The Joys of touring

Although CD sales have declined in recent years, the concert industry has soared. Touring revenues in North America hit an estimated $2.5 billion last year, an all-time high for the fifth consecutive year and nearly 20 percent more than the 2002 peak, according to the trade magazine Pollstar.

With the summer concert season on the horizon, common sense might dictate that this year would see a drop, as top-grossing acts such as Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Paul McCartney, and the Billy Joel/Elton John double bill are not touring.

But optimism still reigns among promoters, agents, and venue operators, who are pinning their hopes on summer tours by Madonna, Prince, Christina Aguilera, Fleetwood Mac, Aerosmith, John Mayer, Kenny Chesney, Incubus, Norah Jones, Rush, Dave Matthews Band, a Sting/Annie Lennox bill, Snoop Dogg, probably Eric Clapton, and possibly Simon & Garfunkel again.

“The business has been tremendously resilient,” says Richard Krezwick, president of the FleetCenter. “Every year we question how the industry is going to have a great year, but the inventory is always there.”

“I’m more optimistic than I usually am,” says Dave Marsden, who books many of the large arena and amphitheater shows for the Boston office of Clear Channel Entertainment. “The big shows are doing fantastic, and a lot of non-superstar shows are doing great.” He gave Rod Stewart’s recent FleetCenter sellout as an example.

High ticket prices remain a concern for fans and promoters, which explains why some of the top-earning acts are going indoors. Acts can make more money in arenas because balcony seats command a higher price than lawn seats at an amphitheater. “You can’t charge $125 to sit on a piece of grass,” says John Peters of MassConcerts, Clear Channel’s chief rival in the Boston area.

One act going inside is Sarah McLachlan, who plays the Worcester Centrum Centre Aug. 14. The Centrum also might land Madonna (“We’re in the hunt,” says Centrum general manager Sandy Dunn), partly because the FleetCenter will be tied up several weeks this summer with the Democratic National Convention preparation and festivities. “The Convention may be good business for the FleetCenter, but we hope we can get a show or two that they might have had,” Dunn says.

Stadium tours appear to be slim, though there is talk of a Toby Keith show at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough late this summer and of Jimmy Buffett & the Coral Reefer Band at Fenway Park for two shows. Buffett has said he really wants to do them if he can secure the proper permits, as Springsteen did last year.
Source: The Boston Globe