The French Say "Oui" to Live Nation's Truck Shows

With a "Trois! Deux! Un! Zéro!" and the roar of gigantic vehicles, the Monster Jam Truck show brings a popular form of entertainment from middle America to Paris. As monster trucks crush rows of old cars under their oversized wheels and navigate their way through pools of mud, Live Nation, which was spun off from Clear Channel in 2005, succeeds in bringing to Europeans a show that was initially considered "too American." The promoter of celebrity acts such as Madonna and U2 reported a $139 million loss last year on a revenue of $2.9 billion due to the high fees paid to performers. The Monster Jam Truck shows are cheaper to produce than glitzy concerts, and Europeans seem more open to American entertainment now that tensions over the 2001 U.S. led invasion of Iraq have abated. Parisians are now willing to pay $44 for a ticket to a truck show, and performers express their appreciation by yelling "Bon soir, Paris!" to cheering crowds while spraying crushed cars with beer.
• Sources: Wall Street Journal
• Related commentary: Live Nation to Acquire Musictoday
• Potentially impacted stocks and ETFs: Live Nation (LYV), Clear Chanel (CCU)

Seeking Alpha's news summaries are combined into a pre-market briefing called Wall Street Breakfast. Get Wall Street Breakfast by email -- it's free and takes only a few seconds to sign up.