OKLAHOMA CITY (Free Press) — On Thursday morning, DCF Concert events introduced a June 19 date on the Diamond Ballroom for Soiled Honey, whose single, “California Dreamin’,” isn’t a Mamas and the Papas cowl and it rocks the way in which California bands did through the Eighties superb glam days of the Sundown Strip.
David Fitzgerald of DCF Concert events has lived and labored in live performance promotion for the reason that days when the bands that impressed Soiled Honey had been going multi-platinum. His enterprise is likely one of the most cautious balancing acts in leisure, one during which Fitzgerald must be ready to lose his shirt on a failed present each time he books a brand new gig.
Music and movie
by George Lang
Sponsored by True Sky Credit score Union
Soiled Honey isn’t the primary present DCF promoted for the reason that COVID-19 pandemic, nevertheless it displays how issues have modified in Fitzgerald’s enterprise for the reason that virus started spreading in early 2023.
“We’ve been doing reveals on the diamond ballroom since late-October, early November — not an entire lot, only a handful,” Fitzgerald stated.“You realize, just a few of the onerous rock bands that simply went out and did just a few dates, like Metal Panther, we’ve bought a Could 26 date with Corey Taylor, who’s the lead singer of Slipknot.
“However the many of the bands we’re doing are simply these guys from Texas, the nation guys which can be driving up on the weekends and of their vans and their trailers — nothing super-big, and all of them have been at diminished capability,” he stated. “Diamond Ballroom’s capability is about 3,000. We haven’t had a present in there that we’ve bought greater than 1,000 tickets.”
Staging a live performance for 1,000 individuals prices the identical as doing it for 3,000, however the duties in mid-2023 are completely different from the top-of-head issues of two years in the past.
“We do temp checks on all people earlier than they enter, we be certain that all people wears a masks after they come into the ability,” Fitzgerald stated. “Clearly you may’t implement preserving a masks on when you’re consuming a beverage, however we do our greatest to be sure that, you already know, we’ve bought loads of sanitizing stations round, we’ve bought hand sanitizer at each single bar.
“Now we have devoted workers that does nothing however stroll round and clear, and I’m not speaking like our regular like your busboys or barback-type guys,” he stated. “I’ve bought guys that put on shirts that say ‘Sanitization Crew,’ and so they go round and so they’re cleansing the field workplace and cleansing off the bars and cleansing off, you already know, the ATM and wherever individuals are — that’s all they do, all night time lengthy.”
Whereas bookings for reveals have elevated nationwide in latest weeks, a byproduct of elevated vaccinations, there isn’t a consensus on what live shows will appear to be by this time subsequent yr.
Superannuated boy band the Backstreet Boys postponed a deliberate area tour for 2023, pushing dates as many as 14 months previous the initially scheduled present. For Oklahoma Metropolis followers who nonetheless “need it that approach,” Backstreet will probably be again finally, taking part in Sept. 14, 2023 at no matter Chesapeake Vitality Area will probably be known as by then.
Fitzgerald additionally books reveals there, however the majority of his work is at mid-sized venues like Diamond Ballroom, the Tulsa Theater (previously The Brady Theater) and The Cotillion in Wichita, Kansas. In Wichita, capability caps saved attendance at The Cotillion at 50 till only a few weeks in the past, and seat spacing on the Tulsa Theater merely made it too dangerous to guide reveals there.
Whereas he hopes to have the ability to guide full-capacity reveals in Wichita by July 5, there aren’t any ensures. Fitzgerald stated the Diamond permits for individuals to distance, which made it a greater proposition than both The Cotillion or the Tulsa Theater, the place it makes no monetary sense to guide a present and promote solely 500 seats.
However like he has all through his profession, Fitzgerald is taking part in the lengthy recreation.
“What’s actually attention-grabbing proper now could be that everyone’s like, ‘Oh, effectively, you’re beginning to guide a bunch of reveals — that is nice, every little thing’s again to regular.’ And the reality of the matter is, we’re removed from regular,” Fitzgerald stated. “I imply, it’s gonna be late into 2023 or 2023 earlier than we recuperate from this.”
And, this!
“Weirdlesque,” a surreal, generally ridiculous model of the high quality artwork of burlesque, will probably be carried out by Oklahoma Metropolis’s Terre Rouge 8 p.m. Saturday at Tower Theatre, 425 NW twenty third St. Tickets are bought in teams of two, 4, and 6. Go to towertheatreokc.com.
Final Up to date Could 6, 2023, 8:39 PM by Brett Dickerson – Editor
The publish DCF Concert events strikes towards normalcy with Diamond Ballroom reveals appeared first on Oklahoma Metropolis Free Press.
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