#bank of america stadium

[odinsblog]

Tens of thousands of people visit Bank of America stadium to watch the Carolina Panthers play football each year – never realizing they are walking on top of lost remnants of a once-thriving Black neighborhood established in the aftermath of the Civil War.

The stadium itself is built directly atop a relic of segregated healthcare: Good Samaritan Hospital, the first private hospital built in North Carolina to serve Black patients. Built in 1891, this historic hospital was one of the oldest of its kind in the United States.

It was also the site of one of the “most horrific racial incidents in Charlotte's history,” according to Dan Aldridge, professor of History and Africana Studies at Davidson College.

A mob of 30 to 35 armed, white men invaded the hospital, dragging a man out of the hospital and into the streets – and shooting him dead in front of the building.

The concept of “urban renewal” destroyed Black neighborhoods, communities, businesses and homes all across North Carolina, especially between 1949 and 1974.

Durham, for example, once had a prominent Black Wall Street, where Black businesses flourished; however, the historic community was almost completely destroyed by construction of the Durham Freeway.

Likewise, Raleigh once had 13 historic Freedmen's Villages, built entirely by men and women freed from slavery in the aftermath of emancipation. Today, only two are remaining, and Oberlin Village, the largest one, was cut in half by the construction of Wade Avenue.

Similarly, Charlotte's Brooklyn community was built by men and women freed from slavery in the late 1800s. Like many Black communities around the state, it was forced into an awful geographical location – on low-lying land where flooding, sewage and sanitation issues made life hazardous.

According to history in the Charlotte Library, the Brooklyn area was first identified on maps as ‘Logtown’ in the late 1800s – a name that matches closely with titles given to similar freedmen villages in the Triangle area, which were often called slang names like ‘Slabtown’ or ‘Save Rent’ due to their inexpensive homes.

In the 1900s, the area became known as Brooklyn, “a name that would become synonymous with the Black community until urban renewal.”

“It's a tragedy that so many stadiums were built on sites that were once Black communities,” said Aldridge. “They're poor neighborhoods. They're struggling neighborhoods. I won't romanticize them by claiming they're all like Black Wall Street, but they were people's homes and people's communities, and they were taken from them.”

Many historically significant Black sites were lost in urban renewal; likewise, many Black communities were forced to build in geographically unfit areas, making growing wealth and property more difficult – and more easily lost over time.

At its peak, Brooklyn was home to:

Charlotte's first Black public school

Charlotte's only Black high school

The city's first free library for Black patrons

The first companies to offer white collar jobs to Black workers

The first private hospital for Black citizens in Charlotte

Today, football players run up and down the Bank of America field for the amusement of thousands of cheering fans. However, in 1913, over a century ago, that same land had a very different story.

(continue reading) related ↵ related ↵

[downisupandupisdown]

Charlotte FC wins 2-0

Patrick Agyemang scores the clinching goal in the 88' to send Columbus Crew home with a loss.

[rollingstonesdata]

ROLLING STONES FLASHBACK: Live in Charlotte 2021

ROLLING STONES FLASHBACK: Live in Charlotte 2021

[teaforthotxxx]

Hc that Harry changes his last name based on the perks that he can get with them. His full name is Harry Potter-Evans-Mcdonald-Black (they rolled dice for this). He is Harry Potter in Hogwarts because Potters have the best rep there and in most places in the wizarding world.

He is Harry Mcdonald when he needs to get something from America because the Mcdonalds wizarding family is big in America. He was Harry Evans when he went to muggle primary school. Lastly, he is Harry Black to the Sacred 28!!

I just find this quadruple nepo baby so funny. Dude would be balling. Imagine having so many last names and utilising all of them to their fullest potential. Like he walks into the Head Auror (Lily Evan’s) office and immediately says with a name tag that says “Auror Evan’s Son”. Then, he calls into Quidditch stadiums as Harry Potter to get free court side seats for himself, Hermoine and the Weasleys. He goes to the bank with his fucking papers entitling him to the BLACK FAMILY VAULT.

Dude Harry Potter and the Unlimited Possibilities.

[louisupdates]

The Habit He Can’t Break, 1/4

IQ 123 | Gordon Masson | 9.11.2023

Usually, when an act completes a world tour, they come off the road for an extended period to rest, record new material, and then typically two or three years later, the wheels are set in motion for an album, released, promo, and tour dates.

Louis Tomlinson did not get that memo.

His first solo tour ran late due to the pandemic restrictions, meaning that by the time it concluded in September 2022, his second album, Faith in the Future, was scheduled to drop and tickets for the associated tour were ready to go on sale.

“This tour went on sale late October or November - basically a year in advance,” explains agent, Holly Rowland, who represents Tomlinson alongside Alex Hardee, internationally, while Wasserman Music colleagues, Marty Diamond and Ash Mowry-Lewis do likewise for North America. 

Despite that quick turnaround between tours, Rowland reports that ticket sales for the current tour are going very well indeed. “The first leg went through Scandinavia before doing the Baltics and Eastern Europe – Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece – places that most people, especially arena-level acts, don’t really go. And the second leg, which is more mainland Europe, started 2 October.”

The tour is big. Very big for just a second outing in his own name. 

Between May and July this year, Tomlinson played 39 dates in the US and Canada across a mix of amphitheaters, arenas, pavilions, and stadiums. In August, he returned to Europe, where he currently is in the midst of another 39 dates in arenas across the continent and the UK, which will take him to 18 November. Then, in early 2024, the Faith in the Future tour goes to Australia for two outdoor dates in Melbourne and Brisbane, before he takes the show to the country’s biggest indoor venue, the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney.

And, as IQ went to press, Louis Tomlinson released dates for a return to Latin America in May 2024 for a mix of indoor and outdoor shows, including stadia, across Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, and Uruguay.

“We’re going to Australia and part of Asia early next year,” states artist manager Matt Vines of London-based Seven 7 Management. We then go into Latin America in May and June. And then we’ll handpick a selection of festivals next summer, before we draw the line on the campaign at the end of the summer.”

Rowland comments, “The tour before obviously was a Covid tour where the dates had to be chopped and changed. The positive aspect of that was that we were able to upgrade venues where that made sense. But it was really nice to start from scratch on this tour to make sure the routing was all going in the right direction.”

Back to You

Playing a major role in shifting that ticketing inventory is a network of promoters also enjoying Tomlinsons rising star.

“On this tour, it’s mainly Live Nation – we use a lot of the One Direction promoter,” explains Rowland. “But for Greece, we used Honeycomb Live, Charmenko did Romania, 8 Days A Week promoted the three shows in the Baltics, All Things Live did Finland, Fource are doing Orague, it’s Gadget in Switzerland, Atelier in Luxembourg, and when we get to the UK, it’s SJM, and MCD in Ireland.”

With a total of 39 European dates, Rowland split the outing into separate legs, scheduling a break after Scandinavia, the Balkans, Baltics, and Athens, Greece, and another after mainland Europe, ending in Zürich, Switzerland. 

“It’s a perfect ratio, if I do say so myself,” she laughs. “It was right to split it up – 39 dates is a long, long tour, especially with the American tour throughout the summer being 11 weeks! We made sure to schedule days off, for everyone to recharge their batteries.”

In Spain, Nacho Córdoba at Live Nation promoted Tomlinson’s shows in Bilbao, Madrid, and Barcelona, and reports sell-outs at each of the arenas involved. 

“When Louis was last here, it was three days before the pandemic shut everything down in Spain. In fact, I think he played the final show before the market closed because of Covid.,” says Córdoba.

“Last year, Louis organized his Away From Home Festival in Fuengirola, and that also sold out, so we know he has a big following in Spain, and we also know that Spanish fans are super loyal. So, on this tour we sold out 7,000 tickets at Bilbao Arena Miribilla, 13,600 tickets at Wizink in Madrid, and 11,200 at Palau St Jordi in Barcelona.”

Already looking forward to Tomlinson “and his fantastic team” returning on the next tour, Córdoba believes it will be important to see what happens with the next album – and Tomlinson’s expectations – before making any plans. 

“The most important thing is to keep the fans happy and keep the momentum building with Louis,” he states. “I am a big fan of the arenas, because the atmosphere at his shows was incredible. So, rather than look at going bigger, it might be a case of looking at other arenas in other markets. Whatever he does, we cannot wait to have Louis back in Spain.”

Stefan Wyss at Gadget abc Entertainment in Switzerland promoted Tomlinson when he visited Zurich’s Hallenstadion on 23 October and explains that he previously played the city’s Halle 622 venue on the first tour.

Recalling the debut solo outing, Wyss tells IQ, “At first, we announced a mid-size theatre club show, 1,800-capacity, but it sold out instantly. Then we moved it to Halle 62, which is 3-500-cap and that also sold out immediately, so it was a really big success. 

“They’ve invested a lot in the production of this current tour, and it’s doing really strong numbers, so that’s why we decided to go to the arena this time around, where we set a mid-size capacity of 7,000, which is good for a small market like Switzerland, especially because he’s coming back just one year later and playing a much bigger show.”

Wyss adds, “He’s kept the ticket prices reasonable – and he never wants to do any gold circle or VIP tickets. I think that’s why he’s so close to his fans, because it’s not about maximising profits. Another reason for his success is that in addition to attracting a mainstream audience, he’s also getting the music lovers because he’s just a very good songwriter and has brilliant songs.”

Wyss also notes that with many young fans typically arriving the day before the concert, the responsibility to look after them is extended. “We set up toilets, we have security overnight, we give water away. It’s part of the organization that we will take care of the fans.”

Fresh from announcing 12 dates across Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru, Paraguay, Panama, Puerto Rico, and Uruguay, promoter Fabiano Lima De Queiroz at Move Concerts reports that Tomlinson will visit a mix of arenas, as well as stadiums in Santiago, São Paulo, and Buenos Aires, during his May tour.

“Our first tour with Louis was supposed to be in 2020 and we’d booked half arenas everywhere – 5,000–6,000 capacities,” he informs IQ. “Louis was one of those acts who connected very well with the fans during the pandemic, so when we shifted the dates, first to 2021, and then to 2022, we ended up selling out and having to upgrade in certain metropolitan markets.”

2/4, 3/4, 4/4

[dailytomlinson]

Faith In The Future Tour (Behind The Scenes) for IQ

Full interview with Matt Vines, tour promoters, agents and more people involved in the making of the tour under the cut:

Usually, when an act completes a world tour they come off the road for an extended period to rest, record new material, and then typically two or three years later the wheels are set in motion for an album release, promo, and tour dates. Louis Tomlinson did not get that memo. His first solo tour ran late due to the pandemic restrictions, meaning that by the time it concluded in September 2022, his second album, Faith In The Future, was scheduled to drop and tickets for the associated tour were ready to go on sale. 

“This tour went on sale last October or November ‒ basically a year in advance,” explains agent Holly Rowland, who represents Tomlinson, alongside Alex Hardee, internationally, while Wasserman Music colleagues Marty Diamond and Ash Mowry-Lewis do likewise for North America.

Despite that quick turnaround between tours, Rowland reports that ticket sales for the current tour are going very well indeed. “The first leg went through Scandinavia before doing the Baltics and Eastern Europe ‒ Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece ‒ places that most people, especially arena-level acts, don’t really go. And the second leg, which is more mainland Europe, started on 2 October.”

The tour is big. Very big for just a second outing in his own name.

Between May and July this year, Tomlinson played 39 dates in the US and Canada across a mix of amphitheaters, arenas, pavilions, and stadiums. In August, he returned to Europe, where he is currently in the midst of another 39 dates in arenas across the continent and the UK, which will take him to 18 November. Then, in early 2024, the Faith In The Future tour goes to Australia for two outdoor dates in Melbourne and Brisbane, before he takes the show to the country’s biggest indoor venue, the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. 

And, as IQ went to press, Tomlinson released dates for a return to Latin America in May 2024 for a mix of indoor and outdoor shows, including stadia, across Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, and Uruguay. 

“We’re going to Australia and part of Asia early next year,” states artist manager Matt Vines of London-based Seven 7 Management. “We then go into Latin America in May and June. And then we’ll handpick a selection of festivals next summer, before we draw the line on the campaign at the end of the summer.”

Rowland comments, “The tour before obviously was Covid tour where the date had to be chopped and changed. The positive aspect of that was that we were able to upgrade venues where that made sense. But it was really nice to start from scratch on this tour to make sure the routing was all going in the right direction.” She reports, “We’ve done nearly 16,000 tickets in Amsterdam, and 14,000 in Paris, which I think just underlines his credibility as an artist and his growing reputation among fans.”

Playing a major role in shifting that ticketing inventory is a network of promoters also enjoying Tomlinson’s rising star.

“On this tour, it’s mainly Live Nation ‒ we use a lot of the One Direction promoter,” explains Rowland. “But for Greece, we used Honeycomb Live, Charmenko did Romania, 8 Days A Week promoted the three shows in the Baltics, All Things Live did Finland, Fource are doing Prague, it’s Gadget in Switzerland, Atelier in Luxembourg, and when we get to the UK, it’s SJM, and MCD in Ireland.”

With a total of 39 European dates, Rowland split the outing into separate legs, scheduling a  break after Scandinavia, the Balkans, Baltics and Athens, Greece and another after mainland Europe ending in Zurich, Switzerland. 

“It's a perfect ratio, if I do say so myself,” she laughs. “It was right to split it up ‒ 39 dates in a long, long tour, especially with the American tour throughout the summer being 11 weeks! We made sure to schedule days off, for everyone to recharge their batteries.”

In Spain, Nacho Córdoba at Live Nation promoted Tomlinson’s shows in Bilbao, Madrid, and Barcelona and reports sell-outs at each of the arenas involved. 

“When Louis was last here, it was three days before the pandemic shut everything down in Spain. In fact, I think he played the final show before the market closed because of Covid,” says Córdoba. 

“Last year, Louis organised his Away From Home festival in Fuengirola, and that also sold out, so we know he has a big following in Spain, and we also know that Spanish fans are super loyal. So, on this tour we sold out 7,000 tickets at Bilbao Arena Miribilla, 13,600 tickets at WiZink in Madrid, and 11,200 at Palau St Jordi in Barcelona.”

Already looking forward to Tomlinson “and his fantastic team” returning on the next tour, Córdoba believes it will be important to see what happens with the next album ‒ and Tomlinson’s expectations ‒ before making any plans.

“The most important thing is to keep the fans happy and keep the momentum building with Louis,” he states. “I am a big fan of the arenas, because the atmosphere at his shows was incredible. So, rather than look at going bigger, it might be a case of looking at other arenas in other markets. Whatever he does, we cannot wait to have Louis back in Spain.”

Stefan Wyss at Gadget abc Entertainment in Switzerland promoted Tomlinson when he visited Zurich’s Hallenstadion on 23 October and explains that he previously played the city’s Halle 622 venue on the first tour.

Recalling that debut solo outing, Wyss tells IQ, “At first, we announced a mid-size theatre club show, 1,800-capacity, but it sold out instantly. Then we moved it to Halle 622, which it 3,500-cap, and that also sold out immediately, so it was a really big success.

“They’ve invested a lot in the production of this current tour, and it’s doing really strong numbers, so that’s why we decided to go to the arena this time around, where we set a mid-size capacity of 7,000, which is good for a small market like Switzerland, especially because he’s coming back just one year later and playing a much bigger show.”

Wyss adds, “He’s kept the ticket prices reasonable ‒ and he never wants to do any gold circle or VIP tickets. I think that’s why he’s so close to his fans, because it’s not about maximising profits. Another reason for his success is that in addition to attracting a mainstream audience, he’s also getting music lovers because he’s just a very good songwriter and has brilliant songs.”

Wyss also notes that with many young fans typically arriving the day before the concert, the responsibility to look after them is extended. “We set up toilets, we have security overnight, we give water away. It’s part of the organization that we will take care of the fans.”

Fresh from announcing 12 dates across Argentina, Brazil (x 3), Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Pery, Paraguay, Panama, Puerto Rico, and Uruguay, promoter Fabiano Lime de Queiroz at Move Concerts reports that Tomlinson will visit a mix of arenas, as well as stadiums in Santiago, São Paulo, and Buenos Aires during his May tour.

“Our first tour with Louis was supposed to be in 2020 and we’d booked half arenas everywhere ‒ 5,000-6,000 capacities,” he informs IQ. “Louis was one of those acts who connected very well with the fans during the pandemic, so when we shifted dates, first to 2021, and then to 2022, we ended up selling out and having to upgrade in certain metropolitan markets.”

“In Santiago, for instance, we’d sold out two full arenas of 13,000 cap, but then the government declared that for mass gatherings the numbers needed to be limited to 10,000 people.”

Rather than let fans down, Move added a third date, which again ended up selling out. “I remember being on a night plane from Miami, while Matt Vines was flying in from Dallas, and we were both using the aircraft wi-fi to negotiate via text for that third show,” says Queiroz. “It was an interesting way to confirm putting the third date on sale, just three days before the actual show!” 

He adds, “We’re taking a big bet on this tour when it comes to the number of cities and the capacities of the venues, but we’re hoping for the best and we’ve gone out strong. We feel that the artist is in a good moment and that the latest album has just created more interest, so we’re looking forward to when he arrives in May.”

Further north, Ocesa will prompte three dates in Mexico, including a stadium show at the F1 circuit, Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, deepening Tomlinson’s footprint in that crucial North America market. 

Meanwhile, in Tomlinson’s homeland, Jack Downling at SJM is promoting seven UK dates in November at arenas in Sheffield, Manchester, Glasgow, Brighton, Cardiff, London, and Birmingham, which will round out the European leg of the tour.

“SJM has done every show Louis has been involved with, including all the One Direction arena and stadium shows,” notes Dowling, adding that on the first tour, the London show was originally pencilled in as a Roundhouse, then two Roundhouse shows, before finally being upgraded to Wembley Arena.

“This time, The O2 arena show in London will be sold out, while all the others have passed the expectations of where we wanted to be on this tour. In fact, when the UK dates were announced, it ranked as the fourth most engaged tour on social media in SJM’s history ‒ his fans are just nuts.”

But Downling also reports that the fanbase for Tomlinson is expanding. “The demographics are pulling not just from pop but also from indie rock now.”

Downling adds, “Louis really looks after his fans. On the last tour they did a deal with Greggs {bakery chain} to give free food to the people waiting in line, as some of them camped out for days in advance.”

Ensuring his fans are looked after properly is the number-one priority in Tomlinson’s live career. 

Noting that Tomlinson’s audience comprises mainly young women and girls, Rowland reveals that, at the artists’s insistence, a safety team has been added to the tour to ensure everyone that attends his shows is looked after. “Thry manage all the safety within the shows for the fans,” she explains. “They came in for the Wembley show last year and have been with us ever since ‒ they’ve been beneficial to the running of the tour.”

“When he played in South America, some of his fans were camping outside for a month. So we have a responsibility to look after them. Coming to a show should be a safe space, it’s where they find joy, and we have a responsibility to protect that.”

Manager Vines comments, “One issue we came up against almost all last year was crushing and fans passing out. We adopted a system where we could communicate with fans, who could hold up a mobile phone with a flashing red-and-white sign if they were in trouble but then we’d see them all popping up.”

“I don’t know whether some of that was a hangover of the pandemic where fans just weren’t used to being in venues. But we experienced a number of situations where hydration and temperatures in venues became an issue. I know Billie Eilish went through similar issues.”

With Tomlinson determined to meet a duty of care towards his fans, Vines says that the team now sends a “considerable advance package” to promoters ahead of their tour dates. “Our safety team goes into venues in the morning and basically ensures that a number of different things are in place ‒ making sure that water is given to the fans, where the water comes from, and at what points in the show it happens.”

And on the crushing phenomena, he reports, “We’ve worked out how many fans it’s safe to have without a secondary barrier. So we instruct promoters to have certain barriers in place to relieve that pressure and avoid crushing.”

He adds, “I get detailed incident reports after each show, which lets myself and my management team know exactly what happened, and so far on this tour, we haven’t had any issues with crushing or hydration, which is fantastic.”

Production manager Craig Sherwood is impressed by the way the tour has pivoted to protect the ‘Louies’. “The welfare officers are vital for the young girls who are aged from, I guess, 14 upwards. They can get dehydrated and malnourished pretty quickly if they are camping out for days, so it’s important that we look out for their wellbeing,” says Sherwood.

Citing the extremes that the Louies will put themselves through in an effort to secure themselves prime positions at the front of the stage, Sherwood recalls, “The first show on our US tour was in February, and it was freezing, but we found out that girls had been camping out on the pavement for five days. It’s crazy, as we know these young girls are coming from all over the world to see Louis.”

However, Tomlinson’s connection with those fans is evident in the level of merchandise sales at each show. “It’s a huge part of our business,” says Vines. “In America, we averaged about $36 a head, and it’s not much shy of that in Europe ‒ we’ve set a few national records in terms of spend per head. But we spend a lot of time on merch plans, and we do venue-specific drops and give it a lot of care and attention, as it’s a really important element of Louis’ business.”

Making sure that the Faith In The Future tour delivers Tomlinson to his growing legion of fans, PM Sherwoord’s long association with artist manager Vines made him the obvious choice when the artist first began his solo career.

“I remember doing a lot of promo dates around the UK and US before we started touring properly,” says Sherwood of his work with Tomlinson. “In fact, one of the first shows I remember doing with Louis was in Madrid when he played in a stadium, and I could see it was a taste of things to come.”

The partnership between Sherwood and Vines is crucial.

“In terms of the show growing, our biggest challenge is keeping costs down, because we’re extremely cautious on ticket pricing,” says Vines. “We don’t do dynamic pricing, we don’t do platinium ticketing, we don’t do paid VIPs, we don’t increase ticket prices on aisle seats ‒ all those tricks that everyone does that most fans don’t know about: we don’t do any of those.”

“So, when it comes to the production side of things, we need to be incredibly careful. But I’ve been working with Craig for a decade, and he knows the importance of trying to keep costs as low as possible. For instance, we’ll run the show virtually a number of times so Louis can watch it with the show designer, Tom Taylor, make comments and tweak things. Then we’ll go into pre-production. But we try to do as much in virtual reality as possible before we take it into the physical world.”

Sherwood states, “Basically, we started out with two or three trucks, but now we’re up to nine, and things seem to be getting bigger day by day.”

Thankfully, Sherwood has amassed a vastly experienced crew over the years, allowing them to handle even the most unexpected scenarios. “I’ve been touring since the dawn of time, but the core crew I work with now have been together since about 2010, and I trust them implicitly, so I leave it up to them who they hire, as long as they think I’m going to like them, and they’ll get along with everyone. So far, it has worked well,” Sherwood reports.

And that veteran crew has dealt with some terrifying weather extremes on the current tour, including a show at Red Rocks in Colorado where the audience were subjected to a freak storm with golf ball-sized hailstones injuring dozens of people.

Elsewhere, the crew has had to act quickly when the threat of high winds in Nashville caused problems on that outdoor run. “We didn’t want the video screens blowing about above the heads of the band, so it must have been amusing for the audience to see us taking them down,” Sherwood reports.

Indoors in Europe, the environment has been more controllable. The production itself involves an A-stage set 180 degrees across the barricades, although Sherwood says that on occasion a catwalk is also used by the performers.

“It’s a great lighting show and fantastic for audio, as we have a phenomenal front-of-house sound engineer ‒ John Delf from Edge Studios ‒ who makes life very easy for the rest of us,” says Sherwood. He also namechecks Barrie Pitt (monitor engineer), Oli Crump (audio system designer), Tom Taylor (lighting designer), Sam Kenyon (lighting technical director), and Torin Arnold (stage manager), while he praises Solo-Tech for supplying the sound, and Colour Sound Experiment (CSE) for taking charge of lighting video, and rigging equipment.

Indeed, CSE has ten personnel out with the Faith In The Future tour. “We have eight screens on the road ‒ six on stage plus two IMAGS that we use wherever appropriate,” the company’s Haydn Cruickshank tells IQ.

“We need to tweak the rigging on a daily basis, as we move to different venues, but other than that it’s a fairly smooth process thanks to Craig Sherwood. He is old-school and planned and worked on the production very far in advance, which is a great scenario for all involved. Craig is definitely one of our favourite production managers to work with.”

Garry Lewis at bussing contractors Beat The Street is also a fan of PM Sherwood.

“Craig split the European tour into different runs. So, from Hamburg to Zurich, we had two super high-decker 12-berth buses for the tour party and two 16-berth double-deckers for the crew,” says Lewis. “After the show in Athens, we still have the two super high-deckers, as Louis loves them ‒ he prefers to spend time on the bus, rather than in hotels ‒ but we also have two 12-berth super high-deckers for the crew, as well as another crew 16-berth double-decker.”

Lewis continues, “We’ve worked with Craig for a good few years, and we have a great relationship with him. He plans everything way in advance, so it means it’s all very straightforward for us with no issues. So, we use single drivers for each bus, except on the longer runs or when our drivers are scheduled for prolonged breaks, and then we’ll fly in extra drivers as needed.”

With the production travelling to Australia in early 2024, before shifting to Latin America, Andy Lovell at Freight Minds is gearing up to become involved with Tomlinson once again.

“We did the Central and South America dates on the tour last year, and onto Mexico,” says Lovell. “It was very challenging back then as we were still coming back from Covid, and various systems and infrastructure were in pieces. But it all went well in the end, as we kept an eye on things and worked on it every day to make sure we had solutions to everything that was thrown our way.” 

Lovell continues, “Things on this tour kick in early next year for us. Historically, Australian services were quite reliable, as we could use any number of airlines. But post-pandemic, the number of long-haul flights still aren’t as frequent as they were. As a result, the production is being reverse engineered with the budget being worked out before we can see what we can afford to take as freight, and then we try to plan accordingly.”

“Similarly, in Central and South America there are still just a fraction of the flights operating, compared to pre-Covid, so that makes it very challenging. If there aren’t the flights to handle the gear, then you have to start looking at chartering aircraft, or alter your schedule, and that can become very expensive, very fast.”

With everyone working on the artist’s behalf to make sure the tour remains on track, being able to call on such experienced production experts is paying off on a daily basis.

Sherwood notes, “There are a few back-to-back shows over long distances that occasionally mean we don’t arrive at the next venue until 11am, rather than 6am. But we’ve never failed anywhere to open the doors on time, so we know we’re capable of getting things done, even if we have a late start at mid-day.”

Such dilemmas are not lost on agent Rowland. “It’s not so much the routing, it’s more like the timings, because Louis does have two support acts, so the show starts at 7 o’clock, and then when we’re done, we need to load out to get to the next show in good time for loading in the next morning and soundchecks, etc.”

Nonetheless, Sherwood admits that he loves the trickier venues and schedules. “Because I’m a dinosaur, I relish anything that makes things difficult or awkward for us on the production side of things,” he says. “I think everyone on the crew looks forward to challenges and finding the solutions to problems.”

Having amassed millions of fans through his association with One Direction, Tomlinson very much has a ‘pay it forward’ attitude to music and is building a reputation as a champion for emerging talent, wherever he performs. 

“He’s a great advocate for alternative music,” says manager Vines. “Louis realises that he’s in an incredibly privileged position in terms of what he can create in terms of awareness. He loves alternative music and indie music, and he understands how hard it is for that music to be heard. But we have this amazing platform where we can put these bands in front of these audiences as a showcase that allows them to build these authentic new audiences. It’s a hude part of his love of music, wanting to help younger bands.”

Rowland agrees. “He took an act called Andrew Cushin ‒ a very new artist ‒ on the road in America with him as his support, and he’s doing the same for Europe. Louis is a fan and is championing his career.”

Indeed, Tomlinson’s A&R skills have knock-on effects for his agent, too. “He asked me to confirm the Australian band Pacific Avenue as support for his Australian tour last year. The music was great and they didn’t have an agent, so now I’m representing them!” says Rowland.

As the European tour speeds toward its conclusion, agent Rowland is enjoying every minute of it.

“It’s incredible ‒ they’ve really stepped things up,” she says, fresh from seeing the show in Athens and Paris. “They’ve got 6 hanging LED screens on the stage, and the whole production just looks polished and professional.”

And Rowland is especially excited about next year’s Latin America dates, which will deliver her first stadium shows as an agent.

“The return to Latin America is going to be huge ‒ Louis is playing arenas and stadiums in South America and Mexico: 15 shows in 11 countries,” she says.

Vines is similarly enthused. Harking back to the Covid situation, when a show would go on sale, sell out, be postponed, and then rescheduled in a bigger venue, Vines says, “For example, in Chile, originally the show was scheduled at a 5,000-cap, half-capacity arena in Santiago. And what we ended up doing was three nights at 10,000-cap in that same venue.”

Vines contends that Tomlinson’s work ethic is outstanding. “He loves his fans, and he loves performing for them, it’s as simple as that,” he says. “He just loves being on the road and seeing how the songs connect live. In fact, the second album was very much written with the tour and live shows in mind ‒ ‘This song could work live,’ ‘This one will open the set,’ ‘This is the one we can do for the encore.’”

Another element to Tomlinson’s psyche has been his decision to visit places off the usual tour circuit. 

“Louis has a real desire to perform to fans in markets that are often overlooked,” says Rowland. 

Manager Vines explains that while the Covid-delayed first tour allowed them to upgrade venues pretty much everywhere, “On this tour, we’re a bit more competent on venue sizes, but we still speculate a little bit in different territories. In Europe, for example, we’ve gone into the Baltics and a number of different places to test the markets there, while in America, we are looking at A and B markets but also tertiary markets as well ‒ we go to places where people just don’t tour in America, just to see what the reaction is. That was something that very much interested Louis ‒ to play in front of people who don’t normally have gigs in their town. So there’s been a lot of experimentation on this tour in terms of where we go and what room to play.”

That concept is something that Vines has employed before. “I manage a band called Hurts who were pretty much overlooked by the British radio system and we have spent 15 years building a business outside of the UK. And that was built on going to play at those places where people didn’t normally go. They built to multiple arena level in Russia, for instance.”

“If you can build fanbases in lots of different places, you have festivals that you can play every summer, as well as youring those places. It allows you to have more consistency over a number of years, by having more opportunities.”

Such a strategy found a convert in Tomlinson. Vines tells IQ, “Louis also is extremely fan-focused in everything that he does. He comes at it from a perspective of ‘I want to take the show to them,’ meaning he’s always more willing to take the risky option to try something out.”

And the results? “It’s a combination,” concludes Vines. “There have been a couple of places where we now understand why tours don’t go there. But there are more places where it’s worked incredibly well. For example, we enjoyed incredibly good sales in Budapest. And overall, it’s allowing us to get a clearer idea, globally, of where the demand it, which will help us when we go into the next tour cycle.”

[phoenixyfriend]

Ko-fi prompt from Becky:

I actually would love to hear where ticket/concession/merch money for concerts go. If someone has already asked about that, can you do something similar for a sports game of your choice?

Already got a request for concerts, but I can do the sports game!

So, let's go with... baseball. I've been to professional baseball games ('twas the Ducks), even if it's been a Very Long Time, so that's the one I have some perspective on. Who is in control of the money any given game (as in, who owns the stadium and the home team) varies by place and sport, so let's use the Mets and Citi Field as our example when we need a specific.

Mostly, this is because I'm in New York and so it's down to either them or the Yankees, and between the two... the Mets, through a wholly owned subsidiary, Queens Ballpark Company, are the ones that actually own their ballpark, which makes a few things easier and includes a Fun Fact about the naming. It also means that I can treat the team and the stadium as one singular entity instead of waffling over who gets to be the Main Character of this simulation. It's not exactly uncommon for teams to own their own stadiums, but it's not most of them.

(The Mets, btw, are owned in large part by a hedge fund manager. Like, 95% of the team stock is owned by this one guy. Why can't more sports be like the Packers and just belong to the city.)

In this case, I will be referring to the Forbes article on Citi Field's revenue for 2022 as a guide or framework, as they have an actual image of the financial report; they don't do much explaining of the actual data, though, so my part will be explaining the less-obvious things and doing some maths. A few other articles will also be cited as they come in useful.

I'll also note that the Mets are a very expensive team operating at a loss, but they still work for our purposes.

MONEY COMING IN:

Tickets, most obviously

To quote the wiki article on Major League Baseball:

"MLB is the second-wealthiest professional sport league by revenue after the National Football League (NFL). [...] MLB has the highest total season attendance of any sports league in the world; in 2018, it drew more than 69.6 million spectators."

I didn't know that until I started researching for this post, but it makes sense. After all, baseball is "the American pastime." The Forbes article cites average attendance of 33,000 per home game. The stadium seat about 41,900, so we're looking at roughly 79% attendance. This is fine, because attendance is not the only stream of revenue.

Advertising

If you have seen a professional sports game in the past however many years, you have seen that, depending on the type of court, they are plastered in advertising. Let's take a look at Citi Field:

(Image Source: MLB website)

The Forbes article states that the stadium makes about $48.5 million per year from advertising. About $28.5 million of that comes from the various 'temporary' and long-term ads, the Nikon and Geico and Toyota and Coca Cola, etc.

$20 million of it comes from one company. I'm going to quote Wikipedia again:

The naming rights were purchased by Citigroup, a New York financial services company, for $20 million annually.

This is not uncommon! ESPN has an article about it, and some standout examples are Bank of America Stadium, Coors Field, Delta Center, FedEx Field and FedEx Forum, General Motors Place, Gillette Stadium, Heinz Field, and the list just goes on. I'm not even sure if the list is up to date, because I'm seeing even more articles elsewhere with higher figures.

Concessions

The financial report that Forbes cites has $22mill in concessions. This is not entirely surprising. Going by this page, we're looking at... 84 home games in that 2022 season. Let's assume that 33,000 average cited earlier. That's 2,772,000 attendees over the course of the season. So, what, a little under $10 per attendance tick? Entirely plausible. A hot dog plus a soda is $15, so... that tracks.

Parking

Apparently parking is, collectively, about $13mill annually. That's... genuinely a little concerning to me, for uh. Reasons. Also parking is $40.

(A lot of people go to games via train, if anyone's interested.)

Luxury Suite Premiums

I had to google this one, but uh. Turns out those fancy private box seats are even fancier and more private than I thought, bringing in over $10 mill a year.

Other Revenue - Stadium, undefined

"Other Revenue" and "post season revenue" are not given any further information, but they're about $16.5 mill so. They're definitely doing their part? Wish we had more information.

One guess is that there are events in the vein of the Citi Field Spring Carnival that contribute to the revenue through either fees to the stadium (if this is a carnival that rents the parking lot) or concessions and tickets (if the stadium rents a carnival).

Other Revenue - to the team that is not direct operating income of the stadium itself

Not counting the "other revenue" section of the financial statement, the Forbes article tells us that:

National broadcasting deals with Fox, ESPN and TBS that pay over $60 million a year to every MLB team, as well as the local cable fee the Mets get from SNY, which is over $80 million a year.

That's another $140mill in addition to the $244mill that the financial report cites.

Merchandise - not direct stadium revenue.

Get your Mets hats here! And your jerseys! And your logo bats! And your commemorative plushies! And--

MONEY GOING OUT

Operations

This one's easy: you have to pay wages to your employees, from the players themselves to the food sellers to janitorial to security to field maintenance, etc. Also, you have to pay for utilities (those billboards and floodlights aren't cheap), product to sell (frozen hot dogs), supplementary materials for products you sell (plastic cups, paper for the ticket machines, bags for garbage cans, and so on), and repairs/maintenance for the stands themselves (can't imagine they get through a season with all 41,900 seats intact).

Player salaries (and a few others, like the coach) aren't actually included in stadium revenue, but since the stadium is owned by the team, we're bundling them together for the sake of this case.

Payment in Lieu of Taxes

So this is an interesting one, and while the Forbes article does touch on it, there's a bit more detail to the story.

Citi Field was built in 2009, and the process cost $850 million. Of that, $615 was public subsidies. A lot of this was municipal bonds, which the Mets have to pay back with interest for the lifetime of the park; those municipal bond repayments are an offset, and in return for paying tens of millions in municipal bond repayments each year (the 2022 report shows about $43.5 mill), Citi Field does not have to pay property taxes.

Wikipedia only cites property taxes, but the financial report doesn't include any other taxes, so I'll assume the only other taxes they're on the hook for are sales and payroll, which aren't displayed in the financial report.

Parking

Right, so, parking as a bundle is about $7.5 mill in expenses, which means that parking alone has a marginal profit of about 42.3%, given the earlier figure of $13mill in parking revenue. I'm not finding any solid information on where that money goes, but it seems very like that New York City's taxes on land use for parking is not included in the property tax exemption we discussed above, and that most of the $7.5 mill is in that regard.

Post Season Expenses

I'll be honest, they don't define this $1.8 mill, but given what is and isn't included in the other sections, I'm going to hazard a guess that this may be about upgrades (more than maintenance) or replacement of physical billboards that are also not included as regular maintenance but require a lot of manpower to get up and set if complicated enough.

General and Administrative

This is the other possible allocation of the utilities and related payments. This is also where back of house activities like accountants, lawyer fees, payroll clerks, facilities managers, and so on are bundled in. It's about $5.5 mill.

Publicity and Promotions

This one's easy, it's just marketing that doesn't fall into General Mets Things and is rather for home games specifically.

Depreciation and Amortization

Bit trickier, but you know how a car loses value the second you drive it off the lot? That is depreciation. You paid $20,000 for a car, but two years later it's worth $16,000; on a financial report, you put that down as a $4,000 loss to depreciation. Amortization is similar, in that it lowers values of various assets in relation to time and relative value to what it was when new.

Interest Expenses

Expenses related directly to interest rates tend to get their own line separate from regular debt repayments. This isn't really relevant beyond 'loans are more expensive than when you first get them.'

Travel and League Expenses

Since this is a traveling team, being professionals, and a Major League Baseball Team in particular, money has to be spent on the plane rides, team bus, and of course, the league fees. I wanted to end that a bit more pithy, but it turns out it's not easy to find league fees for the MLB.

(A new team joining would have to pay about $2.2 billion, according to one article, while previous new additions were a couple hundred mill, so... 100 mill? Maybe?)

Hope that answers your question!

[billthedrake]

BREAKING THE DRY SPELL

Luke Carlson still felt proud of his body. He'd slimmed down to 230 but was still trim as ever. He'd stayed with the Panthers organization in a scouting capacity after this big retirement announcement. He credited being around football as inspiration for staying in top shape, and it helped that he still had access to the weight room and the same strength coaches he had as a professional player. And on weekends, he always had his health club in the suburbs.

Luke sat now at the bar of the Capital Grille. This was his regular weeknight meal out, once or twice a week. Just some alone Luke time, having a good steak and a couple of beers before taking a car service back to his suburban mansion. He'd started dressing more professionally when he showed up at the Bank of America Stadium... wool trousers, loafers, button-down shirt, and he had a custom blazer he'd throw on for these steakhouse dinners.

"Mr. Carlson..." a voice interrupted him. Luke looked up to see a 30-something business bro, in a similar attire, standing nervously next to the bar. 6-foot-even, dirty blond hair, brown eyes... Luke was a sucker for brown eyes. Like a lot of millennial bros, this guy was solid from dedicated time at the gym. Even with a busy career and a wedding band that suggested family life. "I hate to ask you, man... but could I have your autograph?"

Luke gave a faint smile and nodded. He hated this ritual, to be honest, but it came with celebrity and success. "Who am I making this out to?" he asked as he took the pen and paper.

"Um... Tom... God, thanks... I'm in New York but I'm a huge Panthers fan... grew up as one actually."

For some reason Luke was warming up to this guy. "Carolina boy?" he grinned. He hadn't picked up the usual local lilt, however.

Tom shook his head and laughed. "Chicago suburbs," he said. "I just thought the uniforms were cool as a kid... I got so much shit for that."

Luke laughed and handed him the pen and paper.

"God, thanks, man. I know you must get asked for that a million times."

"Some," Luke said gracefully but truthfully.

Tom got the hint. "All right, sorry to disturb your dinner, Mr. Carlson." And like that he returned to the party of bankers who were leaving after a business dinner.

Mr. Carlson, Luke thought. He couldn't remember last time he'd been called that. It made him feel old, at 30, but he also appreciated the implicit respect. Luke wasn't crazy about the way total strangers thought they knew him. Or were looking for a piece of him.

His shank of dick throbbed in his trousers. Carlson had somehow imagined that his NFL retirement would free him to get laid more. No longer under a media microscope, he could line up a nice thick cock to suck. Or a hot daddy ass to fuck. The old Luke would have reeled that Finance Bro right in. Dude might be straight and married, but he was starstruck as hell. Luke had spent his first few years in the league enjoying groupie sex after encounters pretty much like that. He missed those carefree days. His cock missed those carefree days.

But something was missing in his life. Luke didn't want a groupie. It was a catch 22: as an elite athlete Luke knew his worth and knew he deserved a special man, but he didn't trust anyone into him solely for being an elite athlete.

He took a sip. Stop being a sad sack Luke. You're 30. Not 50.

There came a twitch of his boner again, a firmness that made him glad his hardon was hidden underneath the bar. If it had been a while since he'd connected with a dude sexually, it had been even longer since he had a 50 year old. A daddy. It had taken Carlson until his mid 20s to realize, or admit, he was wired for older men. There were the teen crushes on authority figures in his Ohio town. And for a while he blamed his fixation on his losing his cherry to a State Street exec in Boston, a BC alum who chatted him up at a fundraising event. Luke still thought back to that man as his ideal, but he also knew if it hadn't been John Daley, it would have been some other older, successful man.

Like the banker who'd just arrived at the bar, three seats down. Suit and tie, just carrying his success in his demeanor. Luke took a second to size him up without being too obvious. Tall, about 6'3", and medium build, probably mid-50s, mostly gray hair kept banker-short, thinning but not receding. Handsome guy, with a roman nose, strong jaw, and just the right amount of tan and crows-feet wrinkles. And those brown eyes. Fuck.

It took a second, but Luke knew he was a familiar face.

"Hey, you go to my swim club, don't you?" Luke blurted out before he could even think or stop himself.

He expected the man to be annoyed, but instead the professional looked over at the former jock and gave a grin of recognition. "Foxcroft?" he asked to clarify.

Luke nodded. "I'm only there on the weekends, but I'm pretty sure I've seen you before."

The man smiled. "Probably. When I turned 50, I made a vow to get back in shape, and I've been holding to my end of the bargain ever since."

"Yeah?" Luke smiled. "Impressive." He didn't want to seem overly lecherous, but he had to admit this man was a total DILF and the body beneath the suit was clearly well kept. "How long ago was that?"

"I'll plead the fifth on that one, buddy," the exec smirked. "A while."

"That's cool," Luke said. God something about this man had the right amount of laid-back easy going, and right amount of no-BS gruff exec. "Listen... I know how it is to come to a bar looking for some alone time and everyone in the world coming up to you."

That got a sympathetic raise of the eyebrows from Bank Exec. "People been hounding you for autographs?" he asked.

So the man knew who he was. "Shit, I guess that sounded like one of those 'you know who I am?' lines," Carlson said with a blush.

The Exec laughed. "It's all good, man. I'm not famous," he added. "But I had to stop going to Del Friscos cause the gold diggers circle around there like flies. Took me a couple of tries to find a steak house that wasn't a divorcee scene, you know?"

Luke flashed an eye at the man's left hand. No ring. He thought he was being subtle, but the man caught where he was looking.

"Yeah, divorced myself."

Luke felt rebuked. "Sorry, man."

The Exec shook his head. "Don't be. I'm living my best life now. Got two grown kids off at college. And a job that pays for my golf habit," he joked.

"I kind of feeling that way, too," Luke said. "After retirement. At least mostly."

Exec gave that sympathetic look again. "But not entirely?"

Luke almost wanted to unload on this guy. But he just gave a wry grin. "Look man, you didn't come here to hear about a retired athlete's problems. But if you wanna come over, I wouldn't mind some company with my steak dinner."

There it was Carlson putting himself out there. Even if the Exec didn't see it as flirting, it was forward in its own way.

Thankfully, Exec picked up his scotch and scooted his stool back, sliding down to the free stool next to Carlson. "I'm Scott," he said, offering his firm businessman handshake.

Luke gave a friendly smile. "Luke, though you know that already.... so, Scott, what brings you out on a Wednesday night?"

"Long day... and I wasn't ready to go back to an empty house just yet, you know?"

Luke felt a connection to this man but had promised not to talk about his loneliness lately. "Where you live? Burbs I take it?"

Scott nodded. "Yeah, Foxcroft, right near the swim and racquet club."

"I do too," the athlete said, and they traded their street locations. They spend the next half hour talking animatedly about their suburb and what it was like to live there. Then the following half hour about their interests and hobbies.

"I wasn't sure what it would be like to transplant to North Carolina," Luke admitted, but it's actually great for fishing and outdoors stuff.. you have the mountains and rivers and lakes, all nearby. The hunting is actually better in Ohio... " then turning to the Exec, he asked, "you hunt, Scott?"

The man shook his head. "Nah, but I love fishing. A few college buddies and I go out to Montana each year for a week."

Luke's eyes lit up. "That sounds amazing... invite me along next time," he joked.

Scott laughed and nudged his legs gently against Luke's suited one. There was a brief spark between the two, but Scott paused, feeling like he'd gone too far. Been too familiar.

There were men that Scott Monahan was attracted to as potential sex partners. And there were those incredibly hot, impossible men he'd jerk off to for a quick release after a late work night. Luke Carlson was very much in the second category.

"Um, well," the Exec said, checking his watch. "I should probably go. Long day tomorrow, you know." Somehow the time had passed and it was almost 10.

"Yeah," Luke said, trying to hide his dejection. His hardon had long gone away and been replaced by a half-forgotten fluttery feeling in his belly.

"Maybe I'll see you around?" the businessman said as he took the spare receipt and put it in his wallet.

"At the swim club," Luke replied in an almost a chipper tone. "I'm here pretty much every Wednesday, too," he added. "Kind of a little ritual. Some other nights, too."

Scott nodded and clapped Luke's strong shoulder before offering his hand again. "Well, it' was a pleasure to meet you, Luke."

"You too, Scott, take care, man."

***

Luke felt dumb the whole next few days. He actually jerked off imagining Scott the Exec over him, lifting Luke's legs and fucking him. Deep, hard, loving. Luke made a point of going to the swim and racquet club on Saturday. And again on Sunday. No Scott.

On Monday he went back to the Capital Grille. The same seat at the bar, where Josh the bartender always knew how to look after him. It felt less lonely this time, somehow. Like Luke was alone, but not alone. The memory and spirit of Scott was there. Luke smiled as he ordered a scotch, neat.

"Hey buddy," Luke could almost hear in Scott's mellow, refined tenor voice.

Only it wasn't his imagination. A hand clasped his delt muscle beneath the blazer and there was the 6'3" executive in the flesh. A navy suit instead of charcoal, but still very much dressed for the C-suite and looking like a million bucks. "Is this seat free?"

"God yeah," Carlson beamed, maybe a little too eager. But fuck it. Scott didn't seem to mind, pulling up the spare stool and sitting down.

"Quiet here on a Monday, huh?" he said as he flagged Josh down for a drink.

"Pretty much. Out on a school night, Scott?" Luke asked playfully.

The banker grinned. "Not ready to go back to a quiet house. And a steak dinner sure beats whatever microwave meal I was gonna have."

Luke laughed. It was like they were picking up right where they left off. Small talk, friendly banter, lots of eye contact, some light touching and bumping of the knees.

And their conversations went deeper. Scott showed Luke pictures of his kids. "Julie's at Williams... Mike's a freshman at Stanford, pretty good at soccer, too," the Exec beamed proudly.

"Impressive, man." Luke enthused.

Scott smiled but nudged Carlson's elbow. "You don't gotta be impressed. Mr. Pro Bowler..."

Luke blushed. "You must think I'm an asshole."

Scott shook his head. "Nah, just successful. I admire that."

"Thanks, Scott," Luke said. God it was hard to keep his eye contact from meeting the man's gaze directly. But the way the Exec was looking at him drove him wild. No longer mere butterflies, Luke was feeling some major wood in his trousers. "You give off that successful vibe yourself."

"I do huh, buddy?" Scott was definitely teasing him now. "What's your guess?"

Luke took a second to look the man up in down. Hot as fuck in his mid 50s and had the kind of expensive suit to show it all off. The blue brought out the dark-specked gray hair and those brown eyes. "I'm thinking.... definitely banking... upper executive.... maybe BofA...?"

Scott grinned. "Pretty good guess... Chief Operating Officer."

"Impressive," Luke said sincerely. Carlson was well to do in his own right and most NFLers wouldn't find a bank executive a particularly interesting profession. But Luke admired men who were successful in business - and since his BC days had admired the men sexually too.

"Thanks, buddy," Scott said as he took a sip of scotch. "I keep saying I'm gonna take an early retirement, but..." he lowers his voice as if sharing a secret. "Between you and me the money is too fucking good."

Luke laughed. Then his mood got a little more serious. He didn't want to kill the fun vibe but he craved to know more about Scott. "So, personal question, man, and you don't have to answer. But how long you been divorced?"

Scott had his easygoing manner. He was good at talking to people, with people. "I don't mind, bud. It'll be 10 years in May. Wife caught me fucking an intern."

Luke blushed. The devout Catholic part of him wasn't crazy when men didn't take their family and vow seriously. On the other hand, Luke had his own complicated situation. Besides, he was a man who was used to crude talk - in the locker room, on hunting trips, or wherever. "Was she worth it at least?" he asked in a conspiratorial kind of way.

Scott grinned. "HE was worth it, believe me. Princeton lacrosse player and built like one..." he stopped himself before his talk got lewd. "I mean, not worth hurting Kate or my kids, but I guess I had to own up to some stuff about myself, you know?"

"Yeah," Luke replied. A little too empathetically.

"My turn for a personal question," Scott asked, his brown eyes twinkling. "And you don't have to anwser... but you're married, right? Why are you having your dinners here instead of at home?"

Luke almost made up a lie. Like he usually did. Instead he decided to be honest with Scott. "Sharon and I... well, we've kind of separated." Luke sighed. "I mean, she's super Catholic and so am I, so we don't believe in divorce or anything, and there are the kids... I love them to death, you know."

This is the last thing Luke wanted to do. To spill his guts. To seem like an emotional mess with this perfect man.

Scott just patted his back. "I get it buddy. And good on you for being there for your kids. That takes guts, man." That hand rubbed small circles along Luke's broad back.

"Thanks, Scott," Luke grinned gamely.

Scott gave another reassuring grin then ordered a second scotch.

Josh came over with a new three-quarters-inch filled rocks glass without the ice, and it occurred to Luke that the two men had paused the conversation the whole minute it took. Finally, as the bartender walked away, Scott spoke again. "It's funny, when I was younger, everything was black and white. I knew what I wanted in life and how I was gonna get it."

Luke felt a strange empathy, even if he didn't follow exactly. "You don't now?" he asked.

Scott thought for a second and added, "I do for some things. At work, I don't have anything to prove really, and I know how to run a business. I'm good at it and I reap the benefits."

"But..." Luke prodded.

Scott grinned, realizing he'd been caught in some ambivalence. "No matter how many Princeton interns you fuck, that won't fill that hole for something more, you know?" He looked at Luke with a look that was suggestive but vulnerable.

"Tell me if I'm out of line, Scott. But I can't think of anything I'd rather do tonight than be your intern."

"Fuck!" Scott whispered, in almost a grunt.

"Did I say the wrong thing?" Luke asked nervously. He was a 30-year-old pro bowler goddamnit, why did he feel like a kid asking a girl out to prom?

The exec shook his head and smiled. "The opposite, man. It's just..." he lowered his voice. "You gave me a huge fucking boner just now."

Luke laughed. He loved the man's easygoing attitude to sex. Like Scott had been around the block and didn't have time for bull shit.

"Um... I'd say me, too, Scott. Only I've had one the last ten minutes." Luke blushed but not too shyly leaned back in his bar stool and spread his thick thighs to show off the ridge of ex-tight end cock riding up into a solid ridge in his trousers. "Guess all that intern talk got me worked up."

Scott grinned and chuckled, taking in Luke's handsome, chiseled face before facing his drink and running his thumb nervously around the glass rim. "I'm pinching myself here buddy."

That was the first misgiving Luke had. He wasn't angling for more groupie sex, but he had to admit it was probably unavoidable. And if his pro-jock celebrity status was what got a successful business daddy like Scott interested in him, so be it

The 55 year old looked back up with a twinkle in his brown eyes. "Maybe I shouldn't admit this, but I've stroked a couple loads out thinking of you."

"Yeah?" Luke felt flattered and excited. And more than a little happy the man had been doing what he'd been doing on his own, too.

Scott nodded in a conspiratorial way. "Like I say, my house gets lonely sometimes."

"I find it hard to believe you couldn't line up who you wanted," Luke assured him. "I mean, if I..." he stopped himself.

Scott chuckled. Their scotch was half drunk but he was rock hard in his suit. "Let's get out of here, man."

"Yeah," Luke gasped, mad that his horniness and crushed-out excitement was almost keeping his words from forming.

He pulled out his wallet, but Scott placed a hand on his forearm to stop him. "My treat, buddy." He fished out a few twenties and tossed them on the bar, giving bartender Josh a wave of thanks.

The Charlotte air was warm for September as they stepped out of the steak house. "Your place or mine?" Scott asked. Again no bullshit. Luke liked that.

"Either's good. But I haven't had a dude back to my place in ages. Kind of miss it."

Scott nodded and nudged Luke's blazered elbow. "Yours it is, then, buddy.... will be cool to see how a pro bowler lives."

Luke was really warming up to the hero worship, maybe because with Scott it felt playful rather than needy. And in a way, he saw the exec as a peer, a successful man in his own right. Luke offered his car service and soon the two were getting into a sleek black Mercedes.

"I half expected a mansion," Scott grinned as they got to Luke's house. Carlson almost objected with a running account of the square footage and number of rooms his house had, but he realized then the exec was just teasing him, almost goading him into bragging. He had to laugh defensively.

The vibe when they got indoors was surprisingly easy. It was like riding a bike to Luke, stepping up to a hot daddy, softly gripping him by the mid section and pulling him in for a kiss. The man's suited erection felt hard against Luke's and the ex-athlete realized that Scott Monahan was pretty hung.

He couldn't help it. Luke humped his hips against the man as they made out. The executive had a big goofy grin as he broke the kiss and pulled back to look at Carlson's 230 pound stud build. Slowly, he helped Luke take off the blazer and openly admired the muscle filling out the dress shirt with his more slender but strong hands.

"Fucking nice, buddy," the 55-year-old growled, his brown eyes sweeping up to meet Luke's in a heavy gaze.

Carlson meanwhile admired every bit of Scott's 6'3" body. Not a pro athlete build, but the ex-linebacker didn't care. The exec was really fucking fit and the tailored suit only made the middle-aged build look even more perfect.

"Shit," Luke gasped.

"What?" Scott laughed, getting used to the idea Luke fucking Carlson would be so into him.

The ex-jock sighed and had to spread his legs to let his boner ride up in his trousers. "I can't decide if I want a nice slow session or if I want you to ravage me."

Scott's nostrils flared and the side of his mouth curled up in a half grin. "How bout this buddy? Whatever you pick, we do the other one next time."

"Think you can go easy with just a spit job?" Luke grunted. "It's been a while since I've done that."

The older man nodded. "You call the play, I'll run it." He started removing his suit coat, but Luke stopped.

"Leave it on," he interjected. Then feeling he was too pushy, changed his tone. "Please man."

Scott grinned and made a show of feeling up his suit lapel. "Buddy if this is what gets me into your hot ass..." He stepped up closer and claimed another kiss from Luke, reaching down to grip those amazing steely, beefy buns before moving his hands to the front to help Luke undo the belt and zipper.

That footballer dick was rock hard and thick and dripping clear sap onto Scott's hands and he felt it up. Truth be told, if Luke Carlson had made a move to fuck him, Scott probably would have gone against his top-only policy. Maybe that would happen next time, or time after next. Cause the banker had a good idea there was gonna be a next time, and more. There was just too much clear chemistry between the men.

But he didn't belabor the jerking stroke on that Carlson cock. Scott leg go and gave a soft pat to Luke's hips as a signal. The athlete moaned into the man's mouth and broke the kiss, looking him deep in the eyes before turning around and pulling down his trousers mid thigh.

Monahan crouched down. He ran his hands up the outside of those tree trunk thighs and wondered how he was so lucky. Before him was the roundest hardest ass he could imagine. Ready for him. Gone was any memory of prior men from his head. Even that Princeton intern couldn't hold a candle.

Hungry now, Scott nudged his face into that warm cleft and started rooting deeper, till he could lick Luke's soft, crinkled hole. Instinctively Scott knew Carlson was no stranger to bottoming for other men. But that ring was tight as a drum, almost virgin tight. It had been a while for Luke.

Luke's thick tool was almost pressed against his rippled belly, he was so turned on. He leaned forward, bracing his meaty upper body against the granite countertop as he got eaten out by a master. Carlson wasn't surprised this businessman was good at eating ass, but he was taken aback by how fucking good Scott was. It was technique, to be sure, but also hunger. The way the tongue varied its approach, the way the man seemed so abandoned to munch Luke's pucker....

He felt a gentle pat to his bare rump then knew Scott was standing up behind him. That executive cock was dripping a good amount and between the precum and the spit, Carlson felt good and wet for penetration.

"Ravage, huh?" Scott teased.

And all of a sudden Luke felt fingers grip his waist tightly and that daddy dick pressure its way in.

"Fuck!" Luke grunted as several inches of Scott pushed in.

"You got this," Scott assured him. His right hand rand up Luke's muscled back before coming back to its prior grip. "Ready for more?" he asked as he watched Luke's breathing return to normal.

"Yeah," the ex-linebacker said plainly.

This time everything felt amazing. Scott's girth, and more and more of his length, the sheer hardness of a man who loved to tap ass and was getting the fuck of his lifetime. Luke felt fuller and fuller, and with that sensation came the psychological thrill that he was getting taken. By an older, more experienced man. By a man old enough to be his father.

The balls pressed lightly against those creamy white buns, for a second. Then Scott pulled back.

"Fuck me, man," Luke urged, no longer embarrassed by his own need. It had been too long.

Scott Monahan was already doing just that. Deep steady strokes. The fingers growing tighter as they rode up Luke's obliques for leverage. "Jesus fucking Christ, you're tight," he growled in a voice that said it probably wouldn't take long to cum.

Luke reached down to his own neglected dick. It was slick with his own clear sap and he started working it up and down in time to the executive's hard thrusts.

"Harder, man," Luke urged. He was in the zone where he could take it.

"Fuck," Scott hissed and those hips worked faster. That hard prick pistoning faster in and out of Luke's hole.

He was hitting that spot, all right. Like that dick was made to get me off, Luke thought. The retired athlete looked up into the window. He probably should have pulled the blinds or something, but thankfully the view wasn't in the neighbor's sightline.

Good thing, because in the reflection, he saw his meaty body leaning over, bracing himself while his fucker, fully dressed in his expensive suit, railed his ass.

That vision did it. Luke came, firing onto the side of the island.

"Goddamn... here it comes buddy..." he heard Scott's urgent voice, cracking with orgasm. Then that heavy, surprisingly big dick inside Luke grew slick with seed. A lot of it. And it kept coming. It had been a long time for Scott Monahan, too.

They paused a second and Luke leaned up into Scott's embrace and soft, appreciative kisses along the corded neck.

"That was amazing, buddy," the exec whispered in Luke's ear.

He gave another appreciative pat on Luke's side and slowly withdrew. Luke played host and offered him some paper towels to wipe off as Luke did his best to wipe the spermed up crack.

"You gotta go?" Luke asked as he pulled his trousers back up over his rump. He tried not to let his emotion show through. Maybe this was groupie sex like so many times before.

The middle-aged man tucked back in, his dong still heavy but shrinking with post-release satisfaction. "Fraid so, buddy.... you know, school night and all."

"Yeah," Luke conceded. "I'll order you a car." He texted something on his phone, then after a second looked up. "They should be here in ten minutes."

The man zipped and stepped up to run his fingers along Luke's square chin. "I meant what I said earlier, man. We'll take our time the next time around... maybe a date if you're free this weekend?"

Those butterflies returned to Luke Carlson's stomach. But the defenses were hard to shake. Scott read his mind.

"We'll keep it low key, man," he assured Luke. "Kind of more my speed anyway."

"Honestly? I don't know that I can wait till the weekend," Luke said. Putting it out there.

Scott grinned and stepped back. "To tell the truth, I probably won't be able to either, man."

Luke chuckled and took a second to feel the man's shoulder though the suit fabric. He knew Scott was fit, but that delt muscle felt solid, more solid than Luke expected. "You better go, or there's gonna be more ravaging going on," he growled.

Scott laughed. "Yeah."

Luke walked him to the door and the two met for a soft kiss at the door.

Then Scott pulled back and stepped out the door into the night, giving one last wave just as the black car was pulling up.

[the-football-chick]

Bank of America Stadium a few minutes before gametime for Week 15's matchup between the Panthers and Falcons. Ticket sales have plummeted for the 1-12 Panthers, with some seats going for under $10. 😬

[buckysimp101]

Home Sweet Home

Summary: You’re on The Stadium Tour with Nikki and the Crüe, the first tour since the birth of your daughter, Maci. When she gets sick you miss out on one of the shows, the first since the tour began. As soon as the show ends, Nikki’s on his way Home Sweet Home.

current!Nikki Sixx x YN

warnings: none, it’s fluffy af

a/n: i just...i just love dad!Nikki so freaking much.

June 28, 2022

The final chords of Kickstart My Heart played through the speakers of the Bank of America stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. Before Nikki knew it the crowd was screaming and clapping as the last song of their setlist ended and he got swooped into a final bow with the Crüe and the Nasty Habits. Normally, Nikki was all into his shows, making sure to give them his all. Tonight he just wasn’t as into the show, he didn’t interact as much, his brain was all over the place, and the reason? You and Maci weren’t there. 

Nikki kept glancing to the side of the stage all night, expecting to see the two of you dancing and singing along to his songs, but he knew it wouldn’t happen. Your three year old Maci had come down with a stomach bug an hour before the show started and she couldn’t keep anything down. You made the decision to take her back to the hotel to try and let her get some sleep before the three of you traveled to Nashville the next day, hoping some crackers and water would help settle her stomach. The group took their last bow and exited the stage, everyone moving in a hurry to get Mötley’s stuff cleared so Def Leppard could take their place.

Nikki swore he couldn’t remember the last time he’d moved that fast, he almost ran into Brittany on the way to his dressing room.

“Woooooah, Sixx. Slow your roll!” Brittany gasped after almost being bulldozed after rounding the corner at the same time as the bassist. When she saw the far off look in his eyes she knew that he wasn’t paying any attention to her. She reached her hand out to touch his forearm, finally getting Nikki’s attention.

“Sorry, Britt. I gotta go, I need to see...” Nikki started before he was interrupted by Brittany speaking softly, “I know, you gotta go see your girls, I get it. Tommy will be done with his stuff pretty soon, you can catch a ride with us. Last I heard from Y/N she was getting Maci’s teeth brushed so she could lay down.”

Just the mention of your names brought Nikki’s stress down. Brittany knew what she was doing trying to relieve some of Nikki’s stress and making sure that he got back to his girls as quickly and safely as possible. Nikki nodded his head at Brittany and walked back to his dressing room to gather the things he needed to take back to the hotel, the rest would be packed by the roadies and sent to the next venue. After changing into the clothes he came to the show in and wiping the sweat from his face with a towel, he was almost ready when Tommy knocked on the door, alerting Nikki to his arrival.

“Alright, bassist. Let’s go see your girls,” the drummer said, a small sympathetic smile on his lips. Tommy knew how hard it was for Nikki to not have his family there supporting him and he knew that the man had been chomping at the bit to go back to the hotel the second Y/N left. “Hey man, luckily we weren’t on too late tonight, you’ll still have time to spend with Y/N. And maybe Maci hasn’t gone to sleep yet, she’s stayed up later than this the last couple of weeks,” Tommy reassured him, slinging an arm around Nikki’s shoulders as the group walked to their awaiting driver.

Luckily, it was a quick drive to the hotel. Once they got off the elevator, Nikki said a quick thanks to Tommy and Brittany and headed to your suite. Upon opening the suite door, Nikki noticed all the lights, except the one near the coffee maker, were off. He could see what looked like blue light from a television peaking through the crack in the bedroom door. As he walked towards the bedroom door he saw a pair of tiny, pink converse by the couch, a matching adult pair sat next to them. Maci’s toys, the few you had let her take off the bus, were strewn around the room, and a sleeve of crackers, one with tiny bite marks, sat opened on the coffee table. Nikki decided to pick up the stuff and put them away, less work for you in the morning. And as he moved your shoes to a more out of the way location, he heard your voice coming from the bedroom. Specifically, your voice singing a tune he knew very well.

My heart’s like an open book

For the whole world to read

Sometime nothing, keeps me together at the seams

Nikki crept towards the bedroom door, you must not have noticed because there you were laying in the bed with Maci asleep in your lap, your hand rubbing soothing circles on her back as you lightly crooned your husband’s lyrics to your daughter.

I’m on my way

I’m on my way

Home Sweet Home

“One of these days I’m going to tell Vince I’ve been married to his future replacement for the last eight years,” Nikki whispered loud enough for you to hear, your head whipping around at the sound of his voice. A small smile graced your lips upon seeing your husband. Nikki approached you, making sure to walk as lightly as possible, and gave you a kiss that you leaned into with ease. “How’s she doing?” he asked against your lips, his eyes softening as they darted to Maci’s sleeping figure still situated across your lap.

“She woke up about forty five minutes ago, got sick again. So we turned on some Bluey to just have something on in the background while she went to sleep. That didn’t work, but the second I started singing Home Sweet Home? She was dozing so fast, you know it’s her favorite bedtime song.” you answered softly, making sure not to wake up your toddler.

Nikki huffed out a soft laugh before questioning, “how many times have you sang the damn thing?”

“I want to say this was the fifth time through,” you giggled in response, causing the bassist to use his hand to cover his mouth before he laughed too loud and woke up Maci. “How did the show go, baby?” you questioned, beginning to slowly adjust Maci’s body so that Nikki would have room in the king size bed after his shower, who knew three year olds took up so much space!

“It was good. The fans were great and the atmosphere was electric, sweets. But all I kept thinking about were you and Maci, Britt had to slow me down after the show, I was running on autopilot trying to get back as soon as I could!”

“Well, remind me to thank her for that. I’d rather you get back to us safe, sweetheart,” you mumbled lightly as you saw Maci’s chest rise with a deep breath as she rolled over in her sleep, “now, I need my wonderfully talented, handsome husband to go take a shower. You stink, Sixx,” you added with a teasing tone and a wrinkle of your nose.

Nikki rolled his eyes as he began taking his shirt off and grabbing a pair of sleep pants before walking towards the bathroom, not missing the low whistle you made at the sight of your husband’s tattooed back. Before closing the bathroom door, Nikki poked his head out and whispered, “you better not be asleep when I’m done, mama.”

“No promises, daddy,” you responded with a wink.

A nice hot shower was just what Nikki needed after the long day and exhausting show. He exited the bathroom, toweling off the ends of his hair and what he saw made him pause.

You were right not to make any promises. Because there you were, fast asleep next to your little girl. Nikki swore his body was performing its own reenactment of that scene in The Grinch when his heart grew three times larger. The sight of you with Maci almost always brought tears to his eyes. When you delivered her and told him that you had finally thought of her middle name and that her full name would be Maci Nicole Sixx, the man broke down in tears next to your hospital bed. You had joked, “who knew Nikki Sixx was such a softie.” Nikki peeled the cover back to slip in and wrap his girls up in his arms. He knew he made it to his Home Sweet Home. 

taglist:

@youlightmeupfinn​

@la-undercover-latina​

@ali-r3n​

@hallecarey1​

@valeriiecameron​

@snufflet​​

@leatherandheels​​ 

@chevygirl1988​​ 

@marvelsshadow

@sekhmetkingscholar

*if you’d like to be added to the Nikki Sixx taglist let me know!*

[tomlinsins]

FAITH IN THE FUTURE TOUR 2023

Venue Capacities, North America under the cut!

Uncasville -> Mohegan Sun Arena- 10,000

Gilford -> Bank Of New Hampshire Pavilion - 9,000

Laval -> Place Bell - 10,000

Toronto -> Budweisar Stage - 16,000

Cuyahoga Falls -> Blossom Music Center - 23,000

Sterling Heights -> Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre - 7,200

Cincinnati -> The Icon Festival Stage - 8,000

Columbus -> Kemba Live! Outdoor - 5,200

Indianapolis -> TCU Amphitheatre - 6,000

St. Louis -> Saint Louis Music Park - 4,500

Kansas City -> Starlight Theatre - 7,958

Milwaukee -> BMO Pavilion - 10,000

Chicago -> Huntington Bank Pavilion - 14,000(seating)/30,000(max.)

Minneapolis -> The Armory - 8,500

Council Bluffs -> Harrah's Stir Cove - 4,000

Sioux Falls -> Denny Sanford Premier Center - 12,000

Morrison -> Red Rocks Amphitheatre - 9,500

Seattle -> Wamu Theater - 9,000

Vancouver -> Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Center - 8,000

Troutdale -> Mcmenamins Edgefield Concerts - 7,000

Berkeley -> The Greek Theater - 5,900

Los Angeles -> The Hollywood Bowl - 17,500

Las Vegas -> The Chelsea At The Cosmopolitan - 3,000

Phoenix -> Arizona Financial Theatre - 5,000

Dallas -> The Pavilion At Toyota Music Factory - 8,000

Austin -> Moody Amphitheater At Waterloo Park- 5,000

Woodlands -> The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion - 16,500

St. Augustine -> St. Augustine Amphitheatre - 4,092

Hollywood -> Hard Rock Live - 7,000

Tampa -> Yeungling Center - 10,411

Atlanta -> Cadence Bank Amphitheatre At Chastain Park - 6,900

Nashville -> Ascend Amphithetre - 6,800

Charlotte -> Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre - 5,000

Raleigh -> Red Hat Amphitheater - 6,000

Columbia -> Merriweather Post Pavilion - 19,319

Boston -> MGM Music Hall at Fenway - 5,000

Philadelphia -> TD Pavilion At The Mann - 14,000

Asbury Park -> Stone Pony Summer Stage - 3,000

New York -> Forest Hills Stadium - 13,000

UK & EU capacities | Australia capacities

[hecckyeah]

I'm visiting Minnesota for the first time outside of the airport this year and I recall you posting a bit about that state. Any recs of cool things to do/ good places to eat in the Twin Cities?

OMG yess exciting!! I grew up right in that area :))

I'll add what I can think of off the top of my head, but maybe some of my other MN moots can chime in? @3friesshortofahappymeal

I'll start with the big ones, then scale it down a bit :)

The Mall of America, for sure. I know it's a typical tourist attraction but it really is quite spectacular and worth a short trip. Sometimes there are cool concerts and events going on in the Rotunda (they have a list here), and if you've ever been shopping and thought, hmm I could go for a rollercoaster right about now, then the MoA's got you covered :) Also, I haven't been but my brother says the Fly Over America exhibit is AMAZING

Minnesota Zoo!! I haven't been there since my childhood, but they used to have this treetop rail which I think they replaced with a walkway. Either way, it's fantastic, very informative, super adorable!

The Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul!! Seriously one of my FAVORITE places ever. There's an omni-theater, which is worth the trip in itself. The exhibits are top tier, tons of interactive stuff for adults, and it takes FOREVER to get through it, so you know it's worth the admission price :)

Stillwater is about a 30 minute drive from the Cities, but it's incredible if you want to do some light hiking and visit some cute shops!

I've never actually been to the Minneapolis Institute of Art, but it's a top destination if you have the time/interest for it!

Depends on what time of year you're visiting, but you have your pick of lakes to swim in (or paddleboard, rent a boat, lay on the sand and get burned by the sun, etc) Some favorites are Long Lake, Wayzata Beach, Silver Lake, and White Bear Lake Park!

There are some super nice walking paths around the Stone Arch Bridge

The Mill City Museum is worth a visit if you're a huge nerd like me :) It's a great little peek into Minnesota history and culture!

The Guthrie Theater for SURE, especially the yellow tinted room a couple floors up. Iconic MN spot!

Asia Mall in Eden Prairie! You can get some top tier boba there

If you have time to drive a little further north, I personally love the Albertville outdoor shopping mall. They're all outlet stores, and it's enormous and a really nice area.

Again, I've never been but The Armory always has some kind of events/small scale concerts going on. I think my brother saw The Band CAMINO there a couple years ago :)

Sadly I'm way less educated on restaurants in the area :( I know the Maple Grove area has tons of elite spots, and you really can't go wrong around the downtown area around the US Bank Stadium.

That said, just a couple places I do know of--

Fogo de Chao in Minneapolis

Henhouse Eatery in Minneapolis

Teppanyaki Grill in Fridley

Hoagie's Family Restaurant in Hopkins

Also, just a side note, if you have a day or two to spare, I'd HIGHLY recommend a trip up toward Duluth and the North Shore. In my opinion that's the most gorgeous place in all of MN.

Again, MN moots feel free to chime in!! I haven't lived in the Twin Cities area the last couple years and now I'm moving back soon, so I'm a little out of touch hahaha, especially after covid :)

I hope this helps!! Have an AWESOME time, and definitely let me know how the trip goes!!! <3 I love MN, it has so much to offer <33

[ts1989fanatic]

Well duh!

here's nothing Taylor Swift fans love more than an Easter egg. Give them a hint of a secret message, a conspiracy theory, or something to decode and Swifties are all over it.

So, it's no surprise, as they (we) anxiously await the announcement of international tour dates, that they would take matters into their own hands and try to determine where Swift might be playing next once she completes her current U.S. performances.

What is the likelihood of a Vancouver show? Let's break it down:

Seattle vs. Vancouver

Taylor Swift has been on five international tours; her current Eras tour is her sixth. Of her five previous tours, she came to Vancouver for three of them: Speak Now, Red, and 1989.

Swift skipped Vancouver during the Fearless tour, her first ever, and the Reputation Stadium tour, but she did play multiple other Canadian cities and Seattle.

ts1989fanatic:

Actually this is factually incorrect, for reputation she played two nights in Toronto that’s it.

Was Vancouver left off the list because she was already playing Seattle? Perhaps. There were already some artists who will either play Vancouver or Seattle for their west coast shows.

Swift played Vancouver during the Speak Now and Red tours and skipped Seattle but she played both during 1989. So overall it's hard to tell if we can bank on a Vancouver show given that the Eras tour is coming to Seattle.

Swift had another scheduled concert tour, Lover Fest, that was cancelled due to COVID and Canada wasn't included in any of the dates announced back in September 2019. Lover Fest included four U.S. shows, seven European shows, and one show in Brazil.

Does Canada count as "international"?

ts1989fanatic:

Hell yes it does, we are a separate country from the US, we have borders and everything. And a lot of us can’t afford to travel to the US or Toronto.

Additionally, previous Vancouver tour dates weren't necessarily considered part of the international tour. In some cases, Canadian shows were announced at the same time as the U.S. dates as part of a North American leg.

ts1989fanatic:

We damn well should be considered part of the international tour.

For Red and 1989 (the last time Swift performed in Vancouver) the Canadian shows were performed concurrently with the U.S. ones based on proximity.

However, Swift also performed significantly fewer shows in the last two tours. Reputation had 53 shows, only six of which were outside of North America and Canadian fans are adamant that Swift won't neglect her fans north of the border.

ts1989fanatic:

I wish I was as certain of this as some, but I honestly don’t know.

Would BC Place be booked already?

BC Place is the largest venue in Vancouver (capacity 54,500) and the one that Swift performed at on her last two visits. Still, its size doesn't come close to the capacity of some of the arenas she has performed at so far during the Eras tour. For example, Raymond James Stadium in Tampa holds 75,000 and NRG Stadium in Houston holds 72,220 fans.

ts1989fanatic:

So add more dates, instead of one night make it two or three like most US cities.

If Swift was to come to Vancouver BC Place is the only logical venue choice and would be booked by now (which means if she is coming someone is walking around Vancouver with a very big secret).

Swiftie super fans online believe that she is performing in the U.K. and Australia based on arena bookings and if we look at the BC Place calendar there are a few gaps in October where Swift could easily fit in a show or two. Some fans think she's more likely to visit in mid to late 2024 and BC Place has yet to reveal next year's calendar of events.

ts1989fanatic:

I could live with October or even 2024 so long as she’s here.

Why haven't the dates been announced yet?

ts1989fanatic:

That’s the billion $ question.

Many fans are begging to be put out of their misery: Is Taylor Swift coming to Canada or isn't she?

ts1989fanatic:

That’s the second billion $ question

International fans were promised an announcement in early 2023 (the initial dates were announced in November 2022) but the Ticketmaster disaster and subsequent hearing may have altered that plan and it's likely that the Taylor Nation team is strategizing how best to accommodate the demand.

ts1989fanatic:

Well how about @taylorswift or @taylornation put us out of our collective misery.

[danieljreboot]

EDGE Brian Burns

Outside of Bryce Young, Pro Bowler Brian Burns is the most important player on the Panthers roster.

The team captain, he is easily the most talented player on the entire team next to Pro Bowl defensive tackle Derrick Brown, along with one of the most talented pass rushers in the league. Despite missing a game, he recorded 50 tackles, 8.0 sacks, 15 TFL's. He is currently fifth in all-time sacks for the Panthers.

The interest for the 25-year-old outside linebacker/defensive end is very high across the league as there's a plethora of contenders who are hoping to gain Burns' services. He played this season under the fifth-year option of his rookie deal and has been in negotiations since last offseason along with trade rumors this season.

It is in the Panthers' front office and franchise's best interest, short of building a statue outside Bank of America stadium dedicated to Burns, that they utilize the bulk of their energy and financial efforts towards keeping him in Carolina. He should at least get a franchise tag if not receive a big payday this offseason in the form of a max contract.

He is a franchise cornerstone to continue to build around on the defensive side of the ball as they were ranked fourth in total defense.

[realtorjamier]

D.C’s Best Picnic Spots!

Where to go, what to bring

Dining al fresco in D.C. doesn’t have to break the bank. In fact, if you want to avoid making reservations, waiting in line and eating elbow-to-elbow with strangers, planning a picnic is a great alternative. There are so many scenic (Instagram-worthy) spots to throw down a blanket and enjoy this simple and charming tradition. Here we’re sharing some of the best places in D.C. for a picnic – as well as some tips to make your picnic pleasant for all involved.

Hauling your provisions 

Although traditional picnic baskets are cute, your best bet is to purchase a modern, sensible picnic backpack since activities in D.C. typically involve walking some distance from your car or taking the metro and hauling a heavy hand-held basket will be cumbersome. Check Amazon for some great options. You can find backpacks with comfortable padded straps and efficiently organized compartments for cutlery, plates, napkins, a cooler, a blanket and more. You might want to invest in two backpacks and share the load with a friend.

Picnic food ideas

Reimagine the ordinary sandwich, chips, and soda. Take it up a notch and serve baguettes; or take it up two notches with quiche, charcuterie boards, fancy salads, and refreshing cocktails. Make sure most of your meal consists of finger foods (easy to eat) so you don’t have to worry about multiple plates/cutlery. And don’t forget dessert! 

Another culinary option: order food-to-go from your favorite D.C. restaurant. You’ll still need a method to transport it to your picnic destination, but letting someone else prepare and pack the meal will involve less work on your end.

Don’t forget to pack

Sunscreen

Anti-bacterial wipes

Wet naps

Garbage bags

Bug spray

Places to picnic

We’re providing some tried-and-true venues here, but there are so many more possibilities. Wherever your destination, make sure you learn about parking options (or Metro stops) in advance. Also, do a little research to make sure your spot is picnic friendly and open for visitors.

Between Constitution and Independence Ave., SW

Known as “America’s Front Yard,” this iconic spot is punctuated by the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument and flanked by Smithsonian museums. The long, grassy swath is often crowded, but people-watching can be just as fun as gazing at the patriotic landmarks.

1100 Ohio Drive SW

Located at the southern tip of East Potomac Park between the main branch of the Potomac River and the Washington Channel, Hains Point offers beautiful views of the Potomac River, the Anacostia River and the Washington Channel. It’s an ideal spot for bird watching and also has a playground and restrooms. A four-mile loop allows you to take in the many different species of cherry trees while hiking or biking. 

Located on the Potomac River and accessible by George Washington Memorial Parkway

This 90-acre island is a memorial to America’s 26th president and features miles of trails through wooded uplands and swampy bottomlands. Ranger-led programs are available. 

16th Street and W Street NW

A spectacular cascading fountain, reflecting pool, statues, and more will be your backdrop at Meridian Hill Park (also known as Malcolm X Park). If you’re there on a Sunday afternoon, you’ll most likely be able to watch a full-blown weekly drum circle party starting at 3 p.m., a tradition that began in the 1960s.

The Yards Park (and Dancing Fountains)

355 Water Street SE

This public space along the Anacostia River has gardens, water features, a dog run, a boardwalk and a shaded overlook.

Wisconsin and K St., NW

This 10-acre park curves along the Potomac River shoreline and includes a large fountain, benches, overlooks and large open lawn areas. A labyrinth with geometric turns encourages quiet contemplation as you wind your way from the outer edge to the center. Stadium-like steps leading to the river edge are a favorite place for picnickers. 

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

Independence Ave. SW and 7th St. SW

The sculpture garden is free to enter, offering more than 30 works of contemporary and modern art displayed year-round — and picnics are permitted.

[louisupdates]

FITFWT23: TOUR RECAP MASTERPOST

FASHION RECAP: NORTH AMERICA, EUROPE (Top Ten)

LITHOGRAPHS and PORTRAITS

OUTRO SONGS

IQ 123: Tour promo and production interviews

TOUR TECHNICAL SPECS [TPI MAGAZINE]

GROUP PHOTOS NA

Louis’ care for his fans

NORTH AMERICA

26 May - Mohegan Sun Arena, UNCASVILLE, CT

27 May - Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion, GILFORD, NH

29 May - Place Bell, LAVAL QC

30 May - Budweiser Stage, TORONTO ON

1 Jun - Blossom Music Center, CUYAHOGA FALLS, OH

2 Jun - Michigan Lottery Amphitheater, STERLING HEIGHTS, MI

FITFWT23: WEEK 1

3 Jun - The Icon Festival Stage, CINCINNATI, OH

6 Jun - Kemba Live! Outdoor, COLUMBUS, OH

7 Jun - TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park, INDIANAPOLIS, IN

9 Jun - Saint Louis Music Park, ST. LOUIS, MO

PORTRAITS, 1st set [10.6.2023]

IG stories and selfies [10.6.2023]

10 Jun - Starlight Theatre, KANSAS CITY, MO

13 Jun - BMO Pavilion, MILWAUKEE, WI

15 Jun - Huntington Bank Pavilion, CHICAGO, IL

16 Jun - The Armory, MINNEAPOLIS, MN

17 Jun - Harrah’s Stir Cove, COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA

19 Jun - Denny Sanford Premiere Center, SIOUX FALLS, SD

21 Jun - Red Rocks Amphitheatre, MORRISON, CO: CANCELLED 😪

24 Jun - Wamu Theater, SEATTLE, WA

26 Jun - Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Center, VANCOUVER BC

27 Jun - McMenamins Edgefield Concerts, TROUTDALE, OR

29 Jun - The Greek Theatre, BERKELEY, CA

PORTRAITS, 2nd set [29.6.2023]

PORTRAITS posted 30.6 [x]

30 Jun - Louis Instagram recap

30 Jun - The Hollywood Bowl, LOS ANGELES, CA

1 Jul - The Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan, LAS VEGAS, NV

3 Jul - Arizona Financial Theatre, PHOENIX, AZ

6 Jul - The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, IRVING, TX

7 Jul - Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park, AUSTIN, TX

8 Jul - The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, THE WOODLANDS, TX

PORTRAITS, 3rd set [9.7.2023]

9 Jul: Louis Instagram recap

10 Jul RTL Radio Interviews

11 Jul - St. Augustine Amphitheatre, ST. AUGUSTINE, FL

13 Jul - Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood, HOLLYWOOD, FL

14 Jul - Yuengling Center, TAMPA, FL

15 Jul - Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park, ATLANTA, GA

18 Jul - Ascend Amphitheater, NASHVILLE, TN

19 Jul - Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre, CHARLOTTE, NC

21 Jul - Red Hat Amphitheater, RALEIGH, NC

22 Jul - Merriweather Post Pavilion, COLUMBIA, MD

PORTRAITS, 4th set [23.7.2023]

24 Jul - MGM Music Hall at Fenway, BOSTON1, MA

25 Jul - MGM Music Hall at Fenway, BOSTON2, MA

27 Jul - TD Pavilion at the Mann, PHILADELPHIA, PA

28 Jul - Stone Pony Summer Stage, ASBURY PARK, NJ

29 Jul - Forrest Hills Stadium, NEW YORK, NY

PORTRAITS, 5th set [31.7.2023]

North America FAN EDIT

AUGUST 2023 GAP 1 recap

AWAY FROM HOME FESTIVAL

19 Aug - Parco Bussoladomani, LIDO DI CAMAIORE, Italy

AUGUST 2023 GAP 2 recap (including the 28 launch)

EUROPE

29 Aug - Barclays Arena, HAMBURG

31 Aug - Royal Arena, COPENHAGEN

1 Sep - Spektrum, OSLO [Bigger Than Me anniversary content]

PORTRAITS, 6th set [2.9.2023]

2 Sep - Hovet, STOCKHOLM

4 Sep - Ice Hall, HELSINKI

DORK MAGAZINE PHOTOS 2022 w/ links

5 Sep - Saku Arena, TALLINN

7 Sep - Arena Riga, RIGA

PORTRAITS, 7th set [8.9.2023]

8 Sep - Zalgiris Arena, KAUNAS

10 Sep - Tauron Arena, KRAKOW

11 Sep - Atlas Arena, ŁÓDŹ

13 Sep - Wiener Stadhalle D, VIENNA

14 Sep - Stozice Arena, LJUBLJANA

15 Sep - Budapest Arena, BUDAPEST

PORTRAITS, 8th set [16.9.2023]

17 Sep - Arenele Romane, BUCHAREST

18 Sep - Arena Armeets, SOFIA

20 Sep - Plateia Nerou, ATHENS w/ links to AOTV announcements

SEPTEMBER 2023 GAP recap

1 Oct - Bilbao Arena Miribilla, BILBAO (VIZCAYA)

3 Oct - Altice Arena, LISBON

5 Oct - Wizink Center, MADRID

6 Oct - Palau Sant Jordi, BARCELONA

PORTRAITS, 9th set [7.10]

8 Oct - Pala Alpitur, TURIN

9 Oct - Unipol Arena, BOLOGNA

11 Oct - Rockhal, ESCH-SUR-ALZETTE

12 Oct - Sportspaleis, ANTWERP

14 Oct - Accor Arena, PARIS

15 Oct - Ziggo Dome, AMSTERDAM

17 Oct - Lanxess Arena, COLOGNE

19 Oct - O2 Arena, PRAGUE

20 Oct - Mercedes Benz Arena, BERLIN

PORTRAITS, 10th set [21.10]

22 Oct - Olympiahalle, MUNICH

23 Oct - Hallenstadion, ZURICH

FITFWT23: LATAM promo begins [28.10]

Twitter spree: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4 Hall Of Fame, [31.10]

IGTV [1.11]: transcript, gifs [x] [x] [x] [x] [x]

8 Nov - 3Arena, DUBLIN

10 Nov - Utilita Arena, SHEFFIELD

11 Nov - AO Arena, MANCHESTER

12 Nov - Ovo Hydro, GLASGOW

14 Nov - Brighton Center, BRIGHTON

15 Nov - International Arena, CARDIFF

17 Nov - The O2, LONDON

18 Nov - Resorts World Arena, BIRMINGHAM

FITFWT23 has come to an end!

ROLLING STONE UK 2023 AWARDS

23 Nov - Camden Roundhouse, LONDON