How do bands decide where to go on tour?

**mtlmouth** · 06-29-2009, 07:18 PM

I live in the greater Fresno area. There's half a million people in the city proper, a million in the Fresno/Clovis metro area, plus the outlying communities. For those unfamiliar with California, here's a map:

Fresno is a nice convenient stop in the middle. Yet when bands tour California, they seem to hit San Diego, Los Angeles, maybe a city on the central coast, then up to San Francisco and/or Sacramento. It's almost like they try to stay as far from Fresno as possible. On the next tour, they play the exact same cities. Meanwhile, they visit other cities on the same tour that have far fewer people than Fresno.
We have a couple good music venues. But the bands that come here are basically limited to the occasional country act, some Tejano, and the upcoming Jonas Brothers concert. No Doubt made it here a few months ago and the newspaper talked about it for a week because it was so exciting.

A few bands I enjoy, copied off Facebook:
Death Cab For Cutie, Switchfoot, U2, They Might Be Giants, Anberlin, Coldplay, Lovedrug, Wilco, Copeland, The Format, Snow Patrol, Relient K, Radiohead, The Killers. I've been listening to most of those bands for about three years, and aside from a Switchfoot show here in May, none of these bands have come within three hours of here. And there are lots more that I would totally pay to go see.

So, how do bands decide where to go on tour? Is there anything I can do to get more bands I enjoy to play in my area?

**DaGeek** · 06-29-2009, 07:31 PM

Threaten their families. Works like a charm!

OiBoyz · 06-29-2009, 07:42 PM

To my understanding (from my Weird Al fandom mostly) where the tour goes is totally up to which promoters want to host a show. So your best bet to get a particular band in your area is to contact (pester) the local promoters and tell them you want to see the newsboys (or whoever your band of choice is.) You could contact the local radio station to see if they have the names of the local promoters.

roscoestring · 06-29-2009, 08:03 PM

I used to work at a theme park that would hire bands nearly every weekend during the summer months. I would occasionally overhear the guy in charge of "band getting" talking to his contacts. While all bands are different in there way of choosing, most go where the most money is. Some will, at times, go to a place for sentimental reasons (ie their hometown). Bands are weird. They always had special requests that had to be met in order for them to perform at a place. Some requested dressing rooms furnished with strange food requests. Anything from liquor and bottled water, to bananas, to buttermilk. Some requested floral arrangements. Special types of seating - recliners.

The bands try to perform in places that are in a path also. For instance they would rather go to Fresno from San Francisco than to go to Miami from San Fran. Also, most times they would try to stay in one area of the country as long as possible. NE US, then SE US, then NW US, to Central US, and so on.

OiBoyz · 06-29-2009, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roscoestring

The bands try to perform in places that are in a path also.

And yet you see some really goofy tour routes. I would guess it's because of your first point "going where the money is."

Touring is where the money is for the bands. I think that unless they self-publish their stuff, that lion's share of CD sales go to the record producers. But the bands make it up in personal appearances and concerts. It's a tough way to make a living though. Living on a bus, away from your family.

mulletman · 06-29-2009, 08:16 PM

The idea of the promoters is spot on.... If a promoter in San Francisco is offering more money than the people in Fresno..... take a guess at where the show will be played.

**mtlmouth** · 06-29-2009, 08:18 PM

So if it's just a matter of the promoters in San Fran having more money than the local ones, does that make it completely out of my control?

OiBoyz · 06-29-2009, 08:19 PM

Maybe your local promoters haven't even tried to contact the bands you like?

mulletman · 06-29-2009, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mtlmouth

So if it's just a matter of the promoters in San Fran having more money than the local ones, does that make it completely out of my control?

Completely? Perhaps not. Almost completely? Yes.

Almost Enough · 06-29-2009, 09:40 PM

At least you're in somewhat reasonable driving distance from most of the concerts you probably want to see.

Up where I'm at in Redding we actually get most the bands stopping to sleep in our hotels in between Portland and San Francisco. My friends almost always end up pestering them (word travels quick when you see the likes of Reel Big Fish or some other bands dropping by in Redding), and they always talk about how they would love to play our town with how many people come and say hi to them, but they never are able to make it happen.