2022 Impact 50: Bob Roux

President, U.S. Concerts
Live Nation

Bob Roux has overseen business in all of Live Nation’s concert operations in the U.S. – and now including those on the club and theater level – since 2018, but he’s been a student of the art of negotiation for far longer than that.

He may find that skill to be of more importance than ever as COVID still makes headlines and fears of a recession loom.

But Roux is bullish on business.

“Ticket sales and public demand for concerts was veracious during the second half of 2021 and seems unabated so far in 2022,” Roux told Pollstar. “I would like to think that this enthusiasm for live will continue throughout 2023 as next year is shaping up to be a very significant touring year with a lot of major artists already confirmed to be hitting the road.”

And a lot of major artists want more from their concert promoter than simply sold-out shows – artist relations, marketing and just doing good in the communities they live and work in come into play, too. And Roux also helps make that happen.

“Last month I attended Chris Stapleton’s Concert for Kentucky … where the proceeds will be distributed through Chris’s Outlaw State Of Kind and Hometown Fund to directly benefit and support local and national organizations focusing on the arts and music throughout Kentucky,” Roux explains.

The concert may have been just one of more than 100 shows Roux attends in a normal year, but he’s not jaded – after all these years – to the joys of live music. Especially when he’s made to wait for it.

“This was the first concert to be held at the football stadium and sold more than 40,000 tickets. The weather was just perfect, the sound was incredible, and the fan response was overwhelming – it was especially moving since those fans had waited almost two and a half years to see this show – which originally went on sale in the Fall of 2019 and had to be rescheduled twice.”