Alicia Wagner Calzada San Antonians are fans of all music, but they prefer to rock out and get a little crazy crowd-surfing in at shows. That’s why bands such as Tool, Mötley Crüe and Ozzy Osbourne keep coming back for more.

SAN ANTONIO IS ROCK CITY

When Tool lead singer Maynard James Keenan fell ill in September 2006, forcing the band to cancel its show at the AT&T Center, Jerry Goldman — director of booking at the arena — knew the band would reschedule the date.

Tool did, for March 26.

However, the band was again forced to cancel when drummer Danny Carey tore a bicep. Even then, Goldman still knew Tool eventually would find its way to San Antonio.

The hard rock quartet will be here, barring something unforeseen, on Monday, May 21.

“It was never even a question,” Goldman said. “They actually called us first because we're essentially sold out for that show. They view us as anchor dates, and they routed dates around us both times.”
Apparently, San Antonio's reputation as a hard rock hotbed precedes it.

Tool is one of many rock acts that have made their way through San Antonio in the past few months. There were the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Burden Brothers in March and Static-X and Army of Anyone in April. As for this month, bands such as Megadeth and Heaven and Hell have come through, while hard rock mainstays Deftones are set for a two-night show at Sunset Station on May 18 and 19.

Even so, many insist that San Antonio has shown its support for nonrock artists as well.

“It's just kind of whoever is hot or getting the most attention,” said Jack's Patio Bar & Grill owner John Jansky, who also books shows at Austin's Red Eyed Fly and Lucy's in San Marcos. “We booked (former New Kid on the Block) Jordan Knight one year.”

Among the rock artists who've played Jack's are Poison frontman Bret Michaels, Burden Brothers and Flickerstick.

Others have also noticed an increase in nonrock acts playing San Antonio.

“Harder rock shows sell better here, but you have to look at the other side of the coin,” said Goldman, who pointed to the AT&T Center sellouts for George Strait, Shakira and Cheetah Girls.

“We're usually guaranteed a sellout with any mainstream heavy metal or rock-based concert, but recently, we have found success in many genres of music,” added Christopher Novosad, marketing manager for Sunset Station.

The success of hard rock in San Antonio comes as no surprise to Jack Orbin, owner of Stone City Attractions, which has previously promoted bands such as the Rolling Stones and Ozzy Osbourne. And while this city has featured a larger number of nonrock acts over the past few years, Orbin insists that live rock music always will be a staple of San Antonio.

“It's always going to have a place for the Tools and Ozzy Osbournes and Mötley Crües,” said Orbin, who founded Stone City in 1972. “That's the foundation of San Antonio.”

Of course, which artists choose to play here doesn't always depend on musical genre, but dollars and cents.

“San Antonio will not always support the real high-dollar ticket,” said Goldman, citing many rock acts as having more affordable tickets. “That's why we don't get first looks on a lot of stuff.”

Artists who have bypassed San Antonio in favor of other Texas stops include Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, The Police and alt-rock favorites The Killers.

Craig Chambers, program director at classic rock station KZEP-FM 104.5, said it's a matter of bringing in artists who will ignite a fire in local music fans.

“People are passionate about all music here — disco, rock, whatever,” he said. “They're all passionate, and even though people have changed, the core still remains.”

Words: Clint Hale | 210SA