LOS ANGELES, CA (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) Touring industry veteran, Bruce Kapp, who is credited with helping to develop the concept of national touring in the concert business, passed away yesterday in his Los Angeles home. Mr. Kapp was a widely respected music industry executive whose career spanned nearly 40 years.
Born in Chicago, Illinois in 1951, Mr. Kapp began his music career while still in high school, booking bands in and around his hometown. After receiving a degree in marketing from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, Mr. Kapp developed his own talent agency which booked bands throughout the Midwest.
In the early 1970s Mr. Kapp formed his own concert promotion company, Celebration Concerts, which would put the young executive on a path to promoting concerts by some of the most successful artists in the industry over the next three decades.
Mr. Kapp's promotion activities in Chicago reached new heights when he promoted the Super Bowl of Rock series at Soldier Field. The four-concert series featured such rock greats as Emerson Lake and Palmer, Pink Floyd, Ted Nugent and Peter Frampton. It was this concert series that made Mr. Kapp a nationally recognized concert promoter.
He spent nearly a decade at PACE Concerts beginning in 1984 and would later go on to join Magic Works and, along with Brad Wavra, booked the tours of New Kids on the Block, Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC and Britney Spears. Magic Works was acquired by SFX Entertainment in 1998.
A promoter who had the ability to transcend musical genres, over the years Mr. Kapp worked with such diverse artists as The Who, REO Speedwagon, Fleetwood Mac, Rush, Janet Jackson, Stevie Nicks and NWA. He also contributed to the success of such national touring properties as Fresh Fest and Budweiser Superfest in the early ‘90s.
Mr. Kapp most recently worked as Senior Vice President of Touring at Live Nation where he oversaw tours by Aerosmith, Jimmy Buffett, Def Leppard, Jonas Brothers, Van Halen and others.
"Bruce was not only one of the brightest stars in the Live Nation family, his passion and spirit inspired everyone who ever had the pleasure of meeting him," said Live Nation President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Rapino. "He was one of the most genuine and warm people in the music business and he will be very much missed."
He is survived by his wife Jean and daughter Kelly. – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
SERVICES ARE BEING HELD:
Thursday, April 24th at 2pm
Mount Sinai Hollywood Hills
5950 Forest Lawn Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90068
RECEPTION TO FOLLOW:
Wiltern Theatre
3790 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90010
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent to:
The Bruce Kapp Animal Fund
c/o Live Nation
9348 Civic Center Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
