WEBVTT - Danny Zelisko 0:00:08.600 --> 0:00:12.400 Welcome, Welcome, Welcome back to Bob Left That podcast. My 0:00:12.560 --> 0:00:16.160 guest today is consa promotor. Danny's a list of who's 0:00:16.200 --> 0:00:20.120 got a brand new book all excess Danny. Good to happen, 0:00:20.960 --> 0:00:23.160 Great to be here, Bob. How are you? I'm good. 0:00:23.360 --> 0:00:26.239 Let's start with the most important thing first. How do 0:00:26.280 --> 0:00:30.720 you become a member of the White Castle Hall of Fame? UM? 0:00:30.800 --> 0:00:35.159 Last year, You're good friend. Toby Mamis made me aware 0:00:35.440 --> 0:00:38.519 of the fact that Alice was going to get an 0:00:38.520 --> 0:00:43.559 Alice Cooper's corner at the new White Castle in Scottsdale. 0:00:44.320 --> 0:00:48.120 There has never been other than the Vegas White Castle 0:00:48.159 --> 0:00:51.760 on the Strip. Uh, There's never been another White Castle 0:00:52.520 --> 0:00:57.880 franchise in Arizona anywhere west of the Mississippi. UM, there 0:00:57.880 --> 0:01:01.160 are no franchises. They're all family owned. I tried to 0:01:01.200 --> 0:01:03.800 buy one forty years ago and they said we're family owned, 0:01:03.840 --> 0:01:07.560 forget it. And I ended up meeting up with these 0:01:07.600 --> 0:01:10.760 people and and and working with them with Alice for 0:01:10.880 --> 0:01:14.160 this uh grand opening. And it was no big deal, 0:01:14.280 --> 0:01:16.080 was just a couple of phone calls and so forth. 0:01:16.120 --> 0:01:18.480 But I ended up showing up there with them. I 0:01:18.560 --> 0:01:21.680 met the family, the white Castle family, that's the real 0:01:21.800 --> 0:01:28.040 last name white Castle family. And they ended up becoming 0:01:28.120 --> 0:01:31.040 friendly with me, and then I said, well, hell, John 0:01:31.080 --> 0:01:33.160 Prine should go into the Hall of Fame. I mean, 0:01:33.440 --> 0:01:36.600 he's a major white Castle lover. And and then Tommy 0:01:36.640 --> 0:01:39.400 Shaw came to town in January and we had a 0:01:39.440 --> 0:01:42.040 show and after the show, I had a crave case backstage, 0:01:42.360 --> 0:01:45.119 which the bands just go crazy for when you have 0:01:45.160 --> 0:01:48.760 White Castles. After the show for him and Tommy Shaw 0:01:48.880 --> 0:01:51.000 went crazy. So I talked to this guy at White 0:01:51.000 --> 0:01:53.640 Castle and I said, we'd like to do another Hall 0:01:53.680 --> 0:01:56.280 of Fame thing. I got John Prine and I got 0:01:56.320 --> 0:01:59.080 Tommy Shawn and I'll do it too if you want. 0:01:59.560 --> 0:02:02.040 And he he loved me, and I met him with 0:02:02.080 --> 0:02:05.440 the Alice thing, and one thing led to another, and 0:02:05.760 --> 0:02:09.560 we had this little induction ceremony in the Nashville White 0:02:09.560 --> 0:02:13.000 Castle because that's where both Tommy and Fiona Prime live. 0:02:13.800 --> 0:02:17.359 Um and uh. It was a great, great experience. So 0:02:18.440 --> 0:02:23.360 to to enhance that, they sent me out these things 0:02:23.400 --> 0:02:26.919 called Crave clutch boxes that you can go to White 0:02:26.919 --> 0:02:29.799 Castle and it's like a little suitcase and they'll put 0:02:29.800 --> 0:02:32.600 twenty Hamburgers in there for you and you walk away 0:02:32.639 --> 0:02:35.480 like it's a little briefcase. They sent me a thousand 0:02:35.560 --> 0:02:38.919 of those to send out my book into the people 0:02:38.919 --> 0:02:41.840 who are buying it online. And then they gave me 0:02:41.960 --> 0:02:48.400 coupons to to get free uh uh frozen burgers and 0:02:48.400 --> 0:02:51.200 and if you're in the town that's got real White Castle, 0:02:51.240 --> 0:02:53.360 you can go there. And they had a coupon for 0:02:53.480 --> 0:02:56.520 three burgers. So I called the dinner in a show. 0:02:56.560 --> 0:02:59.240 I sent a couple of little wine tasting glasses in 0:02:59.280 --> 0:03:03.080 the box along with the book. And everybody's really enjoyed 0:03:03.120 --> 0:03:06.200 the presentation. Yeah, the presentation is great. I was surprised. 0:03:06.240 --> 0:03:09.280 You don't normally get someone putting that much thought into it. 0:03:09.320 --> 0:03:12.359 But just to go back, the national headquarters of White 0:03:12.360 --> 0:03:17.280 Castle are were It's in Columbus, Ohio. Columbus, Ohio. So 0:03:17.400 --> 0:03:21.000 did you grow up eating White Castle? I did? Um, 0:03:21.080 --> 0:03:25.040 you know, back in the fifties. Uh, you know, six kids, 0:03:25.240 --> 0:03:30.520 eight people in the house, small house. Um. Dad's an electrician. 0:03:30.840 --> 0:03:33.520 We don't go out for dinner very often. But when 0:03:33.560 --> 0:03:36.560 you can get a dozen burgers for a buck, he 0:03:36.600 --> 0:03:38.960 can be a stud and take his family out to dinner. 0:03:38.960 --> 0:03:42.000 And that's the whole idea behind that restaurant. I've always 0:03:42.040 --> 0:03:45.040 loved them for that, They've the family thing about it, 0:03:45.160 --> 0:03:48.200 and and and just the fact that they're always open 0:03:48.200 --> 0:03:50.880 and ready to feed you. I just love them. Okay. 0:03:50.960 --> 0:03:53.840 You know, I've heard from varying people about pulling all 0:03:53.960 --> 0:03:56.640 miters and going to White Castle, and they would tell 0:03:56.680 --> 0:03:59.080 you how many burgers they ate at that time. What's 0:03:59.120 --> 0:04:02.120 the greatest numbumber of white Castle burgers? You've eaten it? 0:04:02.200 --> 0:04:06.480 One time? I would have to say the one and 0:04:06.520 --> 0:04:09.920 only time I did ten was in a white Castle 0:04:09.960 --> 0:04:14.360 eating contest that Adam west Batman was the judge of. 0:04:14.520 --> 0:04:18.560 And I tied with a local TV celebrity and Phoenix, 0:04:18.560 --> 0:04:21.840 a news guy, and and immediately following the show, I 0:04:21.880 --> 0:04:23.440 went on too. He had a tour bus for a 0:04:23.560 --> 0:04:26.640 dressing room was out out in this place called Fountain Hills, 0:04:27.120 --> 0:04:29.320 and they brought a semi of white castles out there. 0:04:30.000 --> 0:04:33.120 And afterwards I said, Adam, can I use your bus? 0:04:33.120 --> 0:04:38.760 He goes, remember No number two? And I said how 0:04:38.760 --> 0:04:44.520 about a number three? And and out they went. Um. 0:04:44.560 --> 0:04:47.799 But you know, nowadays I'm a two or three White 0:04:47.839 --> 0:04:50.360 Castle guy. Those things just they're so delicious, but they 0:04:50.440 --> 0:04:53.560 ripped me up. Okay, let's switch gears again. You are 0:04:53.600 --> 0:04:59.680 a controvermot of longstanding winner shows coming back. You know, Uh, 0:05:00.520 --> 0:05:02.600 as soon as they can figure out how to do 0:05:02.640 --> 0:05:06.320 it a rapid test. Um, I think we could have shows. 0:05:06.839 --> 0:05:09.400 I don't know why it's not been done already. UM. 0:05:09.440 --> 0:05:12.600 I think it's gonna be a while before there's an 0:05:12.640 --> 0:05:17.320 antidote or a vaccine. UM. I think you know instead 0:05:17.360 --> 0:05:20.400 of like some places where you go, they'll they'll push 0:05:20.680 --> 0:05:23.599 a temperature gun at you and Okay, you've got a 0:05:23.600 --> 0:05:25.839 good temperature, and they allow you in, like that's all 0:05:25.880 --> 0:05:28.160 that matters. And we all know that that's not enough. 0:05:28.760 --> 0:05:30.840 You've got to know whether or not you're carrying that 0:05:30.839 --> 0:05:34.360 stuff or if people next to you are carrying it. 0:05:34.480 --> 0:05:38.640 And most people don't have it. I mean I personally 0:05:38.680 --> 0:05:41.039 would go to a concert or a baseball game if 0:05:41.279 --> 0:05:44.640 on the way in, uh, if somebody points something to 0:05:44.640 --> 0:05:47.400 me or says, here's a swab, and my swab turns 0:05:47.400 --> 0:05:50.200 a different color like a pregnancy test, and it says 0:05:50.240 --> 0:05:53.359 whether or not you're carrying. If you're not carrying, go in. 0:05:53.440 --> 0:05:55.960 If you are carrying stuff over here, we'll tell you 0:05:56.000 --> 0:05:59.760 what you need to do. Here's your money back, um, 0:05:59.760 --> 0:06:03.200 And until that can happen. I mean, right now, what 0:06:03.240 --> 0:06:06.360 are we looking at Memorial Day at this point? And 0:06:06.400 --> 0:06:09.359 that's just a guess, just like it was back in 0:06:09.440 --> 0:06:12.880 March when we started guessing for June. Nobody had any 0:06:12.920 --> 0:06:15.560 idea back then, and to sit here right now, I 0:06:15.760 --> 0:06:19.680 don't know that anybody's got any idea even better at 0:06:19.720 --> 0:06:22.240 this point. But the bottom line is for us, our 0:06:22.279 --> 0:06:26.839 economy is about selling tickets and having people working in 0:06:26.920 --> 0:06:32.240 halls and radio stations and secretaries and ushers and security 0:06:32.240 --> 0:06:35.279 and stage hands and all the rest our economy that 0:06:35.720 --> 0:06:38.920 that that runs the concert business is sitting here waiting 0:06:38.960 --> 0:06:43.280 to move. And uh, my guess is as good as 0:06:43.320 --> 0:06:46.120 yours as far as when the will happen. But it 0:06:46.240 --> 0:06:48.960 seems to me that as soon as we can get 0:06:49.120 --> 0:06:52.520 some sort of a gauge on whether or not people 0:06:52.560 --> 0:06:56.440 are carrying this terrible disease or not, and most people aren't, 0:06:56.720 --> 0:06:59.440 it's the ones that do in these small spaces that 0:06:59.560 --> 0:07:02.960 seem to spread it everywhere like wildfire. And now those 0:07:03.000 --> 0:07:07.040 are the people we got to sort out. Okay, Now, 0:07:07.040 --> 0:07:10.040 if I speak with agents, and I do, they're constantly 0:07:10.160 --> 0:07:13.680 rebooking gigs, putting holds on as a promoter. Is that 0:07:13.840 --> 0:07:17.600 something you've been doing in the last seven months. Yes, Um, 0:07:17.640 --> 0:07:22.360 we've rebooked shows and I have my best year lined 0:07:22.480 --> 0:07:26.880 up this year. And you know, I had all the travel, 0:07:26.960 --> 0:07:31.080 all the hotels, all the radio, everything's booked, and we 0:07:31.120 --> 0:07:34.640 had a systematically tear it down one by one, starting 0:07:34.640 --> 0:07:37.600 with the shows in March and April and move those 0:07:38.280 --> 0:07:40.560 because nobody knew what was going on. We moved him 0:07:40.560 --> 0:07:44.160 to June July. The next thing, you know, we're moving 0:07:44.200 --> 0:07:48.840 him to September, October, and then they're moving to next year, 0:07:49.280 --> 0:07:52.240 and now they're next summer and now their next fall. 0:07:52.760 --> 0:07:57.440 It seems ridiculous to me, um, that that this is 0:07:57.480 --> 0:07:59.800 all we're doing, and nobody's saying. I mean, when they're 0:07:59.800 --> 0:08:02.760 talking about the economy, they're talking about Wall Street, they're 0:08:02.760 --> 0:08:06.400 not talking about regular people. Regular people don't participate in 0:08:06.440 --> 0:08:09.520 Wall Street. They go to concerts, they go to restaurants, 0:08:09.840 --> 0:08:13.960 you know, And and and we we've got to be able 0:08:14.000 --> 0:08:16.040 to determine whether or not people are sick or not 0:08:16.600 --> 0:08:19.000 so that we can have some sort of life. That 0:08:19.160 --> 0:08:21.640 what we're doing right now is a half life. You know, 0:08:21.720 --> 0:08:26.000 it's okay, So how many full time people let's talk 0:08:26.080 --> 0:08:29.120 prior to the virus. How many full time people did 0:08:29.120 --> 0:08:34.240 you have at Dennis Alescope Presents, UM just six and 0:08:34.559 --> 0:08:38.160 now we have five. One guy left and he went 0:08:38.200 --> 0:08:41.720 on to do something else, but everybody else uh is 0:08:41.760 --> 0:08:47.480 still there. Uh. They accepted reduced pay and and all 0:08:47.480 --> 0:08:52.800 of a sudden, finishing this book became a priority for me. 0:08:53.440 --> 0:08:55.920 And I didn't want to let everybody go. I mean 0:08:55.960 --> 0:08:58.520 I was. I was hoping I wouldn't lose them, like 0:08:58.640 --> 0:09:02.560 so many people have lost rate employees because of this. 0:09:02.640 --> 0:09:07.320 They got to eat. So Fortunately, I think they haven't 0:09:07.320 --> 0:09:10.640 told me different that I'm giving them enough to live on, 0:09:11.120 --> 0:09:14.400 and I hope it is enough, UM, because I'd like 0:09:14.480 --> 0:09:16.440 to keep things going as it is. I'm not going 0:09:16.520 --> 0:09:20.200 to learn how to do books UM and and art 0:09:20.520 --> 0:09:23.040 and and all different kinds of stuff that I still 0:09:23.559 --> 0:09:26.920 have to do while I'm maintaining these shows that have 0:09:26.960 --> 0:09:30.880 been postponed one time after another. We still got to do, 0:09:31.080 --> 0:09:34.840 you know, dealings with the ticketing people at halls and 0:09:34.840 --> 0:09:39.520 and you know advertising and website stuff, and you know, 0:09:39.840 --> 0:09:43.520 it's like we're still open to a degree, but we're 0:09:43.559 --> 0:09:46.280 just not working putting on shows the way that we 0:09:46.400 --> 0:09:49.360 used to. We're waiting to be able to do that now. 0:09:49.480 --> 0:09:51.600 Right now, you're in Maui. How long have you been 0:09:51.600 --> 0:09:58.120 in Maui? I got here last Friday. Okay, you weren't 0:09:58.120 --> 0:10:02.080 afraid to get on a plane. No, no, you know, 0:10:02.400 --> 0:10:06.840 I mean I we weren't able to come to Maui 0:10:06.920 --> 0:10:10.200 at all this year. We uh, we own a place 0:10:10.280 --> 0:10:15.000 over here in Hannah with a few friends, and we 0:10:15.040 --> 0:10:17.240 haven't been able to come here since February because they 0:10:17.240 --> 0:10:20.920 wanted a two week quarantine. Now what they do is 0:10:21.040 --> 0:10:23.640 you have to have a test within seventy two hours 0:10:24.400 --> 0:10:28.040 and you can um come over here as long as 0:10:28.040 --> 0:10:30.480 it's negative and you don't have to go through the 0:10:30.559 --> 0:10:34.080 quarantine process. Um. No, I'm not afraid to get on 0:10:34.160 --> 0:10:36.840 a plane. They I've been on a number of planes 0:10:37.320 --> 0:10:41.240 people who have been spaced around. Um, everybody's got their 0:10:41.280 --> 0:10:45.160 mask on and and and I think for by and large, 0:10:45.840 --> 0:10:48.640 people aren't traveling if they're not feeling well. And they 0:10:48.679 --> 0:10:50.720 ask you straight up, of course you could lie, but 0:10:50.800 --> 0:10:53.000 what good would that do? Kind of like lying about 0:10:53.000 --> 0:10:57.800 a golf score. It doesn't help. Um. So yeah, I 0:10:57.880 --> 0:11:01.480 had no problem. I had no problem getting on a plane. Um, 0:11:01.480 --> 0:11:05.600 we're pretty much sequestioned here. While we're here, there's there's 0:11:05.640 --> 0:11:09.800 nobody here. There's no tourism happening either. And okay, but 0:11:09.920 --> 0:11:12.880 Mami is known for having a lot of residents from 0:11:12.880 --> 0:11:17.319 the music business, both business people and creative people. Chef 0:11:17.480 --> 0:11:19.920 Gordon seems to be the straw that stirs the drink. 0:11:20.480 --> 0:11:23.320 So is there anything going on with those people? And 0:11:23.360 --> 0:11:28.040 if not, tell us the way it used to be. Well, Um, 0:11:28.080 --> 0:11:31.720 you know, chef just had a baby and and uh, 0:11:31.760 --> 0:11:34.559 he's the he's the youngest seventy five year old daddy 0:11:34.559 --> 0:11:37.760 I've ever met. Um. As a matter of fact, Friday, 0:11:37.800 --> 0:11:39.959 we're going over to the other side and staying with 0:11:40.040 --> 0:11:46.200 him for two days. His wife said, has decided, I'm 0:11:46.760 --> 0:11:49.440 I'm clean, and let's leave my wife. We're clean and 0:11:49.480 --> 0:11:54.120 we can stay with them for a couple of days. Um. 0:11:54.200 --> 0:11:59.480 You know, uh, things, you know, I mean, things have changed, 0:11:59.520 --> 0:12:01.280 your ob Just think because we can't go back and 0:12:01.320 --> 0:12:05.360 forth the way that we used to. Um, shop isn't 0:12:05.400 --> 0:12:08.040 having this Christmas show this year for the first time 0:12:08.080 --> 0:12:13.400 and I don't know how many years. Uh, it's kind 0:12:13.440 --> 0:12:18.000 of a reboot the whole thing, you know. Okay, do 0:12:18.160 --> 0:12:21.280 you still get as excited about a show as you 0:12:21.320 --> 0:12:26.120 did at the beginning. For the most part, yes, because 0:12:26.280 --> 0:12:29.120 a lot of the people that I'm working with after 0:12:29.160 --> 0:12:32.199 all these years are people that I've worked with for 0:12:32.240 --> 0:12:35.640 so long. This is our chance to get together and 0:12:35.720 --> 0:12:40.480 be together. We like Jackson Brown or Alan Parsons, for example, 0:12:41.160 --> 0:12:45.840 or Gordon Lightfoot or Willie Nelson. They're always touring and 0:12:45.840 --> 0:12:47.200 and these are some of the guys that I do 0:12:47.280 --> 0:12:49.720 a lot of shows with. They're always on the road. 0:12:49.760 --> 0:12:51.600 They're not the kind of people that you just call 0:12:51.720 --> 0:12:53.960 up and go out to dinner with because they're all 0:12:54.000 --> 0:12:57.080 of us are always working, We're always somewhere, we're always 0:12:57.120 --> 0:13:00.920 doing something. So our way of getting together is doing concerts. 0:13:01.400 --> 0:13:03.439 So every time I get a chance to see one 0:13:03.480 --> 0:13:05.439 of these guys and be with them for more than 0:13:05.440 --> 0:13:07.960 one night, two nights, three nights. I mean, I've been 0:13:07.960 --> 0:13:12.520 going all over the country with Parsons and Frankie Valley. Um, 0:13:12.559 --> 0:13:15.000 you know, I had eighteen shows on sale Frankie Valley 0:13:15.040 --> 0:13:18.320 when all this took place, and and we're both chomping 0:13:18.320 --> 0:13:20.199 at the bed to go back and do these shows. 0:13:20.559 --> 0:13:22.679 He's another one of the youngest eighty five year old 0:13:22.679 --> 0:13:27.439 people I've ever met. Um, you know, we're we're all 0:13:27.480 --> 0:13:29.800 just we're all just chomping at the bed to go 0:13:29.880 --> 0:13:33.679 to work. And uh, I love getting around with these guys. 0:13:33.720 --> 0:13:36.200 It's it's really a great way to go through life. Okay, 0:13:36.200 --> 0:13:38.679 so you talk to a lot of promoters of our vintage. 0:13:38.679 --> 0:13:42.520 You're a little older who came of age with the Beatles, 0:13:42.800 --> 0:13:45.360 and a lot of them at this point had a 0:13:45.520 --> 0:13:48.760 younger person in the office who books talent because they 0:13:48.800 --> 0:13:51.400 don't believe they're in touch other than with the legendary 0:13:51.400 --> 0:13:53.880 acts that you just mentioned. Is that the case with 0:13:53.960 --> 0:13:58.360 you in your office and some of the shows you do, well, No, 0:13:58.600 --> 0:14:00.880 I mean I'm the only one that really does the 0:14:00.920 --> 0:14:05.120 booking and and prior to this, I did most of 0:14:05.160 --> 0:14:08.880 my own booking. Um yeah, I mean I get terribly 0:14:08.920 --> 0:14:13.400 excited about shows. I love the whole process. Um. I 0:14:13.480 --> 0:14:16.320 love that people come to these shows and this is 0:14:16.360 --> 0:14:21.240 their their escape and it's their release and and being 0:14:21.240 --> 0:14:26.080 with friends or even just musicians, great ones. It's so 0:14:26.200 --> 0:14:29.240 great to bring all that together and have these people 0:14:30.240 --> 0:14:33.840 under one roof and and explode together, you know, like 0:14:34.760 --> 0:14:37.520 coming together as one. It's uh. I think it's one 0:14:37.520 --> 0:14:41.480 of the greatest, greatest things you can do. Okay, So 0:14:41.520 --> 0:14:45.400 at this point you're presenting under Danny's Alisco presents. Is 0:14:45.400 --> 0:14:47.320 it all your money or do you have any partners 0:14:47.320 --> 0:14:50.400 because you've had partners in the past. I have had 0:14:50.440 --> 0:14:52.640 partners in the past. No, this is this is all 0:14:52.720 --> 0:14:56.240 my money. Um. In two thousand and eleven, I went 0:14:56.280 --> 0:15:00.880 back on my own after five years with Live Nation, 0:15:00.960 --> 0:15:05.640 in five years with the Clear Channel, which also included SFCX, 0:15:05.680 --> 0:15:10.160 who I originally sold to, and and nowadays there I 0:15:10.160 --> 0:15:12.880 don't really have the need for the younger guy in 0:15:12.920 --> 0:15:15.920 the office, although I would love one, because there's been 0:15:15.960 --> 0:15:17.920 a couple of other people who used to work for 0:15:18.040 --> 0:15:22.840 me who have put up some really cool clubs in Phoenix. 0:15:23.440 --> 0:15:28.320 Charlie Leavy did the Crescent Ballroom and the Van Buren, 0:15:28.520 --> 0:15:32.600 both of which I've booked shows in, and he does 0:15:32.680 --> 0:15:35.520 such an amazing job. It would be stupid for me 0:15:35.560 --> 0:15:38.200 to compete with a guy like him, who knows everything 0:15:38.240 --> 0:15:41.800 I know and everything he knows, and he has the venues. 0:15:42.440 --> 0:15:45.080 So there there's no point in me doing that anymore. 0:15:45.480 --> 0:15:47.880 When when something comes up and somebody wants me to 0:15:47.880 --> 0:15:49.800 work with them, of course I'll do it, and I 0:15:49.880 --> 0:15:52.680 want to do it. I love discovering new bands, but 0:15:52.800 --> 0:15:55.960 at this point it's sixty six years old. I'm happy 0:15:56.080 --> 0:15:59.080 to be doing the business that I'm doing, with the 0:15:59.320 --> 0:16:01.680 you know, with the ends that I'm doing. It's like 0:16:01.920 --> 0:16:04.880 everybody's kind of left me alone in this little genre 0:16:05.400 --> 0:16:09.080 of promoting um and and I'm having a really good 0:16:09.120 --> 0:16:14.000 time doing it. I'm generally into small halls five up 0:16:14.040 --> 0:16:18.120 to say, four thousands, and and that's that's where I'm 0:16:18.120 --> 0:16:20.720 working these days. I can't afford to be in the 0:16:20.840 --> 0:16:24.520 game with people who are getting million dollar guarantees every night, 0:16:24.880 --> 0:16:27.360 and they'll write him a check for thirty million dollars 0:16:27.360 --> 0:16:30.280 for a tour as a deposit. You know that. That's 0:16:30.320 --> 0:16:33.280 what those guys do. God bless them. Good for them. 0:16:33.440 --> 0:16:36.600 I used to do that, but I'm afraid, you know 0:16:36.760 --> 0:16:39.800 that part of my life is pretty much over. Okay. 0:16:39.840 --> 0:16:43.640 Prior to the roll up, the acts and agents had 0:16:43.680 --> 0:16:47.640 special relationships with the promoters such that they might on 0:16:47.680 --> 0:16:51.160 a losing show, they might the act might give money back. 0:16:51.680 --> 0:16:54.600 Now that you're independent in this post roll up world, 0:16:55.080 --> 0:16:57.040 does that apply? Because no one gives money back to 0:16:57.080 --> 0:16:59.840 Live Nation. Okay, it's a public company. They don't and 0:17:00.000 --> 0:17:03.160 only not to age either. But does that still happen today? 0:17:03.200 --> 0:17:06.960 If you have a losing show, it has happened, you know. 0:17:07.800 --> 0:17:12.679 You know, most people aren't really willing to give up money, 0:17:12.800 --> 0:17:18.240 especially especially after all this. But prior to this, UM, 0:17:18.280 --> 0:17:21.399 it was very well, it was very rare that I 0:17:21.480 --> 0:17:26.520 ever had to ask. Not to brag, but generally speaking, 0:17:26.720 --> 0:17:30.800 I mean, if if I lose money on five shows 0:17:30.880 --> 0:17:35.080 in a year, that's a lot. I don't make stupid 0:17:35.160 --> 0:17:38.640 mistakes like I used to because I don't have all 0:17:38.680 --> 0:17:41.679 of the arena shows to cover my ask for taking 0:17:41.720 --> 0:17:47.400 unnecessary risks to do favors for people, for example. So nowadays, 0:17:47.600 --> 0:17:51.320 I mean I looked at it the recently. I don't 0:17:51.359 --> 0:17:54.280 you know, a couple of months ago, and in the 0:17:54.359 --> 0:17:56.840 last couple of years, I'd only had a handful of 0:17:56.840 --> 0:18:00.200 losers and they were small ones. I haven't been eaten 0:18:00.320 --> 0:18:03.200 up badly in a long time where I would really 0:18:03.280 --> 0:18:07.240 genuinely need to go ask somebody for reduction in your 0:18:07.840 --> 0:18:16.199 forty year career, Um, what was your biggest loser? I 0:18:16.200 --> 0:18:20.000 would have to Yeah, well, there's there's no question h 0:18:21.440 --> 0:18:28.080 New Year's pre New Year's weekend at the millennium. I 0:18:28.119 --> 0:18:34.600 did December with the Eagles and December thirty one in 0:18:34.760 --> 0:18:37.480 January one, which is a Friday Saturday with Bette Midler. 0:18:38.119 --> 0:18:40.760 Both of them were excuse me, both of them were 0:18:40.760 --> 0:18:45.440 at Mandalais Bay, and this is when Mandalai wasn't owned 0:18:46.119 --> 0:18:49.879 by MGM, so they were on their own. MGM was 0:18:49.960 --> 0:18:52.880 on their own and was great to have both buildings 0:18:52.880 --> 0:18:56.199 there because one would often be booked and you'd have 0:18:56.240 --> 0:18:58.359 to go to the other one. Now, what were what 0:18:58.440 --> 0:19:01.640 were the capacities for those of two who don't know, Well, 0:19:01.840 --> 0:19:06.800 MGM is uh fourteen fifteen thousand, that's the biggest one, 0:19:07.600 --> 0:19:10.800 and Mandalay if you went all the way around, would 0:19:10.800 --> 0:19:15.120 be about eleven thousand, but front and sides about nine thousand. 0:19:15.760 --> 0:19:18.600 So you could charge more for tickets at Mandlake because 0:19:18.600 --> 0:19:22.120 he had less to sell um but it was still, 0:19:22.160 --> 0:19:27.879 you know, a high, highly regarded building. So Barbara Streisand 0:19:28.000 --> 0:19:34.120 was booked into MGM on New Year's Eve and UM 0:19:34.160 --> 0:19:37.679 I started with Tina Turner. Tina Turner was gonna be 0:19:37.760 --> 0:19:41.040 my show, was booking with Carol Keincel at Cia and 0:19:41.080 --> 0:19:44.560 suddenly Howard Grows got into the picture and it went 0:19:44.640 --> 0:19:47.399 from me doing Tina Turner on one night New Year's 0:19:47.400 --> 0:19:49.919 Eve in Vegas. That was the only thing I was 0:19:49.920 --> 0:19:52.600 gonna do, and it would have been perfect. Tina was 0:19:52.640 --> 0:19:57.000 as hot as could be in Vegas, just absolutely perfect 0:19:57.080 --> 0:20:02.720 mix of rock and show business. And uh, Howard got involved, 0:20:02.760 --> 0:20:05.919 and the next thing you know, he rapped Elton and 0:20:06.040 --> 0:20:09.480 Teena together and sold it to Caesar's Palace for an 0:20:09.520 --> 0:20:13.359 unheard of amount of money. And I stepped aside and said, sorry, 0:20:13.400 --> 0:20:16.000 I gotta get out of this. It was just too much. 0:20:16.880 --> 0:20:20.760 Um So then the Bette Midler came along and and 0:20:20.840 --> 0:20:23.440 the Eagles had already passed on and offer we made, 0:20:23.680 --> 0:20:26.720 and then they came back in the picture. Uh, and 0:20:26.880 --> 0:20:29.239 both of them came back for more money, and I 0:20:29.280 --> 0:20:33.399 was already guaranteeing them a huge amount of money, but 0:20:33.480 --> 0:20:36.560 they added more and and we were so bullish on 0:20:36.960 --> 0:20:41.040 the Millennium at that time that we went along with it. 0:20:41.240 --> 0:20:46.800 And that's about what I ended up losing, close to mill, 0:20:47.320 --> 0:20:53.720 close to to mill. Okay, where was the mistake. The 0:20:53.840 --> 0:21:00.600 mistake was not knowing that in Las Vegas that they 0:21:00.640 --> 0:21:04.920 were going to do a four night minimum to stay 0:21:04.960 --> 0:21:08.119 there on New Year's and they were gonna triple or 0:21:08.240 --> 0:21:12.240 quadruple the room rate charges. Back in the late nineties, 0:21:12.440 --> 0:21:14.520 you know, you could you could go to MGM or 0:21:14.560 --> 0:21:17.320 Mandalay and get a room for a hundred and fifty bucks, 0:21:17.400 --> 0:21:21.840 maybe less if you had a special um. These rooms 0:21:21.880 --> 0:21:25.760 were now five hundred apiece. Uh, and you had a 0:21:25.800 --> 0:21:30.639 four in some places five night minimum. Um. My feeling 0:21:30.680 --> 0:21:34.240 at the time was that that whole week between Christmas 0:21:34.240 --> 0:21:37.280 and New Year's was me one of the greatest weeks 0:21:37.359 --> 0:21:41.440 in in our life history, much less Vegas history. I mean, 0:21:41.600 --> 0:21:44.160 what's bigger than a New Year's even Las Vegas, much 0:21:44.240 --> 0:21:48.119 less a millennium. Well that's the cool laid I drank anyway, 0:21:48.440 --> 0:21:54.160 I felt bulletproof. And uh, we didn't know. We didn't 0:21:54.160 --> 0:21:55.760 know that that they were going to do that with 0:21:55.800 --> 0:21:59.359 the hotel rooms. We didn't know that about y two K. 0:22:01.400 --> 0:22:05.600 We didn't know about terrorist threats. I didn't know Barbara 0:22:05.680 --> 0:22:11.480 streisand was booked on New Year's Eve already at the MGM. 0:22:11.600 --> 0:22:14.240 Um and we went booked two nights with bet because 0:22:14.240 --> 0:22:17.240 it was a Friday and Saturday. To me, this is like, 0:22:17.720 --> 0:22:20.080 who doesn't want to be in Vegas? For Bette Midler 0:22:20.119 --> 0:22:22.600 on New Year's at the Millennium. It just seemed like 0:22:22.680 --> 0:22:27.000 such a frivolity written thing. And and then there's Barbara 0:22:27.000 --> 0:22:30.920 streisand and then on Streisand they added a second night 0:22:30.920 --> 0:22:34.080 because they were filming these shows, and they ended up 0:22:34.080 --> 0:22:37.320 paper in the house because they couldn't sell a second night. 0:22:37.359 --> 0:22:40.080 But they only had the second night so they could 0:22:40.080 --> 0:22:42.480 film the crowd shots and all that stuff. So they 0:22:42.480 --> 0:22:46.439 paper the ship out of it. And you know, what 0:22:46.480 --> 0:22:48.000 would you like to do? You want to go see 0:22:48.000 --> 0:22:50.920 Barbara streisand for free? And January one, you want to 0:22:50.960 --> 0:22:53.919 pay five hundred for Bette Midler. The tickets were also 0:22:54.040 --> 0:22:57.080 very pricey. There were two fifty to five hundred for 0:22:57.640 --> 0:23:01.800 each the Eagles and for Bet Um. And you know what, 0:23:01.880 --> 0:23:07.479 the shows sold sold, Okay, they sold all right, Um, 0:23:07.600 --> 0:23:11.000 they were doing well. But one of the worst things 0:23:11.040 --> 0:23:15.800 that happened that could happen was Mandalay Bay held a 0:23:15.800 --> 0:23:19.200 couple of thousand of the best seats for each show 0:23:19.800 --> 0:23:23.480 for their high rollers. So they had a two thousand 0:23:23.560 --> 0:23:26.919 for bet, two thousand for the Eagles at five hundred 0:23:27.000 --> 0:23:32.080 a throw. And three weeks before the show they started 0:23:32.080 --> 0:23:35.399 releasing tickets and I said, what do you guys doing release, 0:23:35.520 --> 0:23:38.280 What where did these tickets come from? They when they 0:23:38.320 --> 0:23:40.959 pulled the tickets back in May when we went on sale, 0:23:41.560 --> 0:23:46.120 they were in the soul category on our on our audits, 0:23:46.520 --> 0:23:50.480 as opposed to a wire a cop category, indicating these 0:23:50.480 --> 0:23:54.359 are different tickets. So all along I thought we had 0:23:54.359 --> 0:23:58.600 sold two thousand tickets per act more or you know, 0:23:58.680 --> 0:24:02.720 and that's two million dollars each. Think about it, five 0:24:03.280 --> 0:24:08.439 ticket times two thousand. Oh, I'm sorry, is a million 0:24:08.440 --> 0:24:11.560 dollars each show? That Suddenly I went backwards on my 0:24:11.600 --> 0:24:14.640 ticket count sheets and we had to make those up 0:24:14.680 --> 0:24:16.760 in addition to what we were already selling. And it 0:24:16.840 --> 0:24:19.080