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MUSIC SHOP,
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Page4-F-Thursday, September 10, 1981-The Michigan Daily
Major Events'
booking: Easier
said than done
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" FINEST SELECTION OF CLASSICAL MUSIC "
IN THE MIDWEST
662-0675
By FRED SCHILL
There is an inaccurate syllogism
about concert promotion that most of us
unconsciously make sooner or later. It
goes something like this:
Elvis Costello is touring; the
University has its own promoters
and facilities; therefore, we could
see Elvis Costello if those sluggards
at the Major Events Office would
just get their asses in gear.
IT'S NOT THAT SIMPLE. Karen
Young, MEO's director, says there are
many problems involved with booking
that Costello concert, or anything else,
into University venues.
The greatest of these difficulties is
the most fundamental: finding a place
to play. Hill Auditorium, for instance, is
already booked solid for the next two
years, Young says, which means MEO
has already reserved all of its dates
that far in advance. This makes
scheduling concerts doubly difficult. It
is not only a matter of getting the
desired acts to schedule Ann Arbor in
their tours (Costello got no closer than
Cleveland); it's also a matter of getting
them to come when you want them to.
Nor does it get much simpler if the
stage happens to be in Crisler Arena.
The building is administered by the
Athletic Department, and it has been
clear all along that they have priority
over its use, Young says. Therefore
shows cannot be scheduled when
wrestling, gymnastics, basketball, or
other events are going on in Crisler
unless, for instance, a coach is willing
to move or call off a practice. Young
says Basketball Coaches Bill Frieder
and Gloria Soluk have been very
cooperative with MEO, but many times
they obviously cannot afford to cancel a
practice.
EVEN IF MEO can get the artist it
wants in an available venue on an
available date, that does not mean the
concert will ever take plage. At one
time or another last year, no less than
three concerts were booked for Novem-
ber 4. None of them came through.
Young says there are three general
types of reasons for cancellation of
shows. The first involves the personal
difficulties of the performers. These
range from common problems such as
illness and injury to other private con-
cerns. Often these problems are not
made public; Bob Marley cancelled his
entire tour last year because of the
illness that eventually claimed his life.
-Then, of course, there is money.
Young says no matter how committed
artists are to their fans or to their
music, you have to remember that they
do this for a living. She says promoters
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everywhere have reported that atten-
dance is off by more than half. In ad-
dition, record sales have dropped,
which means a reduction in money
available for promotion.
IF BOTH ATTENDANCE and record
sales are off, Young says it simply is
not financially feasible for an artist to
tour. She says most people do not
realize how much of the artists'
paychecks go to production costs; the
bulk of their earnings come from
record sales, not from concerts.
Sometimes entire tours are cancelled
odder D *ily Photo
because they simply aren't sellig
enough tickets.
Other reasons for concert can-
cellations can be loosely described as
problems of logisitcs. These might in-
elude the decision to cancel part of a
tour to allow an artist to get back to the
studio, or the decision to cover fewv
cities, etc.
There are enough problems involved
in trying to book shows in Ann Arbor to
begin with, without stopping to worry
about cancellations. Ann Arbor is what
See ROLE, Page 9
THE BEST OF
2 WORLDS
Local bands of
unique sounds
' ko
L ia~~eo
C0io5-°
By KEN FELDMAN
In describing Ann Arbor's music
scene, the operative word is "diver-
sity.", Of course, diversity is a good
thing; but it has a negative side, as
well: Living stereotypes and walking
cliches abound.
In four years one is likely to encoun-
ter all types, from Joe College, who
listens to the Eagles and James Taylor;
to Sarah Space, who thinks it's 1967 and
gets off on the Grateful Dead and avan-
te-garde jazz; to green-haired Patsy
Punk, who believes that anger is the
only emotion worthy of musical ex-
pression.
Dick Siegal Daily Photo by PAUL ENGSTROM
Nightclub scene resur
BUT THE LOCAL music scene's
positive side makes these characters
worth enduring; it provides a perfect
environment for musical and cultural
cross-pollination, and allows for. t e
existence of fine musicians who caniarq
ford to specialize in both traditional and
more obscure musical genres.
Two of Ann Arbor's more promfnent
traditional musicians are Dick Siegel
and Steve Nardella. Both have te.n
playing ,around. Ann Arbor for yers,
both are blues-based artists, and )bh
have albums out on Blind Pig Recgd1s
(a local label germinated by the club of
See LOCAL, Page 9
'ging
show last February, and Dick Siege's
band, which performed before Com-
mander Cody in April.
IN ADDITION to simply booking
these concerts, Berry explained, is~t'he
complicated task of arranging accom-
modations and transportation for thbe
musicians, organizing ticket sales, and
coordinating publicity.
This fall, Prism would like to present
its Tidal Wave line-up on a night other
(Continued from Page 2)
risks-and reap the benefits-of the
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the blues shows at Rick's, an under- concerts, Berry says.
taking' he began two years ago. For Looking back on the first full school
now, Berry is the driving force behind year of Tidal Wave shows, Berry says
the local club renaissance. the series has "about broken even"
HE IS EMPHATIC that he's no "en- financially, a fact he considers a trium-
trepreneur" in his activities, that he ph.
simply "represents the musicians." It "The series began with some long-
is the clubowners that take the financial term vision," he said. "We realized the
importance of establishing a firm foun-
dation, and we had to spend some
money to get the name around. In that
sense we've been successful. We're also
proud of what we've done-we figured
Tidal Wave could be a forum for in-
troducing new music to Ann Arbor, and
it has.
"SOME CONCERTS have made a lit-
tle, some have lost a little," Berry ad-
ded, pouring another round of beers at
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"We figured Tidal Wave could be a forum for4
introducing new music to Ann Arbor, and it has."
-Lee Berry, Prism Music Producer
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Rick's on a hot May afternoon, "but
we're satisfied."
He described the trend toward
smaller concerts. "Overall, things are
scaling down," he said, "which is
rather new in Ann Arbor but not new
elsewhere. There's less disposable in-
come, less groups people will pay $12 to
see. Economic conditions have caused
large concerts to be less viable."
It is Prism owner Tom Stachler who
does most of the booking for the Tidal.
Wave concerts, according to Berry.
While Stachler arranges the headliners,
Berry said he books the warm-up bands
(e.g. Human Sexual Response for the
Busboys; Teenage Head for the
Fabulous Thunderbirds). Some of these
warm-up bands have been active
hometown ensembles like Steve Nar-
della, who opened the Jerry Lee Lewis
AND THE BEST
PRICES
ANYWHERE
than Monday. "It's a difficult night' f6r
people to come out," Berry said. "They
(Second Chance officials) gave *Os
Mondays because they had nothing to
lose. But now they've learned' that
we're professional and that we can
bring in crowds."
Comparing tle Second Chance-arid
Rick's concert series, Berry said tfiat
while the latter draws most of is
customers-mostly students-from
Ann Arbor, Tidal Wave appeals more to
the Detroit area, and the patrons' f6r
these shows come from all der
Southeast Michigan. In addition;the
blues series has a certain "momen-
tum" which is absent from Tidal Wave.
"People don't support Tidal Wave as
regularly," Berry explained, "but
people tend to come back for the Rick's
concerts. They grow to trust the series
itself.
Ann o ve Chap-
ter ereturner mhosts.
andfomerchote mmbers
Professional Theatre Program
A n fh xM i *h; ln n 1 marr ul
- PARTHENON GYROS
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