“What is it, Billy?”

“Me and the guys were talking about, well… you know.”

“Oh?”

“Er… Yeah. And I was wondering if. Well…”

“It’s okay, Billy. Go ahead. Ask away.”

“Well… I was wondering.”

“Yes?”

“Where do concerts come from?”

“Uh?”

“Where do concerts come from, Dad? Robbie says that the stork delivers concerts. And Marty says that concerts come from the Concert Store. They both can’t be right. Can they?”

“Well, Billy, I guess you’re old enough to know about the facts of concerts.”

“The facts of concerts?”

“Uh, uh. You see, Billy, when a booking agent and a promoter like each other a whole bunch, they might get together and try to have a concert.”

“And that’s how we get shows by people like Hilary Duff and Joe Walsh? But how does the booking agent get together with the promoter in the first place?”

“There are several different ways, Billy. For example, let’s say you’re the agent for Evanescence.”

“Okay.”

“And being the agent for Evanescence, you may already have phone numbers for several promoters.”

“So I would just call up one and ask if they want to make a concert? Is that all there is to it?”

“It’s not as easy as that. There are a few traditions, you know, customs, to go through.”

“Like what, Dad?”

“Well, if the promoter and agent are interested in each other, they might negotiate for a while.”

“You mean, like offers and counteroffers?”

“Exactly. But eventually they’ll settle on what’s called a `deal.’ And when they do, they’ll take that deal to the band’s manager and ask for his or her blessing.”

“And that’s how they make a concert?”

“In a nutshell, Billy. Of course, for special concerts, like that Alanis Morissette / Barenaked Ladies concert tour, or that Bob Dylan tour featuring Willie Nelson as the special guest, there may be as many as two or three agents, and twice as many managers and promoters.”

“Wow! And that’s how they make concerts?”

“Pretty much so. Of course, someone has to hire the roadies, rent the tour buses and buy the duct tape. But that’s where concerts come from, Billy. More or less.”

“Gosh.”

“Now that I’ve told you where concerts come from, is there anything else you want to ask me?”

“Just one thing, Dad.”

“What’s that, Billy?”

“Why did they cancel Lollapalooza?”

“Hmmm… It might be better if we discuss that at another time, Billy.”

“Why is that, Dad?”

“Because there are some things you won’t understand until you’re older.”