Entertainment and Sports Promotion

Top 5 Reasons Not to Be a Concert Promoter

Have you ever dreamed of promoting your own shows? I'll bet you've even sat around at times plotting out your own bills, dreaming of how awesome it would be to see an all-star line-up of, let's say, Poison, Ratt, Tesla, WASP, White Lion, and Cinderella. And while that sounds absolutely horrific, I'm ... More >>

Woodlands Pavilion Moves Up to World's No. 2 Amphitheatre, Says Pollstar

Houston's edgy restaurants and diverse museums may have drawn the attention of The New York Times, but both alternative and classic rockers, plus brawny country stars, scattered boy bands and Latin lovers, drew enough people through the turnstiles of the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion that concert- ... More >>

Surprise! Rick Ross' Maybach Tour Stop In Houston Canceled

According to an email we have just received from Live Nation in Houston, the Maybach Tour set for next week on December 13 at Reliant Arena, has been canceled. In fact, Ross has canceled the rest of the tour. He cited problems with the tour promoter among other things. The tour -- featuring Rick ... More >>

EDC 2012: Coachella or Electric Daisy Carnival: Which One Is Better?

See also: Our Complete Coachella Coverage Dance music is coming to an arena near you: Kaskade will be the first DJ ever to play L.A.'s Staples Center (July 27). And mainstream concert promoters such as Live Nation are diving into the electronic dance explosion. Electric Daisy Carnival, which is be ... More >>

Rearviewmirror: 5 Ways Ticketmaster Survived Pearl Jam

Do you hate Ticketmaster convenience fees? If you don't, it's because you've never been to a concert. The various fees tacked onto admission prices by the global ticketing behemoth can add a pretty penny in a hurry to the face value of a chance to see and hear our musical heroes, and they're one of ... More >>

Sugarland Says It Will Play New BBVA Compass Stadium

Updated with comments from BBVA Compass Stadium Director of Marketing, PR & Booking Gina Rotolo -- 12:24 p.m. Pop-country duo Sugarland will be playing the Houston Dynamo's new stadium, BBVA Compass Stadium, the band announced in a set of tour dates on its Web site. The show, scheduled for Aug. 26, ... More >>

The 15 Best Bill Graham Presents Posters And Artwork

Photo By Tony MorelliBill Graham in 1974​Twenty years ago this week, legendary concert promoter Bill Graham went to the big backstage party in the sky after the helicopter he was riding in flew into a high-voltage tower in Vallejo, Calif. Also killed in the crash was Graham's girlfriend, Melis ... More >>

New Dynamo Stadium May Not Change Concert Climate Much

Marco TorresLady Gaga at Toyota Center, July 25​Conceivably, today's announcement that the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority has agreed to act as landlord for the proposed Houston Dynamo stadium in downtown's East End could present a serious challenge to the Houston area's reigning concer ... More >>

Report: Justice Dept. Approves Ticketmaster/Live Nation Merger (UPDATED)

[UPDATED to include AEG President and CEO Timothy J. Leiwecke's statement about the merger.] ​ Via CNBC, businessinsider.com reported Monday morning that the U.S. Justice Department has approved the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster into a multi-platform entertainment corporation that can do ... More >>

Bayou Beat: More Live Nation Ticket Deals, I.J. Gosey at Discovery Green, Bob Fuldauer Leaves Meridian, Tony Campise In Serious Condition

farm1.static.flickr.com/I.J. Gosey​ We have a winner in our Live Nation "Club Passport" photo contest - we think - but are still awaiting a judge's ruling. Stay tuned. Live Nation has expanded its "No Service Fee" promotion once again, to include pretty much every show coming to House of Blues ... More >>

Bayou Beat: Half Price Live Nation Tickets, Last Call for Photo Contest, First Call for Poster Exhibit, Final "They, Who Sound" (For Now) This Sunday

​ Live Nation's weekly Wednesday "No Service Fee" ticket offer is pretty stiff this week: Buy one ticket for dozens of shows at House of Blues or Verizon Wireless Theater - such as Alice Cooper, O.A.R., Jewel, Goodie Mob, Bob Saget, Drive-By Truckers, Hanson, Peaches, Stryper, Zappa plays Zappa an ... More >>

Fix Your Face

Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker is more hip-hop than most rappers.

Bayou Beat: Cougars for a Cause at House of Blues, Mandy Moore Hearts Jandek, Bun B Orders Up Some PB&J, etc.

​Want to help fight breast cancer and possibly get pawed by some of Houston's hottest older ladies? Boy, is this the right weekend for you. Sugar Ray, pimping its new album Music for Cougars, headlines House of Blues' "Cougars for a Cause" show Saturday night with Austin power-pop heroes Fastball, ... More >>

Bayou Beat: McKenzies Break Up, Live Nation Goes for (Almost) Broke, New Discovery Green Season, etc.

Chris Gray​ Unfortunately, Houston power-pop prodigies the McKenzies (above) announced after Free Press Summer Fest they have broken up, for the usual reasons. "It's all on good terms," the band said via email. "It's just been really hard to do anything... everyone has personal things to do - scho ... More >>

It's Official: Live Nation and Ticketmaster Merge

The boards of directors of concert-industry giants Live Nation and Ticketmaster have approved a merger agreement, CNNmoney.com reported today, a deal expected to take effect later this year. The deal is a stock swap that awards Ticketmaster shareholders 1,374 shares in Live Nation per ... More >>

Live Nation and Ticketmaster Near Merger

The Wall Street Journal reported this morning that entertainment megacorp Live Nation and Ticketmaster, the world's leading ticketing agency and an important player in artist management, are in talks to merge the two companies. "The resulting firm" - called, appropriately, Live Nation ... More >>

Butthole Surfers Pt. 2: Ex-Manager Tom Bunch on Managing the Band (Officially and Otherwise), the "Ranch" in Dripping Springs, the Rough Trade Bankruptcy, pioughd and Steering BHS to the Majors

The Return of the Arena Theater

Madonna to Warner Bros.: "Sorry"

Welcome to the Machine

Cruel Summer

Are we hearing the death rattle of the sheds?

Bash-ing the Bigwigs

Come Super Bowl week, you can still party downtown, even if you're not very important

Mixed Messages

Casualties aren't easy to count in the continuing battle of Bayport

Billboard Blues

Peace signs in Houston get shot at, a group says. What's safe?

Streamlining the Hit-Making Process

Clear Channel wants to cut the indies out of the deal

Racket

Clear Channel keeps the air free of insensitive songs