Coming to you live
What do Tina Turner, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones and the Eagles have in common? Apart from being major rock stars, they are also appearing on stage in Belgium this year. For this, we have Live Nation to thank.
Mega-stars no longer overlook Belgium thanks to one concert promoter
Live Nation is the concert promoter that’s also behind Rock Werchter, the famous annual jamboree that has become one of Europe’s biggest summer festivals, with revellers flocking from across Europe (albeit usually to a soggy field). Among this year’s headliners are Dave Matthews, Oasis and Metallica.
Held just outside of Leuven for the past 35 years, Rock Werchter has been voted “Best Festival in the World” by the internatinal concert industry four times. Part of a Los Angeles-based parent company, Live Nation Belgium has a 35-strong team based near Antwerp and also organises other big annual events like Werchter’s TW Classic, I Love Techno in Ghent and the metal festival Graspop in Dessel.
Herman Schueremans, the company’s managing director, is probably the Belgium's leading concert promoter and one of Europe’s most respected entertainment executives. Concerts and festivals promoted by Live Nation attract some of the biggest names in modern rock, including Coldplay, Portishead and The Smashing Pumpkins, as well as long-time rock heavyweights like Neil Young, Paul Simon and The Rolling Stones.
“Belgium is now a significant live entertainment market in Europe,” says Live Nation press coordinator Nele Bigaré. "I think we can take pride in helping achieve this.”
She can say that again.
Formed in 2005 by a spin off from Clear Channel Communications, Live Nation last year promoted or produced over 30,000 events globally, including concerts, theatre, car shows and other events, with a total attendance exceeding 70 million.
Worldwide, it owns or operates well over 100 venues and, in October 2007, signed a $120 million, 10-year partnership contract with Madonna. In 2008, Live Nation Belgium alone promoted over 200 concerts and welcomed 1.5 million to its music festivals. The company is responsible for everything from booking, marketing and ticketing, to accounting, media and production.
“Here in Belgium, we have an enthusiastic team wanting to organise the best concerts and festivals,” says Bigare. The organisation’s goal – “to bring the best international artists to our country” – has resulted in the booking of Madonna’s Sticky & Sweet tour – the first time the queen of pop will perform in Belgium in her 25-year career.
"Live Nation is actually the largest producer of live music concerts in the world,” says Nele, “producing more than 16,000 concerts for 1,500 artists in 57 countries every year. The company sells over 45 million concert tickets a year."
Live Nation’s international promotions teams are spread across 17 countries and book a genre-crossing range of both local an international artists, from up-and-coming club acts to stadium-filling superstarts. “Our objectives for festivals are simple: create the best line-up and environment for fans and provide a great experience for the artist. Live Nation represents some of the world’s most respected artists, and we are committed to building and sustaining artists’ careers. I think Flemish people should feel proud that, musically, we have put Flanders on the map."
