LOUIS MESSINA FOUNDER/CEO MESSINA TOURING GROUP

The veteran promoter is the force behind some of the biggest tours (and innovations) in the live business — but his eye is always on his artists’ entire careers

BY MELINDA NEWMAN

WHEN VETERAN concert promoter Louis Messina weighs adding an act to Messina Touring Group’s impressive stable of superstar artists, his eyes aren’t focused on the stage. Instead, he’s intently surveying the concert audience. “I watch eyes and lips: eyes, if they’re really focusing on the artists, and lips, if they’re singing along and if they’re smiling,” he says. “When I see that happening, that’s when I know I need to be involved. It’s rare that you see artists that can do that and [aren’t] just going through the motions. You know they bring this unique connection.” Messina knows that feeling well; he remembers first experiencing it at just 7 years old, when his father took him to see Elvis Presley in his hometown of New Orleans. “I’ve never forgotten that energy…

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Billboard (Digital) - 1 Issue, October 26, 2024

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