DENVER, CO (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Longtime Denver-area concert promoter Chuck Morris, who left Live Nation last September, has finally cleared all contractual obligations to his former employer, and has been officially named president and chief executive of AEG Live Rocky Mountain Region as expected.
“Chuck is one of the unique leaders and entrepreneurs in the music business,” AEG president Tim Leiweke told the Rocky Mountain News. “He has a combination of years of experience and relationships that make him one of the most respected promoters in the industry, yet Chuck understands the new age of music, of promotions, of live venues and of distribution. For many people the business has passed them by. Chuck is leading the industry into the new age.”
Morris recently cleared a dispute over a non-compete clause with Live Nation, allowing him to take on the role with the Anschutz Entertainment Group’s live concert arm. His former top talent buyers at Live Nation and SFX, Don Strasburg and Brent Fedrizzi, spent the past several months setting up the regional offices for AEG.
Strasburg has also been named as chief operating officer, and Fedrizzi as vice president and senior talent buyer. Strasburg and Fedrizzi already have confirmed 31 shows at Red Rocks this season and taken over the booking and operations at the Bluebird and Ogden theaters. They also secured the first show at Commerce City's new Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Kenny Chesney on June 30. Morris and AEG Live are also in charge of entertainment at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
“I could have stayed where I was. But I like new challenges and I love the blueprint of what Anschutz Entertainment Group is all about,” Morris told the Rocky Mountain News.
AEG has been focused on mid-size venues around the country, and is looking to build a 6,000-seat amphitheater with a retractable roof for year-round use.
“What they’re doing is the future of our business,” Morris told the paper. “We’ll only build a building that is mind-blowing and makes sense economically. If that doesn’t happen, we won’t be building. That’s going to be one of my many challenges.”
Morris said he is continually looking at new property, though it isn’t his top priority with the new job.
“If the right location happens and the right finances happen,” Denver will get a new venue, Morris told the News. “If I can’t create something that’s never been done before, we’re not going to do it. If I can, I’d love to be a part of it.” –by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
