30th Annual Pollstar Awards Nominations Announced

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Pollstar today announced the nominees for the 30th annual Pollstar Awards honoring the top achievers in the live entertainment industry. The ceremony will conclude the 30th annual Pollstar Live! Conference, which runs Feb. 11-13 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. The awards, presented by Live Nation, recognize the most successful artists, executives, venues, events and companies in the thriving global live entertainment business.

Pollstar Awards nominees for the Major Tour of the Year Award include epic treks by Beyonce & Jay-Z, Bruno Mars, Drake, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift and U2. This year’s emergent new talent nominees include Billie Eilish, Greta Van Fleet, Kane Brown, Luke Combs, Post Malone and Travis Scott who are up for Best New Headliner honors.

Other artists recognized for their live achievements include Bruce Springsteen, Justin Timberlake, Post Malone, Chris Stapleton, Foo Fighters, Metallica, Elton John, Panic! At the Disco, Pink, Travis Scott, Luke Bryan, Shania Twain, J Balvin, Kenny Chesney, Luis Miguel, Harry Styles, Bad Bunny, Billy Joel, Billie Eilish, Greta Van Fleet and Celine Dion, among many others.

The 2018 Pollstar Award nominees were selected by a panel of more than 2,000 agents, managers, promoters, venue operators and professionals who work in the live entertainment industry. With the largest, most diverse nomination committee in the history of the awards, Pollstar announces several changes to the program for its 30th anniversary event, both in terms of award categories and in the methodology calculating winners. These changes are geared to increase relevancy, recognize the evolution of the industry, and acknowledge the standard bearers from the preceding touring year.

“For 30 years, the Pollstar Awards have been the definitive recognition for achievement in the touring industry, and we are honored and privileged to again recognize the elite artists, venues, and executives in the world of live entertainment,” said Tim Leiweke, CEO of Oak View Group, parent company of Pollstar. “This is a thrilling time to be in the business of live, and we remain inspired by the level of professionalism, creativity and fan engagement exhibited by those who make up our nominees for the 2019 Pollstar Awards, and across the industry.”

While the Pollstar Awards will remain predominantly an industry peer-voted honor, Pollstar will for the first time use its industry-leading box office data in designating winners for certain awards with a weighting of 30 percent (15 percent Average Gross Revenue and 15 percent Average Ticket Sales) applied to vote total to determine final winners. Also, certain executives and artists must be affiliated with specific tours, venues and events from the preceding touring year in order to maintain relevance to the year being considered.

Pollstar has also continued its focus on artists, adding new awards in 2018 based on genre, along with categories for a wider range of acts that contribute significantly to the overall touring economy, including Best Residency, Best Support/Special Guest, Best Non-Music Tour, Best Brand Partnership, Best Touring Musician, and Best Soft Ticket Act. Beyond the nominees listed below, Pollstar will soon announce special awards for lifetime achievement and philanthropy, and engage fans with the first fan-voted award in the history of the event.

In recognition of the 30th anniversary (and in an effort to not take itself too seriously), Pollstar will celebrate the larger-than-life personalities and unique nature of the business via such irreverent categories as The Unavailable, Best Hang, Most Dreaded Phone Call and The Back In My Day. The entire slate of awards is geared toward presenting a compelling ceremony that salutes the touring industry’s illustrious past while celebrating its current vitality and promising future.

“The changes made for the 2019 Pollstar Awards reflect our ongoing efforts to present the most relevant and accurate representation of the ‘year in touring’ and the highest achieving artists and professionals that make up this dynamic, passionate business,” said Ray Waddell, president of OVG’s Media & Conferences division. “We also wanted to try and have some fun because, while this industry is definitely made up of the hardest working men and women in show business, they also know how to have a good time.”

The 2019 Pollstar Live! Conference & Awards runs Feb. 11-13, beginning with a day focused on production with Production Live! (programmed this year with legendary production guru Jake Berry) followed by two days of insightful sessions, keynotes, Q&As and presentations on the most relevant topics facing the global live business.

For more information on The Pollstar Live! Conference & Awards click here.

30th Annual Pollstar Awards Nominations

Best Hip-Hop/R&B
Drake | Aubrey & The Three Amigos Tour
Beyoncé & Jay-Z | On The Run II Tour
Post Malone | Beerbongs & Bentleys Tour
Travis Scott | Astroworld: Wish You Were Here Tour
Top Dawg Entertainment (Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Schoolboy Q, Jay Rock & More) |
The Championship Tour
Childish Gambino | This Is America Tour

Best Comedy Tour
Kevin Hart | The Kevin Hart Irresponsible Tour
Sebastian Maniscalco | Stay Hungry Tour
Dave Chappelle & Jon Stewart |
Jim Jefferies | The Night Talker Tour
Jerry Seinfeld | Jerry Seinfeld Live
Steve Martin & Martin Short | Steve Martin & Martin Short: An Evening You Will Forget For The Rest of Your Life

Best Support/Special Guest
Kacey Musgraves | Harry Styles – Harry Styles: Live
Kane Brown | Chris Young – Losing Sleep World Tour
Kelsea Ballerini | Keith Urban – Graffiti U World Tour
The Struts | Foo Fighters – Concrete and Gold Tour 2018
Migos | Drake – Aubrey & The Three Amigos Tour
Lauv | Ed Sheeran – ÷ Tour

Best Residency
Billy Joel | Madison Square Garden Arena
Bruce Springsteen | Walter Kerr Theatre
Celine Dion | Colosseum at Caesars Palace
Elton John | Colosseum at Caesars Palace
Jennifer Lopez | Zappos Theater in the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino
Backstreet Boys | Zappos Theater in the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino

Best Soft Ticket Act
10,000 Maniacs
Air Supply
America
Donny & Marie
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

Best Non-Music Tour of the Year
Pod Tours America
Becoming: An Intimate Conversation With Michelle Obama
Peppa Pig’s Surprise
WWE Monday Night Raw
Cirque du Soleil Crystal
Disney Junior Dance Party On Tour Presented by Pull-Ups

Best New Headliner
Greta Van Fleet
Billie Eilish
Harry Styles
Luke Combs
Kane Brown
Post Malone

Best Outdoor Concert Venue
Red Rocks Amphitheatre | Morrison, CO
Hollywood Bowl | Los Angeles, CA
Forest Hills Stadium | Queens, NY
Greek Theatre | Los Angeles, CA
Ascend Amphitheatre | Nashville, TN
Gorge Amphiteatre | George, WA
Merriweather Post Pavilion | Columbia, MD

Best New Concert Venue
The Sylvee | Madison, WI
Avenir Centre | Moncton, New Brunswick, CA
Fiserv Forum | Milwaukee, WI
The Rooftop at Pier 17 | New York, NY
Metropolitan Opera House | Philadelphia, PA
The Armory | Minneapolis, MN
Elsewhere | Brooklyn, NY

Venue Executive of the Year
Keith Sheldon, Barclays Center
Jeff Nickler, BOK Center
David Kells, Bridgestone Arena
Laurie Jacoby, Madison Square Garden
Chris Wright, Oracle Arena and Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
James Rasmussen, Golden 1 Center
Becky Colwell, Greek Theatre

Talent Buyer of the Year
Stacy Vee, Goldenvoice
Amy Corbin, C3 Presents
Don Strasburg, AEG Presents
Geoff Gordon, Live Nation
Huston Powell, C3 Presents
Sonia Grover, First Avenue
Stacie George, Live Nation

Bill Graham Award-Promoter of the Year
Louis Messina, Messina Touring Group
Ryan McElrath, Live Nation Touring
Brian O’Connell, Live Nation Country
Gregg Perloff, Another Planet Entertainment
Arthur Fogel, Live Nation Global Touring
Ali Harnell, AEG Presents

International Promoter of the Year
Simon Moran, SJM Concerts
Barrie Marshall, Marshal Arts Ltd
Jim King, AEG Presents
Denis Desmond, MCD Productions
Michael Chugg, Chugg Entertainment
Folkert Koopmans, FKP Scorpio

Bobby Brooks Award – Agent of the Year
Marty Diamond, Paradigm Talent Agency
Jay Williams, William Morris Endeavor
Andrew Simon, Creative Artists Agency
John Marx, William Morris Endeavor
Adam Kornfeld, Artist Group International
Cheryl Paglierani, United Talent Agency
Cara Lewis, Cara Lewis Group

International Booking Agent of the Year
Emma Banks, Creative Artists Agency
James Whitting, CODA
Neil Warnock, United Talent Agency
Rod MacSween, International Talent Booking
Steve Strange, X-Ray Touring
Jon Ollier, Creative Artists Agency

Booking Agency of the Year
William Morris Endeavor
Paradigm Talent Agency
Creative Artists Agency
United Talent Agency
Artist Group International
Agency for the Performing Arts

Rising Star
Joe Giordano Jr., BOK Center
Michael Owens, Chesapeake Energy Arena
Jared Braverman, Live Nation
Brittanie Delava, AEG Presents
Cheryl Paglierani, United Talent Agency
Lesley Olenik, Live Nation

Personal Manager of the Year
John Silva, Silva Artist Management
Stuart Camp, Grumpy Old Management
Irving Azoff, Full Stop Management
Coran Capshaw, Red Light Management
Jeffrey Azoff, Full Stop Management
Dre London, London Entertainment

Best Production/Transportation Company
Upstaging, Inc.
Rock-it Cargo
Premier Global Production
Beat The Street
StageCo
Egotrips, Inc.

Best Brand Partnership/Live Campaign
Honda Civic Tour w/ Charlie Puth
Nationwide Insurance w/ Brad Paisley
Ikea w/ Boston Calling
Bud Light w/ Post Malone
Hollister w/ Khalid
American Express w/ Ariana Grande
Gap w/ Leon Bridges

Best Touring Musician
John Mayer, Dead & Company
Elton John
Mike Campbell, Fleetwood Mac
Mark Rivera, Billy Joel
Trey Anastasio, Phish
Vince Gill, Eagles

Marketing/PR Exec
Michele Bernstein, William Morris Endeavor
Allison McGregor, Creative Artists Agency
Ebie McFarland, Essential Broadcast Media
Michelle McCarthy, Prudential Center
Asha Goodman, Sacks & Co
Eddie Clemens, United Talent Agency
Kate McMahon, Messina Touring Group
Kathi Brennan Scharnikow, AEG Presents

Best Hang
The Forum Club @ The Forum
Greek Theatre
Austin City Limits Music Festival
BOK Center
Osheaga
Stagecoach

The Lifer
Larry Vallon, AEG Presents
Ron Delsener, Live Nation
Alex Hodges, Nederlander Concerts
Bob Roux, Live Nation
Dan Weiner, Paradigm Talent Agency
Frank Riley, High Road Touring

The Unavailable Award
Jeffrey Shuman, Goldenvoice
Johnny Beach, Bowery Presents
Bob Roux, Live Nation
Irving Azoff, Full Stop Management
Jay Williams, William Morris Endeavor

Most Frequently Name-Dropped
Irving Azoff, Full Stop Management
Michael Rapino, Live Nation
Marc Geiger, William Morris Endeavor
Coran Capshaw, Red Light Management
Rob Light, Creative Artists Agency
Scooter Braun, SB Projects

The Back In My Day
Ron Delsener, Live Nation
Alex Hodges, Nederlander Concerts
Dale Morris, Morris Higham Management
Don Fox, Beaver Productions
Doc McGhee, McGhee Entertainment
Jason Stone, Live Nation

Most Dreaded Phone Call
Irving Azoff, Full Stop Management
Aaron Pinkus, Paradigm Talent Agency
Kirk Sommer, William Morris Endeavor
Don Fox, Beaver Productions
Gerry Barad, Live Nation
Howard Rose, Howard Rose Agency
Jeff Frasco, Creative Artists Agency

Most Terrifying Agent
Marsha Vlasic, Artist Group International
Brent Smith, William Morris Endeavor
Cara Lewis, Cara Lewis Group
Marc Geiger, William Morris Endeavor
Frank Riley, High Road Touring
Howard Rose, Howard Rose Agency
Ken Fermaglich, United Talent Agency