heartbreak at the WARP TOUR

[heartscanman60@]

i m new at this but my sons band was one of 5 bands who won battle of the bands for uniondale new york the treatment they received was appaling to say the least they had no acess to dollies to move equipment, no water,song numbers wre cut poor audio equipment ridiculos start times where family and friends were unable to get there because they weren't told of playing time until hour before no recognition for their accomplishment what kind of contest was this simply to sell tickets and ruin the dreams of musicians who worked so hard to have this SPECIAL DAY ON STAGE i really don't understand all i know is how hurtful this was to a band with great promise. iam truley speechless about this AND DISSAPOINTED WITH ALL THE SPONSORS.

 

[Pluck_Rogers]

Wait till they have to pull a hand gun on a promoter to get paid.

 

[Big Poppa]

Whoa.....did you expect limos and roadies? Let me put this in perspective. THis contest cost your son nothing. He got exposure on an international webpage where we paid to host his music. Have you been to a warped tour event before? Our two stages have 32 bands a day playing...usually a few more get added in major markets. There are about 65-75 bands that get to play. ON the Ernie Ball Stage there are 16 bands per day Paid Headliners, Sponosrs bands, The Owner of the tour has slots on it, and the five battle winners. We try to space them out. The sets are 25 minutes each...even the headliners. Regarding the time slots...if you were a promoter who thought of the quality of the show and production value..... would you open the show with headliners and put the regional amateur bands in the prime time? There is a ton of water,(need alot for the 25 minute set) the equipment is first rate...Mark Bass is bad? Do you really think that your sons band sold tickets? The stage cost nearly a million dollars and the costs of running it so bands would get a taste of the big time is extraordinary.

Access to Dollies? You mean your sons band does not have dollies? How do they get their gear around on the other gigs?

I would love to know your sons band s name and get a review of their attitude and performance from the crew...based on your post....Im sure they have a nice rebuttal.

Over 200 bands have gotten to play and one Dad doesnt get it.

Guess what? Your son and you are getting a crash course in the music business. ITs tough...THe Warped tour is down and dirty and that is the charm.

No good deed goes unpunished. BTW Unless they changed the name it's called the WARPED TOUR....

 

[kevin]

here is a copy of the instructional email that every battle band receives prior to playing warped. Another added perk that sterling didn't mention is that neither we/nor warped tour charges the battle bands a % fee for the merch that they sell at the event. All other bands on tour, as it works with most venues, shows etc, are required to pay a % fee on the merch sold at that particular event. We waive this standard fee for all battle bands.

Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands Winners(please confirm receipt of this email),

Congratulations on behalf of The Ernie Ball Company and our sponsors. Your band has been chosen out of over 14,000 bands from around North America to play at this years Vans Warped Tour. Here are some details that you will need to know prior to the show.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach us at Ernie Ball...

Contact info: [email protected]
Toll Free Phone: 800-543-2255 ext. 325

1) All participating bands need to arrive at the Warped Tour venue that you have been chosen to play at by 10 AM (at the latest). We will not be providing directions to the venue. Check out the official warped tour website for further details on the name of the venue. Once again, you MUST BE THERE BY 10 AM. If you are not there, you will miss the band meeting, and your scheduled time slot.

2) Upon arriving at the venue, inform security that you are performing in the Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands. Security will have a list of bands performing in the Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands. Locate the Ernie Ball Stage and ask to speak to Andrew. Here they will give you a briefing on stage rules, time slots, and get a feeling for your stage set up. Please do not request a specific time slot, as Kevin Lyman and Warped production sets the slots each morning. Most Likely each band will perform between 12:00 - 2:30 PM.

3) On any given day the Ernie Ball stage could have anywhere from 12-15 bands playing. Therefore, we need to be time efficient and get bands on and off the stage. To reduce set up time, you must use our backline. This includes, (1) Mark Bass Bass Rig (800 watt head, with 6X10 cab), (2) Krank Amplification Guitar Half Stacks, and a DW drum kit with assorted Zildjian cymbals. Bring your own guitars and you also may bring the following optional items: Your own GUITAR AMP HEAD(ONLY HEADS, no CABS), kick drum pedal, cymbals, and snare.

4) Depending on how quick your band can set up and down will determine your set time. Most times it will be a 20-25 minute set, so make sure to allocate your set for this time slot. If you lag in set up time, expect to only have a 15-20 minute set. When the schedule is produced the morning of the show, the Ernie Ball representative will have a better idea of how long your set will be.

5) You are welcome to sell merch the day of your show. We do not provide a table or tent for you, but space is allocated for your band next to the Ernie Ball stage to set up. You may only set up Merch tents near the Ernie Ball stage.

6) Each band member will receive warped tour passes for the day of your show. In addition, each band will receive two additional passes to give to managers, merch support, etc. ONLY TWO PASSES PER BAND. NO EXCEPTIONS. Use these at your band's discretion. These passes are not accessible to backstage areas. These passes are strictly for going into and coming out of the venue.

7) I advise you to take your gear back to your transportation right after you play. We are not responsible for your gear, and any lost or stolen equipment is not the responsibility of the Ernie Ball Company.

8) If your band has members under 18, we need to get your parental consent forms prior to the date of the show.
Please email [email protected] if you need a copy of the parental consent form.

9) Respect the bands you are playing with, warped tour security, the stage, our gear, and most of all the Ernie Ball staff.

10) Have fun, and promote the contest and the local scene at Warped ~

Once again congratulations from the Ernie Ball Company...Feel free to contact us with any questions you have...

Print this out upon receiving ~

- Your Pals at Ernie Ball

 

[beej]

... No good deed goes unpunished ...

Damn ... back in the day I would have done just about anything for that kind of opportunity. And I'm sure many of the bands that get to play feel the same way and are thrilled.

 

[LawDaddy]

Damn ... back in the day I would have done just about anything for that kind of opportunity. And I'm sure many of the bands that get to play feel the same way and are thrilled.

Back in the day? I would still be thrilled today!!!

I played a festival a couple of weeks ago where the balance of my morning was spent coordinating with the organizers to make sure my band was in the right place at the right time, passes were handled, the correct exits were used etc. Several hours of prep for a 45 minute set. I received a compliment from a security guard who wished that all bands were as organized.

It's important to realize that the band's customer-in-fact that day is the venue, not the band's family and friends. The OP would be wise to understand this if his kid is serious about the music business. Come prepared, respect the venue and organizers, rock the fans with every minute you're given, and move on. I suspect that many on the Warped/EBMM staff saw a very unprofessional and inexperienced act blow a huge opportunity that day.

 

[kevin]

I feel like its only right to say that for every email/post like the above that we get, we receive about 50 emails like this:

-------------------------------------------------------
Hi Kevin,
We just wanted to drop you and everyone from Ernie Ball and Vans a huge thank you for giving us the opportunity to play at Warped Tour this year. It was great! We had a great time, met a ton of great people, and made a bunch more fans! Thank you again for the opportunity, we truly do appreciate it! Take care.

One Days Notice
-David, Chris, Jesea, Justin, & Ben
----------------------------------------------------------

and when you talk on the phone with these kids you can really hear the excitement in their voice. Its a great opportunity and beyond that a great experience and the vast majority of the kids/bands involved are really appreciative. -kev

 

[Colin]

What an opportunity! wow Congrats to all the bands that get a spot.

 

[JayDawg]

I have a lot of respect for the music industry. Having done a little bit of work myself, let me explain something to the OP. There is a thing in this business known as paying dues. I am glad for your kid that his band was chosen to play at the Warped Tour. That is one heck of an opportunity and as others have said, an opportunity that other bands would do just about anything for. With that being said, your kids band was given a tremendous opportunity and given an a huge amount of exposure. But they were there for exactly that, exposure. They were not the headlining band, they have not sold millions of albums, so for you to expect them to be given star treatment and prime slotting is a little much to ask. To say their treatment was appalling because they were not given dollies to move equipment or water, that to me shows a lack of professionalism on their part. There has never been a concert that I have done where I have not brought my own equipment and things to haul that equipment. That is my responsibility not the promoters. With water, again that is a lack of preparation on your kids' bands part. Granted, if they are touring and are an established act, then it is their responsibility to put that in the rider with the promoter but I am willing to bet the rider that your kid signed only had in it the things required of them to play the show because again, they were being given one heck of an opportunity for exposure purposes. As far as you being angry for song numbers being cut and start time not being the best, wow if that was the worst thing I ever had to have dealt with when I was starting out I would have been lucky. There is still a promoter that owes me 7k from a show back in 1996. Good luck ever getting me to see it not to mention several contractual things they had agreed to were broken on the day of the show. In this case, I can't see how any of the promoters are at fault. It sounds to me like they fulfilled their obligations. Quite honestly I am appalled at the entitlement you think your kid and his band deserved. Since you think your kids band deserved a better time slot and extra time to play and you feel they deserved extra favors, let me ask what they have done then to deserve those extra things? Again, what dues have they paid? How many albums have they sold or how many shows and tours have they done? How many acts have opened for them and how many shows have they had lined at major events? My guess is probably none yet you feel they are entitled to premium billing and privilege. I'm sorry if you feel that way but it doesn't work like that. If I decided to go out and do the music thing full time tomorrow, I have worked in this business since around 1990 and you know what, I would still have dues to pay myself because many of the previous things that I have mentioned, I also have not done yet so I would never expect special privilege for anything.

 

[DrGonzo5150]

Welcome to the industry and welcome to multi band line-ups. I hate to break it to you, but BP is spot on.

It's a fantastic gig - Quality backline, organisation and exposure ++. An absolute dream opportunity.
Nobody, anywhere, enjoys gigging on unfamiliar back line or with limited changed over time. But it's a reality of the industry.

I could honestly go on and on and on and on... But until they've tried to tour of their own accord, played a few more real gigs and realised just how hard it can be out there, I'm not sure anyones advice will fully be appreciated.

Pluck - Not to detract from your method.. But we normally just refer them to a debt collector or initiate legal action haha

 

[ryanowens]

Kinda strange that the OP has not even signed back in since posting his complaint thread... you would think that he would want to see the responses.

 

[beej]

Yes ... it speaks volumes, doesn't it?

 

[LawDaddy]

He ain't coming back.

 

[kbaim]

I've read Steve Morse feels the time he's on stage is the only time it doesn't feel like he should be getting paid..It's all the other stuff around the gig he feels is what he earns his money.

As others and the original poster have stated, theres a lot of heartache and lofty/unreasonable expectations that just cannot be met for those working their way up.

That said, congrats to your sons band for being 5 of 14,000. Thats remarkable. Wishing him luck and exposure and determination.

 

[lovechick]

The original post indicates that we truly do live in a blameless society, especially where our kids are concerned. If one 25 minute set could "ruin the dreams" of these youngsters, they live in an American Idol fantasy land. Hell, it sounded like a pretty good day at the office to me.

 

[TheBasicBassist]

This does sounds like an unprepared group of teenagers expected to be treated like rock stars. It's like the teens I see around here expecting coffee houses to provide Mesa guitar cabs, Ampeg fridges ect. ect., because they don't want to lug their own equip OR they just immediately expect everyone to be cool with gear sharing.
Like the old saying goes, "If you want to make a million dollars in the music business, start two million."

 

[Pluck_Rogers]

I'm guessing 'Dad' was a troll. No-one who has the slightest understanding of the music business could seriously have written that ridiculous stuff with a straight face.

 

[Big Poppa]

trolls return

 

[paranoid70]

It's clear the guy had some unrealistic expectations, but I think the degree thing is a little harsh.

 

[Big Poppa]

Fran could you please ....remove the degree...Things are going to smoothly lately and name calling and harshness just isnt necessary thanks