Are you aware of tours being insured, especially nowadays?
Here's one that recently happened.
A name band decides its going to tour. Dates are lined up, sound system and companies are reserved and slowly a small virtual corporation is formed.
You might have noticed tours rarely cancel dates, lots of reasons for that now. Some times the you'll notice a band seems to be following another national act. Many times two or three full size sound systems are dedicated to several bands allowing each sound system to either stay in place and be utilized or possibly moved a short distance to be used by another band.this is more efficient a one touring system is on the road to the next gig while another is being set up and another is being used that night.
Promoter's don't want to sign on and assemble a tour if the band has issues. Performance insurance means all those bodies moving and manning that equipment along with the venues and their electricians, vendors, security, etc will be paid, whether or not the artist plays.
One of the reasons Tom Petty's condition was so dire was that Mr. Petty couldn't get that insurance because he likely would have flunked the physical because of pharmaceuticals. Jimi, Janis and Jim would have failed to meet the minimum just as some current artists would.
Keith was attending rehab as it was, but wasn't following instructions unfortunately.
The Quadrophenia tour left the band in the hole for about $40K or £40K after the Tours conclusion. Don't remember which.
Townshend should have listened more to Zappa about record company accounting.
