Hundreds of performances, new faces, big comebacks
The spring rains are slowly being replaced by sunshine, the cities are coming alive and you can definitely feel the summer touring season starting! The outdoor concerts, festivals and touring venues are filling up the calendar again this year, and the shows are back on the road several times a week. We’ve put together a few questions on the subject and called in Pintér Balázs, who also works as a tour manager in addition to booking, to help answer them.
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When does the tour season really start?
“The arrival of good weather is the surest sign that the season is starting. As soon as the first outdoor events start to appear, the performers get into the summer swing.From then on, musicians are on the road two or three times a week, and DJs take to the stage up to five or eight times a week – and the pace continues until mid-September.”
What’s different about this year?
“Ticket buying habits have changed fundamentally, which has created a completely new situation in booking and organisation. It’s also exciting that this year several new, up-and-coming names have entered the circuit – for example Blansch, Benisso x Hepi, Fehér Krisztián, ÉBERKÓMA, Sárközi Roland or Ranger. You will also see them in more and more locations.”
In how many places and at which festivals will Astro artists perform this year?
“Astro performers will be present in nearly 400 venues across the country – and beyond.”
This is not only a large number in terms of quantity, but also a major coordination effort in professional terms. We are proud to be able to represent our artists so widely and to reach so many fans.
“We will be at practically every festival. This season we will be at Sziget, VIBE, Campus Festival, Strand Festival, SZIN, EFOTT, SopronFest, FEZEN, SZEN and PEN, Duna-part Feszt, BME Napok – and many more.”
Of course, you can also see the performances at one of this summer’s newest festivals, AstroFest.
It promises to be an incredibly busy and vibrant summer.
One last question: what is the biggest challenge that few people see?
“The background work. Making sure everything runs smoothly: travel, technical needs, stage set-up, contracts, accommodation, catering, dealing with delays… it’s a complex system. But when the protagonist goes up on stage in the evening and the first song starts, the feeling comes that it’s worth all the effort.”
So the tour season is about to get underway, and although we face different challenges this year, there are still many exciting moments ahead. It’s worth keeping an eye on the programme, as performers will be entertaining audiences in a variety of venues throughout the summer, and the best moments can happen anywhere, anytime.
