Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Big Deals at the San Diego County Fair

Switchfoot commands big bucks from their hometown county fair.
Switchfoot commands big bucks from their hometown county fair.

When the San Diego County Fair paid $80,000 to Gym Class Heroes to be a Grandstand headliner in 2007, one talent buyer said the New York hip-hop quartet was paid $45,000 more than they would normally get for a local show.

“The only way a fair can get a big-name band is to make them a ridiculously huge offer,” the talent buyer said. “Fairs way overpay their headliners.”

So, did the fair overpay Matisyahu when it agreed to host him July 3 for $55,000?

Sponsored
Sponsored

Is Switchfoot getting a bro deal when they get paid $50,000 to headline June 15?

And will Creedence Clearwater Revisited (a remnant of Creedence Clearwater Revival that tours with its original drummer and bassist but without its singer/songwriter/guitarist John Fogerty) be given a windfall when they get $45,000 to play June 28?

What major names get paid is not usually disclosed. But because the San Diego County Fair is on state property and is overseen by a board appointed by the governor, its contracts are made public.

One talent buyer associated with local casinos says that the Creedence Clearwater Revisited payday is actually the going rate for that classic-rock act.

North County–based Switchfoot was paid $50,000 when they first played the fair five years ago.

“[Switchfoot] may not be worth that much in other markets,” says the talent buyer, “but they certainly are here. Besides, you have to remember how much extra the fair gets for preferred seats.”

The Switchfoot, CCR, and Matisyahu shows are free with the $13 fair admission. But the fair also sells reserved seats for an extra fee. All three shows have about 200 premium seats in the terrace area available for an extra $20, and there are about 2000 reserved seats in another preferred area for an extra $14.

“Although he just had one hit, Matisyahu is this very unique artist who taps into Jewish, reggae, and hip-hop all at once. He has a big all-ages following.” According to the source, the $55,000 fee is in line with what he got last year when he played Humphrey’s, selling 1450 tickets at $37 and up.

The San Diego County Fair seems to have backed away from Grandstand shows that were paid-admission only, where fair admission did not guarantee a seat.

“Last year, they had Lenny Kravitz at the Grandstand as a separate, free-standing concert, where you had to buy a ticket to even get in,” says the insider. “That show was mysteriously canceled. I heard it was because ticket sales were so slow that they just pulled the plug.”

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Conservatives cry, “Turnabout is fair gay!”

Will Three See Eight’s Fate?
Next Article

Jazz guitarist Alex Ciavarelli pays tribute to pianist Oscar Peterson

“I had to extract the elements that spoke to me and realize them on my instrument”
Switchfoot commands big bucks from their hometown county fair.
Switchfoot commands big bucks from their hometown county fair.

When the San Diego County Fair paid $80,000 to Gym Class Heroes to be a Grandstand headliner in 2007, one talent buyer said the New York hip-hop quartet was paid $45,000 more than they would normally get for a local show.

“The only way a fair can get a big-name band is to make them a ridiculously huge offer,” the talent buyer said. “Fairs way overpay their headliners.”

So, did the fair overpay Matisyahu when it agreed to host him July 3 for $55,000?

Sponsored
Sponsored

Is Switchfoot getting a bro deal when they get paid $50,000 to headline June 15?

And will Creedence Clearwater Revisited (a remnant of Creedence Clearwater Revival that tours with its original drummer and bassist but without its singer/songwriter/guitarist John Fogerty) be given a windfall when they get $45,000 to play June 28?

What major names get paid is not usually disclosed. But because the San Diego County Fair is on state property and is overseen by a board appointed by the governor, its contracts are made public.

One talent buyer associated with local casinos says that the Creedence Clearwater Revisited payday is actually the going rate for that classic-rock act.

North County–based Switchfoot was paid $50,000 when they first played the fair five years ago.

“[Switchfoot] may not be worth that much in other markets,” says the talent buyer, “but they certainly are here. Besides, you have to remember how much extra the fair gets for preferred seats.”

The Switchfoot, CCR, and Matisyahu shows are free with the $13 fair admission. But the fair also sells reserved seats for an extra fee. All three shows have about 200 premium seats in the terrace area available for an extra $20, and there are about 2000 reserved seats in another preferred area for an extra $14.

“Although he just had one hit, Matisyahu is this very unique artist who taps into Jewish, reggae, and hip-hop all at once. He has a big all-ages following.” According to the source, the $55,000 fee is in line with what he got last year when he played Humphrey’s, selling 1450 tickets at $37 and up.

The San Diego County Fair seems to have backed away from Grandstand shows that were paid-admission only, where fair admission did not guarantee a seat.

“Last year, they had Lenny Kravitz at the Grandstand as a separate, free-standing concert, where you had to buy a ticket to even get in,” says the insider. “That show was mysteriously canceled. I heard it was because ticket sales were so slow that they just pulled the plug.”

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Todd Gloria gets cash from McDonald's franchise owners

Phil's BBQ owner for Larry Turner
Next Article

Haunted Trail of Balboa Park, ZZ Top, Gem Diego Show

Events October 31-November 2, 2024
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader