#077

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Old is gold: NKOTB and New Edition battled it out at an historic AMAs, sales for ABBA’s avatars are solid, and it’s Take Your Grandparents to a Festival (for free) Day in Wales. 

Credit: Rich Fury/Getty ImagesPost-Astroworld PolicyAfter the tragedy of Astroworld, Rolling Loud has announced an 18+ policy for their 2021 California show, taking place December 10-12. Those under 18 who purchased tickets can receive a refund or keep the ticket for next year’s show. 

Rocking FansA crowd-surfing GWAR fan lost his prosthetic leg in the middle of the rock band’s show in LA. Luckily, the fan-made his way to the stage, where the band helped locate his missing limb in the crowd. The leg then surfed its way back to its owner so he could continue rocking.

Shortage of Music in Australia Evelyn Richardson, CEO of Live Performance Australia, says festivals are unlikely to return in “a major way” until the end of 2022. Australia has experienced a significant shortage of live music, with both international and domestic artists touring outside of the country. However, dance and theater seem to be bouncing back - an optimistic sign for the live industry. 

Concert of AvatarsABBA Voyage, a concert series featuring avatars of the band along with a live 10-piece band has sold over 300,000 tickets, with more than 25% of the sales from outside the UK. The series will take place in the ABBA arena, a custom-built, 3,000-person venue in London.

More Pushback for this Country SingerCountry singer Morgan Wallen is getting pushback from fans trying to buy tickets for The Dangerous Tour in 2022, due to Ticketmaster’s use of dynamic ticket pricing (increasing prices when demand surges). This practice isn’t new for TM,  they previously deployed it with Taylor Swift’s 2018 tour, attempting to maximize revenue on the primary market before the tickets hit the secondary market.

Insurance Premiums SkyrocketSmall venues in Toronto now face a new struggle as insurance prices increase up to 4,000%. Along with premium pricing, these policies come with restrictive conditions. 

Resume Stadium TourGarth Brooks has announced his return after being forced to cancel his 2021 Stadium Tour in August. He recently announced he will resume his tour on April 23, 2022, with the first Stadium show in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Tickets go on sale on December 3. 

New Addition on AMA StageAt long last, the AMA’s “Battle of Boston” - a collaboration between boy bands New Edition and New Kids on the Block - was a huge success. Moments later, BTS won Artist of the Year, proving boy bands clearly have not lost their touch.

Finland Festival Owner to TrialKalle Kallonen, founder and CEO of Finland’s Blockfest festival, has gone on trial after being accused of money laundering. He allegedly received the money after drug offenses in May 2021.

The King of Crypto3LAU, otherwise known as Justin Blau, has a cryptocurrency project in the works called Royal. With the goal of upending the uneven relationship between record labels and their artists, Royal works to make songs into valuable NFTs that bring back royalties to the songwriters and singers. Blau has reportedly raised tens of millions for the project already. 

 A Greener Festival (AGF) is looking for a full-time, remote General Manager. Responsibilities include managing day-to-day company happenings and adjusting daily operations to meet the company’s goals.    CrowdBlink is seeking a full-time, remote Customer Success Manager to create an account management experience for clients, work on documentation and resources for new users, and much more.   Netflix Animation Studios is hiring a Music Production Coordinator to execute music objectives in the animation studio from the developmental phase through its final delivery, among other responsibilities.

Have you ever been to a festival with your grandparents?

OR

Last Week's Results:

72% of BOH readers

attended large events this Thanksgiving.

New and Returning Festivals

• Yet another festival is being launched, this time in Wales. In It Together festival will host headliners High Flying Birds, Two Door Cinema Club, and Clean Bandit. It is a “festival for everyone,” with grandparents attending for free! Created by Escape Records, the festival will take place from June 3-5, 2022.

• Spain’s Bilbao BBK Live organizers have announced a new festival in Spain, Cala Mijas, featuring Arctic Monkeys, Kraftwerk, and more. It will happen September 1-3, 2022, with organizers committing to following the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In other news, after being canceled for the past two years due to Covid, the line-up for next year’s Bilbao BBK Live festival was announced earlier this month.

• In Glasgow, the Connect Festival is having a comeback after its initial runs in 2007 and 2008. DF Concerts, a Glasgow-based promoter owned by Live Nation, is reintroducing the event. The group is also promoting Summer Sessions in Dundee, with performances beginning June 11 with headlining acts Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and Inhaler.

Recent International Restrictions

• Germany’s winter market scene is readjusting due to increasing rates of Covid infections. Their traditional Christmas market has unfortunately been called off, including Munich’s Christkindlmarkt. Markus Söder, Bavaria’s state premier, said there would be “too much person-to-person contact no matter how you try to control it.” In other parts of Germany, holiday events will continue with strict entrance restrictions, requiring proof of vaccination or Covid recovery. 

• After previous speculations, Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s First Minister, has announced the country’s Covid vaccine passport scheme will not be extended to more venues. However, beginning December 6th, a negative test will be accepted rather than vaccination proof, benefiting those who cannot or have yet to be vaccinated.  

• Meanwhile, in Italy, fans will now be required to be fully vaccinated to attend sporting events, beginning December 6th. Fans will need to present a pass proving their vaccination or Covid recovery. Aside from sports arenas, the pass will be required for theaters, gyms, and ski lifts. As of now, this rule will be in place until January 15, 2022.

This week's spotlight is on... Pitchfork Music Festival Paris 🔦

Credit: Alban Gendrot

After having their 10th consecutive edition pushed back last year, Pitchfork Music Festival Paris was, fortunately, able to host the event after their first-ever Pitchfork Music Festival London. With seven nights, 48 artists, and over 7,500 attendees, this Paris festival saw a lot of action; not to mention the after parties that occurred post-concert. Some highlights include Amaarae’s call-and-response with the empowered crowd, Nubya Garcia’s electric saxophone and her bandmates’ accompaniment, and Sons of Kemet’s hour-long jazz rave.

 With so much information to read every day, we often end up feeling oversaturated and unaccomplished. Here are some steps you can take to improve your pursuit of knowledge.

  UC Berkley professor Dacher Keltner says we all need some more awe in our everyday lives. Learn more about this theory and read the first-hand account of an attempt to find awe.

 Watch Ariana Grande and Kelly Clarkson face the challenge of singing hit songs given to them by a wheel at random in a sneak peek of That’s My Jam, Jimmy Fallon’s new game show.

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