Good Time At German Awards

Lacking the drama of last year’s bash, Live Entertainment Awards jury chairman Martin Schruefer was likely relieved to report the "award-winners found the consent of the German live entertainment industry" and it was "a great evening for every guest."

Andre Lieberberg made light of last year’s incident, where father Marek and his team stormed out because the company didn’t win the award for best festival.

"Hello? … Marek? … No, I won’t leave. We won," he said from the podium, as if taking a call from his father, as he picked up the "Best Concert" award for MLK’s Smashing Pumpkins show at Berlin Columbiahalle.

The company also kept hold of the award for best promoter, which it also won in 2007.

One of the loudest rounds of applause at the Hamburg Colorline Arena March 11 went to Johaness Wessels of Music Pool, a locally based promoting company, which took the award for best major tour for Justin Timberlake’s FutureSexLoveShow.

It was matched when Karsten Jahnke, another Hamburg-based promoter, took the lifetime achievement award.

"I thank the jury very much. But if they thought they could lure me into retirement by this, they’re barking up the wrong tree. I’m going to go on for many more years," said the elder statesman of German promoting, who celebrated his 70th birthday at the end of last year.

If things fell right for this year’s LEAs, they certainly fell right for Thomas Jensen. Within a couple of weeks of telling Pollstar he intends to export the Wacken brand, Wacken Open Air gave the marketing portfolio a timely boost by winning for best festival. All of the MLK camp reportedly remained in the room.

The honours were close to even between the major promoters, with MLK scoring twice for CTS Eventim and Wessels pulling one back for DEAG, which part-owns Music Pool.

The LEA Jury Prize, which can go to an event, an occasion or even a person, made it even closer. Peter Rieger, another promoter part-owned by Eventim, shared it with DEAG chief Peter Schwenkow for a Barbra Streisand show they co-produced at Berlin Parkbühne Wuhlheide. The Wuhlheide took its own turn centre stage by winning best venue.

The other winners included Tim Fischer Chansons (best club tour), BB Promotion (best show of the year – "Tim Mälzer/Ham’se noch Hack?"), Hannover Concerts (best local promoter), Buback Konzerte (best agent) and Benjamin Ebel (best manager – Tokio Hotel).

The only category open to acts is the "Audience Award," which is based on a readers’ poll in Event magazine, which Schruefer now edits. It went to rock band Madsen, which polled 18.43 percent of the 70,000 votes.