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CNN Live Today

This Summer's Concert Tours Feature Both Young Stars and Old

Aired June 08, 2001 - 14:43   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, summertime is just about here, and with it come picnics and trips to the beach, and all those summer concerts. But as the temperature rises, so could the ticket prices to see your favorite acts. CNN's Bill Tush tells us who's on tour and how a tighter economy could affect the sound of music this season.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL TUSH, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: "Pearl Harbor" is not the only one bringing out the big guns this summer, so is rock'n'roll.

Madonna leads the list of who's hitting the road.

RON DELSNER, CONCERT PROMOTER: She's a great star, great entertainer, and she makes her shows different all the time. You never know what to expect, which is great, because she keeps you on your toes, controversial. All that's all part of the mystique.

TUSH: Ron Delsner is a legend in concert promoting, and he has a lot more than the material girl making the rounds.

DELSNER: Everything we have is hot. We have got most of the tours around the country, so everything is hot. The amphitheaters are cooking, and big tours are going to be Eric Clapton, U2, Madonna. Rod Stewart still coming back again.

TUSH: And with gas prices approaching $2.00 a gallon and a slower economy, will there be more seats to go around?

DELSNER: Ah, the gas? We don't have to travel, I mean, in the major cities there's not much of traveling, so I'm not worried about the price of gasoline.

I don't see any signs of people not having money at the last minute to go to a rock concert. I think they are the last things affected.

TUSH: Besides, a guy like Dave Matthews has a lot of seats to fill.

DELSNER: He's playing ballparks. I mean, he could play any place. TUSH: While Delsner and company put the Claptons and Stewarts to work, the younger crowd has its idols, all those faces, like 'N Sync, that stare at us from teen magazine covers. One of them, "Seventeen," has the ticket.

LAURA MORGAN, "SEVENTEEN" MAGAZINE: It is a summer tour preview, and that includes everything that's relevant to the teen audience, from the Backstreet Boys to Blink 182, to Moby on the Area One festival. And also, big iconic performers, like Janet Jackson and Madonna, because they still appeal to a teen audience.

TUSH: Laura Morgan, the article's author, decided to have a little fun with the issue.

MORGAN: We did things like include how long you'll have to wait on the restroom line. For instance, how many girls and how many boys would be at the concert, what the ratio would be. So, for instance, at the Backstreet Boys concert, the girl-to-guy restroom line would be 97 girls to three guys. So, if you a guy going to the Backstreet Boys show, it's probably a good place to find a girlfriend.

TUSH: Proof again that when it comes to summer concerts, there's something for everybody, even if Rod Stewart has some songs older than the members of 'N Sync.

Bill Tush, CNN Entertainment News, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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