Published: July 24, 2008 11:36 pm      

CONCERTS: Jett spat is between promoters

The show must go on at Gateway Harbor Park.

Promoters this week tapped the South Buffalo band Jackdaw in the absence of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, whose agent officially canceled this weekend’s engagement in May.

Organizers had to scramble to fill the Concert on the Canal vacancy this Saturday under the watchful eye of their one-time headlining act — a ten-foot advertisement for the show that will not go on — at least not here.

A billboard near the corner of Main Street and Marion Avenue announces an Aug. 22 performance by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts in Seneca Square, site of the Seneca Niagara Casino’s upcoming free concert series. That’s the closest the artist is likely to come to North Tonawanda this year.

It is a jilting reminder of the competitive world of entertainment booking, and what happens when two contracts are signed with competing promoters and only one can be honored.

“This is an issue that the two promoters have with each other that they will need to resolve,” Phil Pantano, director of public affairs for the Seneca Niagara Casino, said.

In this case, promoter Live Nation was hired by the casino to book talent for their summer series in the square, and the city employed the services of Metropolitan Talent Presents L.L.C, of Manhattan, late last year.

Pantano said the casino booked the gig “months and months ago,” but that no copy of the contract is kept with the casino, instead filed with the promoter, Live Nation.

Vice President for Booking at Live Nation, Marcel Thimot, who works on behalf of the Seneca Niagara Casino soliciting talent for that venue, has unequivocally refused to provide that information, which could end debate about why Joan Jett will not perform in North Tonawanda July 26, as previously scheduled.

Jett’s agent, Bill Monot, of California-based Paradise Artists, is honoring the Falls show — one of the two contracts signed on dates the Tonawanda News has been unable to confirm — and only verbally stated by promoters for the city and Monot. The dates are denied outright by the casino’s promoter, Live Nation.

“I’ll tell you what you can expect from me — zero,” Thimot said in an interview Wednesday, before going off the record. “This is a non-story.”

Officials with the Casino have stated their date was on the books first. By all accounts it is a close call to make.

Chris Ring, of Metropolitan Talent, last week provided e-mails he wrote to Monot in February, and said the gig was booked Feb. 27.

Monot this week said he closed the deal with Live Nation Feb. 26, one day earlier.

“Isn’t that convenient,” John Scher co-Chief Executive Officer of Metro Talent said Wednesday.

Customarily, clauses in contracts restrict competing shows from occurring within a certain radius, for instance, North Tonawanda and Niagara Falls, within a short period of time.

Scher said it’s often more of a guideline among industry professionals at the negotiating table.

Jett’s agent boils it down to the clause.

“What happened is the cities were (less than) 40 miles apart,” Monot said. “It was a radius violation. It didn’t work.”

Scher, a chief executive at Metro, said the timing is irrelevant, however. He said at the time of his agreement they were made aware of the casino show and were asked by Jett’s agent to waive their proximity clause.

“When they did confirm the date they told us about the casino date and they told us, ‘we’ll confirm the date in North Tonawanda if you waive your proximity clause,” he said.

Scher said efforts were made to have the casino date removed from www.joanjett.com, the band’s official Web site.

E-mails dated April 2 between Chris Ring, negotiating on behalf of Metro and Steve Schenck at Jett’s agency ask that Jett not advertise the casino show, citing the clause “within 60 miles, 90 days before and after our show date.” The e-mail asks Jett not advertise “till our date plays.”

According to Scher, he’s not sure if that was done, or if it might have been enough to spur some kind of retaliation on Live Nation’s part.

“We do know that Marcel Thimot (of Live Nation) called up Chris Ring and said ‘if you don’t back down on your show we’re going to cancel our date in Niagara and cancel a show in Syracuse, at the state Fair Grounds,” Scher said. “Chris will testify to that, if need be.”

Bill Monot, with Paradise Artists, says Jett would love to come back next year, and regrets the double booking that led her to cancel.

“All we can say is we’ll try to work something out and come back next year,” Monot said.

Contact reporter Neale Gulleyat 693-1000, ext. 114.