EXTREME TOUR 2006
What We Do
Thanks for the interest. I really appreciate that there are folks like you that ARE about using your talents to reach people with the Gospel. I look forward to possibly including you as a part of this year’s Extreme Tour. I think we are going to have a great year.
I know your time is valuable. I just wanted to drop you a quick note, thanking you for your response, and answering a few of the questions I am sure you must have. There is quite a bit of info here, but if you can read through it (You will find it broken down in sections), you should find most, if not all, of your questions answered.
Basically, we work to make doing an Extreme Tour Event in your area as easy as possible. If you have ever done a concert or major Tour Event before, you will find that OUR Tour is DRAMATICALLY cheaper and easier to pull off.
We also think that you get more “Bang for your Buck” with the Extreme Tour. Again, this is because we are ABSOLUTELY NOT about making money. In fact, we make literally NO profit producing and presenting the Extreme Tour. Because the Bands and Crew volunteer their time, there is no “Payroll” costs involved in doing this Tour. All the money collected by our office through the “Administration Fee” goes DIRECTLY to the costs of bringing the Tour to your town.
WHAT WE BRING TO YOUR CITY
The Bands: Award Winning and Nationally Recognized Artists like Kutless (Tooth and Nail Records), KJ-52 (Uprok Records), Rock and Roll Worship Circus (Epic Records), Spoken (Tooth and Nail Records) , Falling Up (BEC Recordings), Dizmas (EMI, Credential Records), LA Symphony (Gotee Records), Edison Glass (EMI, Credential Records) , Shawn Macdonald (Sparrow Records), House Of Heroes (Gotee Records), Grand Prize (Apostrophe Records), Last Tuesday (Gotee Records) Strange Occurrence (Steelroots / Flicker Records), MG The Visionary (Uprok Records), Priesthood (Metro 1 Records), Benjamin Del Shreeve (Ninth Hour Records), Chasing Furies (Sparrow Records), Members of Christafari, Members of Five Iron Frenzy, Members of Fold Zandura, and others have all donated their time and talents to the Extreme Tour Events over the past few years. Several of them will be with us AGAIN this year. They are joined by some of the nation’s best new unsigned, or recently signed, bands. God has been very good to us, sending us incredible talent for use in this effort.
Certainly, only with God is it possible to get these guys to donate their time and talents like they have. The donated honorariums and performance fees average up to $ 10,000 - $ 15,000 PER CITY! All of that, money, normally charged by these SAME artists, that you DON’T have to pay.
The Production: Over the years, we have been blessed to have with us, some of the BEST Sound Engineers and Production Crew in the business. In fact, in 2001, Michael Faber, the Former Production Director for Artists like Bette Midler and Manhattan Transfer, directed the Extreme Tour Production Crew. That was also the year that Spectrum ATG and Speakerwerx (The Sound Company that provides sound systems for Billy Joel, Waylon Jennings, Madonna, and others) actually TEAMED UP to DONATE the Sound System for that year’s Tour ! What an AWESOME MIRACLE !
Through a SECULAR Company, God provided us with literally one of the “. . . best sound systems on the road that year.” (According to a Major Industry Magazine that actually did a write up about the donation of the equipment) As in years past, The Production Team members have also donated their time and talents. This is necessary, as Fees for Production Staff can normally be one of the most expensive parts of putting on a concert. This is a donation that often has a value of up to $ 3,000 per city.
The Promotional Assistance: Many of today’s Christian Artists are now REQUIRING that Promoters hire pre-selected Publicity Agents to aid Promoters in their efforts to produce a concert. While this can be very helpful as these agents DO contact your local media, design posters and flyers, coordinate an advertising campaign for the tour they serve, etc; They are often an expensive addition to the cost of bringing in a tour.
In fact, it is not at all uncommon for these Publicity Agents to charge fees in excess of 500 dollars for help promoting a SINGLE performance. (Often, MUCH more is charged for production of necessary promotional materials as well.) However, the Extreme Tour Publicity Staff works FREE OF CHARGE to assist you with putting together your event.
Not only that, but also all of the promotional materials involved with the Extreme Tour Publicity Campaign is provided to you at NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE. This includes Posters, Flyer Designs, Internet Advertising, Press Releases, and (Upon Request) Television and Radio Advertising Materials. The value of these donated services and materials of up to $ 2,000 per City!
Logistical Support: We also work to reduce the expenses that would normally surround just getting all the Team Members transported to, and accommodated during, the Extreme Tour Event in your city. For instance, ALL of the performance team members take care of their own transportation costs rather than charging YOU for their airfare or gas.
We also have removed the normal requirements of Hotel Rooms, accepting just about anywhere that you can find for us to sleep in. This is a tremendous savings compared to the cost of bringing other tours in.
Finally, we have removed the catering requirements normally involved in bringing in the artists that are with us. Instead, we will eat just about anything you set before us. Altogether, these changes add up to a savings of up to$ 3,000 a city!
The Proposal: Let me be clear. There is nothing extraordinary about The Extreme Tour Administrative Staff. It’s not that we are “Tour Geniuses”. (As anyone who knows us will tell you, we are FAR from it !) I do not mean to infer that it is any special influence within the Industry that allows us to arrange all this.
Rather, it is CRITICAL that we make clear that ALL the Glory is GOD’S! It is because of HIM that we are able to offer to help you reach people like this. HE is the one that accomplishes each miracle that it takes to do all of this. We PRAISE GOD for just the opportunity to be there when HE moves like He does.
Let me also be clear that there is only one reason why we would work to put together so many resources for free. Reaching people for Jesus is the single reason that we do this. Not money, not “numbers”, not for power or influence.
We are certainly not against making money. Nor do we desire small turnouts or an unsuccessful appearance. Like anybody, we enjoy being successful and having people see it and recognize that. However, we believe that the results are exclusively up to God. We desire to just be obedient. Speaking HIS Words exactly where HE wants us to be. We believe that He has called us to your city, and you are the contact that He has given us at this point. So, we approach you with this proposal: Let’s work together to make a difference in your city!
The Role You Would Play: It's important to stress that there is still plenty of work to do to pull off an Extreme Tour Event. While these “In Kind” Donations make it much more inexpensive and easier to do an event as big as ours, you still MUST put a lot of effort in to the event in order to make it a success.
It will be YOU; for example, that gets the words out to those you want to minister to that the event will take place. Without this, nobody will show up, REGARDLESS of how good the Tour we bring to town is. And without people to minister to, all of the efforts, all of the donations, are wasted.
It is also your responsibility to find, and secure, the proper venues for the events. And finally, it is your responsibility to find the reduced food and lodging needs that are still required to accommodate the Tour Team.
The good news is that it is not REALLY you that will pull this all together. In the end, you are just responsible to do all that you can. GOD will be the one who provides for each of these needs. It is, after all HIS Work that will be done, HIS Kingdom that will be increased. Over the past 6 years, we have watched God provide MIRACULOUSLY over and over again!
God moves powerfully when we are faithful to the Call He puts on our lives. There is no doubt in my mind that He can and WILL do so for YOU, in YOUR City, should you decide that God has called you to allow us to join you in ministering to the Lost in your city.
What We Need From You
Obviously, you will need to pray about this decision. You will want to “consider the cost” of doing something like this. Certainly, the more information we can give you now about exactly what it will take, the better. So, with that in mind, we thought we would send you the following info, describing what it is we are looking for from each city.
As you read this, please keep in mind, that we will do ALL we can to adjust the requirements ( If possible) so as to make this Cooperative Outreach Effort possible.
There are approximately 25 - 35 people that are traveling with the Team. Here are the “Vital Statistics”; the needs that will need to be met in order for the event to be pulled off:
Lodging Guidelines
We actually PREFER to be housed at a single site. (Churches, Schools, Warehouses, Barns, Etc.) This makes traveling together simpler to accomplish. But, we are flexible. Each city needs to have approximately 5 - 7 separate areas available for use by the tour team for lodging. These areas can be Host Homes, Church facilities, School Dorms, classrooms, large closets, Borrowed R.V.s, Even a large tent or two. We aim to get every team member off the floor (On a bed, couch, etc.). We understand though, that this would take a minor miracle as we have SO many people, so we ask that, if we can’t keep them off of the floor, that we at least give them privacy within their individual band structure. About 5 of the areas need to be able to hold up to 5 people. 1 or 2 of the spaces can be smaller, as long it can hold an air mattress or two.
Showers MUST be made available preferably onsite with the lodging, although we understand if this is not possible. We MUST have showers made available SOMEWHERE accessible, though.
We appreciate that the lodging is perhaps the most difficult need to fill. We are VERY appreciative of all the hard work that is done to meet this need. Please understand that these needs are not meant to be difficult or extravagant. Keep in mind that we are on the road for months and it simply is not very healthy or desirable to be sleeping on gym floors in a mass group for such a long period of time. However, we will be as flexible as necessary. Thanks again for the hard work If it seems like you will not be quite able to meet these standards, please call us. We do NOT want the lodging needs to be the only reason that an Outreach like this does not happen.
Food Guidelines
We have found that serving the 3 meals required “Potluck Style” is often the simplest and most successful way to meet this need. We ask that the menu not include seafood so as to not conflict with any allergies of the team. Due to the frequency of their offering, we ask that any city planning to serve Pizza, Spaghetti, or Hot Dogs consult with Jeff Connor, our Coordinator Liaison, to see if this will be appropriate for your time on the tour. PLEASE PROVIDE A MINIMUM OF 150 BOTTLES OF WATER FOR THE BANDS DURING AND AT THE EVENT. (This is to help preserve the performer’s voices as they tour extensively with us)
We need a total of 3 meals per city. Dinner on the first night, Lunch and Dinner on the second day. Breakfasts are not recommended as many of the bands do not eat breakfast. Midnight snacks are greatly appreciated, but are, of course, not required.
Local Staffing:
We need approximately 5 able bodied people to be on hand to help with Event Set Up at the beginning of each day. (About 12 Noon) We also ask that there be 5 able bodied people on hand at the end of the day (About 10 PM) for Event Tear Down.
We need 2 - 5 able bodied men to be available throughout the event for Security.
We need 5 - 10 people to be on hand to assist with ministry to those that respond to the Gospel throughout the event. We will provide any training that you desire for these folks to have. We also bring Bibles, Tracts, and other Literature with us to give to those that respond. Again, this is at no cost to you
We also ask that, if possible, there be a person put in charge of each of these areas. We find that distributing, through delegation, the responsibilities involved with the production of the Tour Event greatly reduces the difficulty of getting this all done. This would ideally include a person overseeing the local advertising of the event, and perhaps someone overseeing the effort to get other churches and ministries involved.
Venue Guidelines:
The Tour Team is available to do Two Events in your City. Normally, the first event would be a Church Event. This event would be geared for drawing the churches in the community together for a time of Corporate Prayer and Praise in preparation for the Outreach Event the next day. This event should be held in a venue, which you provide, that is capable of holding as many people as you believe would turn out to such an event. (Normally about 3 to 5 Hundred) There needs to be a sound system made available at this venue for the Extreme Tour Team to use. This is because the Tour Team is normally not in town soon enough to set up our own on the first night.
Normally, the second event would be an Outreach Event. This Event would be geared for attracting and evangelizing At-Risk and Unchurched People Groups. This Event should be held in a PUBLIC setting, which you provide, large enough to hold as many people as you feel would attend such an event. (Normally 750 - 1,250) We STRONGLY recommend that this venue NOT be a Church, Parking Lot, or other “Christian” Facility. There needs to be adequate Power available for the Production Equipment that we bring with us. (Usually about 60 AMPS of Power) You may also need to consult the City about obtaining an “excessive noise” permit if the venue is an outdoor one. (Strongly Recommended)
Fundraising Support:
There are some costs that need to be provided for in each City. This Fee represents all the Administrative Costs being divided up between all of the cities that are involved with the Tour this year. This money is what pays for the Skate Park Construction, Skate Team and Park Transport, Office Expenses, Utilities, Telephone Costs, Postage and Shipping, Hauling the production equipment, Etc; All that is required in order to put on a Tour like this one. The total Administrative Fee is projected to be $1,000 dollars, per city, this year
Well, that’s about it. If you can meet these needs, we will pay our own transportation costs to get to you so we can play at the venue that you provide. We will work in any format that you feel that God has led you to use for Outreach. And we also will be prepared to provide a tried and true format should you be unsure of quite how to go about everything. In short, our goal is to reach the lost for Jesus. And we will do anything that we can, to work with your ministry, as you do that in your city.
I know you will want to pray about whether or not this will work for you. We will pray as well, that God will guide you in your decision. I trust that He will. Please do try to get back with us as quickly as possible though as the longer we have to work on it, the better the event can be. God bless you, man. I look forward to hearing from you again soon.
|
|
|
