****BIG FLASH****

DON E. BRANKER joins us in July 2007: IF MY MEMORY SERVES ME CORRECT ELP GOT $75,000 , SABBATH AND PURPLE GOT $50,000 PLUS % OF GROSS. I WONT DISCUSS %'S THAT IS OF A PRIVATE NATURE. 2- THERE WAS NO CONTRACT SIGNING CEREMONY. EACH NEGOTIATION WAS SEPARATE, EXCEPT PURPLE AND SABBATH, THEY HAD THE SAME MANAGER IN LONDON, PATRICK MEEHAN JR. AND SR. PURPLE NEGOTIATIONS WAS THE HARDEST. THEY RECOGNIZED THE WORLDWIDE VALUE OF THE TAPES AND MADE SEPARATE DEALS FOR DISTRIBUTION. ALL THE OTHER BANDS WERE CONTRACTED FOR TWO AIRINGS ON TV ONLY IN U.S. I REMEMBER TRAVELING TO MEXICO A FEW YEARS LATER AND SAW JAM I ON MEXICO TV. I GOT NO ROYALTIES. DON'T KNOW WHAT DEAL ABC MADE ON THAT. CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS WITH ANY BAND IS ALMOST ALWAYS A BIG PAIN IN THE ***. ITS ALL EGO AND DOLLARS. POSITION ON THE SHOW IS ALWAYS A ISSUE. REMEMBER BOTH JAMS HAD ALL HEADLINERS. SO FOR A HEADLINER TO OPEN OR PLAY 2ND OR 3RD IS A EGO DEFLATING ORDEAL. 3- THE STAGES FROM FARENTINO WERE BRILLANT. THEY WERE ASSEMBLED AT THE SITE. THE CONCEPT AND REASONING FOR THE STAGE WAS BASED ON THE FOLLOWING CONCEPT. ELP HAD A VERY COMPLEX SETUP. THEY HAD A VERY EXTENSIVE STAGE PLOT. BIGGEST DRUM KIT I EVER SAW AND KEITHS SYNTHESIZER WAS GIANT. THE FIRST OF ITS KIND. IT STOOD AT LEAST 10 FOOT HIGH BY 6-7 FOOT WIDE. MOST LIKELY TODAY A YOUNG MUSICIAN CAN DUPLICATE THE SOUNDS IN THEIR BEDROOM WITH COMPUTERS AND PROGRAMMING.SO ELP WAS SET UP THE NIGHT BEFORE. THEY WERE THE ONLY BAND WITH A SOUND CHECK. ONCE SETUP IT COULD NOT BE MOVED. THE RAILROAD TRACK AND STAGES ALLOWED US TO HAVE ONE BAND PLAING WHILE THE OTHER STAGE WAS BEING STRUCK ( CLEARED OFF ) AND SET UP FOR THE NEXT BAND. THE REAL IMPORTANT TRICK TO ANY MASSIVE SHOW IS TO KEEP THE TIME BETWEEN BANDS TO A MINIMUM. IDLE AND BORED FANS CREATE CHAOS AND THE ONLY WAY TO STOP CHAOS AT THAT LEVEL (250,000 PEOPLE) IS TO NOT LET IT BEGIN