Summer’s finally here and so are “Today” and “Good Morning America’s” Friday-morning concerts.
If you think waking up in time to catch the 8 a.m. performances is hard, imagine being the musicians that need to show up for 6 a.m. rehearsals.
“When we give [musicians] the schedule, they go, ‘You need us there at that time?’ ” says Melissa Lonner, senior producer of NBC News and Sports. “And we do. With few exceptions, nobody really balks at it.”
Every band’s coping mechanism for being on time “is different going in,” says Dennis Dennehy, Interscope’s EVP of marketing and publicity.
“I’ve definitely had acts that’ve just stayed up all night and done it because it’s such an early call time, but I’ve also had acts that arrived overnight on a tour bus to perform that morning and acts that’ve been in New York for two days getting ready for it.”
Lonner usually asks if the musicians got any sleep the night before, but for some, she says “You can tell that they didn’t want to go to sleep because they’d be worried about not getting up since it’s not their [usual] hours of operation.”
There’ve been “heart-stopping moments,” Dennehy admits, when some performers didn’t show up for sound checks “and then all of a sudden you’re making frantic phone calls at 7:45.
“There definitely have been times when [the show is on-air] and the artist shows up and runs out on stage 60 seconds before the performance,” he says.
Head-to-head matchups
June 1 – The Band Perry Vs Brad Paisley
The Band Perry had a hit with “All Your Life” last summer, but Paisley’s got an entire album of hits.
June 8 – Chris Brown Vs Counting Crows
Chris Brown’s downtime actions are definitely divisive, but his songs are unstoppable.
June 15 – Justin Bieber Vs Beach Boys
This one’s a major generational gap, but Bieber fever wins out.
June 22 – Kenny Chesne TBA
June 29 – Maroon 5 vs LMFAO
Maroon 5 is a stellar act, but LMFAO’s party rocking tunes scream summer Fridays.
July 6 – Flo Rida Vs Demi Lovato
Ditto, Flo Rida—the rapper’s hopping tracks are way more summer-ready than Demi Lovato’s emotional ballads.
OLYMPICS HIATUS
Aug. 17 – Shakira Vs Neon Trees
Shakira is a bona fide international star, but the Neon Trees have something catchy and fresh to offer music fans.
Aug. 24 – Train Vs The Wanted