John Lickrish, CEO of Flash Entertainment in Abu Dhabi, has been booking A-list celebrities long enough to field some truly bizarre demands — including one request to kick a high-ranking American politician out of a hotel lobby (more on that later).
Lickrish booked Shakira in 2008, George Michael in 2009 and Kanye West in 2010. His upcoming Formula 1 concerts are also eclectic: Calvin Harris on November 23, J. Cole on November 24, Mumford & Sons on November 25 and Pink on November 26.
What does it take to build a decade-long legacy in live entertainment? And what ridiculous artist riders lie in the shadows? Gulf News tabloid! finds out from the man himself.
J. Cole recently replaced Kendrick Lamar on the F1 bill. I’m sure that happens a lot. Do you usually have a contingency plan?
It doesn’t happen that often. It happens a lot before contracts and announcements are made, but typically, once announcements are made, we’ve had very few [cancellations]. So it was very disappointing for me personally, because I’m a huge Kendrick fan. But I’m also a massive J. Cole fan, so that eased my pain. The first time [J. Cole] came out here, there were about 30 or 40,000 people waiting for him. We booked him based on one single, Who Dat, and the crowd [was] cheering his name before he even hit the stage.
You’re bringing Katy Perry in for New Year’s Eve. Last year you brought in Coldplay for the second time. How did they become the quintessential NYE band?
The first time they came here, it was a crazy show. It almost got cancelled. There was lightning and thunder, the stage was collapsing, the sound was cutting out and generators were going. I’ve never seen a storm like that… I said, ‘By the way — no one’s leaving. Look. Everyone’s sitting here in this torrential rainstorm in the desert.’ Based on that, they decided to play. It was incredible.
Which artist surprised you most with how pleasant they were?
Alicia Keys was incredibly nice to me. My wife had a baby like, two days before the event, so I was a complete mess. Stevie Wonder has been fantastic. I didn’t really want to meet Stevie, because I had a really crazy impression in my mind of what he was like. He’s even more amazing in real life than he is in your imagination.
Is there anyone on your wish list who you haven’t brought in yet?
Malcolm Young’s death [this week] was heartbreaking to me. He was the rhythm guitarist for AC/DC. I’ve come close a few times. I usually refrain from saying, but because of his passing I think it would be apt. I would’ve loved to have the real band. It was the first concert I ever went to — a sold-out AC/DC show at the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. I was probably 12 or 13.
Is there competition between promoters in the UAE?
There’s always going to be competition for those top artists. [When it comes to] festival stuff, most promoters respect each other’s space when it comes to doing events against each other. But the top tier acts is kind of a free for all.
What keeps people coming back?
Flash has been here since our Justin Timberlake show in 2007. If you come to a show in Abu Dhabi, you’re probably getting the same exact experience you’d be getting in London. Probably better, to be honest. I want to a UFC fight in Sweden and it took me two hours to get home. I go to an event in Abu Dhabi, it takes me 15 minutes.
Finally — craziest request you’ve ever had from the talent?
I was asked by an artist during Formula 1 to clear the lobby of Yas Hotel. The [US] Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was standing in the lobby, as well as Richard Branson and James Cameron. They called me and said, ‘Clear the lobby, get everyone out or we’re not going to perform tonight.’ I just hung up the phone and said, ‘Get lost. I’m not even entertaining it.’ They wanted me to kick Hillary Clinton out of the hotel lobby. The second one is sushi in the parking lot at 4am. Where am I gonna get sushi at 4am during the Formula 1?
