States have begun relaxing restrictions on a range of outdoor activities as the weather heats up and the Covid case numbers slowly come down in some areas. Regardless of the success of these "Phase 1" reopening plans live concerts, where I earn my living and experience some of my greatest joys, will be among the last things to come back as we knew them (though it's exciting to see some bands experimenting with drive-in concerts and other outside the box ideas)  

So this week I speak with my good friend Chuck Morris, legendary concert promoter and longtime head of AEG Rocky Mountains, which has dominated the Colorado live music scene even as LiveNation and other behemoths have swallowed most of the industry whole. I intended to speak with Chuck about what we should expect for live music in the near future, but that'll have to wait for another episode because Chuck's amazing history in the music business was simply too hard to ignore. He's been right there at the start with some of the most successful bands of the last 50 years and those stories are worth sharing with you all.

In 1971, before The Eagles had even recorded a record, Chuck brought them to play some of their first ever gigs in Aspen and Boulder, starting a decades-long friendship spanning hundreds of shows together.  

On U2's first trip to Colorado in 1980 Chuck took them to see Red Rocks, convinced that soon they'd be big enough to play that legendary venue. Just three years later, Chuck booked them at Red Rocks for a show that became U2's live album "Under A Blood Red Sky".  

Chuck recently moved on from running AEG day-to-day to fulfil another dream; creating a Music Business Program at Colorado State University. It's simply the next remarkable chapter in the story of one of my favorite characters in all of music.  

Politics of Truth is brought to you by Osiris Media. Executive Producer is Adam Caplan. Produced by RJ Bee. Edited, mixed and mastered by Brad Stratton. Art by Mark Dowd. To discover more podcasts that help you connect more deeply with the music you love, check out osirispod.com.

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