Bardavon has announced the Catskill Ballet Theatre’s The Nutcracker, set to perform three shows this December at the Ulster Performing Arts Center (UPAC) in Kingston. The Nutcracker is a classic two-act ballet by famed Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, written as an adaptation of E. T. A. Hoffmann’s short story, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.
The Catskill Ballet Theatre Company is a non-profit organization, operating throughout the Hudson Valley region. The Company has presented The Nutcracker at UPAC annually for over 30 years. The performance is a showcase of young and local talent, where young dancers are given the opportunity to join a professional company for live performances.
In addition, Bardavon announced a performance from A Celtic Christmas by A Taste of Ireland, following their sold out Australian tour in 2021. The show follows a story of two star-crossed lovers, complemented by award-winning Irish musicians and dancers.
Choreographed and produced by National Champion and star of Gaelforce Dance and Rhythms of Ireland Brent Pace, and World Champion Ceili Moore, A Celtic Christmas is a spectacular show not to miss.
Tickets for The Nutcracker and A Celtic Christmas are available now at Bardavon and UPAC box offices, Tuesday-Friday 11am-5pm.
Contact Bardavon at 845-473-5288 and UPAC 845-339-6088, or email at boxoffice@bardavon.org. To purchase tickets online 24 hours a day go to ticketmaster (fees will apply).
Nicolas McCoppin, the NYC-based alt-pop artist released a brand new single, “more like u,” a synth-pop track that delves into body acceptance and rebirth. The single is part of the rollout for McCoppin’s sophomore album mind motel, to be released November 10.
“more like u” is a catchy alt-pop track full of synth and fun rhythm, but the lyrics delve into meaningful topics. McCoppin sings about bodily acceptance as a gay man, referencing pressures and insecurities that led him to a new feeling of rebirth and acceptance.
‘more like u’ is by far one of the most vulnerable tracks on the record. it was a very intentional contrast to have the production feel so big against the intimate details of the relationship I had with my body at the time. I think everybody can relate to a breakup driving you a little crazy. however, as a gay man, there is an added layer of social pressure in terms of my body image. ‘more like u’ is the story of my destruction and rebirth into the person i am today – which is someone i’ve finally grown to love. I hope this song can first and foremost be a banger, but second something that offers a little comfort to people that don’t feel at home in their body. this song allowed me to reckon with myself and my image of my body and come out the other side as a more whole person.
Nicolas McCoppin
“more like u” follows McCoppin’s previous single, “L.E.S. boy,” marking a new era for the up-and-coming artist. He made an official US radio debut in 2021 with his single “Heaven,” and has since skyrocketed with billboards in Times Square, becoming an Instagram Official Pride Creator, and creative collaborations with the likes of Bonnie McKee (Katy Perry – “Teenage Dream”).
Nicolas McCoppin’s new album mind motel will be released worldwide on November 10th. Album release shows in NYC, LA and Boston will be announced soon, along with vinyl and merch pre-orders. You can stream “more like u” and keep up with Nicolas on social media here.
There is something about the village of Lake George that has made this Southern Adirondack town a destination for music festivals and concert series from late spring until mid-fall. Memorial Meltdown, Adirondack Independence Music Festival, Lake George Music Festival, nightly music during the week at the Shepard Park Weekly Concerts (including Fridays at the Lake), Rock the Dock, Jazz at the Lake, Adirondack Bluegrass Festival, Lake George DJ Takeover Music Festival, Rock the Lake Music Festival, and the Lake George Jazz Weekend are just some of the events found on the southern end of Lake George. Now add to this incredible roster of summer music festivals and concerts series a new music festival with a Merlin twist, Wild in the Trees.
A skateboard/music festival hybrid, Wild in the Trees is a most unique event, held October 7-8, 2023, on the grounds of the Lake George Skate Plaza, adjacent to Charles R. Wood Park. A full two days of music, skateboarding and various competitions will be on hand, with 50% of net proceeds benefiting the Ronald McDonald House of the Capital Region.
The logo you see above is an homage to skateboard company Spitfire, an evil looking logo worked into the tree, making it wild. The name of the festival derives from the song “Wild in the Streets” by the Circle Jerks, featured in Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland. The first event was held in 2022, and year two looks to be even better with a stellar lineup, highlighted by Mike Gantzer’s Pro Skater, Candy Ambulance, FUNGKSHUI, Victory Soul Orchestra, Hilltop and many more.
But the festival would not be here without the dedication and perseverance of some local skaters more than 15 years ago.
photo by Frank Cavone
Frankie Cavone, promoter of Wild in the Trees and owner of Mirth Films, has been an avid skater his whole life, but the Village of Lake George did not have a skatepark in his formative years. In 2008, Cavone and Doug Quimby, among others, began a campaign to raise money to carve out a skatepark on the grounds of the former Gaslight Village, a small amusement park that was on the site until 1989 and demolished in 2010.
It would take eight years for the dream to become a reality, with the park opening in 2016, with a competition at the grand opening, the first of many such competitions. Shortly after, in 2018, Cavone would begin Mirth Films, a company that creates original video content, winning awards and gaining acclaim and positive reviews across the Capital Region.
Videography and skateboarding are intertwined in Cavone’s life, as his love of skateboarding led to him bringing video camera to film tricks and flips, and would lead to beginning to shoot jam band shows in 2015. Getting his friends involved on the video end would be the formation for Mirth Films, which has grown steadily over the past five years.
With support from local promoter Dave Ehmann – who supported the skate park fundraising efforts as far back as 2010 – inspiration came to Cavone with Ehmann’s ADK Fest being a standard bearer for events in Lake George. This long relationship would spur something the genesis of what would become Wild in the Trees.
Between skateboarding, live music and videography, Cavone would take his knowledge of these, imbued with a deeper curiosity, led to forming a bond with Mayor Bob Blais of Lake George (the longest serving mayor in U.S. history, at 52 years). Cavone wanted to keep holding skating competitions each year, but also wanted to incorporate music into the event, making for a hybrid music festival concept. Utilizing ‘Bed Tax’ money that hotels in the Lake George region pay (funding events from Americade to Oktoberfest) Mayor Blais assisted Cavone in acquiring a grant for the music festival. With approval, Wild in the Trees was christened in October 2022 and returns for its sophomore grind October 7-8.
The lineup for this year’s Wild in the Trees builds on the skateboarding aspect of the festival, bringing in a band that is both familiar and has many familiar names and faces included. Mike Gantzer’s Pro Skater is a project led by Aqueous/Death Kings’ guitarist Gantzer and serves as a tribute to the iconic soundtracks featured throughout the TonyHawk’sProSkater video game collection. Joining Mike are Evan McPhaden (Aqueous) Ryan Nogle (Funktional Flow, Aqueous, Dirty Work Steely Dan tribute) Jonny Evans (rapper) Billy Bratek (Maufrey) and DJ Fiorella.
Ripping through songs that underscored an entire generation’s experience growing up, Mike is a uniquely qualified musician to lead the charge given his longtime passion for skateboarding, his high ranking scores in TonyHawk’sProSkater online, and his metal/rock/punk trio Death Kings.
It’s almost hard for me to overstate my connection to the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games! I was 10 years old when the first one came out and I was already totally obsessed with skateboarding, and the game just solidified what would become a lifelong love of all things skating (and gaming for that matter).
The soundtrack was iconic and was an early introduction to punk, hip hop, ska, and all kinds of really amazing music and culture. Between skate tapes on VHS and the THPS series, I was getting a fast education, and this timeline happened to be when I connected with guitar playing, too. What was beautiful about some of the punk stuff was that it was accessible enough to approach as a beginner, but also represented a lot of frustration I felt with growing up in an unstable and tumultuous home setting that I could get out in a healthy way.
Fast forward twenty years, and music and skateboarding are still two of my biggest passions in life, and I’m grateful everyday for both of them, so you can imagine my joy at getting the chance to do an entire tribute set to the games’ music AT a skate event for Wild In the Trees ’23. Pretty much my ideal situation! I’m also pretty skilled at THPS, and at one point was ranked top 150 in the world on the online leaderboards, I even made a video of one of my runs, because as it is in skating, if you didn’t capture it, did it really even happen?
Mike Gantzer
Cavone adds in the viewpoint of a skater, saying “When people in other countries think of skateboarding, they think Tony Hawk – he got millions of people into skateboarding.” The synonymous nature of Tony Hawk, Skateboarding, Mike Gantzer and the overall music festival mesh together in a ripper of an event.
Cavone first learned of Mike Gantzer’s Pro Skater within the last 12 months, as he was looking to get an artist to headline the festival that would draw in fans of live music and skateboarding, and would be unique to Wild in the Trees specifically. Cavone would end up asking Gantzer about having The Death Kings (a punk/metal trio that pays homage to all things heavy, including Gantzer, Ryan Stasik from Umphrey’s McGee and Michaelangelo Carubba), but the better fit that Gantzer suggested would be his own ‘Pro Skater’ group.
The roots of the skate plaza effort are never lost on Cavone. Filling a community need with his team endeavor is the origin of Wild in the Trees, an event for which the promoter is stoked.
“If it wasn’t for the skaters, we would never have access to do this. If it wasn’t for the stuff that we did when we were kids, we would never have been able to make that bond with the town and the skaters, and seeing people skate the park as we drive by – something we dreamed of when we were younger – is really a blessing.”
Frankie Cavone
With half the profits from ticket sales going to Ronald McDonald House of the Capital Region, a full two days of skateboarding competitions and live music, and an idyllic setting in the Village of Lake George, the team behind the festival is ready for year two of their experimental music festival, one that caters to a broad audience with a rad sesh planned out over the weekend.
Touring in support of their new album Intercepted Message, an album that was a bit of a throw back to earlier sounds, and heavy on the synthesizer; the album is what you’d get if you threw John Dwyer and Devo in a blender. Osees have a monster sized catalog to choose from, and they tend to represent the band’s many sounds and eras throughout the show.
John Dwyer and his Osees have gone through many line-up changes and different sounds. The current iteration has a two drummer setup, Dan Rincon and Paul Quattrone are completely locked in and give the show a driving, chugging force. Tim Hellman does a fantastic job holding down the bass and Tomas Dolas adds some color on the keyboards. John Dwyer is the main attraction though, he twists and gyrates and contorts his body to seemly push out the music.
Do not miss a chance to see these guys when they come to your town, but make sure to bring some earplugs.
Upcoming The Osees Shows
9/28 – GONERFEST 9/30 – Hotel Vegas in Austin, TX 10/01 – Hotel Vegas in Austin, TX 10/3 – Albuquerque, NM – Sister Bar
Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros featuring The Wolfpack have announced a five-night residency at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester this December. The group is currently on a fall tour alongside Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival, and made their joint performance debut at Indiana’s Farm Aid festival.
Led by Bobby Weir, the group includes Don Was, Jay Lane, Jeff Chimenti and Barry Sless. The group has released two live albums Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros: Live in Colorado and Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros: Live in Colorado Vol. 2, to critical praise. This tour is not the group’s first residency at The Capitol Theatre, with a four-night run last winter.
Bobby Weir, a founding member of the legendary Grateful Dead, is one of rock music’s most celebrated and distinctive guitarists. The Grateful Dead is still one of the highest grossing performers in the United States, and holds a world record 2,318 total concerts. Bobby Weir has received the Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award, a Goodwill Ambassadorship for the UN Development Program, as well as many other achievements.
Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros featuring The Wolfpack will perform at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY on December 12, 13, 15, 16, and 17. Artist presale begins Thursday, September 28 at 10AM ET, with local presale beginning the same day at 12PM ET. Register for presale here.
General onsale begins Friday, September 29 at 10AM ET. More information and tickets are available here.
The Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros Enhanced Experience includes early venue entrance and merchandise shopping, access to watch a portion of soundcheck, a complimentary cocktail and exclusive merchandise! Packages from 100X Hospitality will go on sale September 28 at 10AM ET.
TOUR DATES
September 26—Mershon Auditorium—Columbus, OH
September 27—The Met Philadelphia—Philadelphia, PA
September 28—Pier Six Pavilion—Baltimore, MD
October 29—Frost Amphitheatre—Stanford, CA
December 12, 13, 15, 16 + 17—The Capitol Theatre—Port Chester, NY
December 29-31—Broward Center for the Performing Arts—Fort Lauderdale, FL
January 12-15, 2024—Playa Luna Presents Dead Ahead —Riviera Cancun, MX
Though a Canadian band, Great Lake Swimmers are set to have one show in Albany at The Linda come November, touring their newest album, Uncertain Country. This is the band’s first new album in five years, and is sure to impress all of their fans and newcomers.
They also released an official music video which includes four videos for the album’s singles: “Uncertain Country,” “Swimming Like Flying,” “When The Storm Has Passed,” “Moonlight, Stay Above.”
Great Lake Swimmers, fronted by lead singer/songwriter Tony Dekker, released their newest album Uncertain Country (Harbour Songs/Fontana) this spring. The new album is the band’s first new music in almost five years, and richly compliments their two-decades-deep musical catalogue.
The band has also announced Uncertain Country (Deluxe) that is set for release on September 29, and will feature new acoustic versions of six album tracks: “Uncertain Country,” “When The Storm Has Passed,” “Swimming Like Flying,” “Riverine,” “Respect For All Living Things,” and “Flight Paths.”
Uncertain Country features 11 songs that track a prolonged period of collective anxiety. Though recorded in different locales—largely around the Niagara region, and with a variety of musicians—a theme of questioning runs throughout. Even before the world turned upside down, Dekker felt mired in uncertainty: from the climate crisis and the ever-changing political landscape to deep shifts within the music industry. The “uncertain country” Dekkerchose as the album’s theme is not a specific place. Rather, it’s a territory we inhabit in the 21st century — a world that is confusing, unfamiliar and unsettling.
What started out four years ago as a 10-day trip to the north shore of Lake Superior, inspired a collection of musical field recordings at various locations around the Niagara region (where Dekker now lives) and served as the album’s organic recording studio.
“Long-time Great Lake Swimmers listeners will find much that they know, from a strong current of nature imagery to Dekker’s wistful & emotive vocal delivery, but also plenty of new territory to discover. Those who are new to the band will find a rich variety of emotional dynamics & musical approaches that still has a coherent core. ‘Uncertain Country’ stands as some of the strongest & most consistent work by one of Canada’s best bands…”
Review from Great Dark Wonder
GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS – UNCERTAIN COUNTRY TOUR
September 13 @ Biltmore Theatre – Oshawa, ON
September 14 @ Isabel Bader Theatre – Kingston, ON
September 16 @ Le Ritz – Montreal, QC
September 27 @ Dominion Telegraph – Paris, ON
September 28 @ Royal City Mission – Guelph, ON
September 29 @ Bridgeworks – Hamilton, ON
October 3 @ Hi-Fi – Indianapolis, IN
October 4 @ The Southgate House Revival – Newport, KY
October 5 @ The Magic Bag – Ferndale, MI
October 7 @ Ignition Music Garage – Goshen, IN
October 10 @ Park Theatre – Winnipeg, MB
October 11 @ Broadway Theatre – Saskatoon, SK
October 12 @ Festival Hall – Calgary, AB
October 13 @ Festival Place – Sherwood Park, AB
October 14 @ Rocky Mountain House, AB – Rival Trade Brewing Co
October 15 @ Bo’s Bar & Stage – Red Deer , AB
October 18 @ Dream Café – Penticton, BC
October 19 @ Biltmore Theatre – Vancouver, BC
October 20 @ Capital Ballroom – Victoria, BC
October 21 @ Waverley Hotel – Cumberland, BC
October 22 @ Bez Arts Hub – Langley, BC
October 25 @ Troubadour – Los Angeles, CA
October 26 @ Café Du Nord – San Francisco, CA
October 27 @ Volcanic Theatre Pub – Bend, OR
October 29 @ Tractor Tavern – Seattle, WA
November 1 @ Globe Hall – Denver, CO
November 2 @ The Slowdown – Omaha, NE
November 3 @ xBk – Des Moines, IA
November 4 @ Turf Club – St Paul, MN
November 5 @ Shank Hall – Milwaukee, WI
November 6 @ The Bur Oak – Madison, WI
November 7 @ SPACE – Evanston, IL
November 8 @ Rumba Café – Columbus, OH
November 9 @ Beachland Ballroom – Cleveland, OH
November 10 @ Hard Rock Cafe Pittsburgh – Pittsburgh, PA
November 12 @ Sellersville Theatre – Sellersville, PA
November 13 @ The Linda – Albany, NY
November 15 @ TD Music Hall, Massey Hall – Toronto, ON
NYS Music spoke with Broken Social Scene co-founder and frontman Kevin Drew about his new solo record Aging, the band’s upcoming show in New York City, and much more.
Broken Social Scene frontman Kevin Drew playing a show at Webster Hall in New York, 2022. Photography by David Reichmann (@davidpresspass)
In our exclusive interview, Kevin answered some of David’s burning questions, including “How did Broken Social Scene get Tracy Ullman and Meryl Streep on stage to sing “Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl” at Webster Hall last year?” Kevin told us he and Tracy dated for a year during the pandemic and maintained a friendship since, adding, “I told Tracy to come out and sing. Her bestie [Meryl Streep] showed up, and she’s a very lovely woman […] and I think she was just having fun!”
Kevin also talked about how he felt seeing Phoebe Bridgers wear a sweatshirt with lyrics from the BSS song, “Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl” on Zane Lowe’s podcast. “I thought it was Photoshop!” The sweater instantly went viral, and the band began selling the sweater on their website in response, donating the profits for charity. He went on to talk about the difficulty of being a “middle-class band,” as he called it. “It’s difficult for us, because every dime counts now. It’s not like every dollar. It’s like every dime.”
Then there is Boygenius, the indie supergroup comprised of Julien Baker, Bridgers and Lucy Dacus. Drew played with the trio recently in Toronto, saying “They were louder than loud, I think it was the loudest audience I had ever attended. It was insane. […] I’m a big, big fan of Lucy [Dacus]. Lucy was the first one that I heard. And I just immediately thought ‘Who is this?’ So I was happy when I heard that Lucy was an admirer of our band. And then I think that’s probably how we got the gig.”
Kevin spoke about his new solo record, Aging, and what it meant to record a solo project. “The desire to put up a solo record was not high, but it was actually Brendan Canning, you know, my partner in BSS, he said, ‘You gotta put it out man.’” Kevin went on to say, “I didn’t think my mom was going to pass a month before we dropped a song. You know, we arranged everything sort of the 10 months in advance and I had no idea why I was waiting so long and it all kind of lined u. And Brendan just says ‘Look, put it out and just we’ll play.’”
Kevin Drew’s solo record, Aging, will be released digitally November 2nd. You can buy physical copies of the record here, which includes a 75-page book titled, “Towards Everything.”
Broken Social Scene plays Brooklyn Steel this weekend with support from Hannah Georgas, buy your tickets here.
Drew spoke to NYS Music about much more, including all things music, touring, and even haunted hotel rooms. Be sure to check back here next week for our full show review and much more from our interview.
Comedy icons, writers, producers, actresses, and Saturday Night Live alumni Amy Poehler and Tina Fey announced they are adding dates to their sold-out Tina Fey & Amy Poehler: Restless Leg Tour, including four shows at The Beacon Theatre in February.
The initial leg of the tour included a sold-out, limited run of East Coast shows in Spring 2023, where fans saw the duo celebrate their 30 years of friendship with an evening of jokes, never-heard-before stories, and conversational entertainment.
Tina Fey is an award-winning writer, actress, author, and producer, known for creating and starring as Liz Lemon in 30 Rock, which holds the record for the most Emmy nominations in one season for any comedy series (22) and received a total of 103 Emmy nominations and 16 wins over seven seasons. Prior to creating 30 Rock, Fey completed nine seasons as head writer, cast member, and co-anchor of “Weekend Update” on Saturday Night Live.
While at SNL, Fey also wrote the screenplay for the hit comedy film, Mean Girls, which Fey subsequently adapted for Broadway (12 Tony Award nominations) and again as a new musical feature film, now in post-production for Paramount. Fey’s memoir, Bossypants, topped the New York Times best-seller list and remained for 39 consecutive weeks, and went on to sell over five million copies in the US thus far.
Amy Poehler is one of Hollywood’s most versatile and sought-after talents, with credits including actress, writer, executive producer, and bestselling author. Poehler, perhaps best known for her starring role on the Emmy-nominated NBC comedy series Parks and Recreation, can currently be heard as the titular character in the scripted podcast Say More with Dr? Sheila. She also serves as executive producer on the series in partnership with Audacy and her production company, Paper Kite Productions.
Last year, Poehler made her documentary directorial debut with Amazon’s Emmy-winning documentary Lucy & Desi, which she executive produced alongside Imagine Documentaries & White Horse Pictures. She also starred in and directed Netflix’s Moxie and will star in and produce the upcoming Roku film, First Time Female Director. She has several additional projects in development as part of Paper Kite Productions, including NBC’s thriller-drama The Mother-In-Law, and the Netflix animated feature Steps.
They will hit The Beacon Theatre on Wednesday, Feb. 7, Thursday, Feb. 8, and Friday, Feb. 9, with a matinee show on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024.
Presales begin on Wednesday, Sept. 27 at 10 AM, including an artist presale with code RESTLESS. General on-sale starts on Friday, Sept. 29 at 10 AM here.
AMY POEHLER & TINA FEY: RESTLESS LEG TOUR DATES:
Sat Sept 30 – Denver, CO – Buell Theatre
Sun Oct 1 – Denver, CO – Bellco Theatre – matinee show
Sun Oct 1 – Denver, CO – Bellco Theatre – evening show
Thur Oct 12 – Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall
Fri Oct 13 – Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall
Sat Oct 14 – Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall – matinee show
Sat Oct 14 – Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall – evening show
Sun Oct 15 – Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall – JUST ADDED
Wed Nov 8 – Highland, CA – Yaamava’ Theater
Fri Nov 10 – Las Vegas, NV – Resorts World Theatre*
Sat Nov 11 – Las Vegas, NV – Resorts World Theatre*
Thur Dec 14 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met
Fri Dec 15 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met
Sat Dec 16 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met – matinee show
Sat Dec 16 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met – evening show
Fri Jan 12 – Portland, OR – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall – JUST ADDED
Sat Jan 13 – Portland, OR – Alaska Airlines’ Theater of the Clouds – matinee show
Sat Jan 13 – Portland, OR – Alaska Airlines’ Theater of the Clouds
Fri Jan 19 – Atlanta, GA – Fox Theatre – JUST ADDED
Fri Jan 26 – San Francisco, CA – The Masonic – JUST ADDED
Sat Jan 27 – Oakland, CA – Paramount Theatre – JUST ADDED
Wed Feb 7 – New York, NY – The Beacon Theatre – JUST ADDED
Thur Feb 8 – New York, NY – The Beacon Theatre – JUST ADDED
Fri Feb 9 – New York, NY – The Beacon Theatre – JUST ADDED
Sun Feb 11 at 2 pm – New York, NY – The Beacon Theatre – JUST ADDED
Every Us, a new NYC-based music collective released their new single, “Fool’s Gold,” a catchy track that marks the group’s second-ever release.
“Fool’s Gold” is an crowd-pleaser that captures the essence of a jubilant, carefree night out on the town. The track features catchy, anthemic vocals and a distinct vision of energized crowds clapping to the beat.
Every Us is a new music collective based in New York City, founded on the idea of capturing moments that make us feel a part of something greater than ourselves. The group has three more singles to come, with a full EP set to release in the spring.
Every Us boasts a lineup of collaborators including Olivia Reid, Michael Tighe (Jeff Buckley, Adele, Mark Ronson), Charlie Klasfield (Clean Bandit, Branchez), and guitarist Dan Sagher (Charlie Burg).
Through community events in the past year, they have curated a lineup of artists in the NYC and Brooklyn area, spanning genres like folk, R&B, jazz, and electronic. Their mission and outlook are to uplift new voices while sharing their music and fostering a larger community. Instead of being known as a singular figure or group, Every Us is a community sound and style.
Live Nation, the world’s largest concert promoter, is launching a new program to improve the lives of touring musicians and cut down on the growing costs traveling artists are facing.
Willie Nelson performs in concert during Farm Aid at Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center on Sept. 23, 2023, in Noblesville, Indiana. Gary Miller/Getty Images
As reported by Billboard, the concert giant has announced the launch of “On the Road Again,” a new program inspired by legendary singer/songwriter Willie Nelson to support developing artists and their road crews. The program has no expiration date and is expected to save artists tens of millions every year. It tackles the growing costs of travel expenses and the ability of artists to make money through merch sales.
“Touring is a crucial part of an artist’s livelihood, and we understand travel costs take one of the biggest bites out of artists’ nightly profits,” a press release from Live Nation reads. “By helping with these core expenses, we aim to make it easier for artists on the road so they can keep performing to their fans in more cities across the country.”
Starting today, all acts playing Live Nation-owned and operated clubs, from headliners to support acts, will receive a $1,500 gas and travel cash stipend per show to all headliners and support acts, on top of nightly performance compensation. The company’s clubs will no longer charge merchandise selling fees, allowing artists to keep 100% of merch profits, which many artists rely on to generate cash for the band while they’re on the road.
Participating venues.
In January, Ineffable Music Group became the first company to waive merch fees for the company’s venues and showrooms. The decision by Live Nation to waive these fees will likely lead to more cash in the hands of touring artists. Participating venues in New York State include Warsaw, Gramercy Theatre, and Irving Plaza.
“Touring is important to artists so whatever we can do to help other artists, I think we should do it. This program will impact thousands of artists this year and help make touring a little bit easier,” said Nelson, who provided his hit song On the Road Again as the anthem for the program.
On the Road Again also includes financial bonuses to local promoters who help execute shows as well as tour reps and venue crew members who have worked over 500 hours in 2023. It also includes $5 million to Crew Nation, a fund created during the pandemic to support crew across the industry facing unforeseen hardship.
Some industry workers have commented that this program could kill independent venues, who wouldn’t be able to compete. Prices on other things may increase as well to pay for the program as well. The National Independent Venue Association said in response “Temporary measures may appear to help artists in the short run but actually can squeeze out independent venues which provide the lifeblood of many artists on thin margins…it appears to be a calculated attempt to use a publicly-traded conglomerate’s immeasurable resources to divert artists from independent venues and further consolidate control over the live entertainment sector. Such tactics threaten the vitality of small and medium-sized venues under 3000 capacity, many of which still struggle to keep their doors open.”
Company officials added that On the Road Again is “a true collaboration that draws on insights from Nelson’s years on the road as well as feedback from touring artists, their teams, and venue operators to help support day-to-day life on tour. All benefits from On the Road Again are being provided directly from the venue’s existing earnings, with no increases to consumers.”
For more information on the program and a list of participating venues, visit here.
