There was no way to make money from selling tickets. He was guaranteed about 95% of the revenue for a sell-out. All of the risk was on us. We never booked another country act.
And you wonder why there are "service fees" added to every ticket. But you don't have to honor that requestâyes it's high. I booked a few shows a long time ago and the first contract I got was always ludicrous. You get your pen out, literally cross out what you don't agree to and scrawl your counter in the margin. A guaranteed minimum, say 100% of sales at 50% of capacity, then 50% of the second 50% after legitimate expenses (promotion, catering, security, sound and lights). In a bar with a capacity of 500, that left a little for the promoter (me) but left almost nothing if I didn't actually promote it once it was half sold out. So I still carried a lot of risk if the show didn't sell, and stood to make some money if it did. The bar had more expenses but theoretically made a lot of money with a good crowd (but not alwaysâthe Beat Farmers were good for business ) Jonathan Richman not so much.
The first and only country concert attended (as a volunteer for an organization that was mostly folk-based). He played to a near sell-out at the Penns Grove High School in Carney's Point NJ.
As Treasurer of the organization...I cared mostly about ticket sales. What I remember most is the education I received about booking country acts. There was no way to make money from selling tickets. He was guaranteed about 95% of the revenue for a sell-out. All of the risk was on us. We never booked another country act.
As a non-fan...it was OK. Better than I expected. Hot and loud...but OK.
I never got to meet him but I have a few friends who studied with him at UNCG.
I heard him at a gathering once read from his collection Shadow Box Poems with Susan reading the inner lines. It's a fascinating collection of poems. I read one called Pearl by my Mother's graveside service in 2010. Fred was quite moved when I told him and it caught me off guard. Must have been more there than I was aware of. I also acted with them in a skit once. It was crazy and fun. Anyway...
I need to find those notes and pics.
I was introduced to her while in HS before Woodstock with her album that had the song Beautiful People by WMMR in Philly. She had me at hello with this song. She was the East Coast hippie chick to me complete with a crush. Followed her throughout her journey. Big sad. Gonna have to pull out some of her vinyl tonight.
) Jonathan Richman not so much.
