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FEATURE
PROJECTION LIGHTS & STAGING NEWS
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general has been tougher to get. But he
enjoyed the summer.
“I’m happy to see Springsteen out,”
he says. “Our top clients are Springsteen,
Billy Joel and Jimmy Buffett. They constantly
tour and they are first class in everything
they do. Some of them have the
same drivers for 20 years. Roadshow drivers
are different because they get involved.
It’s almost like having their own butler.”
He’s also picked up some new acts, including
Alice in Chains and Kings of Leon.
Robin Shaw, Upstaging Inc.
“Thank God it’s
been a fabulous
summer
for us,” exclaims
Robin
Shaw, vice
president of
Upstaging Inc.
“ S u m m e r s
have been
good the last
five years, in part because of the demise of
the recording industry. As everybody knows,
bands have to tour more. Those bands have
increasingly turned to us for production services.”
Shaw acknowledges the industry-wide
challenge of price concessions, but reframes
the issue as business-as-usual. “We’ve always
been a company that works for our clients
and with their budgets. This year is not different
from others in that regard. We’re firm
on our goal: quality service at a good value.”
While she admits that things are “more
intense,” their handling of the subject is not.
“We’re very successful at working things
out. We provide a very specialized service.
There’s a lot of risk associated with that, yet
we’ve always been a company that provides
the best service at the best possible price.
This year is no different.”
Upstaging has successfully hung onto
its clients, and Shaw reports that the vast
majority continue to stay loyal. Upstaging
has also added up-and-coming acts to its
roster.
Asked if the live entertainment industry
was recession-proof, the answer was yes
and no. People still want entertainment,
but the times call for artists to charge a
little less. This causes everyone to be more
careful about spending money.
Other organizations necessarily reevaluate
the way they do business in particularly
trying times. “We’re a big company, and
we’re always concerned with everything
from our basic finances to how we can be
more environmentally friendly.”
Shaw smiles and shifts when asked for
highlights, which is akin to asking which
child is most beautiful. Finally she apologizes
and admits she would be hard pressed
to say, but adds, “We’re just grateful to work
with all the amazing bands and crews out
there we’re fortunate to partner with.”
Jim Bodenheimer, Ego Trips
“July and August
was sold
out — all of
us were. If we
weren’t, we’d
all be in trouble.”
The owner
of Ego Trips,
Jim Bodenheimer,
confirms
that the summer “appeared to be
normal.” The big tours were still big, the
mediums were mostly still there … but
the smaller tours have been affected by
the economic downturn.
“What is different is the medium and
smaller tours were not going to ‘C’ markets
as readily as they would in a typical summer,”
he says.
Some of the up-and-coming bands
were having shorter tours and are certainly
more price sensitive. Some bands that had
two trucks last year whittled it down to one;
those that had one cut back to a bus and a
trailer. “It’s trickling from the top down.”
But he notes that, despite the fact that
there was more competition for tours, there
were also more tours.
Bodenheimer sees newer bands relying
more on house rigs and local crew on the
road and maybe just carrying the lighting
console as opposed to the whole system.
Bands that insisted on their own gear in
summers past are now more readily agreeing
to use the in-house gear in that casino
or shed.
“The other thing that is happening is
that, from the blank page, they are designing
their tours in a manner that considers
the cost of everything, which in this environment
is logical. It’s the result of the
current world economic situation.” Still, he
expresses his gratitude for the “amazing
loyalty” from their roster of clients.
Even so, in addition to more competition,
there are noticeable gaps between
the seasons. Where in years prior it was
all seamless, now there’s some downtime
— part of the aformentioned trend of acts
not making it to “C” markets as frequently.
“We’ve been more aggressive in getting
new clients as those gaps come up,”
Bodenheimer says. “It’s just a harder year
in general. Clients want to pay less when
things cost more. It’s not a good combination.”
Still, he’s pleased with a roster of clients
that includes Elton John, Jackson Browne,
Steely Dan, Moody Blues, Bonnie Raitt and
the Pretenders.
Loren Haas, Stage Call
“The concert
touring
business
has been
great,” confirms
Stage
Call president
and
CEO Loren
Haas. “The
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34 PLSN OCTOBER 2009