Mercader Returns For AC/DC

The French-born live music business veteran is responding to a request from the Aussie rockers for him to get involved in the Spanish leg of their Rock Or Bust summer tour.

Mercader was last active two years ago, when he responded to a similar request from The Cure to organise the act’s Spanish festival shows.

“There are people that I’ve enjoyed working with for years and years, and I occasionally get calls from them,” Mercader told Pollstar, pointing out that he has no wish to return to being a regular show promoter.

“With AC/DC it is easy because they don’t need red-carpet treatment. They would reduce their fee rather than see the ticket price rise too high for the fans,” he said. He sold out upcoming AC/DC shows in a 50,000-capacity Olympic Stadium in Barcelona (May 29) and a 60,000-capacity Vincente Calderon Stadium in Madrid (May 31) within a couple of days, then added a second Madrid show on June 2.

Having run his Barcelona-based Gamerco for more than a couple of decades, Mercader – after being courted by Live Nation for about six years – eventually sold the company to the American giant at the end of 2006.

Subsequently Mercader took more of a back seat and eventually stopped promoting on a regular basis. He’s doing the AC/DC shows in with LN because he wanted to have his “old team” involved. Many of LN’s Spanish office were originally with Gamerco.