What a difference two days makes.

My last post was my immediate reaction to a sticky situation that happened Saturday night following settlement of the John Lee Hooker Jr. show at ABC.

See, I’m a nice guy. I really am. And when I go above and beyond as a promoter and event producer, I sort of expect the acts that I deal with to recognize that and appreciate it on some level.

I don’t need a shout out at every show–but a free tee shirt is nice. At the end of the night; once the stage is torn down and everythings packed up in the van, it feels good to hear from the road manager or frontman of the band that; “hey man, thanks for taking care of us tonight.”

Learning is constant, or so I’ve heard. And I learned something this past Saturday that can’t be taught in a class or read in a book.

Obviously, business is the key word in “Music Business”. Ultimately, the goal for any musician, sound man, promoter or agent is to not have to work a day job on the grid. We all want to rock and roll–in some capacity.

But there’s a difference between people that are in the business solely to make money. At ANY expense. Sell CD’s for as much as they can get; a fan wants an autograph? Sure–twenty bucks. Oh, we have hospitality? Gimme a STEAK!

There’s a difference between the band that is on the road, gigging from town to town, crashing on couches and pouring their hearts out on the stage night in and night out who realize and appreciate that they can and do make good money on the road but remember where they came from and, just as quickly that they make it, it can all go away.

And then there are the ones who only want to make a buck. Sure, they’ve got talent–but where’s the soul? Where’s the passion? Where’s the integrity?

John Lee Hooker Jr has no integrity. What I saw both onstage and off on Saturday night confirmed that, without a doubt, he’s only able to get gigs because of his name…and he’s milking it for all he can.

The story is kind of complicated and involves industry jargon that I won’t bore you with–but when the lights came on Saturday night and settlement went down, John Lee Hooker Jr didn’t agree with what was indicated on his contract–signed by his agent and I–as his compensation for the night.

The dollar amount wasn’t off by much, but it wasn’t what he thought it was going to be.

Sure, had he been in better communication with his agent he would have known what to expect–but that’s not my problem.

And when problems arise, a good man will be reasonable and understanding of different situations. John Lee Hooker Jr, however, is not reasonable OR understanding.

Long story short, he got loud, arrogant, racist and abusive towards me and my staff at The Abbey Bar–and handled a business situation not like a man, rather, like a child deprived of a toy in the toy store. He threw a fit.

And that’s my story.

So I learned about the dark side of the touring novelty act circuit; but most importantly, I learned that I should stick with what I love and not book acts based solely on their names.

It was a tough lesson to learn, but a mistake that won’t be made again.