Best News Ever? "4th & B To Revert Back To Leaseholder"

If you haven't read this week's Blurt items over at the Reader, you are missing out!

First this:

Live Nation's major competitor, AEG, has consummated an agreement that will
allow the concert company to open a 12,500-capacity outdoor venue on the grounds of the Chargers summer training facility at 4020 Murphy Canyon Road.

"We are off 35 to 40 percent," says a person involved with promoting live music. "I think there are too many shows booked into a small, picky market."

Well shit, freakin, duh! I'm guessing the "insider" represents LiveNation in some way, since as an avid music viewer, I haven't noticed any decline at Belly Up or Casbah or any other venue that hosts good music. Maybe LiveNation, being the GIANT CORPORATE ENTITY that they are should start their own ticketing service so people don't have to pay an additional 30% of a ticket price (and sometimes more) to Ticketmaster for service charges, then maybe the venue would be full every night of the week, as it should be, because of what that venue can offer to artists and fans alike in terms of sound, accomodations, and atmosphere. House of Blues/LiveNation, if you leave San Diego, you won't be missed. Oh, and hear that tap, tap, tapping? Yeah, that's AEG and Hard Rock Hotel knocking at your door.

Then there's this separate but related piece:

A month of moved or canceled shows at 4th&B...has culminated in some type of resolution.

Insiders say Live Nation/House of Blues has decided to stop booking at the downtown club. Live Nation will allegedly allow the 1200-capacity venue to
revert back to the leaseholder, Ali Nilforshan.

Is this the demise of LiveNation? Is this San Diego standing up with our middle fingers raised saying "we're not suckas" or is this really a "small, picky market"? Because personally, I've all but cut off the House of Blues entirely as a venue. Do I want to see Stars? Yes. Do I want to see Travis? Yes. Will I go to House of Blues to see them? How about not unless someone gives me tickets and preferably a photo pass. (Some drink tickets would be great, too.) I will gladly get back on the 4th & B train and attend shows there if I know that they've been booked independently and don't have to get the full House of Blues cavity search every time I go there. Also, does this mean shows too big for the Casbah can once again be booked at 4th & B or do we still have to put up with the psycho security at Cane's? Also, as an aside...were the security always like that or was it only after my Band Of Horses incident that they cracked down? Sorry if I was the spoiler on that one, but when my friend Geoff was a manager over there it was never as bad as it is nowadays.

OK, end rant. For once I can say "great scoops, Ken!" And oh yeah, Ali- gimme a holler! Let's talk, man. I hear Jamal from House of Blues is available. Hire that boy already! And my ad rates are cheap, cheap, cheap if you need to spread the word.