Baloise Happy In New Home

Switzerland’s Baloise Sessions looks to have been pepped by a change of sponsor and venue, as the 12-show program (Oct. 25 to Nov, 14) was coming close to selling out.

Photo: Dominik Pluss

Chris Cornell plays Baloise Session in Switzerland.

The concerts had previously been sponsored by cigar-maker Avo but the deal ran out in 2012.

The new sponsor is Baloise, the locally based insurance holding company with offices throughout Europe.

The venue has also been switched from the 1,600-seated capacity Messe Basel to the same-sized Basel Fair Event Hall.

Nine shows in (Nov. 12), Baloise organizer Matthias Müller was reporting 99 percent business.

The Basel audience had seen such acts as Texas, Gloria Estefan, Birdy, Kyla La Grange, and Chris Cornell with Aimee Mann.

Two double-bills with Glen Hansard and Heather Nova, and with Incognito and Randy Crawford, were still to come, followed by two nights of Eric Clapton.