When a bull is done bucking its rider off at this week’s Professional Bull Riders event in Tacoma, music will start playing in between sections like always — but this time with a twist.
The bull riding circuit is conducting what it believes will be a first this weekend when it has rock band Warrant play not just a pre- or post-event concert but rather as the event goes on. The music will be part of a value add-on to tickets as opposed to raising ticket prices to offset the expense.
“Rather than just have them open as a pre-show or post-show concert, we decided to integrate the music throughout the show, almost like a house band,” said Sean Gleason, chief executive of PBR. “Music is a huge part of our strategy, so rather than rent music from someone else, we’re looking at strategic opportunities where we can own it with an opportunistic purpose.”
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The band’s appearance is part of a wider push the bull riding series is making into music.
Photo by: PBR
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Warrant’s relationship with PBR started when the series signed the band this year to re-record the classic Merle Haggard song, “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink,” which is now played at midnight every night in nearly a dozen PBR-branded bars around the country.
During the show this weekend, Warrant will play a set leading up to the opening, but once the show starts, it will continue playing as the “under music” between rides, Gleason said. The band will also play songs leading into commercial breaks on CBS, which will likely pick up some of the music as it transitions. The band will perform on a specially constructed stage directly across from the chutes.
While Gleason said PBR is taking a measured approach to the move before committing to doing it again, he said the series envisions this becoming a new model it can use to promote both established and up-and-coming artists, likely either in the country or rock/hard rock genres.
The move is part of a wider push the bull riding series, which is owned by WME-IMG, is making into music. On top of buying the rights to Warrant’s recording of the Haggard song to use at its bars, PBR also got WME-IMG client Steven Tyler to record the series’ new anthem last year.
Gleason said the series is seeing a 4 to 5 percent attendance increase this season after averaging about 8,500 fans last season.
“We’re going to see how it goes and take it slow; we’re not going to try to redefine the entire experience on one event,” Gleason said. “This will be a learning experience to see how seamless we can make it.”
