Slash On Tour: Local Bands Have Opportunity to Open the Show

Slash, Veterans Memorial Arena

Jacksonville, FL - February 22, 2011

(John Davisson)

My last post focused on promoting your band by aligning them with other major artists and even getting some type of referral or shout out from them. With the announcement of fall tours for major artists come more opportunities for local artists to be featured as an opening act. Wednesday Slash announced his fall headline tour and with that the opportunity for 20 local bands along the tour route the opportunity to open the show.

In an article on Pollstar.com Slash stated, “I’m a strong believer that the best way to get your music heard is to get out there and play shows.” He went on to state that many of these bands don’t have the resources to go on tour and he is happy to host them as well as introduce these undiscovered artist to his fans.

Slash is working with Guitar Center to discover local bands, 20 of which will be hand selected by the former Guns’N’Roses lead guitarist himself. Additionally, at the end of the tour, Slash will choose one of the acts to win a grand prize package. The grand prize package consists of $10,000 in guitars from Gibson as well as an additional $5,000 towards a shopping spree at Guitar Center. All other acts will receive a tour support pack including gear from Ernie Ball, Zoom, Dunlop, Monster Cable, Pro-Mark and Converse.

The fall tour is in support of Slash’s second solo studio album, Apocalyptic Love, released May 22. The following are the dates and locations of the tour.

Sept. 4 – San Diego, Calif., House Of Blues
Sept. 5 – Phoenix, Ariz., Celebrity Theatre
Sept. 7 – Austin, Texas, Stubb’s Bar-B-Q / Waller Creek Amph.
Sept. 8 – Dallas, Texas, House Of Blues
Sept. 9 – Houston, Texas, House Of Blues
Sept. 11 – New Orleans, La., House Of Blues
Sept. 12 – Atlanta, Ga., The Tabernacle
Sept. 16 – Hampton Beach, N.H., Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
Sept. 18 – New York, N.Y., Hammerstein Ballroom
Sept. 19 – Cleveland, Ohio, House Of Blues
Sept. 21 – Cincinnati, Ohio, Bogart’s
Sept. 22 – Detroit, Mich., The Fillmore Detroit
Sept. 23 – Toronto, Ontario, Sound Academy
Sept. 25 – Indianapolis, Ind., Egyptian Room
Sept. 28 – Chicago, Ill., Riviera Theatre
Sept. 29 – Springfield, Mo., O’Reilly Family Event Center
Oct. 2 – Oakland, Calif., Fox Theater
Oct. 3 – Los Angeles, Calif., The Wiltern

This is yet another great opportunity for local undiscovered artists to promote their talents. Citi card members will be offered an exclusive presale on tickets and VIP experiences. Fan presale begins July 10. Tickets will be released to the general public for sale on July 13.  

- Lisa -



Related Article: The Difference a Referral Can Make

The Difference a Referral Can Make

There are millions of artists all over the world trying to make it in the music industry. It’s perceived that becoming a household name is as easy as uploading a YouTube video of yourself singing. However, many of those struggling artists can probably attest to the fact that this is not the case.

There are many contributing factors that play a role in increasing the popularity of an artist. While look, style, and sound are the major pieces that make up an artist, an often overlooked piece of the puzzle is the live performance. I hate to be a buzz kill, but you don’t have fame and fortune handed to you because you can post a video of yourself singing online.

With competition increasing, it is important to focus on live performances and promotion now more than ever. Whether playing in coffee shops, bars, or stadiums, spreading the word about a gig is one important key to promotions. But as with any industry it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.

Building up a following of fans is important and an easy way to do that is by getting the artist booked with other similar bands. Of course this is really no new information in promoting. Many bands and artists have skyrocketed their career by opening for well-known artists, but new bands too often overlook it. Another equally important opportunity to look for as a promoter are plugs from more well known artists. This is one of the best ways for future fans to find out about an artist and there have been multiple examples of this recently in the industry.

Most people probably wouldn’t have the catchy “Call Me Maybe” song stuck in their head all day if it wasn’t for Justin Bieber. Not only did he support her through twitter, but he and his friends also made a YouTube video that has had over 43 million views. Additionally, without Taylor Swift and Adele it’s hard to say when The Civil Wars’ career would have taken off. While they may have surfaced to stardom on their own accord, without the support of Taylor and Adele it’s likely they would still be somewhat unknown rather than a grammy winner.

The success of these artists and others like them just goes to show the difference a referral can make. 

- Lisa - 

Lights Out at The Apollo!

No, the famous theater where renowned artists such as James Brown, Stevie Wonder, and Michael Jackson have performed is not closing its doors. But last night, during Justin Bieber’s private show there was a power outage. Initially Bieber and his crew were told it would only last a few minutes, but when it stretched more than 40 minutes he started to get a little frustrated. Probably most irritating was that the show was being taped for an NBC special that was supposed to air later this week as a promotional push for his new album “Believe.”

Perhaps the most amazing thing about this moment was Justin’s reaction to the situation. While most artists may have refused to go back out on stage and blame The Apollo for everything, he chose to go back out on stage. He chose to create a memorable moment for all of his fans in attendance that night. According to his manager Scooter Braun, Justin walked back out on stage and quieted the crowd and said, “I’m sorry the power is out, but you guys have always had my back. I’m going to sing ‘Boyfriend’ and you’re going to sing it back to me."

(Tweets from Justing Bieber and Scooter Braun after the show.)

As you can see from the video, his fans were anything but upset about the situation. The entire crowd was singing along while Justin and his dancers performed for them. While Justin could have just left the stage and refused to go back on, he decided to support his fans like they have supported him. I give credit to Justin because he truly understands the relationship between him and his fans. As an artist it’s important to remember who helped you get to where you are. Without loyal fans, like Justin’s, an artist cannot hope to make it in the industry. It just goes to show that as Braun stated in an interview after the show, that although he has been doubted in the past, “He is a great artist and entertainer and tonight he showed that.” 

  

- Lisa - 

Are Hologram Concerts the Future?

Snoop Dogg performing with Tupac (2pac) at Coachella 2012

If you have been living under a rock and have not yet heard about the Tupac hologram, then the first thing you need to do is check out the video of what has created such a buzz in the concert industry.

On April 15, 2012 Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg took to the stage to perform at the Coachella music festival in California, but little did their fans know that legendary rapper Tupac (2pac) Shakur would be joining them on stage. No, Tupac is not alive and in hiding as some rumors say, but he was brought to the stage as a hologram. This performance was the most talked about event of Coachella, sparking many debates and even deliberations of future performances.

While some were confused and even uneasy about the Tupac (2pac) hologram, most people were excited about what this meant for the concert industry. If Tupac could be resurrected as a hologram, why couldn’t other artists be brought back to life?  Such questions have sparked interest from the estates of other deceased artists including Jimi Hendrix, Marilyn Monroe, Jim Morrison, and Elvis Presley. According to an article published on Billboard.biz, Digital Domain Media Group, the visual effects company that created the Tupac hologram, has signed an exclusive deal with Core Media Group to create a hologram of Elvis for various entertainment projects. While the showing at Coachella inspired the “Presley Project”, the creators plan on taking a different approach. Rather than using old footage and repurposing it for the hologram, Digital Domain plans on giving Elvis fans a completely new experience.

So are full-length hologram concerts the future of the touring industry? What does this mean for concert promoters? And what does it mean for current artists? At this point it’s hard to tell. Some promoters believe that these virtual appearances will become a bigger concert industry trend in the near future, but as guest appearances rather than a full-length concert. While some fans may be excited to see a full-length hologram concert of artists like Elvis, Jimi Hendrix, Marilyn Monroe, and Jim Morrison, I feel these virtual performances will eventually loose their thunder. As a promoter and a concertgoer, I believe there is nothing that can compare to experiencing your favorite artist live and in the flesh. But for now we will just have to wait to see what the future holds for hologram performances.

- Lisa -