“Everybody sues everybody for no reason”: Why Gene Simmons is charging $12.5k for his “roadie for the day” experience
Gene Simmons has addressed the high cost of his “roadie for the day” experience, citing insurance costs as a key factor in its $12,495 price tag.
The VIP guest package, named “The Ultimate Gene Simmons Experience”, offers one fan per gig (during his tour with the Gene Simmons Band) the rare opportunity to help crew with load-in and set up, sit in on soundcheck, and even get introduced by Simmons during the show. You also get to share a meal with Simmons and take home other goodies such as a signed set list and a bass guitar that was previously used in a Kiss rehearsal. Tickets to the show are not included due to being sold through individual venues.
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Simmons has previously explained that the experience mostly comes from a place of childhood curiosity, as he always wanted to know what happened backstage before a gig, and wants to pass that experience on to someone else. However, he’s now gone on to clarify that the expensive cost of the VIP package is also due to insurance.
In an interview with New Jersey’s 95.9 The Rat, he explains (via Blabbermouth): “Here’s the deal: when I was a kid and I went to see [Jimi] Hendrix or somebody, of course I enjoyed the show and really got off on it — we talked about it forever and stuff — but I didn’t know what it was like. What’s the beginning of the day like? What’s it like to sit and have breakfast or lunch with my favourite rock stars, and then get in the limo, go to the gig, set up the drums, do soundcheck and then be onstage…”
He adds, “Now, having said that, we only do one roadie for a day per show. And I’ll tell you why – because nowadays everything is so litigious… That means everybody sues everybody for no reason. So if you get a paper cut, somebody gets sued. And that’s just the way life is here in America – much more in California, by the way.
“It’s crazy out here. So I can’t, even if I wanted to, bring out or do roadie for a day with 10, 20, 30, as many people [as we would like]. So we do one, because the insurance costs for that are astronomical. And so this ain’t cheap. It’s not for everybody. And for that one person, you do have to pay premium numbers. That’s just life,” he states.
You can view all of the scheduled live dates for the Gene Simmons Band, and find out more about VIP packages, via their official website.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
