Ron Delsener Presents. These three words were synonymous with shows in New York City in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. They were emblazoned on billboards, splash atop of print ads and posters, and were read aloud with immense gusto on TV and radio spots.
Ron Delsener Presents is also the aptly titled documentary about the famed concert promoter’s life. The documentary, which is making its initial theatrical run, tells the story of a New York City kid who went from auctioning off used plates and cigarette butts from The Beatles in order to fund his next show to becoming one of the most important people to ever work in the concert industry. The film not only chronicles his ascension in the industry but also illustrates how he revolutionized the industry from corporate sponsorships, to getting behind promising acts who went on to become stars to ultimately paving the path for the current multi-billion dollar corporate machine the concert industry has become.
Ron Delsener, as a documentary subject, is absolutely beguiling. You can see why the biggest names in music still speak so fondly of him. He’s a walking music history book, and if you’re a music aficionado you will find yourself completely enraptured listening to him wax poetic about the legendary Simon & Garfunkel Central Park concert, helping KISS break out in New York City, the sheer talent of Tina Turner, and how the concert promotion game was a non-stop high anxiety gamble every single show.
His storytelling is enriched by vintage footage of concerts from all his venues (all the Central Park footage is worth its weight in gold), posters and ticket stubs from shows he promoted, and interviews he had during Knicks halftime shows. It’s almost heartbreaking to see footage of the high-gloss, corporate produced shows take over this historic footage as the soul, the hustle and the ingenuity of Delsener (and others) is seemingly lost to the sands of time.
This leads to the one weakness in the documentary. We don’t really get to see the poignancy of the industry shifting from Delsener’s hustle to the corporatization of the business. It’s talked about by people like Peter Shapiro of Brooklyn Bowl, and we hear Delsener talk about when he sold his company to SFX Entertainment (the precursor to LiveNation) he was relieved he didn’t have to spend his own money anymore. In the earliest parts of the film we see Delsener working at LiveNation, hanging out at a Jimmy Buffet concert, and racing around NYC to three or four shows in one night. We see the toll it takes on the 80+ year old, but it’s never hinted at that he’s not a relevant piece of the industry, nor does he ever really want to give it up.
So it’s a jarring moment at the end of the documentary when we find Delsener at his Long Island home stating that he’s retired from the concert industry. There’s no demarcation of time passed through the film, so it’s a weird juxtaposition to see him out in the field working, or sitting in The Beacon Theater in a sharp suit regaling the audience with amazing stories … to feeding deer on his property and looking through old memorabilia. It also lessens the final scenes of him cold-calling luminaries in the music business trying to put together a concert. We don’t have any scenes of him pondering leaving or calling it a day — we’re left to assume his due to age, but a little more information would’ve knocked it out of the park.
This issue aside, Ron Delsener Presents is an absolute must for music buffs. The fascinating look into the world of concert promotion before its corporatization, the footage of from the various concerts Delsener promoted, the interviews from famed musicians are filmed with grateful and genuine nostalgia — it’s all a music lovers’ dream.
