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The entertainment company that booked Poison for the Douglas County Fair has issued an apology for a video segment that played on a screen behind the band and showed bare-breasted women.
“I’m upset and dumbfounded that after years of booking Poison, they would think that such a video at a fair was appropriate,” wrote Fran Romeo, vice president of fairs and festival entertainment for TBA Global, in an e-mail sent to Fairgrounds Director Harold Phillips.
Out of 20 fair bookings that Romeo has handled for Poison over the last five or six years, this was the first time she had ever received a complaint about the group’s performance, Romeo said during a telephone interview Thursday from Boise, Idaho.
“If I had known about this video, I would have demanded it not be used,” said Romeo, who was in Boise to oversee a show she booked by country singer Josh Turner at the Western Idaho Fair. “No one was aware that it was going to be shown.”
Romeo said her company has strict guidelines about appropriate conduct during shows at county and state fairs. Those audiences generally include a large number of children and it’s important that their presence be taken into account.
“I’ve never had an issue. We always ask for them to be fair-friendly,” Romeo said.
The incident was first raised publicly at the Aug. 15 meeting of the county Board of Commissioners. Commissioner Marilyn Kittelman mentioned it as one of several “disturbing things” that took place at the fair the week before.
Phillips said he first became aware of the incident after a reporter telephoned him following the commissioners’ meeting. No one complained to him after Poison’s Aug. 9 performance or during the week after the fair, nor did Kittelman call to inform him or seek information on what happened, he said.
Phillips said he saw only a portion of Poison’s performance. He said he typically watches the beginning of each night’s concert and then turns his attention to other areas of the fairgrounds.
After hearing of the complaint, Phillips said he spoke with several people who attended the concert and learned that a pre-recorded video projected on a screen behind the band contained snippets showing naked women.
“We’re sorry that happened. We don’t condone it,” Phillips said.
A separate apology was also issued by APA Inc., a talent agency that represents Poison. Bonnie Sugarman, the Nashville company’s senior vice president, said no one, including Phillips, had prior knowledge of the contents of the video.
“We are deeply sorry for any hurt or embarrassment Poison’s use of a particular video caused you or the fair,” Sugarman said in an e-mail sent to Romeo on Wednesday and later forwarded to Phillips. “Please assure everyone that we stress audience awareness to our acts, and being “fair friendly” is one of our main criteria. Being a rock band, Poison obviously used their “artistic license” to present the show as they saw fit and in the process offended some people.”
Romeo is also seeking an apology from the band itself. She made contact with the band’s manager earlier this week and asked for a written apology.
Romeo also alerted managers at the Colorado State Fair in Pueblo, where Poison is scheduled to appear next week, of the Douglas County situation. She wanted to give them a “heads-up” so fair managers there could ensure the video wasn’t shown to their audience.
Phillips said he had his talent coordinator call the day of the Poison show and check with officials from the Oregon Garden in Silverton. The band played there the night before and no concerns were raised, Phillips said.
He said he made the same kind of check before last year’s Alice Cooper show, which also yielded no concerns. A number of people complained about the choice of Cooper before the concert but Phillips said he received no complaints afterward.
The most complaints he received came after rocker Ted Nugent’s show two years ago. Between songs, Nugent made hurtful comments about Japanese people and other groups and many concertgoers were offended, Phillips said.
Kittelman has asked for a joint meeting between the Board of Commissioners and the Fair Board to talk about the Poison situation and other concerns. The meeting has been tentatively set for Sept. 6.
• You can reach reporter John Sowell at 957-4209 or by e-mail at jsowell@newsreview.info.
“I’m upset and dumbfounded that after years of booking Poison, they would think that such a video at a fair was appropriate,” wrote Fran Romeo, vice president of fairs and festival entertainment for TBA Global, in an e-mail sent to Fairgrounds Director Harold Phillips.
Out of 20 fair bookings that Romeo has handled for Poison over the last five or six years, this was the first time she had ever received a complaint about the group’s performance, Romeo said during a telephone interview Thursday from Boise, Idaho.
“If I had known about this video, I would have demanded it not be used,” said Romeo, who was in Boise to oversee a show she booked by country singer Josh Turner at the Western Idaho Fair. “No one was aware that it was going to be shown.”
Romeo said her company has strict guidelines about appropriate conduct during shows at county and state fairs. Those audiences generally include a large number of children and it’s important that their presence be taken into account.
“I’ve never had an issue. We always ask for them to be fair-friendly,” Romeo said.
The incident was first raised publicly at the Aug. 15 meeting of the county Board of Commissioners. Commissioner Marilyn Kittelman mentioned it as one of several “disturbing things” that took place at the fair the week before.
Phillips said he first became aware of the incident after a reporter telephoned him following the commissioners’ meeting. No one complained to him after Poison’s Aug. 9 performance or during the week after the fair, nor did Kittelman call to inform him or seek information on what happened, he said.
Phillips said he saw only a portion of Poison’s performance. He said he typically watches the beginning of each night’s concert and then turns his attention to other areas of the fairgrounds.
After hearing of the complaint, Phillips said he spoke with several people who attended the concert and learned that a pre-recorded video projected on a screen behind the band contained snippets showing naked women.
“We’re sorry that happened. We don’t condone it,” Phillips said.
A separate apology was also issued by APA Inc., a talent agency that represents Poison. Bonnie Sugarman, the Nashville company’s senior vice president, said no one, including Phillips, had prior knowledge of the contents of the video.
“We are deeply sorry for any hurt or embarrassment Poison’s use of a particular video caused you or the fair,” Sugarman said in an e-mail sent to Romeo on Wednesday and later forwarded to Phillips. “Please assure everyone that we stress audience awareness to our acts, and being “fair friendly” is one of our main criteria. Being a rock band, Poison obviously used their “artistic license” to present the show as they saw fit and in the process offended some people.”
Romeo is also seeking an apology from the band itself. She made contact with the band’s manager earlier this week and asked for a written apology.
Romeo also alerted managers at the Colorado State Fair in Pueblo, where Poison is scheduled to appear next week, of the Douglas County situation. She wanted to give them a “heads-up” so fair managers there could ensure the video wasn’t shown to their audience.
Phillips said he had his talent coordinator call the day of the Poison show and check with officials from the Oregon Garden in Silverton. The band played there the night before and no concerns were raised, Phillips said.
He said he made the same kind of check before last year’s Alice Cooper show, which also yielded no concerns. A number of people complained about the choice of Cooper before the concert but Phillips said he received no complaints afterward.
The most complaints he received came after rocker Ted Nugent’s show two years ago. Between songs, Nugent made hurtful comments about Japanese people and other groups and many concertgoers were offended, Phillips said.
Kittelman has asked for a joint meeting between the Board of Commissioners and the Fair Board to talk about the Poison situation and other concerns. The meeting has been tentatively set for Sept. 6.
• You can reach reporter John Sowell at 957-4209 or by e-mail at jsowell@newsreview.info.
