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Oak Harbor, WA
US
Edited Date/Time
6/4/2016 11:32am
I thought he did pretty good in this song where Angus joined Guns n' Hoses on stage
https://www.facebook.com/acdc.page/videos/1706574879610134/?pnref=story
https://www.facebook.com/acdc.page/videos/1706574879610134/?pnref=story
Lastly best wishes to Mr Johnson. .. sir you are a wonderful piece of rock-,-roll and road racing history enjoy it.
The Shop
except, Axle is a fucken tosser, and if he leaves poeple waiting like he did last time he toured with G N R here, it will fall over pretty quick, (he was 90 min late to start)
He looks like a Mad Max reject.
Heroin Addict...
I think it would have been interesting to have this guy fill in for Brian Johnson (don't really think anyone can replace him!) He has more of a Bon Scott sounding voice, which would be cool on some of the older AC/DC songs. Might not make the Rhino Buckett boys happy though.
Pit Row
Promoters are super shady. They sign bands to gigs and in the contracts it is often written that the performer gets paid up front. Promoters will often wait until the VERY last minute to make payment as they need the gate revenue to pull it off safely.
In MANY of these cases, the performers will show up to do a gig, and the promoter will try to push payment until after the show. This puts performers in a really tough spot as they are caught between business and their fans.
Most of the time, the performers get on stage and bite the bullet. Hoping they get paid after the fact. They often end up getting screwed or spend more time chasing the money than it's worth. As I said, promoters are a shady bunch that will do anything to avoid paying out.
Axl Rose is one of those stubborn dudes that REFUSES to get on stage until the band has been paid. Even if his bandmates are like "fuck it" let's just go do the show, he refuses to let them fold. He wont play any games with the promoter. If that means sitting backstage until the check is cut/money is transferred, then so be it. He never publicly comes out and defends himself, most artists dont, but certainly not Axl, it's just not his style. And I dont really blame him, fans dont really give a shit about context or the tough situation the artist is put in during these moments. Fans bought a ticket and they feel entitled to a show.
He's not showing up late to piss off the fans or build tension in the crowd as many have assumed. He's just one of the VERY few artists out there who will stick to his principles above anything else (often to his own detriment).
My family has been in the live music business for as long as I can remember and put on events/concerts with 10s of thousands of fans in attendance for some big time acts. So Im a lil familiar with the music industry.
That said, I couldnt be happier that GNR is back together and I'll get a chance to see Slash & Axl on the same stage.
I know, or think I know bands make little from album sells. Most comes from playing live so getting paid is definitely a priority. I just don't see them getting paid at 8:30 for an 8:00 show.
"small venue" is a relative term. A concert that has 15k in attendance is small compared to Coachella. But even a event with 15k people is a LOT of work and not exactly the definition of "small". And yes, for events like that, even then promoters are over extended financially to the point that they want to see the tickets sell and the gate attendance before they feel comfortable cutting the check. And MANY artists still love getting paid in cash, believe it or not. My family did a Snoop Dogg concert for a few years in a row. His appearance fee is $150k per night. He asked for, and got, $150k in cash under the table each time. And he got paid within hours of going onstage. He also showed up with a entourage of about 25 dudes to ensure he got paid, but there was no funny business on either side. He was probably the most professional musician my family ever worked with. A true "pro's pro" if you will.
When it comes to larger events like Coachella, they have the corporate credibility to get away with paying after the fact. And to my knowledge, Axl Rose has NEVER came on late for credible events such as Rock in Rio where he had a good relationship with the promoters.
The bigger the promotions company, the larger fee they charge. It's a balance between going with a credible corporate entity or getting a sweet deal from some fly by night unknown promotions company. The current GNR tour is being handled by Live Nation, a major promoter. So I wouldnt expect any shenanigans by Axl unless the venue itself wasnt living up to it's end of the bargain (which is another variable).
I would love to see how much a band like Iron Maiden earns and expends on their extensive world tours. Has to be a logistics nightmare, but they've had the same crew for years so they have a good system.
I would like to read a book about this stuff.
Here's another example, musician Lauryn Hill. A few no-shows and some gigs where she goes on stage hours later than expected. I had a friend complaining about it and I had to explain that there may be more to the story that as a fan, he's not aware of. I dont claim to know the details of Hill's situation, but I know enough of the music biz to not rush to judgement. For all artists, going on stage to perform live is the highlight of the job, it's not something they want to avoid, so if they are, you know it's a big deal. Lauryn Hill, much like Axl Rose, is another VERY head-strong person who will stick to her principles often to her own demise. So I dont think it's hard to figure out what's going on here. The odd thing for me was when I explained this to the LH fan, their response was to still be mad at LH. I had to ask, "do you work for free? Why would you expect her to". I dont think it's unreasonable to have some understanding of the musician's plight. Theyve been getting screwed most of their careers, they are artists, not business men. But then again, fans have been getting screwed for years also during the days of $25 CD's. So fans are jaded & entitled.
For the case of Iron Maiden, theyve been around a LONG time. Im sure they are a well oiled machine. They have a pretty solid core fan base and like AC/DC, you know what youre getting into as both a fan and a promoter. They are pro's. AC/DC still sells out major venues and gets carried by major promoters. So everything goes on without a hitch. And AC/DC, like most bands, wont take the risk of hurting their brand by not going on stage on time. They'd rather take the financial loss that night than lose credibility with their fans. I dont know what size venues Iron Maiden plays in now, but as their fan base shrinks and they get relatively smaller gigs (probably similar to Lauryn Hill), it opens the door for shadier business deals to take place. They probably have to choose their gigs wisely.
And having a good band & touring manager helps. That's another variable. And those guys are in short supply. It's a fast life with massive temptation everyone while on tour and it's easy for guys to fall off the wagon and issues can then erupt between promoters/venues & the bands that never should have. Managers are supposed to be the buffers. But not everyone is Keith Richards.
I'd definitely pay to go see this show
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8G2He4NaPhg
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