It’s obvious from his unthinkably popular gossip blog that Perez Hilton is a fan of independent music. The pop-culture maven is more likely to write about pill-popping A-listers than breaking new artists, but a fair amount of music coverage still has a way of sneaking into the light-pink pages of .
As it turns out, indie music is taking over Hilton’s life.
After a couple of well-attended music showcases at the South by Southwest music festival — including a surprise performance by Kanye West at this year’s installment in March — Hilton’s reputation is tops at the annual taste-making affair in Austin. Growing out of that love came a first-look label deal with Warner Bros. and the first-ever Perez Hilton Tour, which stops at the Bluebird Theater in Denver tonight with Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head, Ladyhawke, Sliimy and Semi Precious Weapons.
“It seems like everything is happening all at once,” Hilton said earlier this week. “And I’m really excited. It’s all been a long time coming, and I can’t believe that I finally launched my tour.”
Hilton’s tour is an unusual beast, bypassing big names and featuring critically lauded indie bands in rock clubs throughout the U.S. Hilton himself will be popping into a few of the dates, he promises.
“I’ll be at some of the dates,” Hilton said, “but I want people to go not because I may or may not be there, but because they want to hear good music.”
More interesting from an economics perspective: The tour has flip-flopped on its pricing structure ever since it went on sale more than a month ago.
At first, tickets were being sold at an “all-in” price, meaning fees were absorbed into the full cost. Then some of the dates, Denver included, offered widespread student discounts — widespread meaning you didn’t have to be a student to snatch the discount. Earlier this week, the show’s promoter, AEG Live, announced that the show is now free.
Yep, the all-ages show, formerly a $25 ticket, is now free. (Show up early to guarantee admission, the promoter advises.)
Some of the tour’s other dates are also now listed as free on its home page, and, yes, there is method behind Hilton’s madness.
“Ever since they booked this tour, Perez Hilton and his people wanted the shows to be packed,” said Scott Campbell, the Bluebird Theater’s lead talent buyer. “They had a number of different ideas, and the final one was having the shows be free. And I’m not sure if this is another sign of the weak economy, but if the show does pack out, I think that will be a refection of the economy — that people made the decision based on the free ticket.”
It’s definitely in Hilton’s best interest to have packed, buzz-worthy shows across the country. While some have postulated that the Bluebird date wasn’t selling well, Campbell said it had already sold more than 100 tickets with a week to go — hardly shabby numbers amid the walk-up-heavy market that attends indie-rock shows at the 500-capacity Bluebird.
“They are funded enough to incur some of the costs of the event, including the talent,” said Campbell. “And they’re working with the promoters to make sure that all the other expenses — catering, sound, security, insurance and all kinds of overhead expenses — are taken care of. If you can manage it like this, it’s a winning business model.”
Hilton has noted the “kind support and sponsorship of (title sponsor) Neuro” multiple times on his blog. The California-based beverage company is likely shouldering a heavy load of the tour’s expenses. And that leaves Hilton free to focus on his blog — and his label deal, which already includes his first signee, French pop artist Sliimy. Sliimy sounds like equal parts Prince and Lily Allen — very trendy.
“(Sliimy) makes really cool, adult-sophisticated pop music with some indie and folk sensibilities,” Hilton said. “And my deal with Warner Bros is a first-look deal, so if they pass, I can shop my artists around. And that’s exactly what I wanna do. I look at myself as a manager. I want to find talent and help them become the superstars they really are.”
Hilton is a self-made star, so perhaps his talent, and keen ear, will translate to success in the music world. This tour already has such an oddly fascinating story, it’s easy to look forward to his next move.
“It’s all been so amazing, but it’s also inspiring,” Hilton said of his success. “That’s one of the reasons I work so hard. Because I’ve been able to see such tangible results in such a short amount of time.”
Ricardo Baca: 303-954-1394 or rbaca@denverpost.com
THE PEREZ HILTON TOUR
Indie rock/ dance. Bluebird Theater, featuring Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head, Ladyhawke, Sliimy and Semi Precious Weapons. Tonight. 9 p.m. Free.“Kanye is more than welcome to disrupt”
Now that Hilton is a record-label mogul — and the occasional host to Kanye West — we had to ask him what he thought about West’s behavior at last week’s MTV Video Music Awards.
“Kanye is more than welcome to disrupt my concert if he wants to, so long as he performs,” Hilton said. “I’m a fan. People are not going to be happy with him, but the reason he’ll be able to overcome this is because he’s so talented.”
Hilton also had these brief thoughts to share about each of the artists playing his tour’s stop in Denver tonight.
Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head: “They’re more like a garage pop band — with fun and energetic performances.”
Ladyhawke: “They’re from New Zealand, and they make this really cool, vintage-inspired dance-pop songs.”
Semi Precious Weapons: “They are Lady Gaga’s favorite band in the whole world.”
Sliimy: “He’s my first artist, and that’s special.” Ricardo Baca
