A Question about concert venues.

[Mosh]

Something I have never understood is when Iron Maiden play denver since 2003 they always play the same small ampitheater with a curfew when they could play Red Rocks which is bigger, no curfew, and it is a better place to play. (one of the best places to play.) They also played it on the Ed Huntour and BNW Tour. So my question is, how do bands decide what venues they play? Is it a management decision or does the band decide? Cos I really don't get why they keep playing this small ampitheater. Another thing I noticed about this tour is they played a similar venue in California when they could've just as easily played Long Beach Arena.

 

[Travis The Dragon]

Probably because they're not super, mega popular here in the USA. I even read on another forum that in some venues on last year's tour, they sold maybe half to 3/4 of the tickets.

 

[Mosh]

Probably because they're not super, mega popular here in the USA. I even read on another forum that in some venues on last year's tour, they sold maybe half to 3/4 of the tickets.

The show in Denver was HUGE. Even Rod mentioned how big it was. If what you said is the reason then I'd expect them to play Red Rocks next time.

 

[sasquashed]

I'm no expert on the ins and outs of touring, but as far as I know, Maiden contracts through Live Nation here in the states, so they are obligated to use Live Nation owned/controlled venues.  Live Nation takes a lot of flack for some of their sub-par venues, but they do have a lot of them, so at least there is a chance an artist you like will play in a Live Nation venue near where you live that the artist may otherwise skip.  To play in Redrocks they would have to compete for concert dates with lots of other artists, and it would have to fit their schedule.  I'm not sure they could play there without breaking Live Nation's contractual rules.

 

[Mosh]

I'm no expert on the ins and outs of touring, but as far as I know, Maiden contracts through Live Nation here in the states, so they are obligated to use Live Nation owned/controlled venues.  Live Nation takes a lot of flack for some of their sub-par venues, but they do have a lot of them, so at least there is a chance an artist you like will play in a Live Nation venue near where you live that the artist may otherwise skip.  To play in Redrocks they would have to compete for concert dates with lots of other artists, and it would have to fit their schedule.  I'm not sure they could play there without breaking Live Nation's contractual rules.

that makes sense.

 

[bornless1]

  As far as the California shows, yes Live Nation has affiliation /contract with San Manuel Amphitheater in Devore, [about 60 miles east of Los Angeles]  It is a larger venue, suitable for large crowds.  There were 25,000 + there for the lads in June. As for Long Beach Arena, the area has deteriorated in recent years, and parking, traffic, etc. are a nightmare.    I would much rather go to the outdoor amphitheaters [weather permitting] anyway.  I do believe the band cares immensely for us fans, and takes these things into consideration.

 

[Jed]

Probably because they're not super, mega popular here in the USA. I even read on another forum that in some venues on last year's tour, they sold maybe half to 3/4 of the tickets.

Maiden is still pulling an average of 10,000+ a night in the states which is pretty damn impressive considering most of their 80's contempories are playing 500 person night clubs (and Maiden continues to receive little to no radio support for their new stuff).  I did see some empty sections recently but it's really no different than many of the 'popular' bands when they roll into town.

Up in my neck of the woods (Northern CA), the last Maiden gig was exactly on par with our last Metallica gig (14,000 kids).  Not too shabby!

 

[Mosh]

Again, the denver show was huge. I'd guess that this tour brought in more revenue then the NA leg of SBIT

 

[Genghis Khan]

I would much rather go to the outdoor amphitheaters [weather permitting] anyway. 

Maiden usually plays the Molson Ampitheatre when in Toronto area, and I'm glad.  The acoustics are better.

I'm no expert on the ins and outs of touring, but as far as I know, Maiden contracts through Live Nation here in the states, so they are obligated to use Live Nation owned/controlled venues.  Live Nation takes a lot of flack for some of their sub-par venues, but they do have a lot of them, so at least there is a chance an artist you like will play in a Live Nation venue near where you live that the artist may otherwise skip.  To play in Redrocks they would have to compete for concert dates with lots of other artists, and it would have to fit their schedule.  I'm not sure they could play there without breaking Live Nation's contractual rules.

I did not know this.  I wonder if the same is true for Canada.

 

[sasquashed]

I did a little research, and I can't find anything that indicates Maiden had/has an exclusivity arrangement with Live Nation.  Indeed, White River Amphitheater in Auburn, Washington is not one of their venues and Maiden played there on both the Somewhere Back In Time and Final Frontier tours.  So, I was wrong in thinking they had to use only Live Nation venues.  That being said, from an artist's standpoint, Live Nation seems to provide pretty nice incentives for playing their venues. Cash guarantees up front and 90% of ticket revenue to the artist in many cases.  It's probably hard for other promoters and venue owners to match that.  So Maiden may actually be making more money by playing a smaller Live Nation venue compared to a slightly larger city or independently promoted/owned venue, depending on how the financials are set up.  With Live Nation's merger with Ticketmaster, though, it will be interesting to see if they are able to impose a de facto monopoly on the entertainment business and raise ticket prices and fees even higher than they are now.  I sure hope not.  And yes, Live Nation controlls many venues in Canada, also, and is buying more all the time here in the U.S.A. and internationally.

So the what I'm getting at is it seems Maiden should be able to play Redrocks if they are able to make it work financially and fit with the touring schedule.  It would be quite something to see them play at such a legendary place!