Secession? $152.95/$50.85 Manitoba, Oct

BOXSCORE Concert Grosses GROSS/ ARTIST(S) Attendance Venue, Date Capaoty Promoter $3,587,340 CELINE DION (14309,076Cánadan) General Motors Place 34,348 $164.42/354.11 Oct.. 20 -2i two sellouts Concerts West /AEG Live $3,105,627 CELINE DION (53.969923 Canadian) Concessions Rexall Place, Edmonton, Alberta, 32,958 5152.94/550.85 Oct. 24 -25 two sellouts Concerts West /AEG Live $2,586,462 CELINE DION ($3,306,119 Canadán) MTS Centre, Winnipeg, 29,062 Concerts West /AEG Live secession? $152.95/$50.85 Manitoba, Oct. 27 -28 two sellouts $2,485,415 AC /DC, THE ANSWER Arena, Rosemont, Ill., $8950 Allstate 27,770 Jam Productions Food, Beverage, merchandise sales," says Dan Cooper, VP of Oct. 30, Nov. 1 two sellouts Merch Sales Vulnerable artist relations for BandMerch, the merchan- $1,765,386 CELINE DION dising division of AEG Live. "I'd say overall sales $126/$86/$50 Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, Wash., 20,665 Concerts West /AEG Live To Slowing Economy Oct.. 18 sellout are off as much as 15% on the artists that aren't $1,442,044 CELINE DION $15.75/515.75/ Even if recession -stung music fans continue AC /DC, the ones that do tour regularly." ARCO Arena, Sacramento, Calif., 15,213 $76.75/549.50 Oct. 14 Concerts West/AEG Live to pay big bucks to see top touring acts, their Merch industry veteran Steve Gerstman, who sellout $1,247,473 CELINE DION free -spending ways won't necessarily continue recently started Cut Merch (billboard.biz, June $125/$85/$65/ Rose Garden, Portland, Ore., 18,001 Concerts West /AEG Live once they get to the concert. 18) and has for years handled mer- $45 Oct. 16 sellout That could pose problems for chandising for such acts as the $1,136,705 VICENTE FERNANDEZ, PAQUITA LA DEL BARRIO On The $160/$50 Toyota Center, Houston, Oct. 26 12,504 concessions and merchandise Stray Cats and Eric Clapton, sellout Ralph Hauser Promotions, SC Entertainment sales, a key element of the tour- warns that "we've been hearing that Road $1,125,485 VICENTE FERNANDEZ, PAQUITA LA DEL BARRIO ing business. we have not seen the worst of it." $150/550 American Airlines Center, Dallas, 13,874 RAY Oct. 24 sellout Ralph Hauser Promotions, SC Entertainment The risks are especially great WADDELL Even if per capita spending $1,088,710 NEIL DIAMOND for amphitheaters, where ticket holds up, a decrease in touring 10 BankAtlantic Center, Sunrise, ..,;$120/585/555 11,787 Concerts West /AEG Live grosses are typically lower than would mean artists big and small Fla., Oct. 26 sellout they are for arenas. To entice would take a hit on merch sales, $1,077,846 JANET JACKSON, LL COOL J $129.75/549.75 Verizon Center, Washington, 9,720 Live Nation upper -echelon acts to play these Gerstman says. D.C., Oct. 15 10.389 venues, promoters have to shell "The smaller ones maybe find- $1,060,955 NEIL DIAMOND $120/585/555 Pete out a larger guarantee or percentage of sales ing it to go on road, for ex- St. Times Forum. 11,606 Concerts West/AEG Live - more expensive the Tampa, Fla., Oct. 24 sellout sometimes as much as 95% of gross, as opposed ample, and may not venture as far as they would $901,545 NEIL DIAMOND to the traditional 85%/15% split. under better economic conditions," he says. ...$120/$85/$55 BOK Center, Tulsa, 11,113 Okla., Oct. 21 sellout Concerts West,AEG Live The resulting razor -thin margins on ticket Ken Young, president of Ovations Food Ser- JANET JACKSON, LL COOL J sales means that the profitability of amphithe- vices, a subsidiary of Comcast- Spectator, says $883,472 $365.76/512 Izod Center, East Rutherford, 10,865 Live Nation ater shows relies heavily on ancillary revenue sales are mostly steady across its 100 conces- N.J., Oct. 17 14.247 like concessions sales and parking fees. And a sions accounts. "We haven't seen softness in $850,700 NEIL DIAMOND Ford $120/$85/$55 Center, Oklahoma City, 10,678 Concerts West /AEG Live downturn in either concert attendance or per actual [per capita spending], but one of the Oct. 19 sellout capita spending on concessions would cause places we can be affected is decreased atten- $846,610 NEIL DIAMOND big problems for promoters of such shows. dance because of the economy," he says. $120/585/555 Amway Arena, Orlando, Fla., 10,757 Live Oct. 28 sellout Concerts West /AEG With an eye on this vital revenue, Live Nation A risk for vendors food of and beverage con- 834 710 COLDPLAY, STARS recently signed a five -year concessions deal with cessions is that it's hard to react quickly to chang- Scotiabank Place, Ottawa, 12,121 ós%$41.93 Live Nation SMG- Savor /Aramark, which the concert pro- ing economic conditions because budgets and Oct. 20 15,082 NEW motion giant says will provide $837,962 KIDS ON THE BLOCK, NATASHA BEDINGFIELD, TAMI CHYNN Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn $78/558/538 13,434 Live Nation, Palace Sports & Entertainment about a 20% boost in annual ad- Hills, Mich., Oct. 25 sellout justed operating income from $831,900 NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK, NATASHA BEDINGFIELD, LADY GAGA $7750/537.50 HP Pavilion, San Jose, Calif., 12,792 its North American concessions Oct. 10 sellout Live Nation

business ( billboard.biz, Oct. 27). 20 $772,937 THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND Concert venues have always $93/538 50 Chastain Park Amphitheatre, 9'887 Live Nation Atlanta, Oct 10-11 13,372 two shows counted on concessions sales as $759,540 NEIL DIAMOND a reliable source of income. In Veterans Memorial Arena, $120/$85/$55 9,018 Concerts West/AEG Live recent times, merchandising Jacksonville, Fla., Oct. 30 sellout has become one ofthe most im- $738,310 NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK, NATASHA BEDINGFIELD, TAMI CHYNN $75335 American Airlines Center, Dallas. 11,397 Live Nation portant revenue streams and Oct. 19 14,039 branding components of an $630,820 NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK, NATASHA BEDINGFIELD, TAMI CHYNN $75 50/535 50 Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, 10,889 artist's career (Billboard, July Minn., Oct. 21 14,529 Live Nation 26), and merch is an important Mat rial whirl: Will $610,802 NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK, NATASHA BEDINGFIELD, LADY GAGA if Mandalay component of Live Nation's $107/557 Bay Events Center, 7,312 Live Nation, Andrew Hewitt Co., In -house 4MAÄ14N merchandise Las Vegas, Oct. 11 8.265 multirights deals as well. égales suffer i a recession? $578,400 JAY -Z Shrinking disposable in- adium, Hollywood, Calif., 5250/siso 4,136 Live Nation, Goldenvoice/AEG Live come is bound to affect how much beer and pricing are generally tied to contracts between Oct sellout popcorn fans consume as well as how many the building and the concessionaire. "On so $577,980 NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK, NATASHA BEDINGFIELD, TAMI CHYNN $75/$35 Toyota Center, Houston, Oct. 16 9,405 Live Nation concert souvenirs they buy. many accounts you're paying a percentage of 10.402 For the time being, merchandise sales are gross revenues back to the client, so you have $561,840 LUIS MIGUEL holding up "surprisingly well" for top touring to really watch those product costs pretty $85/$35 Toyota Center, Houston, Oct. 12 ló Live Nation acts, says Dell Furano, CEO of Signatures Net- closely," Young says. "But even with that, some- $548,039 JANET JACKSON, LL COOL J, DJ PLAYBOY work, the merchandising arm of Live Nation. times we'll go back to the client and say, `Let's $124.75/549.75 Toyota Center, Houston, Oct. 21 7.07.47090 Live Nation "Madonna sales on this tour are as strong try this,' maybe it's under a different rent struc- NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK, NATASHA BEDINGFIELD, TAMI as her previous tours," he says. "Same with ture, something to try and convince people to $546,499 CHYNN $75 50/535 50 New Orleans Arena, 9,149 Live Nation, In -house Coldplay, Bruce Springsteen, Kiss, 'Amer- spend as much or maybe even more." New Orleans, Oct. 18 12.914 ica Idol' and Billy Joel." Still, Gerstman believes there will be a down- 30 $532,393 JANET JACKSON, LL COOL J, DJ PLAYBOY $12475/$49.75 American Airlines Center, Dallas, 7,729 Live Nation Perhaps fans willing to invest $50 -$100 in a con- turn in spending on merchandise, which will Oct. 22 11 640 cert want something to show for it besides ring- slow an important industry growth area. "But I 111 $515,442 SANTANA, SALVADOR SANTANA BAND ing ears. "Buying gear has become an integral part think that most ofthe companies will get through $75/510 Shoreline Amphitheatre, 16,543 Live Nation Mountain View, Calif , Oct. 11 sellout of going to a concert," Furano says. "If you are this, as they have in the past," he says. "And I LUIS MIGUEL going to buy a tickets, you still need your shirt to think that the effect in the live music business, $511,275 $85/$ 35 Laredo Entertainment Center, 8,532 Live Nation, in -house show your friends that you attended the show." barring a full -out depression -which nobody is Laredo, Texas, Oct. 11 8,963 Still, even Furano acknowledges that "we are predicting -will not be as serious as in other in- I$484,920 WIDESPREAD PANIC $48.50/$25 Lakewood Amphitheatre, 16,525 Live Nation concerned going into the fourth quarter." And dustries. Music seems to have that quality." - Atlanta, Oct. 18 37,711 other industry experts say they already see signs $476,120 JOURNEY, HEART, CHEAP TRICK of slowing consumer spending. For 24/7 touring news and analysis, see $75/$55/$35 Spokane Arena, Spokane, Wash., 7,672 Live Nation . FAG billboard.biz /touring. Sept. 22 10,411 "We're feeling the impact of the economy on $474,389 BRAD PAISLEY, JEWEL, CHUCK WICKS 554.25/$25. Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa, Fla., 12,490 Live Nation 111 Sept. 19 19 410 14 I BILLBOARD I NOVEMBER 15, 2008