24 minute read
50 Years of ‘Love’
from IQ110 Preview
by IQ Magazine
Congratulations to Phil Bowdery on 50 incredible years in the business. A true legend.
Celebrating the end of Jonas Brothers’ successful European tour in February 2020, at the AccorHotels Arena in Paris
Congratulations on 50 years in the business Phil
Best wishes from Craig, Vikki, Rene, Meredith, Jake and all of the LME Family.
Testimonials
How time flies… Fifty years in the music business and he still looks as young as the day he started!
It has been my good fortune and also a privilege to have worked with Phil many times over the years, and I consider him to be one of my very best friends. His attention to detail and the love and dedication he brings to his work make it a pleasure to have him as a promoter. Congratulations on this milestone, and may you go on for many more. Lars Brogaard | production manager
Phil Bowdery: What a man! What a legend! I have worked with Phil for way too long to remember. We worked on everything from Bon Jovi to Tom Jones, and the guy has the greatest energy and passion for what he does. I’ve yet to meet anyone that has a bad word to say about him. Congratulations, Phil! Chris Dalston | CAA
What can you say about Phil? Apart from being great at his job, he is a lovely man – honest, fair, and a gentleman. Always a pleasure working with Phil and have enjoyed his company for many years.
What an incredible achievement. So many congrats, and here’s to many more!!! Paul Franklin | CAA who have since become colleagues at Live Nation.
“It allowed me to learn the European side by starting to use different promoters around Europe. So, through the likes of John Denver or Tom Jones – for whom I sort of acted as his agent from about 1987 – I got to know Leon Ramakers and Herman Scheuremans and Thomas Johansson. That’s how I crafted my European knowledge, by getting to know all those guys – and most of them are now part of the Live Nation family, so it definitely helped that we had pre-existing relationships from when we were all independent.”
Johansson, who these days is Live Nation’s chairman of international music, recalls, “We met for the first time in Holland: Phil was there with The Rubettes for a TV show, and I was there with ABBA for the same programme. Ever since we have worked together with almost every artist in the world!”
Further south in Europe, Rob Trommelen at Mojo Concerts acknowledges Bowdery’s no-bounds enthusiasm in helping the artists he works with. Explaining that he knows Bowdery from his days as tour manager with Mud, Trommelen tells IQ. “I always enjoy Phil’s stories about his adventures [in the Netherlands] during the trips they made to a variety of Thousands of clubs and local discotheques – he knows the names of many professionals read villages in the middle of nowhere. One day, he even showed IQ every day. Make me a video in which he joined Mud’s backing dancers!” Of course, Bob Sillerman’s corporate kleptomania changed the live music business forever, and in 1999 when SFX turned its attention to BCC, Bowdery found himself as sure you get the whole picture… SUBSCRIBE HERE one of the principals in the new expansive operation – a position he built upon as Sillerman cashed out to Clear Channel
Communications just four months after the BCC acquisition.
“When the company evolved, a position for a European touring chief became apparent,” says Clayman. “Phil was out of contract, but I suggested they speak to him and he became the new number one. I had great confidence in him because I always knew he had what it takes. He was a great learner and was always asking the right questions to expand his knowledge base – it’s me who asks him the questions these days.”
With Bowdery given the title of executive VP, touring, Europe, when Live Nation spun off from Clear Channel in 2005, his role further expanded when he was promoted to executive president of touring, international, working closely with local partners to set up offices in Australasia, Asia and China, as well as Live Nation’s international touring activities.
Clayman adds, “I take huge satisfaction [in seeing] how successful he has been. On top of being a great music man, he’s a good guy, and he’s great with his staff.”
Born Leader
Because there are a full 24 hours in a day, workaholic Bowdery’s role in recent years has extended outside of his Live Nation remit. For more than six years, he has been chairman of the UK’s Concert Promoters Association, while more recently he has been heavily involved in the creation of LIVE, the UK trade body that represented the live entertainment sector so well during the pandemic restrictions.
Explaining how he first became involved in trade associations, Bowdery says, “Barry Clayman was one of the founding members of the CPA, along with Harvey Goldsmith,
Testimonials
Phil Bowdery is one of the nicest people in the music business, who possesses great instincts, tenacity, always insightful, and is quite charming. Dennis Arfa | Artist Group International
Phil, you have an amazing career and we need to play a round of golf this summer…
I will bring the Pétrus we stole from One Direction. Rob Trommelen | Mojo Concerts
Phil is the rock on which we build our European tours. He’s the best in the biz, and we’re so lucky to have him at the heart of the Coldplay family. Dave Holmes | Dave Holmes Management
What a fantastic milestone for Phil! He’s still obviously at the top of the worldwide live music business and a really great fella! Simon Moran | SJM Concerts
Fifty years! How did that happen? Time really does fly when you’re having fun, and I bet there’s been a lot of that! Thank you for all your support over the years. Congratulations on 50 spectacular years! Kay, Robbie & all at M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool
Understandably proud of those achievements, Bowdery says, “The CPA still means an awful lot to me, but LIVE is something that is even better – it gives us that umbrella organisation we’ve always been missing. In saying that, it’s important that we have all the different organisations feeding into LIVE because that will help to keep the balance: particularly with the Production Services Association, which is the production side; with Mark Davyd and the Music Venue Trust; and also the concert halls and the National Arenas Association because that gives you representation from the grassroots to the biggest venues, again keeping the balance with everyone.”
Bowdery’s efforts have not gone unrecognised.
“The work he has done with the LIVE group over the last two years has been stellar – a steadying hand during a very rough voyage,” notes Emma Banks, co-head of CAA’s London-based operations. “We all owe him a debt of gratitude for the time and effort that he spends for the good of the business, never looking for any glory for himself.”
DF Concerts chief Geoff Ellis says, “Phil is one of the best promoters in the world, and there are very few who command the same respect that he has internationally, so it’s been a pleasure to serve on the CPA board with him.
“His work through the pandemic with the CPA and LIVE has helped immeasurably. When I was meeting with all the political parties in Scotland to talk about the insurance problem, Phil took the time to meet with the cabinet secretary responsible for culture to make sure the Scottish government understood the problems of our industry.”
Bowdery himself tips his hat toward the unprecedented
Artistic Notes
For well over 30 years, Phil has been a constant
and integral part of my career and life. As a tour
manager, manager, confidant, champion, sounding
board, creative influence, best friend, and brother.
He is calm, intelligent, and uncompromising.
Scrupulously honest and utterly committed to do
the best for those who work with him. Of course,
he can be tough and intimidating when required,
but his humour and compassion and ability to get
things done are legendary. He has not only survived
but flourished in the constantly changing and
fiercely demanding live entertainment industry,
with a reputation second to none.
He’s also terrific company to be around. A
cracking drummer, a peerless dancer (check out
Mud performing Tiger Feet on Top Of The Pops), and
overflowing with some of the best anecdotes in
show business. He’s seen it all, and nothing seems
to faze him.
I could go on and on, but suffice to say, I bloody
love the man and join everyone in congratulating Phil
on reaching this incredible milestone, in the sure
and certain knowledge that there are many more
adventures to come. Keep the engine running, Phil.
Michael Ball
Testimonials
From production chief to head of touring, it’s been a long road, but
you are always a straight shooter. Congratulations on 50 years, and
best wishes for many more.
Pino Sagliocco | Live Nation
I have worked closely with Phil throughout the years. He is central
to Coldplay’s team as the band’s European promoter. His wisdom
and positivity make him an absolute pleasure to work with, and I
look forward to many more years working with Phil.
Congrats on 50 years working in music!
Josh Javor | X-ray Touring
My congratulations to Phil. On tour, one gets to recognise the
colours of a man – and Phil’s shine brightly. Above all, a true
professional, someone with integrity and trust. A friend.
Jonathan Morrish | MorrishComms
Hello, love!
Nigel Hassler | CAA
I have had the pleasure of working with Phil for some of his 50
years in the industry, and I would describe him as “mensch,” in the
true sense of the word. Always available, always with an opinion,
and always with a story or three! He is a great partner and is a real
inspiration for all in our business.
Mike Greek | CAA
Having worked in the live events industry for 45 years this year
(all of them at Arena Group), and knowing and working with Phil
for a large part of that time, I have no hesitation in saying he is
not just one of the best clients I have worked alongside but more
importantly [one of] the nicest people! I could go on forever, but I
just can’t believe we’ve done 95 years in our industry between us.
Dave Withey | Arena Group
I love Phil. After working with him for over 15 years, you can’t not
like and respect the man – he’s been there, done it, got the T-shirt,
and still has the energy and drive of a man half his age. Please
retire and give everyone else a chance!
Steve Homer | AEG Presents
In this cruel and shallow money trench that we call the live music
business, where thieves and pimps run free, there is only a handful
who both survive and thrive… and then there is Phil: a pioneer, a
gentleman, and a scholar. Honest, fair, and reasonable. The very
best of the best! A legend like no other.
John Langford | AEG Europe
Phil Bowdery is so many things – a booming voice, a man and
personality of huge stature, and a master of rhyming slang. He’s
also one of those enigmas in the business who can be at the
forefront of the cut and thrust of doing deals, but at the same
time call everyone “love” (and mean it). Congratulations, Uncle
Phil, on an incredible career, and thank you for the support and
guidance over the years – even though you fired me twice!
Roger Field | Live Nation APAC
Testimonials
I have known Phil for most of his life in the live music business. When I met him, he was a promoter rep, and we spent quite a lot of time together when I was in the UK. Most of it was in the pub. But as Phil’s life in the music business grew and expanded, so did his taste for fine food and wines. We spend more time together now that his job includes the European markets as well as the UK. Phil still takes time out, no matter how busy he is, to have a nice meal and some wine with me whenever I’m in town.
It gives me great pride to see that Phil is being celebrated for 50 years in the entertainment business. And I am honoured, grateful, and proud to call Phil my friend. Phil, may you have as many more years in the business as you wish.
Cheers, LOVE. Mikie Weiss | production manager
Great promoter and friend, but even better at judging Parmesan cheese. Roberto De Luca | Live Nation
From the first time I met Phil, as a young Aussie backpacker with no clue about the music business, he was always a source of great support and guidance. Always there to listen and tell me the real story of how this crazy business worked.
A true gentleman and class act. One of the absolute greats. Mark Yovich | Ticketmaster
Walking around the underbelly of a stadium with Phil is for me one of the real gifts of working in the business. Seeing his passion and energy for putting on a show – how he interacts with absolutely everyone across all the intricate elements that make that happen – is really inspiring and something I look forward to every summer. Congrats on the first 50 years, Mr. Bowdery. Looking forward to all the years still to come. Andrew Parsons | Ticketmaster collaboration between industry rivals throughout the pandemic, noting that their willingness to work together for the greater good bodes well as the business recovers.
“When something like a pandemic happens it just makes you realise how much the strength of coming together makes a difference,” he says. “Information is power, and sharing information with each other has worked really well.”
Universal Love
Many of the people that IQ spoke to for this article note Bowdery’s extraordinary communication skills, pointing out his ability to solve problems with ease, as well as the unique relationship he maintains with artists.
Bowdery believes those attributes were picked up through his desire to be in the live music business. “I left school at 15 with no qualifications – I was not academic,” he says. “But I was streetwise, and my education was being on the road: that taught me life. I had to think on my feet, and when you do that you are communicating.”
Hinting at where he honed his legendary negotiation proficiency, Bowdery recalls a game he’d play with musicians in hotels where the goal was to taste all the whisky behind the bar without paying for a drop. “That was all down to communication and building a relationship with the barman. There was no harm done, but it was all about the ‘gift of the gab’.”
He adds, “I’ve always made sure when I go to a club or theatre or wherever that the person who works on the door genuinely knows that they are as important to me as the guy in the office who is paying the band. Let’s face it, if the door isn’t open, nobody gets in. So I try to ingratiate myself with people and I’m
Tres Thomas | Live Nation
Bumping into everyone’s favourite farmer, Michael Eavis, in Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium at the 25th annual Pollstar Awards
Phil with Tom Jones Thousands of and some of the team professionals read who work on the artist’s tours IQ every day. Make sure you get the
whole picture… SUBSCRIBE HERE
Phil presents friend and client Michael Ball to Her Majesty The Queen at St James’s Palace
As usual, the International Live Music Conference will provide a platform for the hottest new tech products and services during the New
Technology: Future Frontiers
quick-fire presentations panel, as well as separate opportunities to showcase new developments at both the ILMC Production Meeting (IPM) and the Green Events and Innovations conference (GEI).
TEN TOP TECH TIPS FOR 2022
As a preview to those must-see sessions, we’re giving you a taster of some of the latest tech that you can expect to see demonstrated during our 26-29 April gathering. Further details on these products and services can be obtained by visiting the relevant websites or by meeting the presenters during ILMC itself…
VatomTM
Vatom operates and develops the Vatom platform. Vatom natively incorporates the key pillars of Web3 – an identity-based wallet, developer-first immersive web spaces, and a studio for creating smart NFTs and campaigns, and an NFT marketplace.
The Vatom platform is a purpose-built metaverse suite for connecting brands, fans, artists, and all points in between. Vatom is powering festivals, venues, livestreams, ticketing and radio with a feature-complete toolkit, bringing Web3 and the benefits of the metaverse to the masses.
The Vatom platform is built to scale and can host thousands of attendees simultaneously in the same space, all with video avatars and a fully spatial audio experience.
At the heart of the platform is the world’s first NFT-based crosschain wallet. The Vatom wallet seamlessly connects fans to all their NFT and Metaverse experiences with a one-click set up.
Easy to access for fans, and easy-to-build experiences and campaigns - Vatom is a #NoCode solution so there are no plug-ins and no technical know-how required. Just your browser and a simple webbased URL lets you add web3 to events in real life and online. Vatom.com
Dynamic Crowd Management
Technology has arrived for event organisers battling with heavy regulation and unaffordable security manpower costs. Until now, security rosters have been set by estimating the maximum staffing required at each point on a worst-case scenario basis. Most of the time these levels are never effectively used or needed. The problem has been providing hard evidence that these levels of staffing are not needed from a customer safety or experience perspective.
Dynamic Crowd Management (DCM) software measures crowd density, flow speed and mood of crowds, and provides advance warning of congestion or aggression, so the mobile deployment of resources can be guided to where they are needed and when.
Using any CCTV vision, DCM software can send crowd data to managers in a control room that is accurate, unbiased, and consistent. The data from multiple sources can be assessed by a single experienced operator, and better decisions can be made due to the better measurement of crowd moods. This allows a scientific assignment of mobile resources: case studies have shown a 30% reduction is possible with better efficiency. dynamiccrowdmeasurement.com.au
Thousands of professionals read IQ every day. Make sure you get the whole picture… SUBSCRIBE HERE
HANS ZIMMER LIVEPhotography © Frank-Embacher
It might not be as dramatic as some of the movies that Hans Zimmer has provided the scores for, but the story of his latest tour is truly one of victory over adversity for all Thousands of professionals read IQ every day. Make involved. Gordon Masson reports.sure you get the whole picture… Magazine 63 SUBSCRIBE HERE
When Hans Zimmer Live made its debut in Hamburg on 11 March, the wave of emotion across an audience who had been starved of live entertainment for the best part of two years was palpable. And those scenes were reflected among everyone involved in the spectacular production.
“The tour was originally scheduled for Spring 2020, so when we had our first show in Hamburg, somebody from our social media team found out that we had announced that show 858 days ago,” reports Christoph Scholz from Semmel Concerts, which is co-producing the tour with RCI Global.
“There were definitely people in that audience who had sat on their tickets for more than two years, so the sense of relief and enjoyment was immense.”
With an office in Hamburg, Semmel Concerts promoted that opening night. “It was very emotional,” says Scholz. “There was enormous tension on stage and backstage. But the audience, the crew, and the artists were simply very happy to be together again, and the atmosphere was special.”
A World Apart
At press time, Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine was still raging, and thoughts of that senseless conflict are never far from the Hans Zimmer Live touring party, some of whom were forced to flee their country following the Russian invasion.
“Our originally scheduled orchestra is the Odessa Opera Orchestra from Ukraine,” reveals Scholz. “Within the first 72 hours of the conflict, ten musicians and their families were able to make it out to safety. But that was only about half of the orchestra and the others were unable to leave Ukraine. As a result, we’ve renamed it Odessa Opera Orchestra & Friends because we cast musicians from elsewhere in Europe.
“On the opening night, Hans introduced the band first after his first song, and there were standing ovations. It was a very touching moment. But we’ve had lots of standing ovations, since. The support has been just phenomenal.”
Getting the tour out of the starting blocks has been a monumental task, especially with so many false starts to contend with. “At Semmel, we were already hosting arena shows for domestic acts in Germany last year – between the end of August to mid-November we had 430,000 people attend our shows,” reports Scholz. “So, when we met Hans Zimmer for a production meeting in early September last year, we were confident we were all set to kick-start the tour and go full steam ahead.”
But in November, everything ground to a halt. “Suddenly, Germany restricted events again; the Netherlands never really reopened;
Thousands of professionals read IQ every day. Make sure you get the whole picture… SUBSCRIBE HERE
size, which made careful planning and customs preparation even more important than usual.”
One newbie to the world of Hans Zimmer is lighting designer John Featherstone, who nevertheless has been a friend of the composer since before the pandemic. “We have a lot of friends in common, but I first met Hans when he was doing a bespoke private show,” he explains. “He is always looking for new and exciting ways to deliver his music and vision to the audience, so it was inspiring to work with him on the concept for this tour.”
While other film-score-based shows simply match images from the movies to the music, that was not going to work with Hans Zimmer Live, which with a stage full of virtuoso musicians was always going to be more of a live concert than a scripted set.
“The way Hans composes and the way in which the musicians interpret their roles means it was never going to be as iterative as other shows,” continues Featherstone. “You have to lean into the movies, for sure, but it was interesting to hear the way Hans approaches projects in collaboration with the film’s director, and then devise the lighting design in a similar way.”
The result is amazing. With about 20 virtuoso musicians on stage, there are astounding solo performances constantly throughout the show, while the impressive video screens above the stage and projections behind the 20-something-piece orchestra complement Zimmer’s compositions, which touch on blockbusters such as Gladiator, Pirates of the Caribbean, Dune, The Last Samurai, The Lion King, The Dark Knight and others.
“Dark Knight is bombastic and tortured, whereas Last Samurai is far softer and melancholic, and Lion King is obviously completely different. But the lighting and images allow the musicians to do their own thing without having to stick to a script or in time with certain scenes on a video,” adds Featherstone, who also had to design a system that could be tailored to work everywhere from the low, 12-metre height confines of Stuttgart, through to the soaring expanses of The O2 Arena.
A League of their Own
The show itself is extraordinary. Like a latter-day Prince, Zimmer surrounds himself with the crème de la crème of musicians and artists, while the tour is Zimmer’s first to involve dancers and even an aerial artist to wow the audience.
Zimmer and his business partner, Steven Kofsky were originally persuaded to take his music to the fans by legendary impresario Harvey Goldsmith, who promoted their first shows in October 2014 at Hammersmith Apollo in the UK. Now, while Semmel and RCI have taken over as producers, Goldsmith remains involved co-promoting the shows with Kilimanjaro Live at The O2 Arena and the AO Arena Manchester.
“Unfortunately, because of Covid, we had to postpone not once but twice, so the fact that most people still had their tickets was a minor miracle,” states Goldsmith. “But they are a unique audience: very wide ranging but people who love the movies. The audience in London just went nuts.
“It is a big show, but then all of his shows are big, as he likes the spectacle of it,” he adds. “When you look at the quality of the musicians, that’s what makes it very unique – every one of them playing on that show is a star.”
Co-promoter Stuart Galbraith from Kilimanjaro Live says, “The Hans Zimmer Live shows in the UK were some of the strongest we have seen come through the pandemic. The fans were absolutely dedicated – 95% of them hung on to their tickets through the postponements and the tour, unlike many others, continued to sell strongly. But is it any wonder when Hans continues seems to release an award-winning soundtrack every month?!”
In Ireland, MCD’s Noel McHale who promoted the show at Dublin’s 3Arena, agrees. “It’s great to see crowds coming through the doors, all excited and buzzing to be going out to gigs again,” he says. “The Hans Zimmer Live show sold out two years ago and 99% held on to their
Thousands of professionals read IQ every day. Make sure you get the whole picture… SUBSCRIBE HERE
Congratulations and thanks to Hans Zimmer, Semmel Concerts & everyone involved for two incredible nights in Amsterdam
