How many tours have you done in the past year?
A single concert! Originally it was a real tour that went on sale in advance. Three of these concerts were canceled, leaving Berlin and Hamburg. Hamburg didn’t go after all because the factory was still on short-time work and therefore couldn’t open. They simply had no staff at the start.
So a regional special case kills the national organization?
Now a normal case, the general planning uncertainty. Since March 2020 we have been dealing with it constantly. Something is always changing, everywhere. I also do production management and was on the road with Papa Roach in 2020. In Berlin, Hanover and Leipzig I played the last show in the city. At the time, everyone thought: That’s a few weeks away, if the worst comes to the worst, we’ll postpone it until autumn and then we’ll continue.
Instead, it’s been two years. How did you work under these circumstances?
Most of us are on short-time work. I did 50 percent as someone needs to take care of all the transfers. Everything is carried by the optimistic thought that something will work at some point. A constant expectation that was repeatedly disappointed. My colleague Torben holds the agency’s internal record with the US band Red, whose tour has now been postponed for the seventh time.
How does such a cancellation work in practice?
I look after 40 to 50 bands, mostly the coordination goes through tour agents, sometimes also directly with the band management. I often have to explain to them that the situation is different in every state, sometimes from city to city. Back then, Stuttgart was the first city to close for concerts, when something else was still going on. So I have to explain that I can’t make any concrete statements about the situation in Germany. In my area, the European bands have set their dates to “maintain”. In case something should go in the short term. There are always new regulations.
I’m building on my big tours with Kiss, Judas Priest, or Limp Bizkit later in the year
Is that how it can be explained that dozens of tour dates for international bands were advertised on many club websites?
Everything agreed long in advance – and now it’s new again: it seems unrealistic for January and February, but from March and April we can hope again. I’m building on my big tours with Kiss, Judas Priest, or Limp Bizkit later in the year. I had to cancel Faith No More last week.
How do the bands deal with that?
Complexity has nothing to do with the size of the band. Kiss, for example, is a professional power house! I’ve been with them for 20 years; everything perfectly synchronized, same manager and staff for years. Runs totally uncomplicated. It becomes more difficult with bands that only come in the summer and want to play rather unusual festival shows.
When are you getting back in properly?
Totally unclear. I’m assuming that the summer festivals will take place – and also the associated tours. The question arises, in what context? We came from the announcement: When everyone is vaccinated, we can open again. And now: Everything 2G, plus booster, then ok? Or test again?
What about infrastructure and new appointments in your area?
Technology becomes a huge problem: sound, light, riggers, caterers, construction workers. Many securities have gone to vaccination centers and many technicians to industry. They won’t necessarily come back. Only those who need rock ‘n’ roll and touring life. In summer everyone has to do it, trainees and everyone. I assume that overall costs will increase and I have booked the service providers a year in advance where this is possible. In my area, shows from three years will take place in one summer. If I now want to push tours into autumn, I only get two “free dates” from the clubs instead of ten as usual. Everything else is blocked. In the case of topics that have not been doing so well in advance, people often say: Please don’t postpone them anymore, I have to block these dates for better-selling ones.
How does the cooperation with authorities or health authorities work?
We have a coordinating person internally for this so that each booker does not have to do it individually. Central control that has proven itself: If something new comes up, we are given a briefing. It is difficult to have on the screen what is currently taking effect, what we can still do at all. An example: A tour with six shows, five of which have between 40 and 50 percent in presale, one of which has 90 percent. If I run these with the “Jump Start” pack, the five are pretty much sold out. I would then have to move one up to ensure the corresponding reduced hall utilization. Does the help regulation apply in such a case because it was registered for the original smaller club? Complicated details…
Basically two years are missing in the development, as with the children in school
In your opinion, how does this affect bands and newcomers?
Even without a live presence there is one or the other hype that simply skips the club level. You’ll have to see if that’s worth it. Some have become very fit in the digital presentation, a lot has developed there. But basically two years are missing in the development, as with the children in school. Even the experienced bands then had a live break of at least two years. That also does something with people. Especially with the artists with a live focus.
How about yourself?
What I miss the most is standing in the hall at six or seven in the morning, letting the trucks roll off – and off we go to the next town!