page: 
 title: Cover Charge Almost Killed The Tool Show
author: Bill Locey

**The band balked at the owner's plan to charge the under-21 
crowd an extra $5 to make up for the two-drink minimum.  In 
the end, the surcharge was waived**
     Opposites don't always attract; usually they fight.  And
odds are, it won't be even, much less pretty.  Husbands and 
wives, dogs and cats, jocks and dorks, UCLA and USC, bands and
club owners - all natural enemies.  For bands, one of the few
things members agree on is that they have a common enemy - the
club owner.  He, in turn, sees the pompous, no-talent rock 
star as just a necessary, but noisy, evil.
     The implicit danger is obvious when it comes to writing 
in the past tense about something that hasn't happened yet.  
But the sold-out Tool show at the Ventura Theatre last Tuesday
almost didn't happen.  It was on, then off, then on again.
     Tool's 1993 debut album went gold, plus they have some
award-winning videos and a bunch of fans, if no new music.  
The show, nonetheless, three-fourths sold out at the time, was
canceled on the afternoon of Nov. 4.  It was resurrected on 
the following Tuesday, or in plenty of time to get left out of
the listings, when venue owner Gary Folgner decided to waive a
surcharge aimed at the nondrinking under-aged.
     According to Peter Reidling, Tool's tour manager, it was
the same old story:
     "On Friday, there was a dispute about charging everyone
under 21 five extra dollars for a two-drink minimum.  We don't
think it's right to charge an extra $5; it's just not fair.  It
was a band and management decision to cancel the show, and we
left it up to them.  They got back to us, and the show is back
on.  The show is going to sell out, and they're going to make
plenty of money, anyway."
     But according to Ventura Theatre manager, Tom Welton, it 
was the same old story:
     "They were crying about the two-drink minimum, because 
they weren't getting a piece of it.  They're trying to tell us
how to run our business, which is like us telling them what
songs to play.  Also, it's not like we're charging people five
bucks and they're not getting anything for it.  We've had this
policy for two or three years.  We're not going to make any 
money off this show, anyway, because most of the people will 
be underage, and they can't drink.
     "After spending 15 bucks to get in, then another 15 for a
T-shirt, they don't have any money left.  A lot of times, if 
the kids don't have the extra five bucks, we let 'em in, 
anyway. 
     "It costs us approximately $6,800 just to open the doors.
We have to pay sound, lights, box office, security, rent, 
ASCAP and advertising, plus for Tool, we're going to have to
spend $1,500 for extra security.  It only costs $2 or $3 to 
make a shirt, so if they really cared about their fans, they'd
have cheaper T-shirts, and they would let people record the 
show like the Gratful Dead and Phish do."
     But according to Toby Emery, the raging part of local 
rockers Raging Arb & the Redheads, it was the same old story:
     "The theater is the only place where kids can go to see
a band.  But, if they're going to drop the $5 charge for some
national touring act, then why not do it for the locals?"
     I think I'll wait for the free Tool show fueled by free
beer with bouncers washing my car with Tool T-shirts.

Posted to t.d.n: 07/28/97 00:12:53