Perfect in Tears After Low Ticket Sales

[michelej1]

[Has anyone read A Promoter's Tale? I wonder if it has more about Chris in it]

Journal Live (UK), 10-6-09

http://www.journallive.co.uk/culture...1634-24857873/

Man who brought class acts to region

THERE can’t be anyone in the North East who knows more about booking top rock bands than Geoff Docherty.

A veritable Who’s Who of great rock acts have been lured to the region by Geoff – The Who, Led Zeppelin, The Faces, Pink Floyd, Supertramp, Mott the Hoople, to name but a few.

Geoff, who lives in Sunderland, documented many of his experiences in a book called A Promoter’s Tale which came out a few years ago.

There – if you can find a copy – you will find his memories of a landmark gig of April 1973.

Sunderland had just beaten Arsenal to earn themselves a place in the FA Cup Final (which, of course, they went on to win).

In the town’s Locarno Ballroom 3,000 people were in a joyous, celebratory mood – and then on to the stage bound The Faces, featuring Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood.

The late John Peel wrote the foreword to the book, stating: “Any band that could carry a tune and play roughly in time would have been guaranteed an hysterical response that night, but Geoff had booked The Faces.

“(They) were simply the perfect band in the perfect place at the perfect time. They came on an hour late but no one really cared.

“They kicked footballs into the audience. I helped them and was pleased to find I could get my footballs further into the crowd than anyone other than Rod.”

Geoff can tell you about many more triumphs, mostly born of persistence.

He got Led Zeppelin after some early setbacks, first at Newcastle Mayfair in 1971 and then twice more, and put Free on the way to fame and fortune, booking them for £35.

The secret of booking bands, he says, is patience – along with a dash of creativity.

Inevitably, there were disappointments. He was chuffed to book Christine Perfect, late of Chicken Shack (and better known now as Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac) for the Locarno but only a hundred or so tickets were sold and she was in tears.

Rock music can be a tough and unforgiving game, as you will find out if you go to hear Geoff speak tonight in the Mining Institute, which adjoins the Lit & Phil at 23 Westgate Road, Newcastle.

The lecture, which starts at 7pm, is called It’s Not All Rock and Roll and tickets are £2.