The Beyonce Experience: The Day of ...
When we last checked in with concert promoter Rick Mirigian, he was headed to bed two nights before tonight's Beyonce concert at the Save Mart Center.
Now that it's the day of the concert, we'll be chronicling Mirigian's activities (and the progress of the concert) throughout the day.
8:57 a.m. - Rick Mirigian pulls his light brown Mercedes down a ramp into the loading area of the Save Mart Center. He parks next to three of the 13 trucks responsible for bringing Beyonce's tour to Fresno. Those started unloading around 6 a.m.
Mirigian opens a door and walks into the backstage area, where about 50 workers are unpacking gear and setting up for tonight's show. As soon as he walks in, he's offered a ticket-audit which shows him which tickets have sold and where they are. He declines. He doesn't want to look yet.
Instead, he's standing near the arena floor, in a white T-shirt and red basketball shorts, watching as union workers prepare the lighting. Workers on the ground run stuff up to people in the rafters. Mirigian is watching from 20 feet away.
"That two-and-a-half-hour concert," he says, "a whole day's work goes into it. My main concern when I get here is to get a head count of who's doing what. They're all on the clock at high rates."
Next, he strolls over to catering, where the aroma of hot food is circulating and will all day, through breakfast, lunch and dinner.
"They'll probably eat one fourth of the food," Mirigian mutters. "Now we'll go see if her dressing room is set up the right way, because if it's not, guess who's liable?"
9:29 a.m. -- Mirigian is scrambling. He's hit his first road block of the day.
He had set up an after-show gathering for his investors, radio station personnel and other media partners. All the arrangements were in advance, with the behind-the-desk tour planners. Those people, however, are different from the ones who are on the road day-to-day with Beyonce. And his after-show gathering is news to them.
So he's looking for answers -- both from people in the building and from people on the office-end of things.
The concern is that an influx of people would disturb the dressing rooms and show's productions office. Mirigian's solution is to have the party in the catering area, which is on the opposite side of the stage. It makes sense to him.
At one point, he's sitting on a rolled-up rug, on the phone looking for somebody to back him up. Next, he's tracking down the point-man on the road crew to plead his case.
Eventually, it works, and he's got his after-show party. But there's no guarantee Beyonce will be there. In fact, the odds aren't good . But that's OK. He has to pick his battles.
"Everything's fine," Mirigian says. "It was just that one issue."
10 a.m. - Jake Janz walks in the backstage area. He's a local artist who spent six months painting a portrait of Jay-Z, Beyonce's rapper boyfriend. It's huge, probably 15 feet tall and 10 feet wide. Since Janz heard word of Beyonce coming to town, it's been his goal to get her to see it. He's been in touch with Mirigian for a few weeks, and Janz' persistence paid off.
"He's more persistent than me," Mirigian says.
So the two of them worked out a deal to give Beyonce the painting as her "gift from Fresno." Janz pulls up in a moving truck and has two friends to help him unload the painting. Beyonce's people look at it and approve. They say they'll set it up in her dressing room.
"I don't want her to forget this place," says Janz, 26. "I remember reading in GQ that Jay-Z said he could make anything happen in the creative world."
For Janz, this is his chance. Maybe Jay-Z and Beyonce will like it and commission him for other work. Or maybe they'll recommend him to someone else. Or maybe nothing will happen. Janz is willing to take that risk.
"This is something you can't just push into the closet," he says, with a proud smile.
10:17 a.m. - Mirigian is back in his car, driving away from the Save Mart Center.
He'll return a few times throughout the day. Now he's going to tend to some other business. He's going to buy a new suit, pick up some gifts and meet with one of his investors.
"No matter what," he says, "this is already a huge success."
10:56 a.m. -- Before every event he puts on, Mirigian buys himself a new suit. It's one of his rituals.
"That's my way of remembering it," he says.
Today, he picked out a black pinstripe suit. Before he goes home to change, he'll pick up a couple of gifts for people in Beyonce's camp -- shoes and a gift basket -- then head back to the arena to drop those off and make sure everything is going well.
"To me, everything is in the details," he says. "So I'm going to take care of these people who I think are good people to have relationships with."
1:13 p.m. - Looking for a "half-hour of stress relief," Mirigian hit the gym for 30 minutes on a stationary bike. He's walking out now, and there are fires to put out.
During his workout, the calls started coming in, both from Beyonce's people and from the Save Mart Center, about a dispute over items on Beyonce's tour rider (i.e. the things she and her crew request to be at the arena). Little things are missing -- like specific foods and a certain type of towels -- and Mirigian is trying to settle things for both sides.
"I'm trying to keep both sides happy," he says.
Also, he's trying to make sure everybody who should have tickets at will call tonight actually does. So he's leaving the gym, on his way to the arena.
"As I'm talking to you," he says. "I've had four text messages come in."
1:28 p.m. - "I just spilled a 32-ounce cup of water on myself trying to answer two phones at once," Mirigian says, from his car.
A couple of notes that don't have a lot to do with Mirigian:
- Where's Beyonce? -- It's a good question -- what does the headliner do on the day of her show? Beyonce spent the night in Fresno and was at her hotel this morning, from what I'm hearing. She'll show up at the arena for soundcheck this afternoon, probably around 5 p.m. After that, she'll hang out either in her dressing room or her tour bus until showtime.
- Soldiers honored - Five soldiers who served in Iraq with get shout-outs from Beyonce during tonight's show. It's part of the U.S. Army's Operation Tribute to Freedom. Two of them are Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Ackley, who lives in Hanford, and Sgt. Monica Estrada, from Sacramento. Just a hunch, but Beyonce will probably give them a nod before performing Destiny's Child's hit single "Soldier."
- 50 seconds? - Just a note from the side of the journalists who cover Beyonce. Photographer get less than 50 seconds to photograph Ms. Knowles. Yes, you read that right, less than one minute. The clock starts ticking when she steps onto the stage and photographers are asked to stop and leave 50 seconds later. Crazy, huh? It's a common practice with Beyonce, apparently. Check out this piece from the Cleveland Plain-Dealer.
- Spoiler warning - If you want to spoil the set list for tonight's show, go here.
4:12 p.m. - The staging is almost complete. The lights are going through a test run. Mirigian, now dressed in his brand new suit, stops to marvel at it all.
"It's pretty incredible," he says, looking out from backstage curtain. "Too bad more people aren't going to get to see it."
4:43 p.m. - Mirigian is sitting in his makeshift office in the backstage area when he gets a call on his cell phone.
His Mercedes is in Beyonce's parking space. Well, her bus' parking space. So he rushes outside and says to Beyonce's head of security, "Just tell me where to move it."
They confer for a second, then Mirigian hops in his car to move it next to a tour bus. Problem: There's a fire hydrant there. So he picks another empty parking space and parks.
Mirigian gets out of his car for only a second before Beyonce's security guy -- a big, burly security guy, mind you -- shouts across the lot at him, "I got busses going there, too."
Mirigian just shakes his head and hops back in his car to try again.
5:19 p.m. - "How you doing?" Aren Hekimian asks Mirigian, sitting down at a table in the catering area to eat dinner.
Hekimian is one of the sub-contracted promoters Mirigian hired to set up ticket giveaways at area high schools and litter the Fresno State campus with fliers. Mirigian groans in response to the question, sitting with his elbows on the table and his fingers interlocked under his chin.
"There's a lot still to be done," Mirigian says. "I got 200 e-mails in my box right now. It's ridiculous."
He's got people hitting him up non-stop about tickets. Everybody wants them. He's trying to make sure people who need to come in and eat can do that, people who need to park can do that and people who need (not want) tickets can pick them up.
Under normal circumstances, these types of things would be handled by more than one person, but not in Rick Mirigian's one-man-show world.
The big problem right now is that the jock from radio station Q97 who is supposed to welcome the crowd to the Save Mart Center hasn't shown up yet. He was supposed to be there at 5 p.m. So Mirigian has been trying to track him down so they can work out a time and script. No luck yet.
The tables around him are bustling with people eating tri-tip, salad and ice cream. Mirigian? He hasn't had a bite.
5:56 p.m. - "If you wanna meet Beyonce, you need to be here at 6:45 sharp! You and nobody else. There's only five of us."
It's his girlfriend on the other end of the phone.
6:31 p.m. - Things are getting hectic. Mirigian hasn't had a free ear for the last half hour. He's moving from one little issue to the next.
There are passes to coordinate, guests to accommodate, questions to answer. He's meeting with Beyonce's point-man, making sure everything is handled for the upcoming meet-and-greet and that things with the concert are running on time.
Mirigian, pessimist that he is, has already figured out what a late show means. It means money -- about $700 for every minute the show is behind schedule. That's to pay the 50-or-so workers who needs to tear down the staging.
He won't say it in so many words, but you can judge from his tone and his conversations that Mirigian has pretty much given up hope of the show making money. Attendance of 8,000 would be great. That's with comp tickets. So breaking even is the best case scenario, it seems. So an extra $700 per minute isn't something Mirigian is trying to deal with.
A few minutes later, the people who won a meet-and-greet with Beyonce though a promotion at Chukchansi Resort & Casino walk into the backstage area.
Only one problem: Beyonce isn't here yet.
6:50 p.m. - Katy Shotter, a British soul singer, opens the show. Attendance is bleak.
7:20 p.m. - Robin Thicke takes the stage. The crowd still isn't looking great.
7:42 p.m. - As Thicke, halfway into his set, goes into his big hit "Lost Without U," the mostly female crowd is shrieking and swaying along. That's when you notice: In the last 20 minutes, the arena really started to fill up. Like really started to fill up.
8 p.m. - "That looks like about 8,000 with comps," Mirigian says, in a backstage hallway, still subdued.
He's corralled a group of about 10 people to meet Thicke after his set. Meanwhile, Beyonce's dancers are trickling out the dressing room and going to the stage area. She's about to take the stage.
"Everything is going OK," says Mirigian flatly. "I'm happy."
He doesn't sound it.
8:42 p.m. - Beyonce appears at the top of the stage dressed like a belly dancer, with a long skirt and a bikini top.
She's surrounded by a full (and all-female) band - complete with three drummers, two keyboard players, a horn section and back-up singers. As she steps down the florescent lit stage, the band charges into her hit single "Baby Boy."
When the hook hits, she starts to gyrate and shake her hips at the front of the stage, then lets out a big "Woooooo!"
As Mirigian watches from the side of the stage, that's a bit how he feels, too. Things, as he glances around the arena, are looking good.
He picks up his phone to key in a text message.
"Man, I can't believe how this place filled out," he writes. "Without question there is almost 10,000 people."
9:07 p.m. - Beyonce is on stage in a sparkling gown now, singing "Dangerously in Love 2."
Danger is what is fading away for Mirigian.
"I was in another world for five minutes," he says. "It was surreal to see the house full and her on stage."
But his phone just rang. Back to reality. He has to run back to the accounting office. Time to deal with money.
OK, so maybe the danger's not all gone.
10:38 p.m. - The show has been over for 10 minutes. The crowd is filtering out. There are lines for elevators, lines going toward the stairs, lines leaving the parking lot.
Mirigian is already on his way out, pulling his Mercedes up the loading dock ramp and back into the regular world -- where there's nobody calling him asking for tickets anymore.
"I'm free," he says. "You want to get something to eat? I didn't have a bite of what I paid for $13,000 for."
11:06 p.m. - He's the best dressed man in Denny's, that's for sure.
Mirigian sits at a corner table, still in his new black suit. Denny's -- it's a far cry from the $13,000 catering bill, and a far cry from the world he just left.
Or, is it?
"Did you guys go to the concert?" a waitress asks a table of four, all looking to be in their 20s. "How was it?"
"Good," they answer in unison.
Mirigian smiles. One of his first of the day.
"Everybody's happy, man," he says, his tone much more upbeat than it had been earlier.
The verdict?
"We got to where we needed to be," he says.
He says there were upward of 10,000 about 9,000 people (Edit: After talking to Mirigian this morning, I'm pulling the attendance figure down a little). From there he won't break down what was paid attendance vs. comp tickets. But he had previously said around 6,000 tickets sold was their break-even number. Conventional wisdom says the show ended up doing OK. Attendance topped recent shows from John Mayer and Keith Urban, that's for sure.
He's still marveling at the number of people who showed up.
"Where did all those people come from?" he says. "The arena was almost full. You give me two more weeks and a weekend date, that thing would have sold out."
Mirigian had said previously the success of the show would ultimately come down the day-of, walk-up crowd.
"We got a good walk-up," he says. "Better than expected."
He's not answering questions about money made or anything like that. To him, he says, money is not the measure of success and failure. He seems genuine when he says it, too.
"I now have my foot in the door," he says. "My goal is to route more shows through here. What I did here was I paid for my education. I paid my tuition. Getting to certain people can be priceless."
His goal is to bring more shows to the Save Mart Center and also to Saroyan Theatre, either independently or as a local point-man for larger national promoters. His success with this Beyonce concert, he says, should go a long way toward that.
For now, though, Mirigian's plans are to finish off his club sandwich and fries, then go home, crawl into bed and fall asleep to SportsCenter
"I ain't waking up for a week," he says, wishfully.
Not with his phone still going off every few minutes.
"I'll wake up with a litany of phone calls to make," he says. "I'll probably get started tomorrow on the next deal."
At least he'll sleep well. If only for one night.
Comments:
Hope everything goes well and then come back. It's nice to get big acts here now, in the NO-Town.
Posted by: jim at August 28, 2007 1:50 PM
i understand that beyonce is a big star and all (she was in an austin powers movie), but why do we need a play by play of a person who lip-synchs during live performances?
Posted by: will at August 28, 2007 8:00 PM
Will, Will, Will....the story ain't about her, it's about a local guy taking a big risk...but you knew that.
Great job of reporting and writing, certainly your best since you got to Fresno, Oz.
Can't wait to read the rest...hope you get more than 50 seconds access at the concert.
Posted by: Stephen at August 28, 2007 11:16 PM
Oh she does NOT lip-synch will! What a show! It's not called "The Beyonce Expirence" for nothin'!!! It was amazing, well produced, entertaining, and visually beautiful.
This woman can sing. Her band was hot! Did you know that it is a complete woman band? The only men on stage were her male dancers. The Suga Mama band....wow, these women can rock! Her backup singers....fantastic.
I didn't go to the show tonight cause I was a great Beyonce fan. We were offered tickets late this afternoon and thought....what the heck, I like Robin Thicke, we'll go. We were honestly amazed at her talent. All but the 15 year old in our group who sat on the couch and text messaged a friend. Oh well...we enjoyed every costume change there was. The interludes were well thought out....ballet/modern dance, Chicago, piano, bass solos. Did I mention Wow?? haha Wow.
Posted by: Geanie at August 28, 2007 11:17 PM
WELL I HAVE TO SAY ONE THING, NO TWO DAYS ARE THE SAME IN MY LIFE OR EVER WILL BE......
Posted by: rick at August 29, 2007 12:52 AM
c'mon, Oz!
Finish the thing tonight!!!!
At least answer the burning question! How many paid tickets sold??? You can't set up drama like this from the first couple of paragraphs and then leave us hangin'!
Posted by: Stephen at August 29, 2007 1:12 AM
Rick, since you're reading this, HANG IN THERE.
I've been assisting guys like you for 20+ years, and you're doing it well...don't friggin' stop now!
Posted by: Stephen at August 29, 2007 1:22 AM
Glad I stayed awake.
VERY good writing, Oz. On the fly, even.
thanks for ending it tonight...and WAY TO GET ACCESS!
Posted by: Stephen at August 29, 2007 2:08 AM
Thanks, man.
Actually, thanks a bunch for the push. It helped me keep going, knowing that somebody was out there reading it. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
I do have to thank Rick for giving the type of access I'd never get from a Live Nation or AEG.
And Geanie: I did catch her lip syncing a few times, but she was singing live, too.
It all depended on whether she was doing a ballad or a dance-heavy song.
Posted by: Mike Oz at August 29, 2007 2:23 AM
You did a really good job...and ask Canzano or Prisbell...I've pushed them along a bit as well. And I'm pretty sure I pushed Vanilla McClure out of sportswriting forever. At least in Fresno.
Props to you on my myspace blog: http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=13516169&blogID=304695942
Sarcastic props, tho...like you would expect different?
Posted by: Stephen at August 29, 2007 2:37 AM
Wow, Mike Oz. Great post.
I admire your storytelling and your dedication.
Posted by: Heather at August 29, 2007 7:26 AM
wait, she DOESNT lip-synch? wow. i thought when she fell and didnt miss a beat, it was because she pulled an ashley simpson. i guess i underestimated her talent. she must be amazing.
btw, this is a well-done reporting job on mike oz's part.
Posted by: will at August 29, 2007 7:47 AM
Awesome ending to an awesome series. Definitely some of the best entertainment/feature writing I've seen in the Bee. Congratulations Mike.
I'm also really glad it was a happy ending too, for Rick's sake. I wasn't interested in this show, but it is risk takers like Rick that help make this community better. They help legitimize Fresno and expand opportunities for all of us, and they deserve to have their stories heard like this.
Bravo Rick. Bravo Mike. And Bravo to all of the people who bought tickets and kept Fresno at the table for a chance at the next big show.
Posted by: DChild at August 29, 2007 12:08 PM
Congratulations on the show Rick. I heard that it was a great success...Thanks for the tickets cause Mary is a one man show around here.
Posted by: Shannon at August 29, 2007 12:56 PM
Congratulations on the show Rick. I heard that it was a great success...Thanks for the tickets cause Mary is a one man show around here.
Posted by: Shannon at August 29, 2007 12:56 PM
Mike,
Thanks for doing all this work and writing the article in the paper, and on fresno beehive. I've been studying this thing like a college course, and trying to learn from the article. Rick has alot of knowledge and hard work ethic, something I can gain from, and have after reading all this.
Thanks,
patrick
Posted by: patrick contreras at August 29, 2007 1:28 PM
Mike, thank you for the follow-up story; that was an excellent piece of coverage all around...
...and congrats to Rick for breaking through the barrier here!
Posted by: dan at August 29, 2007 1:52 PM
It is refreshing to see a local business man like Rick succeed. Very interesting story.
Posted by: Abi at August 29, 2007 2:33 PM
I want to echo the Mike Oz praise on this piece. Mike, what happened with Fresno artists Jake Janz' painting? Did Beyonce take it, have anything to say about it?
The big thing I'm taking from this: I'm never bugging anybody I know (involved with putting on a show) for tickets again. You're actually taking money out of your friend's pocket. JUST BUY YOUR OWN TICKET YOU CHEAP BASTARDS!
Posted by: Mikey at August 29, 2007 5:18 PM
Good story OZ, I love the way that you love FRESNO. Keep doing what you are doing and pretty soon, everyone will be saying, there's not enough time in the day to do everything FRESNO has to offer!
Posted by: Louie at August 29, 2007 5:24 PM
OVERALL LOOKS LIKE PEOPLE HAD A BLAST AT THE SHOW AND I CAN ONLY HOPE THEY SUPPORT THEY NEXT FEW PROJECTS I HAVE COMING, ITS NOT EASY BUT I WILL GET IT DONE! THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO SUPPORTED SHOW!
Posted by: RICK at August 29, 2007 7:52 PM
Mikey:
From what I heard -- keep in mind, this is entirely hearsay -- Beyonce saw the painting and liked it. Rick was then working with one of the Beyonce's people to get it shipped to wherever. Obviously, they couldn't take it with them.
I'll have to check back with Jake to see what the upshot of this is ...
Everybody who gave positive feedback:
Thanks a bunch. I'm glad you guys liked this project and that I didn't lose all this sleep for nothing.
Posted by: Mike Oz at August 29, 2007 8:26 PM
MIKE,GREAT ARTICLE GREAT REPORTING LOVE THE PROMOTER STILL WAITING FOR MY SIGNED COPY FROM YOU LOVE YOU RICKS MOM PAULINE
Posted by: TERRI at August 30, 2007 5:09 PM
rick rick rick ...where do i start?? get in the loop!!! you want to be a big time promoter??? well i applaude your efforts... but you have alot of learning to do. you said that you payed for this "education" and now have your foot in the door...well the door was slamming right in your face. sooooo many people were willing to help you and worked that day, to make your event the best it could of been...but instead you choose to treat people that busted there butts with total disrespect and disregard...was your show a success??? maybe, but not from your efforts on the day of show ...it was people that live this bussiness that you should be thanking...the people that had your back (smg staff -local 158 and numerious other local crew personal...belive me when i say that people in beyonce camp were less then impressed with you...your rep. as a "shady" promoter has preceeded you....my guess is that any future show that you are involved in that you advance it so everyone involved KNOWS that they will PAID...and not have to feel as if they were begging for there money...payment is due when services are rendered! and as a side note... mike oz , if you were looking to do a story on a local promoter and there efforts on bringing the "BIG" show to fresno?? your time would be more well spent focusing on people ...like the valdivia family. they have been promoting "BIG" concerts and doing them right for a number of years. they were in the savemart center long before rick was....and as far as you not getting axcess from the BIG promoters...well i dont know about that..but i see you and your girl at most all of those "BIG" promoters shows...comps right??? right!!! ive personally said, or at least tryed to say hi to you on a number of occasions..just to be smugged by you and you note pad-lol..thats cool though...you keep doing what you do and ill keep doing what i do. this is not a slam on rick or any one...just a real account on what really happend that day..from the inside
Posted by: INSIDEGUY at August 31, 2007 12:45 AM
Access is a lot different than tickets. Yeah, I go to a lot of shows. It's part of my job.
But how often do I get to follow around a promoter on the day of the show as he tries to deal with all the drama of a show?
This was only the second time I've been in the backstage area of the Save Mart Center on the day of a show -- the first time was for like 10 minutes at 3 p.m. one day when set-up was going on.
So yes, getting this access was much different than anything. It's hard enough to even get Live Nation to call me or e-mail me back about its shows. I've tried to do stories like this in the past with other shows put on by national promoters, only to be denied.
This lined up for me story-wise, it's that simple.
Yes, the Valdivias are great, they do cool shows and they are worth a story, too.
But the chaos surrounding Rick and this show is what made this story interesting. That's why I chose to follow him.
Posted by: Mike Oz at August 31, 2007 1:12 AM
You know, InsideGuy? I used to post to a message board as 'FSUInsideMan.' Yeah, I was right, had inside info, but was ANNOYING as hell in my anonymity and rudeness. Soon, I was ostracized no matter what info my post contained. It just carries nothing to the table when you post such stuff anonymously.
Anyway, to your comments.
I'm going to assume you were working the show, possibly as a member of Local 158, or in some other capacity representing Fresno.
And it sounds like you didn't represent Fresno very well. Sounds like you allowed Beyonce's people to talk smack about the promoter, and talked some yourself. About the guy who gave you the gig. I'm also quite certain everyone got paid, or Mirigian would be sued HARD right now.
Either way, unless you were the key person, I doubt it would be up to you or 'Beyonce's camp' to ensure proper payment for services rendered.
As someone who has been working with promoters or been a promoter for almost 30 years (yes, my first backstage PA gig was at age 15), I've also been quite unprofessional in my comments about shows and in my activities around people from out of town. I got fired a lot also.
You say you could have helped Mirigian. It's VERY likely that you could have. But geez, Rick's new. Give the guy a break...he's still learning, and it's VERY hard to have all your money (and your friends' money) on the line and to give up responsibility for such things. It's also pretty dang stressful, as Mike Oz's story showed us.
You really wanna help the guy? Do your damn job, shut the heck up, and if you have something to say, say it to the man himself WELL after the show, in private. NOT to Beyonce's camp. NOT to your fellow co-workers or riggers or whatnot.
Represent Fresno as a professional business, and 'get Rick's back' by actually getting his back, especially when people are calling him 'shady' at the gig, before the gig, or whenever. You GET to work shows like these BECAUSE of Rick Mirigian, Leo Valdivia, or whomever brings the gigs here.
Got a problem? Run it up the chain, let Rick know in private, or post here with your real damn name.
Otherwise?
Some 'professional' you are.
Stephen A. Mintz -- My name.
Posted by: Stephen at September 2, 2007 3:34 AM
INSIDE GUY YOUR FACTS ARE OFF AND NO ONE "SHADY" GETS TO PROMOTE A SHOW LIKE BEYONCE AS IT IS A-LIST AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST IN THE STATE. PATHETIC AS IT IS I HAVE DONE OVER 100 LARGE CONCERTS AND I BET YOU WENT TO MOST OF THEM AND NEVER KNEW. PAY PEOPLE? HA! EVERYONE WAS PAID IN ADVANCE AND NOT ONE TIME WILL I EVER GET A COMPLAINT FOR NOT PAYING ANYONE. SAD, BUT THE GUY A.MINTZ KNOWS MORE THEN YOU AND UNDERSTANDS. I THINK ILL ADD YOU TO MY "COMP" LIST AND LIST OF PEOPLE WHO HELP TO MOTIVATE ME, YOU GO WORK ON PROMOTING YOUR "PITY PARTY" AND TELL ME WHO YOU WANT TO SEE NEXT IN FRESNO AND I JUST MAY BRING THEM. STAGE HANDS,CREW AND SET UP PEOPLE ATE FOR FREE SO YOUR WELCOME AND THAT WAS MY GIFT TO THEM FOR THIER HARD WORK. ALSO BUDDY LESS THEN IMPRESSED? THE PEOPLE THAT YOU AWNSER TO AND MYSELF HAD A GREAT TIME, THEY LOVED ME AND THE SHOW WENT SMOOTH AS POSSIBLE. LIVE THE BUSINESS? WITH OUT ME OR A LARGE PROMOTER WHAT THE HECK WOULD YOU LIVE? YOU ALREDAY LIVE IN THE SHADOWS, SO WHAT WOULD YOU DO THEN? LOOK AT CD COVERS AND DREAM? I ALSO LOVE THE VALDIVA'S, THEY GAVE ME MY FIRST CHANCE AND I AM FRIENDS WITH THEM, BUT YOUR DEALING WITH TWO DIFFERNT SET UPS, NOT EVEN CLOSE. IM ONE MAN, ONE PERSON AND 1/3 OF LEO'S AGE, AND IT IS NOT THE SAME TYPE OF SHOW THEY DO, NOT EVEN CLOSE. THEY ARE HE LARGEST HISPANIC PROMOTERS IN THE STATE. SO YOU KNOW FROM THE JANITOR TO THE CEO I SHOW THE SAME RESPECT AND ALWAYS WILL BECAUSE I WAS THAT JANITOR, YOU MY FRIEND OR YOUR "CONTACT" MUST BE SOMEONE THAT TRIED TO ABUSE OR TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOMETHING AND GOT CAUGHT, DISRESPECTFUL I AM NOT. NO ONE WORKED THAT DAY TO HELP ME THAT WAS NOT PAID TO DO SO AND PAID ON THIER TERMS, ILL TAKE THE CREDIT FOR THE GAIN OR THE LOSS AND DIE WITH MY SHOW, BUT IT WONT BE BECAUSE OF STAGEHANDS OR CREW THAT GET PAID TO DO A JOB, WITH OUT THOSE SHOWS THEY HAVE NO JOB AND SHOULD DO IT AND DO IT WITH PRIDE SHOULD THEY WANT MORE TO COME THROUGH, AND THAT IS WHY I SPENT AN EXTRA $5000 TO FEED THEM ALL FREE. YOU HAVE A NICE NIGHT AND KEEP DOING WHAT YOU DO BEST. NO PROMOTER GETS A DATE LIKE THAT, MONEY OR NOT, DO YOUR HOME WORK. YOU THINK ICM DEALS WITH "SHADY" PEOPLE. IF YOU NEED SOME ADVICE, JUST ASK AND I WILL STILL HELP GUIDE YOU AS I CAN SEE YOUR REACHING OUT FOR HELP. IN LIFE EVEN SOMEONE LIKE YOU MAY BE ABLE TO BRING A ACT LIKE BEYONCE, JUST ASK AND ILL TELL YOU ALL YOU NEED.
Posted by: rick at September 2, 2007 7:36 PM
AS I STATED...THIS WAS NOT A SLAM ON RICK OR HIS EFFORTS...SOUNDS LIKE YOU GUYS GOT A LITTLE BUTT HURT ABOUT SOME OF MY COMMENTS...YOU SHOULDNT! NOT ONE TIME DID I EVER DISS RICK OR HIS EFFORTS TO "BEYONCE CAMP"...IN FACT..AND YES THIS MAY SEEM SUPRIZING TO A. MINTZ OR YOU RICK ,WE HAVE YOUR BACK!! WORKED HARD ALL DAY...DIDNT SAY A WORD...KEPT THE PROMOTER BEST INTRESS IN MIND...DIDNT TRY TO WEASEL OR TAKE "ADVANTAGE"...JUST WORKED HARD AND WANTED TO GET PAID... AND NOT 2 BE GIVING THE "BUZZ-BUZZ" TREATMENT LIKE YOU DID RICK....THINK ABOUT IT...YEAH WE FINALLY GOT PAID...AND I THANK YOU....THE "SHADY" PART WELL THAT WAS TOLD TO ME I NEVER SAID IT TO ANYONE BEFOR MY POST...AS FOR NEEDING YOU OR HAVING TO DEPEND ON PROMOTERS TO LIVE OR FEED MY FAMILY ...HA-HA!! COULD NOT WORK ANY MORE OF YOUR SHOWS AND IT WOULD NOT EFFECT ME 1 BIT. AS FAR AS BEING A "KEY" PERSON...I AM...BELIVE THAT!!! I PERSONALLY LIKE PEOPLE LIKE RICK...WILLING TO TAKE CHANCES,MOTIVATED,SELF MADE,ETC. IT WAS JUST A LOOK FROM THE INSIDE AND WHAT REALLY HAPPEND THAT DAY!!! I STAND BEHIND EVERY THING THAT I SAID NOW AND PREVIOUS...I CHOOSE TO POST UNDER "INSIDEGUY" TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE THAT WORK WITH ME AND REPRESENT ME...THEY HAD NO IDEA ABOUT THE THINGS THAT WERE GOING ON THAT DAY...SO ITS NOT ABOUT HIDING OR TRYING TO BE RUDE WITH OUTTHINKING...RICK HAS HAD MY NUMBER...IF HE GAVE A HOOT THIS WHOLE THING COULD OF NEVER OCCURED...I GUESS I WAS THAT "JANITOR" THAT YOU IGNORED...2 THE DAY OF THE SHOW...KEEP LEARNING AND I WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP LEARNING...I WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK IN WHAT EVER YOU DO...SEE YA AT THE NEXT GIG...ILL BE THERE...WITH JUST ANOTHER LOOK FROM THE INSIDE...
"THE INSIDEGUY"
Posted by: INSIDEGUY at September 10, 2007 11:36 AM
Hey Rick...I was googleing concert promoters and you came up. Congrats on the success of your show. I am also interested in speaking with you about doing co-promotions and I also had some questions as well. Shoot me an email: dennis@vmglive.net
Posted by: Dennis at November 7, 2007 4:22 PM
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