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City Stages 2009 acts announced: Jane's Addiction, Young Jeezy, .38 Special among 45 confirmed
Posted by Mary Colurso -- City Stages Birmingham News March 29, 2009 6:49 AM

Categories: Breaking News, City Stages, Music
Jane's Addiction, Young Jeezy, the Neville Brothers, En Vogue, Styx, REO Speedwagon and 38 Special are among nearly 45 acts confirmed for City Stages 2009.

City Stages 2009 lineup:
SEARCH ALL ACTS

Organizers for Birmingham's largest music festival announced a partial lineup today for the event, set for June 19-21. A second round of performers is likely to be revealed in May, said Denise Koch, City Stages' executive director.

The festival, which takes place downtown in and around Linn Park, will have lower ticket prices, a slimmed-down budget and one fewer stage this year, Koch said. That's partly a response to the current economic crunch and partly a reflection of City Stages' chronic financial struggles.

The festival is carrying about $400,000 in debt, according to George McMillan, the festival's president.

Organizers have trimmed expenses for 2009, lowering the overall budget from $2.85 million to $2.5 million, Koch said. The talent budget has been cut from $1.1 million to $900,000.

However, organizers are determined to secure a crowd-pleasing lineup for that amount, Koch said. Aside from the acts already mentioned, the list includes the Indigo Girls, Jonny Lang, the Doobie Brothers, Guster, Charlie Wilson of the Gap Band and Needtobreathe.

"Diversity is something we strive for every year, and that's still our mission," Koch said. "This year's logo and tagline is: 'There's something you'll love about it, too.'"

City Stages, in its 21st year, aims to present "a more commercial lineup" than it did in 2008, Koch said. Some have argued that last year's headliners -- acts such as the Flaming Lips, Ben Harper and Andrew Bird -- were too artsy to draw large crowds in Birmingham.

"Last year, we paid a lot of money for acts that didn't sell tickets," Koch said. "This year, we've tried to listen to the community and what they want. Some people felt left out last year because we didn't have classic rock. If classic rock is what people want to hear, that's what we're going to do."

Along with this booking approach, City Stages has lowered most of its prices by $5 for advance weekend passes. They go on sale Monday through Ticketmaster and will range from $37.50-$55, depending on when they're purchased. Last year, weekend passes cost $37.50-$60. Day passes will cost $28, the same as last year.

The age limit for free children's admission has been raised to 12, as well. Last year, the cut-off was age 10.

Festivalgoers will see a shuffle in the three primary stage names, reflecting changes in sponsorships.

Coca-Cola Bottling United -- a City Stages sponsor since the fest was founded in 1989 -- will no longer sponsor the main stage in Linn Park. That becomes the Miller Lite Stage, reflecting a sponsorship by Supreme Beverage Co., another longtime City Stages supporter.

The Coke company will continue to partner with the festival, McMillan said, selling beverages and donating some products for the event.

Legacy Community Credit Union will take over sponsorship of the stage on Sixth Avenue North formerly known as the Miller stage. A stage on Fifth Avenue North, previously called the Legacy Stage, will be called the Discovery Stage. It has no sponsor yet, Koch said.

The Miller and Legacy stages will mix up the acts and genres, she said. The Discovery Stage will focus on up-and-coming artists.

"We want people to treat the festival the way it was in the beginning, moving around from stage to stage," Koch said. "You'll probably still see the big headliners in Linn Park, but the stages aren't geared to specific genres or demographics."

The Dance Depot, Music Oasis, Unplugged stage and children's festival will remain, but organizers have nixed the Homegrown Stage, a haven for local bands and solo acts. Instead, such performers will receive slots on the three main stages.

City Stages and its new booking agent and producing partner, AEG Live/The Messina Group, must contend with the impact of the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, Tenn., which has been a tough competitor for the smaller, nonprofit City Stages.

Bonnaroo won't be held on the same weekend as City Stages this year, as it has previously. But the Tennessee festival, June 11-14, still requires its acts to sign contracts that prevent them from appearing at nearby festivals that month. According to Koch, the same goes for the BamaJam Music & Arts Festival, planned for June 4-6 in Enterprise.

Nevertheless, organizers for City Stages remain confident they can program a strong event.

"I think there's room enough for everyone," Koch said. "This is a new year, and we've worked really hard to make City Stages different, and the best it can be."

City Stages 2009: Jane's Addiction
Posted by Birmingham News March 29, 2009 4:00 AM

City Stages 2009 schedule: SEARCH ALL ACTS

Jane's Addiction: Official site
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Miller Lite Stage, City Stages, Birmingham, Ala.

What to expect: Hard rock

FYI: Original members Perry Farrell, Dave Navarro, Eric Avery and Stephen Perkins have reunited.

Known for: Helping to launch the alt-rock movement, which included a farewell tour that launched the first Lollapalooza Festival

Jane's Addiction cancels; new City Stages acts on schedule
Posted by Alec Harvey -- The Birmingham News May 12, 2009 5:08 PM
Categories: Breaking News, City Stages

Jane's Addiction, one of the key City Stages headliners, has canceled, but Dierks Bentley, Plain White T's, the Hill Country Revue and Wild Sweet Orange are among the acts that City Stages has added to its lineup.
Festival organizers say Jane's Addiction has decided to cut off its American tour in mid-June, before City Stages takes place June 19-21 in and around Linn Park.

Here's a look at the schedule as it stands now:

Birmingham's City Stages debt reaches $550,000
Posted by Mary Colurso -- Birmingham News May 13, 2009 6:13 AM

Categories: Breaking News, City Stages, Music

A major City Stages headliner has canceled and the music festival's debt has reached about $550,000, organizers said this week.
Despite such challenges, the City Stages team is confident about its ability to put on this year's event, said the festival's president and founder, George McMillan.

"City Stages is most definitely happening," McMillan said. "I think City Stages has been a good thing for Birmingham, and I want to see it continue."

Jane's Addiction, a rock band led by Perry Farrell, has decided to end its tour in mid-June, on the weekend before City Stages, McMillan said. The Birmingham festival is set for June 19-21; Jane's Addiction had been booked as the closing act on June 21, at the Miller Lite Stage in Linn Park.

"We're steadily looking for who the replacement is going to be," McMillan said.


He emphasized his commitment to the festival, which has struggled financially since 2000, and said the debt continues to be manageable. City Stages has been in the hole for nearly half of its 21-year history, shouldering debt that has ranged from $861,000 to $60,000.

The financial goal for this year, McMillan said, is to break even, or come close to breaking even, on budget projections of about $2.3 million.

"We've projected income of $2,317,000 and expenses of $2,294,000," he said.

City Stages has looked for ways to economize in 2009, trimming the overall budget from last year's $2.85 million and reducing the talent budget from $1.1 million to $900,000.

Recent additions to the lineup include country singer-songwriter Dierks Bentley, rock band Plain White T's, Birmingham folk-rockers Wild Sweet Orange and the Hill Country Revue, an offshoot of the North Mississippi Allstars. Complete schedule.

Just one slot on the three main stages -- the one vacated by Jane's Addiction -- remains to be filled, organizers said. More than 80 acts have been secured for the event, which includes five smaller venues, such as a dance tent, a children's stage and a drum circle.

Although City Stages lost Coca-Cola Bottling United as a stage sponsor this year, McMillan said total sponsorship money should be roughly on par with 2008.

"Last year, we raised $473,000 in sponsorships," he said. "This year, we'll raise about $440,000 to $450,000."

He declined to be specific about ticket sales, but said the festival has sold a "healthy number" of advance weekend passes and day passes. Prices range from $35-$55 for weekend passes; $200 for VIP. Day passes are $28.

City Stages, a nonprofit festival, also launched a fund-raising drive through its Web site, www.citystages.org. It appeals directly to average concertgoers, asking for donations that range from $20-$5,000. Proceeds will go into the festival's 2009 budget, McMillan said, and aren't intended for debt reduction.

The campaign, which began in February, has raised about $20,000 of its $50,000 goal for this year, McMillan said. More than 125 people have made donations, he said, typically in the $40-$50 range.

"People understand we have been on thin ice, and they want to help," McMillan said. "We hope to continue this on an annual basis."

mcolurso@bhamnews.com

Changes made to City Stages

Changes are coming to City Stages. The band Jane's Addiction has cancelled many of their tour dates including this one. There is no word on why the band pulled the plug. Several new bands have now signed on to take part in the music fest. Plain White T's, Dierks Bentley and Meiko are some of the big names coming to Birmingham.