Artists seek a homelike experience on tour, promoter says

World-famous artists want to feel as comfortable as possible while on tour, Liina Tammepõld, marketing and communications manager for L Tips Agency’s Estonian branch, told ERR’s Vikerraadio. The agency is organising Moby, The Cure and OMD concerts in August.

Tammepõld said such arrangements were not a matter of musicians’ whims or deliberately difficult demands. Moby’s personal assistant on the tour is Estonian, and the two have worked closely to ensure the artist is comfortable in Estonia.

“Artists also want to feel as much at home as possible while on tour,” Tammepõld said. She added that a person who works with Andrea Bocelli is assisting backstage at both concerts taking place that week. “Estonians are capable,” she said.

Tammepõld said the agency’s artist choices were based mainly on logistics and available dates rather than expected audience reactions. For major artists, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are treated as one region, she said, noting that concerts in Estonia also attract visitors from Latvia and Lithuania.

L Tips Agency is a small company with four Latvian employees, one Estonian and one Lithuanian. The team discusses artists extensively, while the company’s head makes the final decision and assumes the financial risk.

Tammepõld said concert tours could also be cancelled. She recalled buying her husband tickets to a Neil Young concert in Italy, along with flights and accommodation, only for the entire tour to be cancelled in the spring. Her bank credit card included travel insurance, which covered the costs because the purpose of the trip was to attend the concert.

She said the work could be highly stressful, but the adrenaline and excitement after a concert made it worthwhile. Her favourite moment comes when a concert begins and she directs photographers to the front of the stage, allowing her to spend the first songs there herself.

Moby’s album released in the first half of this year includes a song titled “Tallinn”. Tammepõld said she had researched the song and found that it was a tribute to Arvo Pärt.

In addition to major concerts, Tammepõld organises community concerts and supports Estonian artists. She works with Tallinn Music Week and organises concerts in her hometown of Elva. Mikk Tammepõld and Lauri Räpp performed in the garden of Verevi motel at the end of July, while Mari Jürjens is scheduled to perform at the end of August.