Mailbag

Hope you're well.

Lately, I've been revisiting the ticketing issues that we discussed a few years ago. My most recent story is here:

http://www.newschannel5.com/story/18609327/scalpers-get-edge-on-fans-at-eric-church-show

As part of that endeavor, I obtained ticketing documents for Justin Bieber's 2012-13 tour - you know, the one that sold out MSG "in 30 seconds!" and the whole tour in an hour! (Exclamation marks from the celebrity press.)

Well, it turns out again, that most of the tickets were sold long before the public onsale - either through AmEx presales or artist/tour holds. And, this time, we have direct evidence of tour-hold tickets being scalped directly through TicketsNow/StubHub/Ticket Network.

Phil

Phil Williams
Chief Investigative Reporter WTVF-TV

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From: Berton Averre
Subject: Re: Playing for Free

Always nice to hear from Wendy Waldman, isn't it? Great thoughts, great feeling. It inspired me to share a memory from our band's early days.

We made a name for ourselves playing the clubs in Hollywood, bouncing back and forth from the Troubadour to the Starwood. We'd play almost anywhere to build up a fan base, and one night we found ourselves way the hell out in Lancaster at a club called The Wooden Nickel. Our agreement was to play one set for the pittance the club owner was paying us, which would cover our crew, gas money, and maybe the cost of printing up posters. Turns out the club owner wanted us to play a second set without paying us any more, and he and one of our three managers (at the time we had an unfriendly triumvirate of managers, if you can imagine) had a screaming match over it near our "dressing room". I couldn't make out our manager's words over the jukebox and the bar fights, but the owner must have had one of those voices that carried, for I distinctly remember him bellowing "You think this band is worth fifty dollars?!"

And Bob, you are so right when you refer to the immense significance of timing when it comes to success in music. I've never had many words of wisdom to offer on the subject of the biz if aspiring young musicians should ever ask. The one thing I've always told them is always to make the music you truly love yourself. I know that sounds fatuous, but artists do get lured into playing and recording a particular style of music based on someone's calculation (often not one of the artists) that this is the style people want to hear that week, and that's the way to get hits. My point is that ISN'T the way to get a hit, it never is. Worthwhile songs come from talented, motivated people engaged in an eternal love affair with music and their tools of the trade (guitars, voices, even computers I guess). No passion, no song. So the formula is work as hard as you can to make the music you love as well as you can, and hope to hell that you're doing it at that brief sliver in time when the world is ready to love it too. And, of course, be lucky enough that all your hard work yields a chance that people will hear it.

Our band was very lucky indeed, in that our time scrabbling to get a toehold was relatively short. I honestly don't know what might have happened if we'd had to endure years of Wooden Nickels. But I do know that if money was the immediate incentive we would never have stuck around to find out. And I'll never stop being grateful that in our brief sliver of time there were people who liked the same things we did.

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Subject: Fred Armisen @ SXSW

Hey Bob,

I first met Fred in 1998 while working with Steve Albini. On a break he showed me this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOp1uPpjYgo

You're welcome.

Steve Taylor

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Re: Roxette
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Hey Bob,

Nice piece on Roxette. I saw the front-end of this near two-year tour at Wembley Arena last November. They played a 12k plus sell-out house with nary a peep of a mention before or a review after. And yes, The main locus of my London visit was to see Roxette as I was doubtful they would make over here. I just love them and think Per Gessle is pretty much a genius level songwriter that can still turn them out 25 years on.

Until a couple of them got chucked-up on iTunes, their last five albums didn't even see release in the states and they are all good, with "Room Service' being a near masterpiece. I too was stuck by a world-class band that plays pop music taking to the stage in 2012 without a sampler,sequencer or click-track anywhere in sight . Jeez, the entire stage set-up could probably fit in one of those 19.95 a-day U-hauls.

But wow, what a great night.

Bill Inglot

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I saw Roxette in San Francisco the night before... and they were simply amazing. There were tons of singalongs, not just "na na's" but like a full verse and chorus! People were freaking out.

In fact, I was so stoked by it, I just bought (downloaded) the greatest hits, the last 2 roxette albums, and 2 per gessle albums.

I am now totally a fan.

John Ashfield

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I don't say this often, Bob, but I'm jealous! Love Roxette and didn't get the chance to see them when they were in NYC because it was over Labor Day weekend.

Roxette epitomizes what pop music was and what it should be. Amazing melodies, fantastic vocals, great writing and an overall enjoyable vibe. Marie could sing the phonebook and she is so believable and enthralling when she sings. Growing up in the 80s, a handful of their songs were all over the radio and they still sound memorable 20-25 years later.

Hopefully they come back again soon.

Richard Young

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You hit the nail on the head. Roxette has been dismissed by many, but they are pure pop perfection. "Joyride" and the whole album is infectious. "physical fascination" from joyride is another favorite.

What music lacks today is a combination of talent, excitement, and a sense of wonder. I'm 40 and was raised in the 80s on MTV - not ashamed to admit that. I'll be seeing Peter Gabriel So Tour and Prince in the same week shortly....talent, excitement and wonder indeed.

Nathan Benditzson

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Hey Bob,

Roxette's Per Gessle was a star in Sweden before Roxette with his band Gyllene Tider (Golden Times) that had a strong four album run before disbanding.

My collaborator Mats MP Persson was in that band and was a crucial background player in Roxette's success as well (as a co-writer of songs like "Listen To Your Heart").

Calling them a local hit rather than journeymen in their past might be a bit more fitting. Especially judging by the homecoming concert they did in their hometown of
Halmstad, Sweden in 2004. 40,000 tickets sold, a huge boom in their catalogue and screens in the city centre celebrating the end of their tour. I was in the audience. The place
went nuts.

I believe this was after their show in Gothenburg - where rock lives in Sweden - that set a new record for attendance at the Ullevi Stadium there with north of 50k showing up
shattering the previous record set by Bruce.

Vince Degiorgio

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Bob --

Just got back from a speaking gig in Sweden at Hotel Tylosand.
I didn't know the place, and had to ask the staff why all the Roxette memorabilia was everywhere -- along with the fact the meeting rooms were chiefly named for the great rock photographers, which is obviously quite distinctive.

Turns out that Per owns the place. What I loved is that it's not a hotel that feels like someone doing a "corporate cash-in" (like Hard Rock does quite frequently)...instead the vibe is really terrific and unlike anyplace I've been.

The best part was that when I was speaking to the group about how to cultivate customers into a fan base, the very hotel we were in, and its owner, were perfect examples.

Scott McKain

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I absolutely LOVE Roxette and always have. Was fortunate enough to see them at the peak of their initial popularity at their homecoming show in a sold-out arena in Stockholm. Sadly missed them this tour due to my own busy schedule, though I almost flew to Calgary and back for one night just to see them -- it was my only possible chance, and circumstances conspired against me. And I know I will regret not doing so.

Marie is an amazing vocalist. And her recovery from the brain tumour is even more amazing. To be able to do what she loves so much again and do it so well is a tribute to modern medicine and her own perseverance. This lengthy tour was no picnic, but after what she's been through, I am hoping she enjoyed it as much as the fans did. She's earned it.

Per Gessle is simply one of the most under-rated and under-respected music-makers of our time. He's not the best singer on the stage, nor is he the best musician. The musicians in Roxette are top-notch, his collaborators for two decades. And he works, year in and year out, with the same team of musicians, engineers, producers. But he can write and arrange with the best of them, and his feel for the rock/pop groove and his unending supply of hooks is spectacular. So many of his songs sound instantaneously familiar. He's the guy who pulls it all together around him and he's the guy who makes it all happen.

I have all the music, not just Roxette. Per Gessle solo. Son Of A Plumber. Gyllene Tyder (his Swedish language band that his HUGE in Sweden). All multi-platinum in Sweden. The Lonely Boys, a one-off collaboration with some other well-known Swedish rockers is the best-kept secret in his storied career. I don't even know how to begin to explain it. It's a bit more rough around the edges than most of his more-polished work, and sorta Sixties British Invasion version ofR&B inspired; it is supposed to be the soundtrack to a book. All I know is I love to listen to that album.

He's the real deal, a world-class creator of world-class music. This long-awaited worldwide Roxette tour is now coming to a close after what seems like at least 18 months and shows everywhere, and they even finally returned to North America at long last.

Per Gessle doesn't need America, that's for sure, and he's done quite well with minimal success in America for many years since Roxette receded from the American airwaves (just ask EMI Sweden, who have released all of his recordings).

But America needs more Per Gessle.

Toby Mamis
ALIVE ENTERPRISES

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I saw them the night before in San Francisco - first time I'd seen them - and was blown away. The venue was awesome for this show, and nearly all the people there seemed to be huge fans. I put up a review on my site, and someone commented that they'd driven 1,500 miles for the show, and in talking with the couple next to me, they were traveling to see the show at the Gibson the next night as well. And there were so many Swedish flags being waved in the audience, I thought I was at the Olympics!

The capacity at the Nob Hill Masonic Auditorium is a little over 3,000, and it was nearly sold out. AWESOME crowd. If you judge a show by the crowd, it was a 10/10. If you see this video I show, you'll see everyone clapping, singing, out of their seats... http://youtu.be/WR9saxcluOA

I put up a review with a lot of photos and a few videos from the show in SF here:

http://rocksubculture.com/?p=7504

Jason DeBord
Editor in Chief
The Rock Subculture Journal

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Roxette.... Another band where the magic hand to make them stars was Herbie Herbert! Uh.... Let's see... That makes: Journey, Steve Miller's career resurrection, Santana, Europe, Mr. Big, Nocturne the live event company, the money behind Michael Bolton, make the merch biz what it is today with his clients at Winterland productions and all inventive ways to sell products at live event. etc. etc. etc. He made a lot of people a TON of money. And he brought a lot of great music to fans all over the world.

Bob - I love ya... But even Cliff & Peter know what Herbie was all about. All he ever did was bring the world to the artist's door.

Your pal,
Eric Hoppe

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Good to read your review of Roxette. They were over my way earlier this year and were just fabulous. I have dealt with them since 1991 and both Per and Marie are two of the nicest people you could meet in this industry. Both their Perth shows sold out in minutes and they easily could have done another two. My inbox went crazy for ticket requests when it was announced they were coming - had more requests for tix to see their show than I had for Coldplay a few years back. Per has a great love and knowledge of pop music and I remember sitting with him and the band many years ago discussing and debating many a pop act into the wee hours of the morning. They came back to Perth again a few years later and we continued our conversation. It was good to see them again this year playing so good and Marie nailing the vocals.

Cheers

Dixie

DIXIE BATTERSBY
Media Manager
EMI MUSIC AUSTRALIA

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My favourite group...and no shame in stating so!

:)

Shayan

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HEY ! I thought I was the only one who LOVED this band in the us!!?? I am so glad you said all this and I am not alone. I could never decide if it was Roxette or the Indigo Girls I liked to sing to more. But really, I think was Roxette. To the point of the entire dorm hall telling me to shut up and the guy down stairs hurling oranges at our window because he hated Roxette and it played constantly! She really IS good and deserved far more than she ever got. They did some neat work and it went unnoticed. Thanks for sharing!

Winifred Adams

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Roxette in South Africa.

Hi Bob,

Last year, one of our concert promoters decided to bring out Roxette to the famous Sun City Superbowl.

The first response amongst our media "Hipsters" was "Why would anyone go see these has-beens" but they greatly underestimated our country's generation x's. They quickly sold out both nights at the Superbowl which has a capacity of about 8000 and went on to add 2 more nights that also sold out.

They were great and as you mentioned you could see she wasn't the same but no one cared. Cause the rest of the band carried her.

It was a massive event with all the nights filled with 30somethings across race, gender and even genre. There were guys in Metallica shirts standing next to their wife's singing every word!

That's the thing about Roxette. Their music is so catchy and they've had so many hits that you can't help but know all the words. And they still remain a core artist on our AC stations.

It's like it almost became cool to go, yeah I listen to rock but my secret pop vice is Roxette. Just because the songs were so good.

Greetings from SA
Francois Du Toit

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Roxette are a phenomenon! We promoted the Charm School tour in 2011 and sold an incredible 52,000 tickets (across Sun City and Cape Town). ...and so we brought them back a year later, and still sold 26,000 tickets. Yes, there is Marie's incredible cancer recovery story...but really, its all about the incredible, catchy tunes played live as they sound on the albums.

Kind regards,

John Langford B.Comm. MBA
Chief Operating Officer | BIG Concerts International
www.bigconcerts.co.za

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I'm a Swedish songwriter and producer living in Stockholm. I was so glad to read your post on Roxette. I really think Per deserves more credit for being the phenomenal songwriter he is. It's always difficult to be a prophet in your own town, and I don't think Per has received recognition enough. Now, more than 20 years after having penned the Pretty Woman soundtrack song "It must have been love", as you said, people still have the songs in their DNA.
I think Per has always just written the songs he wants to write and he does it so well. Never trying to write in the style of what's currently charting on Billboard to be a copycat. I would think that the same goes for another guy who lives a couple of blocks away from Per in this little town, Max Martin. He's simply the best at what he does. They both have a true gift for writing songs that inevitably ends up in your veins and will stay in your DNA, and they have both done this by not copying someone else but rather developing their own style of songwriting. Hate it or love it, but I think a lot of us will have difficulties getting Britneys "oh, baby baby" out of our heads for a long time even though this was more than 10 years ago. Yes, at the time you could hear a lot of people explaining how "simple", "sweet", or "cheesy" some of these songs were, but today, as you stated, these songs are appreciated by an audience that wasn´t really around when the songs had their initial success and some of the songs seems strong enough to stay in our blood. At the end of the day, it's all about the song, isn't it?

Best,
Peter Sjostrom

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No insider scoop, just a perspective on Per from a layperson who met him by accident.

I sat next to Per at a Swedish friend's birthday dinner a few years back--while Elton John and Stevie Wonder gave us a private performance (yeah, there's money in sending your teenagers to Europe for a week) - and you'd never meet a more down-to-earth international star. Indulging this wanna-be rock star, he patiently answered my tell-me-everything questions, aware all the while, I'm sure, that I didn't really appreciate the magnitude of what he'd accomplished outside of the states.

He was funny, humble and approachable, and this while Marie was in the throes of her health issues. Glad to hear they're back on stage.

Ted Doyle

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Hi there,

Loved reading this. I'm what you would call a typical Scandinavian hard rock fan, but after 25 years in the music industry (counting the first tentative years working in record shops - you know, with vinyl & cassettes) the horizon is broad enough to encompass most genres as long as the songs are there. And boy, are the songs there when Per Gessle is involved! I recently interviewed the songwriter of Norwegian melodic hardcore/punk band Blood Command, and even he acknowledges Gessle's influence, claiming that his goal is to write "abrasive songs, but with a solid Gessle chorus".

And, in case you haven't seen it, here's Per Gessle performing the Ramones song "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend". Again, it's all about the song and the melody.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6ELqW-7Mo0

Best,

Espen Nørvåg Slapgård
Label Manager
Cooperative Music
Norway

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I've been listening a lot to 20 on 20 recently. They pounding a song called "Dream On" by Roxette. This is a fucking smash!! It reminds me of something from my distant pass but I can't put my finger on it. Maybe something from Herman's Hermits? Do you know this song?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-SU4rfZZPE

what song does this sound like in the hook? 60's

Jeffrey Naumann

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I love Roxette! Tons of memories!!
Starting up Spotifiy right now. Thanks for reminding me :-)

And as far as the commercials go... Welcome to extreme capitalism. Money has always been, but now is more than ever, the most important thing in this country. In other countries too... Some others are getting into the same problem. But it all comes from the United States... It's all about the money here and I hate it. Nothing else counts for most people, everybody wants it all and a little more... it's so sad... Moving back to Austria next year. Not saying it's all perfect there, but still better than here. And I will be back to 5 weeks vacation ;-)

Have a good day!

Markus Unterberger

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live nation fucked up the palladium the same way....when we ran the joint, everyone dressed up to go...it was a night out... you were served drinks by waiters and waitresses in bow ties and vests, and our VIP bar was packed and there was a scene...now...ads everywhere...bad beer in a plastic cups....no scene. I went to see Rebelution there and was horrified at what had been done to the vibe of that place (and they supposedly spent $ 20,000,000 fixing it up !) ....when we ran it, the bands called us to play there...including the Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, Roxy Music, T Rex, you name it.....It was the class party gig on their tour....

Sepp Donahower

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"The Gibson" Amphitheater. The naming rights deal cost about 11 million bucks for 13 years' worth of ego strokes. There are many in the guitar biz who think the dough could have been better spent building better guitars...

My Best,

Rick Turner

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Thanx for stopping by. We all had a great time at the Gibson. Marie had a tough day due to the fact we did a CBS morning show before the show talking about her illness. She hates that... + her son visiting............ Read your article. Wise words. Keep it up! See ya next time.
P.

Per Gessle


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