi Lovato Signs With UTA For Worldwide Representation
According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, Lovato’s tours have grossed $56.8 million and sold 1.1 million tickets. Their most recent tour, 2018’s Tell Me You Love Me Tour, was their biggest yet, earning $21.5 million. In 2020, Lovato kicked off a career resurgence when they debuted their ballad “Anyone” during a stripped-down performance at the Grammy Awards and performed the national anthem at Super Bowl LIV. In April, Lovato’s Dancing With The Devil…The Art of Starting Over reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200. The album coincided with the launch of Lovato’s powerful four-part documentary series from YouTube Originals and director Michael D. Ratner entitled Demi Lovato: Dancing wit...
Chris Young Leads California’s First Post-COVID Festival With Boots In The Park
Activated Events is launching the first live festival-style shows this weekend following California’s reopening with their Boots In The Park series. On June 18, Chris Young & Friends — which includes Scotty McCreery, Dylan Scott, Leaving Austin and Michael Austin — will play Granite Park in Fresno, California. The next day, June 19, Chris Young & Friends, presented by Boots In The Park featuring Scotty McCreery, Dylan Scott, Tenille Townes, and Leaving Austin with bring their show to SilverLakes, in Norco, California. “We are thrilled to bring live music back to fans and celebrate the reopening of California,” says Steve Thacher, president of Activated Events. “Boots In The Park is known for putting on a great country party, and this is the perfe...
Marc Geiger’s SaveLive Hires Nadia Prescher With Madison House, NITO
“I’m joining Marc to build out his vision of the SaveLive network to support independent music venues,” Prescher tells Billboard. “Over the last 25 years as an agent, I’ve worked closely with the independent community, and more so since the pandemic with the National Independent Talent Organization. Marc and I agree indie venues should have a safe guarded opportunity to grow their businesses.” Prescher, who is a co-founder and vp of the National Independent Talent Organization, added, “We believe indies should have the options of a national network, without having to give up or alter their unique local brand or independent spirit. Our backgrounds will make sure the plan is very agent-friendly and artist-friendly, working across all genres.” On a personal...
Live Nation to Book New 6,000-Capacity Los Angeles Venue
The NFL’s Los Angeles Rams are getting new neighbors. Adjacent to the football team’s SoFi stadium will be the new Performance Venue at Hollywood Park. Hollywood Park, a nearly 300-acre sports and entertainment destination, and Live Nation have partnered in an exclusive multi-year booking agreement for its brand new 6,000-seat performance venue in Inglewood, California. The mixed-use area is being developed by Angeles Rams owner and chairman Stan Kroenke and will be adjacent to American Airlines Plaza. “The Performance Venue at Hollywood Park is a sophisticated, intimate venue that will host a wide range of world-class events, including celebrated musicians, immersive entertainment, and close-knit community gatherings,...
Marco Antonio Solís and Los Bukis Reunite For First Time in 25 Years For Three Shows
“Una Historia Cantada” kicks off Aug. 28. A livestream in the midst of the pandemic has led to a reunion of one of the most beloved and iconic Mexican acts of all time. Marco Antonio Solís, the Mexican singer-songwriter who is a point of reference for Latin music of all stripes around the globe, is reuniting with his former band, Los Bukis, for a series of three shows in the United States, produced by Live Nation. Slated for Aug. 28 at the SoFi Stadium inLos Angeles, Sept. 4 at Soldier Field in Chicago, and Sept. 15 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, the limited-run tour is titled “Una Historia Cantada (A Sung History).” It will put Solís onstage with his bandmates for the first time in 25 years. The prelude to the tour was “Bohemia En La Pandemia (Bohemian During the Pandemic),” a...
Ari Emanuel Leaves Live Nation Board After Stocks Vest, Taking Endeavor Public
But his timing exiting Live Nation makes sense for another reason: Documents obtained by Billboard suggest Emanuel was waiting until June 3 for the vesting of his final stock award of 4,470 shares issued June 2020 worth nearly $400,000. In a Live Nation SEC filing announcing Emanuel’s exit, the company said he “withdrew from reelection to the board of directors and will not be standing for reelection at the Company’s annual meeting of stockholders” on June 10. Live Nation officials note that the split was amicable and “not the result of any disagreement.” Emanuel has enjoyed a long relationship with Live Nation chief executive and president Michael Rapino. Endeavor’s talent agency, WME, is one of the world’s largest music agencies and has booked the company’s clients across Live Nati...
How New Zealand’s Six60 Became the World’s Biggest Live Act This Year
Eden Park capped a string of major open-air shows in New Zealand, Six60’s second lap in support of their 2019 self-titled album. The band grossed $13.7 million and sold 168,761 tickets across seven shows in New Zealand in 2021, according to Billboard Boxscore. (Six60 played to another 10,000 fans at Cardrona Valley in Wanaka on Jan. 1; The pre-bought tickets were not included in official box office reports.) Having conquered their homeland, Six60 are now planning to take their touring juggernaut to audiences in Australia, the U.K. and Europe. “Every month we have a sit-down and try to figure out how to do something really big, to make a difference,” frontman Walters tells Billboard. “We’re continually trying to challenge ourselves.” A travel “bubble” connecting the lands Down Under op...
Jam Bands Lead a Concerts Revival, Aided By Livestream Boom
Jam bands have quietly become the surprise earners of the pandemic thanks to devoted fans and compelling livestreams, and are now poised to dominate touring as live concerts return. Unlike most pop and contemporary touring shows, jam and improvisation-heavy bands are constantly changing their sets and musical arrangements so that no two shows are the same, attracting fans willing to pay to see the same band play multiple sets of different material. Ticket sales for these kinds of acts have been exceptionally strong, says Don Strasburg, vp/senior talent buyer for AEG Live Rocky Mountains, though he’s hesitant to use the “jam” label, considering the genre’s diversity of styles from bluegrass to funk. Such acts that value “spontaneity and improvisation,” says Strasburg, “were already the larg...
Assessing the Music Industry’s Progress 1 Year After Blackout Tuesday: ‘We Need to Build a Bigger Table’
#TheShowMustBePaused and other principals working to achieve sustainable diversity, equity and inclusion assess the industry’s progress so far. A year ago Wednesday (June 2), Brianna Agyemang and Jamila Thomas brought the music industry to a standstill. In the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the global protests it spurred, the pair called for a day of racial reckoning — dubbed Blackout Tuesday by supporters — and simultaneously launched #TheShowMustBePaused to hold the industry accountable for its own systemic bias. “Our mission,” stated Agyemang and Thomas at the time, “is to hold the industry at large, including major corporations + their partners who benefit from the efforts, struggles and successes of Black people, accountable … it is the obligation of these entities to protect and e...
Ruido Fest Set to Return With Star-Studded Lineup of Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Cafe Tacvba & More
“The hope is that by late August things are somewhat back to normal,” Wagner says. “We will try to keep everyone safe. There will be more people cleaning and all of our staff will be required to have masks across the grounds. With fans attending, we’ll follow CDC guidelines and whatever they’re saying at the time of the festival in terms of mask or no masks outdoors.” Launched in 2015, Ruido Fest has featured an array of Latin artists, including Enanitos Verdes, Hombres G, Zoé, Molotov, Vanessa Zamora, Bomba Estéreo, Intocable, El Tri, Los Tigres del Norte and Maldita Vecindad. For more information on the festival and how to buy tickets, visit ruidofest.com. See Ruido’s 2021 lineup in alphabetical order below. Ambar Lucid Café Tacvba (Sunday headli...
UK Festival Season Facing ‘Make Or Break Moment’
“The vast majority of music festivals do not have the financial resilience to cover the costs of another year of late-notice cancellations,” said committee chair Julian Knight in announcing the inquiry’s findings. “If the commercial insurance market won’t step in, Ministers must, and urgently.” Similar government-backed insurance schemes exist in the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and Denmark, and, after months of delays, were recently finalized in Germany. They provide a much-needed safety net for promoters committing non-recoupable upfront costs for future events amid the uncertainty of a pandemic. The committee’s inquiry into the future of U.K. music festivals began on Nov. 6, with Massive Attack’s Robert Del Naja, Paul Reed, chief executive at the Association of Independent Festivals, a...
