Full-fledged trek next year (Don & Stevie)

[MacMan]

Veteran pop acts double up on the road
Staff and agencies
04 August, 2005

By Deborah Wilker 47 minutes ago

HOLMDEL, N.J. (Amusement Business) - During a recentconcert in New Jersey, Don Henley was doing his usual earnestjob with "Hotel California" when, seemingly out of nowhere, thecrowd burst into a huge round of applause.

It was the instantly recognizable voice of Henley‘slong-ago love interest Stevie Nicks that prompted the ovationfrom the crowd at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel. TheFleetwood Mac singer-songwriter had casually materializedmid-song to join the Eagles‘ frontman, creating the kind ofsweetly organic rock moment fans don‘t experience too oftenthese days.

Of course, artists tour together all the time either asco-headliners or as openers for each other, but it‘s a raritywhen they actually play together, let alone interpret eachother‘s stuff. When such pairings do come off, the result canbe magical -- an X factor that all the corporate promotion inthe world can‘t create.

Now, as promoters continue their quest to restore value andreturn a more authentic vibe to an industry pummeled byrocketing ticket prices and formulaic shows, the concept ofmajor acts playing together is one that‘s being closelywatched.

And it‘s one of the season‘s most unlikely success stories-- the double bill starring veteran bands Chicago and Earth,Wind & Fire, now in its second summer -- that‘s generated theinterest.

While both acts have been strong on the classic circuit fordecades and equally lauded through the years for theirsophisticated horn sections, melodic singles, texturedarrangements and liberal fusion of jazz, rock and soul, even attheir finest there‘s a limit to how many times the same fanswill come out.

But now, playing as something of a superband, both havemoved up to touring‘s front ranks and have earned criticalraves in the process.

"It‘s probably one of the best combinations that‘s everhappened between two bands," says EWF co-founder and bassistVerdine White. "But in the beginning, promoters didn‘t thinkthis would work. My agent said it would never happen."

After a solid run last summer, the tour not only worked,it‘s now posting better numbers than it did a year ago,averaging more than 7,000 fans a night.

There‘s also a new Chicago-EWF DVD recorded live at L.A.‘sGreek Theatre, and EWF is releasing its first new album inyears -- "Illuminations," due Sept. 20 on Sanctuary Records.

Word is the tour will likely continue into next year, withplans to take the show to Europe and Japan.

"I‘ve done this all my life and I can‘t believe how good itis," says veteran Chicago trumpeter Lee Loughnane. "It‘semotional every night. I never would have imagined in a millionyears we‘d be doing (this kind of business) this late in ourcareers."

As is usually the case with feel-good tours, value and judicious pricing ($20 to roughly $75) has led to strongword-of-mouth and plenty of repeat customers.

"Promoters probably thought the music wouldn‘t jell and that the audiences were too different, which we‘re finding isnot true," White says of the pessimism that preceded theventure. "But it‘s like it is with Don and Stevie, you know --if you like Fleetwood Mac you probably like the Eagles."

EWF and Chicago have done more than just jell. In a swiftlypaced three-hour show, the two bands -- each of which is big tobegin with at 10 or more members apiece -- first play together,then perform separate sets and then reunite for a blockbusterencore.

Fresh arrangements for classics such as "Shining Star," "25or 6 to 4," "September," "Free" and many of their other durablesingles (more than 50 Top 40 hits between them) infuse bothcatalogs with a vitality that even the musicians didn‘tenvision.

"When we went into this, we all made the commitment that wewere really gonna learn each other‘s songs," says PeterSchivarelli of HK Management, who‘s been shepherding Chicagosince the ‘70s. "When both bands take the stage for that final40 minutes, when there‘s 21 guys on stage jamming, no one inthe audience is leaving early to beat the traffic."

Like Billy Joel and Elton John before them, the EWF/Chicagoand Henley/Nicks collaborations feature acts with many clear parallels -- and many differences as well. The briefHenley/Nicks tour, which was said to be a trial for a full-fledged trek next year, was also enhanced by the artists‘personal history and past collaborations. That both the Eaglesand Fleetwood Mac also played similar brands of Californialite-rock from time to time also makes them a good match.

Warner Bros. Records vp Liz Rosenberg says Nicks and Henleyhave long admired one another and have remained close friendsthrough the years. "Stevie adores Don. This is somethingthey‘ve both wanted to do for a while," Rosenberg says.

John and Joel were reportedly just acquaintances when talkof their pairing began in the early ‘90s. Years ago, Joel saidit was sheer happenstance that brought the piano men together.He had become so bored with his own music, he simply stoppedplaying his own songs during soundchecks and instead beganplaying John‘s music every night before his own shows.

He did them so well, word eventually spread within thebusiness and the idea for a tour came together -- acollaboration that ran for years, reportedly led to a closefriendship and stands as one of the most successful live actsof all time.

More recently, first-season "American Idol" champ Kelly Clarkson posted solid numbers teaming with second-season runnerup Clay Aiken for an arena tour in which they sang together andseparately. And frequent dueter Elvis Costello is in the midstof a summer tour during which he is performing with old friendEmmylou Harris.

"I don‘t think anyone sits around saying, ‘How do we put agreat double bill together?"‘ Schivarelli says. "It‘s somethingthat just feels right."

Balancing the needs of musicians, agents and managers fromtwo camps is often tricky in such situations, but Loughnanesays that since most of the guys in EWF and Chicago areclassically trained, devoted to their music and generallyeasygoing, it‘s been smooth sailing.

White, who has been friendly with Chicago bassist/vocalistJason Scheff for about 20 years, says that though the bandswere both on Columbia Records in their ‘70s heydays, theydidn‘t really know each other. "But it was always a good vibe,"he says.

The current tour came together after White and Scheff didsome informal jamming a few years ago, while at the same timeSchivarelli was feeling out the industry. Making the financialnumbers work with so many people on stage has been easier thanit might seem, they all agree.

"We‘ve learned how to go on the road," says Loughnane, whostill bunks five to a bus with his bandmates. "That comes fromyears of overspending. We also don‘t have a lot of extra peopleon tour -- it‘s more pared down than it looks. With two bands,I think we have four trucks and eight busses."

Says White: "I think people think that the more stuff yousee on stage, the more money you don‘t make -- but that‘s notnecessarily true. When you have a sellout tour like ours,you‘re gonna make money."

Reuters/Amusement Business