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A Carolina Coliseum is often the site of s| - Coliseum plays host to famous performers t> Mori orn nnnoc IVIUUUI K I UUIIbt requires detai By Mark Farmer Diana Ross wanted cognac, two bottles of wine, Perrier, lemons and C limes, a tray of deli food, and fresh fruit for herself and her dressing rAATYi nroiir /Vnrl cnm iwiu vivn, ruiu oumcuiic lid VI IU UC ready to send out for Chinese, just in case. But that's not all. A minimum of 15 stage security people, dressed in black, had to be present at the concert. A stage-rigging breakfast and a lunch of 53 meals, five of which were vegetarian, had to be provided. These and a dozen other requirements were included in a letter sent to Robert Horning, director of Carolina f Coliseum, from Ross' business * manager. Such detailed planning is indicative of today's concert promotion and production, Horning said. PROMOTERS, MANAGERS and artists plan "down to a gnat's eyelash what they're going to do onstage," he said. The concert business has progressed to a highly structured ? endeavor, he said. Horning said the director has to know exactly what the show is like ? what the special effects will be, whether or not all the seats will be I needed (often the seats behind the stage aren't used) and the like. The artist's business manager or agent contacts a promoter for a certain area, and the promoter contacts the auditorium director. "ONE GUY looked like he came in from a space rocket," Horning said. Some effects cost up t,o $12,000 a night. More structured procedures have shaken up the promoting business. "Ten years ago there were 10 to 15 Adv IPapai BH HBf i To Weai I fi1.HO Of lecial requests and minute detail. In its v e who are sometimes infamous for making unu ;rt promotion, led planning, a rock promoters in the area (Southeast), now there are four," he said. The others went out of business. Business managers like to set up a deal with one promoter for 10 or more dates instead of separate deals with 10 promoters, he said. THE SLEEK production and hype have spilled over into other events. John McEnroe uses a concert-like introduction when he plays tennis exhibitions. He enters to the Rolling Stones' song "Start Me Up." The hype and organization is designed to make more money. High production costs is one factor that makes more money necessary. But that is only the start. According 10 Horning, tne music business has changed radically in the past three years. Warner Communications Inc. had to lay off 1,500 employees at one of their plants. People aren't paying high prices for records, he said. "People won't buy records, and bootlegging is a problem," Horning said. In bootlegging, music thiefs either make recordings of concerts and sell them, or make copies of actual albums and spII thflm without paying royalties to the artists. HAVING LARGE companies sponsor rock tours is one development in the concert business that supplements profits. Schlitz sponsored The Who's recent farewell tour, and Jovan's financial backing of The Rolling Stones' 1981 American tour was reported in the millions. Artists are guaranteed a minimum art'iinct a nurpontuc/o nf the* / *?? M pv* VVIIW^V Mtv %,U11VVI t gross, Horning said. Novelty items, programs, buttons and t-shirts are another part of the new organized money-making ^ * * ertismg /77< JoiTlWMPi m n? at* m r? nis wew Buy a papa Joe's T-shirt ($4.25) and recel f any Med. or La when you wear our t-st "REE DELIVERY On-campus N< Broadmoor Apts. ?w Park Place Apts. 5-10pm (M-Th) 5-12 (Fri) (min. order $5.) -rrm?mM - Photographer: Morris Mims as one of the nation's concert halls, the By APP?,ntment sual plans. production ,, ttention fOEFP" machine. Horning said that a few j'l ? years ago an artist' 'never would have j|'L ( even thought about novelties." The fI ^ ??. artist gets all novelty profits. 2009 G A part of all the detailed planning is selection of good auditoriums. Hor- yy ED ning said Carolina Coliseum is ad- " , vertised in trade papers, listing its rTCC I location, capacity and the demographics of Columbia to attract 1 '"PKX promoters. (Group tO I CONCERTS THEMSELVES, if they ' are successful, draw future business. According to the trade paper JBgSp^ ^ Amusement Business, during the jWI, week ending Feb. 15, two Carolina * Coliseum concerts rated, in relation to _ 4l 1? 1 -Ail- a * 41 gross. prunes, sixin ana lzin in me ^ /VII nation of those reported to the paper. The Alabama/Janie Fricke concert , /W on Feb. 11 sold out the available 12,000 0^ ^ seats, and grossed $148,950 to get the ^ ^ sixth position. Pat Benatar came in Y # T'jffl 12th on Feb. 12, selling out the 12,000 capacity and grossing $123,407. ^Si When the Bee Gees played their final fViAti rvlr**?/\yl am!?? 1C ?? miai iuui , uicjr yjiaycu uiujr oo Udicd. ! | One was at Carolina Coliseum. Matt Murphy has perfoi Cancellations have been few, blues artist for the past Horning said. Last year, Dan with the BLUES BROTHE Fogelberg arrived in Columbia, but was unable to perform because of a coming next week: tliioat infection. Concerts seem to have lost some of the aspects that have given them a j THE SP< bad reputaiton. Horning said no damage of any significance has been * done backstage in 10 years (something for which some bands used to be infamous). The selling of I ? beer and wine discourages people I M from bringing in hard liquor, Horning sniH and arroctc aro maHo 1 V>t>>v? ax/ fT MA a V/ AltUUV/j ^ although security does occasionally ; | encounter some "unusual per- || ^ sonalities." I 1249 ^ iv You 11 *1983 Garnet I I I fill out the fo T-Shirt! and mail it to M IB The 19 ive I I USC Be irg? pizza 1 I Columli lirt) I I ' " I. iName jj Address ry H I would like to order I The 1983 Garnet C5i y o / o (DUO onop? wit.) |g (Price includes postaj West Columbia M-Th 12-lOpm I Metnod of payment (( Fri& Sat 12-12 ij check r > m reene Street NESDAY )raft 8-10 I IA ^ nour iu-u h oe announced) Thursday. Friday and Saturday the blues of the /IATT GUITAR^ JRPHY BAND^ w ! rmed with virtually euery great two decades and most recently nr ISO KILLOUGH 3NGETONES Months 1 o?r I IBY %|\ delivered j & Black yearbooks Mowing form 83 Garnet & Black, ix 85132, I tia, SC 29208 .State Zip I copies of Black at $15.00 per copy. \ *e <2& handling.) ;heck one) noney order cash imgginiTO^^