Paul McDonald

[mercfan3]

He's on tour with Hanson.

Good for him, but Haley didn't freaking get a tour. That's just getting annoying.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/idol-wo...ald-560754

[Miguel]

Good for him, but Haley didn't freaking get a tour. That's just getting annoying.

It is ridiculous that Haley never had the opportunity. Nearly every touring artist has an opening act. Sometimes several.

Casey James from American Idol Season 9 and Cassadee Pope from The Voice Season 3 continue to open for Taylor Swift and Rascal Flatts

That's from MJ's daily numbers thread. She notes:

Taylor continues her sold-out ways raking in $6.7M in this report alone.

Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Casey James
Sept. 7-8, 2013: St. Paul, Minn.; Xcel Energy Center; 28,920 of 28,920 (2xSOLD-OUT): $2,320,937

Sept. 6, 2013: Fargo, N.D.; Fargodome; 21,073 of 21,073 (SOLD-OUT): $1,661,578

Aug. 31, 2013: Tacoma, Wash.; Tacoma Dome; 20,348 of 20,348 (SOLD-OUT): $1,584,049

Aug. 30, 2013: Portland, Ore.; Moda Center; 13,952 of 13,952 (SOLD-OUT): $1,084,760

Those numbers are also ridiculous. $7M for 5 shows.

[mercfan3]

Getting to tour with Taylor Swift is an incredible opportunity.

I thought Danielle was going to be the Voice's first big star. But if Cassadee gets the Taylor fans behind her, Cassadee will beat her too it.

And like you said, it's almost inexcusable. Fifth Harmony was put on a tour before they even released music.

It's not like Hanson is the most famous band anymore, but they sell out all of their shows, and their fans are quite loyal. (I would know. ) They're also very well connected. And it seems like the Hanson fans are taking quite well too Paul.

She just missed out on a huge opportunity to expand her music to people. I'm just waiting for her to officially sign with a label, and actually tour.

[Miguel]

Chiara made several tweets about Hanson a few months ago. She's still a loyal fan. I looked something up about them and found they are fairly respected for their music.


I believe Casey James is opening for Taylor Swift and Cassadee Pope for Rascal Flatts. I would imagine Taylor prefers to give her fans some male eye-candy rather than a female performer of similar age who mightinvite unfavorable comparisons to her.

February:

In addition to previously announced opener Ed Sheeran, newcomers Joel Crouse, Brett Eldredge, Florida Georgia Line and Casey James will rotate opening for the megastar all year long.

Joel is slated for 11 shows, Brett for 14, FGL for seven and Casey for 14. Ed will join all stops, and YouTube sensation Austin Mahone will open on stadium stops.

[mercfan3]

Chiara made several tweets about Hanson a few months ago. She's still a loyal fan. I looked something up about them and found they are fairly respected for their music.


I believe Casey James is opening for Taylor Swift and Cassadee Pope for Rascal Flatts. I would imagine Taylor prefers to give her fans some male eye-candy rather than a female performer of similar age who mightinvite unfavorable comparisons to her.

February:

In addition to previously announced opener Ed Sheeran, newcomers Joel Crouse, Brett Eldredge, Florida Georgia Line and Casey James will rotate opening for the megastar all year long.

Joel is slated for 11 shows, Brett for 14, FGL for seven and Casey for 14. Ed will join all stops, and YouTube sensation Austin Mahone will open on stadium stops.

Hanson seems to be rather well liked by celebrities. I think a lot of the new celebs probably grew up with Mmmbop. But I also think they are respected for their music, and also how they handled their record company situation.

Being independent simply makes it harder to grow their fanbase, particularly when people think of Hanson they are still stuck on mmmbop. Sort of like when an actor play a certain role and can never not be that character.

Still, every show is sold out and Paul gets to sing in front of a sold out show every night. Something Haley never got the opportunity to do.

Hmm, I had read that Cassadee would be opening up for Taylor, but looks like you are right. Still, Rascal Flatts is a pretty big deal. (I also don't think Taylor is like JLO. She's had women open up for her before, including AI's Kellie Pickler.)

[Tom22]

Bit of a chicken or the egg, but without a band playing all her songs with a certain tilt no headline group can know what they are hiring to enhance and lenghten their fan's feeling of having seen a show.

Rock/Country/Urban concerts are not "recietals" or music festivals ... a touring headliner has a "show".. the headliner is there to warm up the crowd and make the show feel a bit longer and not feel short changed at the end (from all I've read)

If we'd seen her with a band like midnight, I can see her opening a lot of rock type shows.


Got a wailing guitar and its rock/blues .. pumps you up. I would think that would appeal to more bands looking for an opening act.


If she'd been playing with a band very similar to what we saw in indonesia


Wasted Tears above (skip to the 6 minute mark)

I could see that sort of sound being right opening for pop shows (Justin Bieber? lol).  

That band which didn't seem too professional still had a few good musicians.. peformer playing "drum" on a Washboard (lol I'm sure it has a better name) had a pretty impressive touch. They made (edit) Wasted teas much more fun and upbeat. I'd admit that I push skip sometimes when wasted tears comes on. There are very good parts but parts that just get heavy and grating for me. I know there is more to be had in that song. In Jakarat above it just felt light and happy. -- I don't really mean "better" as in all it could be in a more interesting way but certainly more "pop". Opening bands need to lift the energy.. and this style works for pop.

With a darn good jazz keyboard player she had... opening for a jazz sort of touring artist would fit fine.. but are there any? The following was incredible !




I did love it.. but that's not the issue in terms of finding "employment" in the opening band category.

Without any changes in that category... If Haley had a chance to rehears together with the guys she's had with her.. and had a drummer (I really think a drummer would have helped free them to wander in cooler ways ...

.. maybe her book of Listen Up songs could have worked well for the urban end of pop(niki minaj ; ) of Course "oh my" with its rap .. but also this one:



I bet Keith could have worked it out that way if Haley had been able to practice adn play regularly with a band of her choosing. I'm bet it was r finacial reasons kept that from happening(no one to pay the bills). With a band that worked together and pushed for the degree of urban sound we had on the album .. and a bit more for a live version as live usually takes the studio another step.. liver... that might have got got a crowd of 20 year olds pumped ups (or teens). Having "creds" as an urban artist would have had some barriers without a different sort of styling (dress, lack of some edge like tattoos, piercings or wigs or ?).

As much as I don't want to sound like Randy...I've come to see that he might have been right: not having a clear niche does make it harder commercially Certainly I believe that a song will catch fire one day along the line and fans will come back and be more conducive to pick out others they like..

... but getting hired as opener is filling a Job. The job is to make the headliner's show longer , with a crowd in their seats and rocking , dancing, grooving or whatever fits the style out, by the time the headliner takes stage.

Better and Cake and a blues rock band seems a better odds chance of getting a call to open than getting a call from a pop group.. I think it would be a stretch with a full urban group even if some of her songs could work well.. and she doesn't or hasn't really put a country twist on any of hers.. and that large segement of touring bands is out.

Remember.. the question is what band's show (show.. like a play or a circus etc) leaves the headliners fans feeling like they've had a fuller experience.. not >> "Haley is so good she deserves a chance" . The only way exception to the second is if Haley had been touring smaller venues and packing them in regularly and that she was being hired because she'd proven she'd sell more tickets.

She might be stuck in a bad position of course.. can't hire musicians to play regularly if you're not selling out rooms either. Maybe she could join a starving rock band who needed a singer , if they could work out a "yours, mine and ours" deal with songs so they could go on in their name and she in hers .... didn't ferguie play with slash etc that way on a tour ?

---

Oh .. by the way. That isn't doom and gloom for me.

I still think her break isn't going to be from getting fans in concerts or radio but having people learn her songs from movies etc... that would allow her to stay more true to the parts of her ear that made Listen up! than trying to take that collection of songs on tour with one band.

Perhaps that will change with Better and Cake though.. they might have a clearer niche... a bit more clear at least. Adele made a different niche her ablum did feel more familar to rock fans I believe. Cake and Better are closer in that way.

[mercfan3]

You know, honestly, I don't think so. Look at Kelly Clarkson. What genre is she? She's done pop/R&b albums, pop rock albums, country albums. She's able to sing everything. And she's able to evolve as an artist (and stay relevant) because of that.

There are plenty of artists than Haley could have fit with on tour simply because of her versatility. She could have done an acoustic set, she could have done a more pop set, she could have done a jazzy set, she could have done a rock set. She could have even done an R&B set. She could have opened up for plenty of people.

The fact that she didn't get a tour was a failure on whose ever job it is to get her on one, not because Haley didn't fall in a specific box.

[Tusk]

^^^^

[Miguel]

There was talk of Haley doing a tour. Before Lollapalooza, I believe. They were considering people. And didn't the initials someone stated lead people to believe it might have posssibly meant opening for John Mayer? Guess that's a question we should have asked in Chicago.

[midnightblues]

Keep Haley away from John Mayer Nope, no way no how