Shelley Lazar, founder of SLO Ticketing, dies at age 69 – Variety

Shelley Lazar, founder of SLO Ticketing and pioneer of high-end ticketing and VIP programs of artists such as The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and The Who, died Sunday morning after a battle with cancer, confirmed a representative of his company. She was 69 years old.

Nicknamed affectionately "The Ticket Queen" – or "MFTQ", as nicknamed Keith Richards – Vanity Fair has called Lazar "brain-access cards all-in-one rock royalty". Vice President of Artistic Relations and Special Projects Bill Graham Presents (BGP), where she worked from 1991 to 2002, before embarking on the SLO VIP Ticket Services, based in San Francisco. Earlier in her career in her native New York, she worked with promoter Ron Delsener and at Madison Square Garden.

In the book titled "Ticket Masters, the booming concert industry and how the public has been scalping," Lazar explained how she had created the VIP ticketing package.

"I told the artists:" These are your big fans and your tickets are great, so why not give your big fans the great tickets? ", She said." In this way, they do not have to surrender to what we called at the time the scalpers. "

His Facebook page is filled with homage lovers. In 2014, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, McCartney performed "San Francisco Bay Blues", a quick hit for the Weavers, and dedicated it to him. He speaks at length about her in the video included in the tweet below, saying "Do you want tickets for anything? Shelley is the favorite, "then apologize. We can see her smiling and beckoning at the end of this video and that of McCartney performing the song.

According to his biography, Lazar then directed VIP ticketing and identification coordination during major concert, festival and event tours, including Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Pink, Celine Dion, the MTV Video Music Awards, the People's Choice. Awards, Barbra Streisand's 2017 special television, Madonna's "Drowned World" tour and even two popes; She was co-executive producer of the award-winning documentary Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars.

Ticketmaster bought SLO in 2008, with Lazar still managing director.

Lazar began working part time in the music industry in the early 1970s while she was still teaching at a public school in New York (the future comedy and film star Chris Rock was one of his students). According to her biography, she has worked in many areas of the business, starting with catering and then going on to booking, marketing and finally ticketing, managing the box office at Madison Square Garden and gaining the reputation of Keeper of the list "at the Pier in New York for the shows promoted by Ron Delsener.

She has also been active in several non-profit organizations, including the Bill Graham Memorial Foundation, Human Rights Watch and Elton John AIDS Foundation. She has also merged her teaching and music experiences as a member of the board of directors of Little Kids Rock, a Verona, New Jersey based charity, encouraging children to play popular music by providing free instruction and musical instruments to school districts in the region. country.