Northeastern U.S.: Interested in a John Schlitt Concert?

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Northeastern U.S.: Interested in a John Schlitt Concert?

Post by misterbobthetomato13 » Thu Jan 03, 2013 1:41 am

Hi All!

That's right...the TOMATO has returned from a long hiatus!

Would y'all reply "yay" or "nay" on your interest in a John Schlitt-related concert that I am trying to line up?
[THIS IS NOT ANYTHING OFFICIAL AT ALL...JUST GAUGING INTEREST!]

Would you travel to:
North East, Maryland (This is the town's name, zipcode 21901)
February 2nd and/or 3rd, 2013 (Super Bowl Weekend)
Saturday Afternoon/Evening Concert with local talent/pastor/comedy opening for: John Schlitt solo "with iBand"
Sunday morning worship with John at a local church as well
**Concert may be Sunday with a Super Bowl viewing party.**
Cost of event will be competitive with similar events in our region.

What do you think? Yes? No? Why or why not?

THANK YOU SO MUCH! 8)
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Re: Northeastern U.S.: Interested in a John Schlitt Concert?

Post by sue d. » Thu Jan 03, 2013 10:00 am

Hey Bob! Glad you made your way back... not sure if the folks that were around when you were are still here, but glad to see your return anyways!

If I were in the area - you bet I'd be there.
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Re: Northeastern U.S.: Interested in a John Schlitt Concert?

Post by gman » Thu Jan 03, 2013 2:31 pm

I know exactly where this is. Have been there too many times to count. I think I know the answer, but I'm curious as to why Northeast? This is awful short notice to be able to pull together. If it were down the line aways and I might consider it more.
The wife will be traveling the following week, and I'll likely have to chaueffer her to the airport and back, which is costly enough, plus there is another concert I'm considering attending. That concert likely more costly than the Schlitt show. Three long trips to MD is probably not in the budget.
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Re: Northeastern U.S.: Interested in a John Schlitt Concert?

Post by misterbobthetomato13 » Thu Jan 03, 2013 2:41 pm

gman wrote:I know exactly where this is. Have been there too many times to count. I think I know the answer, but I'm curious as to why Northeast? This is awful short notice to be able to pull together. If it were down the line aways and I might consider it more.
The wife will be traveling the following week, and I'll likely have to chaueffer her to the airport and back, which is costly enough, plus there is another concert I'm considering attending. That concert likely more costly than the Schlitt show. Three long trips to MD is probably not in the budget.
Why North East? There is a Bermuda Triangle, if you will, reaching from Philly to Lancaster and down to Balto (I call it the DMZ: De-Ministered Zone). Watch how tours are routed sometime and you'll notice this to be true. I am hoping to start a concert promoting ministry primarily in my home county of Cecil and branching out to New Castle, Delaware and that type of radius. PLUS, I live here.

Short notice. I agree but I'm trying to pull it off because I need to get this started. It's a good weekend and there is NOTHING for non-drinking sports and ministry fans around here.

This is why I am asking this, though. To see what everyone thinks.

What is your connection to North East?
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Re: Northeastern U.S.: Interested in a John Schlitt Concert?

Post by gman » Thu Jan 03, 2013 8:01 pm

My Mom grew up in Charlestown. She still has a lot of relatives in the surrounding area; Rising Sun, etc. My grandmother lived in Cecil Woods for a number of years. I grew up in NJ, but we used to go to Sandy Cove just about every summer. A few years ago my wife and I went into Northeast and walked around town, and checked out the shops. It's a nice town.
I had a nice long stay in the Elkton hospital one year.
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Re: Northeastern U.S.: Interested in a John Schlitt Concert?

Post by misterbobthetomato13 » Thu Jan 03, 2013 11:29 pm

gman wrote:My Mom grew up in Charlestown. She still has a lot of relatives in the surrounding area; Rising Sun, etc. My grandmother lived in Cecil Woods for a number of years. I grew up in NJ, but we used to go to Sandy Cove just about every summer. A few years ago my wife and I went into Northeast and walked around town, and checked out the shops. It's a nice town.
I had a nice long stay in the Elkton hospital one year.
If you feel like it, message me privately here and let's see if our families know each other? My wife's family was part of the initial move into the Elk Neck (Oldfield Point Road section) region and they may have crossed paths. It'd be nice to see. Sandy Cove is nice - actually one of the places I looked at for this as a host venue since we really don't have a lot of options. Sorry you had to stay long at Union.
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Re: Northeastern U.S.: Interested in a John Schlitt Concert?

Post by brent » Thu Jan 03, 2013 11:35 pm

Here is an honest question:

It's hard for ministries and operations like The Red Cross to stay funded right now. I can't imagine doing music, especially in a part of the world that has so little demand for it. The majority of the stations in that region are talk/teaching related. If there was a demand for the music, would you not think someone would be bringing it? You aren't going to get the world to pay to be preached at. Their entertainment dollars are going toward that which pleases them. What is your angle. Do you have someone underwriting you that can take the hit? What about the insurance and accounting aspects of it?

Concert promoting and ministry...I hope you have deep pockets. The ministry part is going to drain ya'. :) Sure you know that already. This is the worst time to begin such a thing. The people with past success aren't doing so well now. If you watch when the successful people schedule things, you will find that they try not to compete with secular events. Christians will not miss a killer professional football game to go to a concert for the most part. There might be some band nerds that will, but by and large, mature Christians go and do what everyone else does. Even when they don't the local economy and traffic is still affecting everything around the area.

Usually the booking agent/manager will do a little research to make sure you can cover your nut. The more successful the band/artist is, the less likely they will risk losing money themselves. Call and talk to people. It sounds good. But what sounds good doesn't always work in this world.

I hope you have lots of money and I hope you make a go of it. I just want people to think. There is more to concert promotion than most people think.
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Re: Northeastern U.S.: Interested in a John Schlitt Concert?

Post by gman » Fri Jan 04, 2013 11:12 am

Yeah, Sandy Cove is certainly a large enough venue for a Schlitt show. If I remember right, they had Phil Keaggy some years back. A Schlitt show may have been out of the question some years ago, but I think they would be cool with it now. Nice accomadations also, for people traveling from out of the area. In warmer weather, they also have the campground for people who are so inclined.
I'll send you a message when I get a chance. My mom knows the family history. Me, not so much. My dad is from Trenton, NJ. They met in college shortly after he got saved. He was called into pastoral ministry, and they ultimately ended up in a small town along the Jersey Shore, which is where I came along.
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Re: Northeastern U.S.: Interested in a John Schlitt Concert?

Post by sue d. » Sat Jan 05, 2013 12:12 am

Brent, the concert wouldn't be at the SAME TIME as the game. It would be BEFORE; a fun FAMILY thing prior to the game, and hanging with fellow friends to eat & watch the game afterwards. Not a competition at all.... more like a big Super Bowl party.

In any case, the whole world is NOT into the Super Bowl. Some folks don't care... I used to be one of them, until the Packers became a force to be reckoned with!
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Re: Northeastern U.S.: Interested in a John Schlitt Concert?

Post by brent » Sat Jan 05, 2013 12:27 am

My old church in OK used to incorporate the super bowl into night time activities. I get it.
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Re: Northeastern U.S.: Interested in a John Schlitt Concert?

Post by misterbobthetomato13 » Sat Jan 05, 2013 12:43 am

Brent...

I know your intent couldn't have been to make me feel stupid or depressed but you really did a good job of it! I was, until about 6 hours ago, unemployed for 367 days. We almost lost our house. So, I was looking for something positive to do with some sponsorship support toward it. I have all my Is and Ts covered here because I, too, know what I'm doing in the business sense. It's a terrible time for EVERYONE these days but that doesn't mean we stop.

I don't know which part of the triangle you are referring to in your comment about radio station programming but, unless the data I have is completely false, you are completely incorrect. The majority of Christian music in this region comes from 6 primary FM sources and 2 talkers (1 FM and 1 AM).

I surely know that there is a reason that our region is skipped that is purely dollars and cents...however, if I could fill a small part of that local need with small to medium venue entertainers, what's wrong with that? We have sporadically had these events - I just want to make them more consistent so that locals don't have to drive 60 minutes EVERY TIME to see or hear them.

Luckily, Sue D covered my other beef - I'd never compete with the Super Bowl - especially not in the middle of Ravens, Eagles, Redskins and Steelers bombardment.

So...get mad at me if you'd like - I'm sure it won't be the first or last time for me.

Sue D - Frankly, since only 3 people have responded on any of the Petra-Schlitt related sites - a base that I thought might give me 6-10 depending upon how short the notice was - I don't know if this is the right angle anyway. Despite my effort to educate the community these past weeks, nobody in this county has a clue who Petra is let alone John...which is sad. I've had kids begging me for tobyMac, Thousand Foot Krutch, Red and those types and so many adults that really don't seem to care who comes. It's been very odd.
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Re: Northeastern U.S.: Interested in a John Schlitt Concert?

Post by brent » Sat Jan 05, 2013 9:41 am

The argument could be made that no amount of money is too much to see one soul accept Christ. I understand that. It is a valid point. However, winning souls is not based on economics and can cost nothing but time. I share the Gospel freely, one on one, with printed materials and in group discussions. It doesn't cost me a dime. People have accepted Christ. If everyone single person did this, expensive means would not be as necessary. But we don't. I get it. God allows us to use ingenuity, and has told us to be as smart about saving people as the devil is killing them. Music is a tool that can get into people like nothing else can, and the lyrics can minister where a preacher, relative, co-worker, friend cannot. So I see the need, support the need. I was not busting your chops because you saw the need or had the desire. God knows and blesses your motives.

However, I can make a case for only those with money to burn to be in the promotions business. I have seen people taking the money from their families budgets to pay for shows that were planned with the best of intentions, but the worst common sense. In fact, I think the lack of common and business sense is what makes most businesses fail. People do not know who their customers are, what the customers want, and how much the customers are willing to pay, and where the customers are to be reached with advertising.

I work with churches and people who have no clue what they are doing, reinventing the wheel, thinking their ideas are good ones. I was NOT trying to make you feel stupid, only trying to see if you have thought it out. If I had a dollar for every non-revenue making Christian concert, I would be rich. Heck, if the artists throughout the history of CCM would have been paid for every show they played, if their checks would have cleared, if the promotors would have fulfilled the tech riders, the artists would have been better off. I just see too many pastors, evangelists, churches, youth ministries, promotors conflicting with local school plays, parent/PTA(O) nights, sporting events/play-offs that are home and away, holidays, and other large draw events like Billy Graham and Joel Osteen crusades, only to see them waste their money. Heck, I was at the Farewell show in Oklahoma, walking down the hall with Bob and Wayne, while they were fuming, discussing whether they would do the show or not. We had already sponsored some, and bellied up again to have a show. Petra has been SKUH-ROOOOOD plenty of times by plenty of "God wants me to do this and he will provide the money" people. You know what? Petra, and others, have continued to not let the fans down, do the show, and pay their way home. Now, that is just wrong that they should have to do that.

My post was not about making people feel inferior or hurting their feelings. Promotions now, even in the secular world, is not a money making venture for a small operation, without lots of experience and relationships, and the ability to comfortably average out losses over time. It is something you do for ulterior motives. It is what you can do if you have some money to play and stand to part with.

Now, here is a story for ya. TRUE story. I was called in by a friend to Premiere Productions here in KS. The studio produces ALL of the media for Nazarine denomination. When I say ALL, I mean ALL. They are the only private fiber optic hub owner in this market. They host for other major companies and ministries. They design the product packaging and advertising for major airplane, boat, motorcycle and golf club manufacturers. They are the big time. Whatever the owner touches, turns to gold.
I was brought in to consult two filthy rich Sprint execs, who attend a dead mainline denominational church, and were NEVER exposed to CCM. They heard CCM for the first time, thought they had been dropped a gold mine out of heaven with Bob Hartman's mission to take it to the church, and wanted me to help them do it. Ok, I was sitting there with so much to say. I was bursting. I thought, cool, I have a label to do with as I please, and really do things differently, with an open door to a denomination, and CCM will never be the same. We will not make music with the Nashvegas machine. But then I had to be honest with them. Here these millionaires were, with no research, just a fondness for some young girl they heard rockin for Jesus, thinking they were going to meet a need and change the world. The fact that they had no exposure to CCM didn't surprise me. There is very little of it here in the KC area. I told them about the history of CCM and Christian rock. They had no idea that it was a big machine industry, that there are large networks, labels, publishing companies, award shows, blah, blah, blah. The icing on the cake was their concept of return on investment. They thought I could make an artist happen, from conception to stardom with $40k and that they would be rolling in the dough. WHAT? I showed them an article where the costs of one Top 10 Guaranteed single are laid out. How about $500k per song in the secular world? I could of course make a record for $40k, but there is more to it than making a record. Then we got into touring expenses, support, yadda, yadda, yadda. You see my point? People who may be smart in one area of life, may have no clues about their passions, and need a reality check. These guys made more money in a month than I make all year, but I still told them the truth, just like I told you.

So, my motives are what they are. Sorry you got offended. What I learned from these guys is that they were not offended. They understood how they could not have known about all of this, because it is not their "thing". Because of their positions at Sprint, they understood marketing, advertising, etc. They told me that the industry has done a poor job marketing it's artists, goods and services here. I agreed. That has been changing since then. We have three FM stations playing CCM now, and two talk/teaching stations on FM. The one bad hill-billy station is on AM where it should be. haha. Anyway, the point is...if you know your numbers, and you are resolved to do it, you should not be offended if someone challenges you. Someone, maybe not me, will eventually hit you with something you have not considered and it may save you from a lawsuit, bankruptcy, etc.
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Re: Northeastern U.S.: Interested in a John Schlitt Concert?

Post by sue d. » Mon Jan 07, 2013 1:55 pm

Frankly, since only 3 people have responded on any of the Petra-Schlitt related sites - a base that I thought might give me 6-10 depending upon how short the notice was - I don't know if this is the right angle anyway. Despite my effort to educate the community these past weeks, nobody in this county has a clue who Petra is let alone John...which is sad
It's really hard to know if you're hitting the local folks or not on a FB/Zone message board on any given day. I wouldn't base anything on that response - or lack thereof, especially with Facebook, where posts are seen or not, based on how many people are on a newsfeed, or if the 'friend' even wants to look at posts other than the artists'.

Let me just say this: back in 1994 I promoted my first concert. I brought in GXV as a soloist. There was no local Christian radio other than one that played Gaither-like songs. No one knew what Christian music was in this town, let alone Christian rock. A few heard of Petra; no one heard of GXV. It didn't matter... I was determined to do it. I raised funds, prayed a lot -and with the right promotion, the right push and advertising - it worked. Did ticket sales cover expenses? No. It never did, not in this town. Brent's right in the aspect that you HAVE to have a financial plan in place.

Bob, in your case, it's an event that's NOT a stand-alone concert. It's an event that's tied into a supper, a football game... that puts a new spin on your target audience. People who would come to this are not necessarily looking for a concert - they're folks looking to have some group fun on Super Bowl day.

Case in point: when I brought II Guys for a New Year's Eve event, the majority in attendance had no clue who John & Bob were. All they saw was a night where they could bring their kids along, have supper, play games and listen to a concert. It was an EVENT. I could have brough Joe Blow and the Blowhards - people still would have come because it was tied in to more than just a concert.
Petra has been SKUH-ROOOOOD plenty of times by plenty of "God wants me to do this and he will provide the money" people.
Absolutely - you have to count the cost, and make sure you have enough funds to cover.
Despite my effort to educate the community these past weeks, nobody in this county has a clue who Petra is let alone John...which is sad.
Very sad.... but they will NEVER know unless someone shows them. They didn't know GXV or JWS in this area either... but they do now!

"If you build it, they will come...."
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Re: Northeastern U.S.: Interested in a John Schlitt Concert?

Post by LivingRock » Mon Jan 07, 2013 2:25 pm

Another case in point: When we brought John (solo) to Newfoundland, hardly anyone here knew who he was either, except for a few die-hard fans. I got almost zero response on the Facebook Event I created. We were barely selling any tickets, and even the radio contest we had to give away tickets didn't get much response. However, everyone showed up to buy tickets at the door, and to our relief, the place was pretty decently filled. And when John led worship at our church the next morning, the place was jam-packed to overflowing. Did we break even? No, but that wasn't our point anyway. The "point" was expressed when the whole community talked about the concert for months afterwards, bought every single CD that John brought with him, and all the kids in the youth group adored him! (Teenage crushes anyone? :roll: ) I wouldn't recommend that everyone go out on a limb like we did, but occasionally it works. :mrgreen:
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Re: Northeastern U.S.: Interested in a John Schlitt Concert?

Post by reopugh » Tue Jan 08, 2013 9:39 am

Bob, the world needs more people like you! Keep up the good work!
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