[Rick Lee]

IIRC, VH was offered a flat fee for the whol tour. They get paid regardless of ticket sales and the promoters are the ones on the hook. VH is the perfect band for this kind of deal, since they haven't had an album to plug in many years, their DLR-era fanbase is much older now and can afford whatever the tix cost and there's always an element of drama and suspense with these guys. I wanted to see them very early in the tour because I had no idea if they'd make past the first week. You know they have an entourage of therapists and all that.

The Stones always have corporate sponsorships. On the Steel Wheels tour their big sponsor was Budwesier/Anheuser Busch. I worked a show on that tour and they all had carts of Beck's wheeled up onto the stage, but Bud ads everywhere. I still have some "limited edition" shirts and hats I got from my own band's Budweiser rep. from that tour. It was a cash cow.

I would think a band like Rush, which still puts out regular albums and tours a lot to promote them, but only with a very devoted cult following and no mass appeal, is the kind of band that gets paid an unpredictable amount based on tix and merchandising sales. There were some leaked court documents a while back showing what all they made from each show. It was very good, but not crazy money. They each walked away from the tour a few million richer. Sure would hate to pay taxes anywhere but in the US on that kind of money though.