Just call him the rock ’n’ roll mayor.
Victoria Mayor Dean Fortin has taken centre stage in a crowd-sourcing bid to bring the Red Hot Chili Peppers to the city.
Fortin stars in a video that’s part of a concert promoter’s effort to have the funk-rock band perform here by having fans pledge money in advance.
“What if I told you you could bring [the Red Hot Chili Peppers] here to Victoria? Well, you do have that power — you do!” declares Fortin, who sports black sunglasses in High Tide Entertainment’s video, which includes other endorsements from media personalities.
High Tide owner Matt Laundrie said he aims to raise $500,000 though crowd-sourcing to have the Red Hot Chili Peppers perform an outdoor show here in 2015.
Laundrie, who launches his “Fan Powered Concerts” campaign today, said he has a verbal agreement with the band’s agent that the show will go on if sufficient funds are raised. “We got nothing signed, but we got the green light from his agent to do the campaign.”
Fortin, who is on vacation, could not be reached for comment on Thursday.
Starting today, fans are invited to pledge $100 online for a ticket via tilt.com/campaigns/fanpowered-concerts, where they can also watch the video. The charge will not be applied to credit cards until the concert is confirmed, Laundrie said.
High Tide Entertainment has previously brought in shows by Steve Martin, Bad Company, Steve Miller, Emmylou Harris and Alice Cooper. Laundrie, who started the company in 2003, said he embraced the concept of crowd-sourced concerts after weathering financial losses. “I had a pretty bad year this year. I was like: ‘You know what, what can I do to, like, still promote and still make money?’ ”
Laundrie said $500,000 would cover the entire cost of a Victoria concert. The first 5,000 ticket buyers will receive preferred seating privileges. If more than 5,000 tickets are sold, the extra money will be “gravy” for the promoter and the band, he said.
He got the crowd-sourcing idea from Foo Fighters fans in Richmond, Virginia, who bought 1,400 tickets at $50 apiece, raising $70,000 to bring the band to their city.
Although it was organized without the band’s knowledge, the Foo Fighters reportedly have agreed to perform. A date for the concert has not been set.
Laundrie said the Victoria concert would likely happen at Bullen Park in Esquimalt, a field at Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre or Royal Athletic Park. He has yet to approach these venues, but plans to do so when the $500,000 goal is attained.
