Economical and Ecological Tour Production

Kermit the Frog may have said it best: It’s not easy being green.

But panelists still managed to wade through all the details of eco-friendly touring, even discussing how such pro-ductions might actually end up saving the other kind of green in the long run.

Chuck Randall, tour manager for Alice In Chains, proposed the concert industry may be in need of a change of philosophy.

“As I look back over the decades I’ve been doing this, it seems that the music and touring industries have a sense of entitlement – like we’ve been given a blank check to use more than our share of just about everything,” he said, explaining the benefits of cutting back.

“Even if a band is not signing on to the green philosophy, they can save themselves a whole lot of money just by downsizing.”

But things are still changing, albeit slowly, according to Live Nation’s Reid Bartlett, who said he’s seeing more and more riders come across venue desks seeking greener operations including shore power and clearly marked recycling.

“We’ve extended it and gone a little bit farther … and in some areas, we’re switching out some of the materials we provide in the catering, dressing and hospitality areas,” Bartlett said.

However, while venues may be getting more green requests, Senators Coaches’ John Aikin described another sector of the green movement that’s lost some steam – alternative fuels.

About eight to nine months ago, when fuel prices were around $4 to $5 per gallon, nearly all phone calls were about using biodiesel, he explained, but now “the economy has changed and less than 50 percent of calls are about biodiesel.”

Roadshow Services’ David Kiely agreed.

“At this point regular petroleum diesel is cheaper than biodiesel and it burns more efficiently,” he said.

The conversation moved from the carbon footprints of the productions themselves to those of the fans, as Sean O’Rourke of Roadshow Services cited a study commissioned by Radiohead last year.

“The real impact for a rock show is the travel for the fans to come to the show,” O’Rourke said. “Roughly 80 percent of what Radiohead had to take ownership of was the emissions associated with fans that were coming to see the gig.”

The band looked at alternatives like playing gigs in urban centers so fans wouldn’t have to travel so far to attend the shows, he explained.

MusicMatters’ Chris Baumgartner agreed that some of the study’s findings could be a good first step toward the industry embracing more ecological practices.

“If we’re hitting a big reset button right now as a result of the economy, there’s an opportunity for us to rethink and retool how we’re touring,” he said.

Panelists had some tips to help make the whole process a little greener including using regional production companies for segments of tours and agents getting input from trucking companies before planning outings.

“Trucking companies are never involved in the routing,” Kiely said.

O’Rourke agreed.

“It never happens with booking agents and talent buyers where they would say, ‘How can we get to the next shows in the least amount of miles?’”

But moderator Bill Rahmy, produc-tion manager for NIN, explained that oftentimes tour routing simply comes down to when agents can secure the holds on venues.

“Venue availability plays into it,” he said. “You can’t always have Baltimore after Pittsburgh.”

Another area where tour production could use some improvement is in consumables, the panelists agreed.

Larry Martin of Tour Supply said his company sells (and often ships overnight) about 700,000 batteries per year, given sound technicians’ paranoia about mishaps during shows.

“Typically, they’re changing batteries twice a show,” he said.

However, at this point, it appears rechargeable battery technology just isn’t dependable enough for industry standards.

“What do you say when the mic goes out on stage – we want to be green?” Rahmy quipped. “It’s got to start with the artist.”

However, change is in the works, according to Baumgartner. More artists will likely address the disconnect between the issues they care about and the business they work in.

“You can’t just sing about being green,” he said. “It’s thinking smarter, planning ahead, getting everyone’s input so nobody’s operating in isolation. The artist is a huge component because they can say, ‘This is what I’m doing, this is what you the fans can do as well.’”

- Reported by Dana Parker-McClain, Pollstar
- Photos by Jason Squires and John Shearer