FOR CONCERTS, IT MAY BE A LONG, WEIRD SUMMER

Mark Brown
ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS
January 31, 2004

It seems like it just has to settle down. Denver's concert scene has become notorious for being among the most volatile in the nation. Just when you think it can't get any worse or any weirder, it does. It's not February yet, but the summer season has started - at least from bookers' points of view. They're bidding on shows and holding dates, chasing down tours.

Infighting and power shifts - some public, some behind the scenes - are going to have fans seeing a new face on concerts this year. A lot of the people making the decisions and calling the shots are names and faces you don't know. But they're also the people who will determine what acts come to town and how much you'll pay to see them.

Last summer's concert season ended in an industry-shaking development - Barry Fey was squeezed out of House of Blues just about the time it was discovered that House of Blues' partner, Nobody in Particular Presents, hadn't paid some acts that the two bookers had co-promoted, a cardinal sin in the music world that left NIPP in great debt to its partner. It didn't end there. This week's brief seizure of NIPP's headquarters in a dispute with the city of Denver, over unpaid seat taxes, would seem to be another huge setback for NIPP.
But in a way, it's more secure. Everything is on the table now and is stabilizing.

The debt that NIPP owes is now confined to a payment plan. Despite its setbacks and layoffs, NIPP is holding its own. It hasn't had to file for bankruptcy protection, because the city and House of Blues recognize that having NIPP alive and booking shows is in everyone's best interest. Surprisingly, despite the non- payment debacle, the bond between House of Blues and NIPP may be stronger this year. They need each other more than ever. NIPP is going to need House of Blues' backing to book any 2004 shows at Red Rocks. House of Blues needs NIPP to get financially healthy in order to get its money back. Watch for virtually all of NIPP's shows outside of the Ogden Theatre to be co-promoted with House of Blues.

The people who caused the most friction at both companies are out of the picture. Cooler heads - Jim McCue at House of Blues, Doug Kauffman and Chris Swank at NIPP - are now setting the tone and direction for both companies. House of Blues is also looking to work with anyone - including one-time arch-enemy Clear Channel Entertainment. The two corporate giants co-promoted the Dead at Red Rocks last year, a scenario that probably will be repeated this year with the Dead and other acts.

One of the biggest changes fans will see is where acts end up playing. Pepsi Center owner Stan Kroenke recently told the News that he's no longer interested in exclusive or most-favored setups at his facilities. Both the Pepsi Center and the Universal Lending Pavilion - until now booked most heavily by Clear Channel - will be far more friendly to other promoters. Kroenke and his people liken their position to Switzerland - neutral and friendly.

That's a major change. Clear Channel had an exclusive booking arrangement with the Universal Lending Pavilion, the derided "tent in a parking lot" venue at the Pepsi Center that actually features the finest sound of any large venue in the city, along with great sight lines and easy access.

House of Blues-booked Fiddler's Green has hosted bands like Heart, who can fill only a small part of its 17,000 seats. House of Blues now will have the option of putting those acts in the 5,500-seat Universal Lending Pavilion. NIPP, which has relationships with ULP-friendly acts because of its Botanic Gardens concert series, might well find ULP a profitable place to put its own artists.

Conversely, House of Blues has indicated it's willing to loosen its policies in letting rivals book Fiddler's - a long-standing point of contention. In addition, rock manager Irving Azoff, who partnered with Colorado entrepreneur Phil Anschutz in buying Concerts West and putting on big tours (Rod Stewart, Dixie Chicks, Fleetwood Mac) was quietly bought out of his share of the company late last year.

Thus upcoming tours of Azoff acts that once would have been an Concerts West/Anschutz Entertainment Group slam-dunk the Van Halen reunion, the eventual Eagles tour after their album comes out - are open to bidding from other promoters.

In theory, this new spirit of cooperation could lead to kinder, gentler bookings - and without huge bidding wars, a win for fans who can't afford outrageous ticket prices.
Then again, this is still Denver, isn't it?

Mountain West Music 2004