Now that their fans have demonstrated a willingness to snap up $1,000 seats, the live-music industry is trying to figure out what to offer them next. But banking on the participation of any one act appears increasingly risky, especially given the unexpected deaths this year of artists such as Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey, rocker David Bowie and pop star Prince.
“We’re getting old,” Eagles manager Irving Azoff said at a panel event earlier this week, noting that four of his management clients, including Mr. Frey, had died.
Mr. Konowitch said the idea for RockmaniaLive was born several years ago when a group of booking-agency heads and promoters warned him against managing certain classic rock acts because it wasn’t clear how much longer they could tour.
He began researching the economics of symphonic tribute shows, which he discovered could reliably draw as many as 6,000 fans thanks to their nostalgia for the music and loyalty to their local orchestras—no matter how clumsy or “cheesy” the production, he said.
To help line up some initial individual investors—whom Mr. Konowitch declined to disclose—he hired Grammy-winning producer Rob Cavallo, known for his work with punk’s Green Day and rock’s Dave Matthews Band, and composer David Campbell, the father of Beck, to arrange classic-rock albums for orchestras that will perform alongside carefully cast guitarists, bassists and drummers. Vocalists will sing on only a few of the songs in a given show, in front of giant screens displaying elaborate visual effects.