#171

Issue #171 | September 26, 2023Ticketmaster, AMC, Google. 

If you answered, “What technologies are broken by Swifties?” you’d be right as Taylor added another behemoth to her list last week. Plus, Usher is headlining halftime and you could be there too - if you win the biggest Las Vegas sports jackpot ever, and get ready for “funflation.”

Credit: Dominki FriessYeah! Usher headlining the Halftime ShowUsher is heading to Sin City in February. The 90’s artist has been announced as the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show headliner. “It’s an honor of a lifetime to finally check a Super Bowl performance off my bucket list. I can’t wait to bring the world a show unlike anything else they’ve seen from me before,” said Usher. Coincidentally - or not - he will be dropping a new album, Coming Home on Super Bowl Sunday.

Las Vegas Jackpot!Speaking of the Super Bowl, one person will win tickets to [almost] every sporting event in Las Vegas next year via the Vegas Sports Jackpot. The first-of-its-kind raffle benefits the United Way of Southern Nevada and the Las Vegas Super Bowl LVIII Host Committee Charities. For just $100 per raffle ticket, you can win 2 tickets to high-profile events such as the Super Bowl, Formula 1 Grand Prix, every home game for the Raiders and the Golden Knights, 4 UFC fights, the National Finals Rodeo, all home football and basketball games at UNLV and more. Anyone in the US can enter, only one will win.

Swifties broke GoogleFirst Ticketmaster, then AMC, and now Google. Taylor Swift broke the internet again, this time with a series of 89 puzzles that fans had to decipher on Google in order to unveil the B-side tracks from her upcoming release of 1989 (Taylor’s Version). The tracks were only revealed once 33 million puzzles were solved - which despite Google’s struggles - happened in less than a day.

Leave no traceAccording to the Department of Public Works (DPW) and Playa Restoration (Resto) staff in Black Rock City, the Playa is in good shape, despite the rain, and almost ready for the upcoming final inspection by the BLM. Burning Man participants “did an amazing job” and really took the Leave No Trace principle to heart, even with some leaving early. . The rain did cause some ruts and bumps, but the team is confident that can be mitigated with water and dragging the ground.   

Stage collapse leads to SUPERPOP cancellationThe much-anticipated KPOP festival, SUPERPOP, set for last weekend in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, was canceled days before after a portion of the stage collapsed. It was set to be one of the most significant KPOP events of the year. Several workers sustained injuries of varying degrees, including some very significant, leading to concerns about safety protocols and the speed in which the stage was constructed. 

"Funflation" is on the wayAccording to a Bank of America report, live concerts are set to experience a surge in ticket prices, a trend they refer to as "funflation." This forecast suggests that concertgoers can expect to pay higher prices for live event tickets due to increased demand, despite other discretionary spending slowing down. The report states, “In our view, there are several sustainable and longer-term key drivers that will fuel solid growth for a number of years.”

Global Citizen sustainability initiaitvesNYC’s Global Citizen Festival really stepped up its sustainability game this year with a stage made of materials repurposed from past festivals and adorned with trees that will be planted in NYC parks following the festival. All of the food at the festival was vegetarian and it was all served with compostable packaging and utensils. They also handed out 30,000 reusable water bottles and partnered with Everland to cover their carbon emissions.  

Lambeau goes all-in on grab-and-goWe’re seeing more and more venues and airports converting their concessions to grab-and-go stores (including the alcohol stands we discussed at Mile High last week), but Lambeau Field may be the first to convert ALL of their F&B options to the model. The home of the NFL Green Bay Packers is currently about 60% complete with 15-20 stands to go over the coming years. It seems to make sense for permanent locations, but will we see this trend hitting festival grounds any time soon?  

Reeperbahn FestivalThe Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg, Germany featured an impressive lineup of 400 bands from 40 countries performing 475 concerts and drew 49,000 visitors last weekend. The festival also hosted 180 talks, podcasts, screenings, exhibitions, networking, award ceremonies, and interactive events for the 4,000 industry professionals also in attendance.  

#PeopleNewsRich Schaefer has been tapped by AEG Presents as the new Head of Touring, replacing Gary Gersh after 10 years in the role. Not long after announcing their new partnership with Live Nation, Palm Tree Crew added Karan Ram as its President of Festivals and Events to bolster Palm Tree’s live event capacities.

  Intellitix is looking for a remote Sales Director to develop and execute the sales strategy and oversee and lead the sales.     237 Global is hiring a VIP Program Lead to oversee the ticketing, preparation, and execution of various client activations and programs in Los Angeles, CA. Salary range: $58,000 - $68,000.      AXS is seeking a Sr Field Operations Planner in Tempe, AZ to be responsible for coordinating with Field IT and Account Managers on festivals and events. 

Will grab-and-go concessions make it to festival grounds?

Last Week's Results:

73% of BOH readers would vote FOR making it illegal to resell a ticket for profit.

Lineups, Festival & Tour Announcements

• The Harmony and Hops Festival in Rodney, Ontario was forced to cancel due to a “barrage of mosquitos.” Sounds miserable.

• Pantera pulled out of Aftershock Festival due to “unforeseen circumstances,” but Stone Temple Pilots has stepped up to fill the October 5th slot in Sacramento, CA and Pantera vows to return to the 2024 fest.

• Mexican artist Peso Pluma has canceled his October 14th show at Caliente Stadium in Baja California a week after banners with death threats were posted throughout Tijuana, Mexico indicating that the show “would be your last” due to his “disrespect and loose tongue.”

• Los Angeles, Capital of Culture & Creativity Festival - or LA3C -  announced Erykah Badu and Herbie Hancock as headliners for the November 10 - 12 festival in Downtown Los Angeles, CA. 

• Gem & Jam Festival announced The Disco Biscuits, Lettuce, Spafford, Of The Trees, Boogie T, Daily Bread and LP Giobbi at Pima County Fairgrounds in Tucson, Arizona February 2 - 4.

• Eric Church, Jelly Roll, and Parker McCollum were announced as headliners for WE Fest, August 1 - 3 in Detroit Lakes, MN.

Tyler Hubbard hustled to the Life Is Beautiful festival, just down the road from his own performance, to join Bebe Rexha in time for a performance of their duet, “Meant to Be”.

Bob Dylan took over the stage during Willie Nelson’s 2023 Farm Aid Festival in Noblesville, Indiana on Saturday night, surprising and delighting the sold-out crowd. Sturgill Simpson also surprised fans, joining Bob Weir, Margo Price and others throughout the show.

 Megan Thee Stallion also made a “surprise” appearance at Beyoncé’s Houston concert this weekend; causing many to speculate that this was the “scheduling conflict” that caused her to pull out of NYC’s Global Citizen Festival a few weeks ago.  Finally, Former US President Jimmy Carter and his wife Roslyn drove through the Plains Peanut Festival parade in Georgia on Saturday, just days before his 99th birthday and 7 months after entering hospice.

Justin Timberlake and Tiger Woods opened a new sports bar in NYC called T-Squared Social with golf simulators, a bowling alley, dining areas, and a lot of TVs.

The Las Vegas Sphere officially opens this week and Aura the AI Robot will be there to greet guests coming through the grand atrium.

Consequence shares the 25 best concert films of all time. Can we assume the list will be revised once TSwift’s film comes out?

 If you’re planning a trip to the Caribbean this fall, you may want to add these food festivals to your itinerary.

Questions or comments?

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