Harry Styles, Foo Fighters, J. Cole, Chris Stapleton Win Big As Pollstar Awards Celebrate Return Of Live

Pollstar Awards 2022
– Pollstar Awards 2022

Harry Styles and his sensational “Love On Tour” arena run took home Major Tour of the Year at the 33rd annual Pollstar Awards Tuesday, rounding out a momentous night where industry titans celebrated the return of touring following live’s pandemic-related shutdown.

“I loved being back out on the road, and I’m very much looking forward to going out again this year,” Styles said in a video message. “I’d love to say a massive thank you to my band and my crew for everything they did during this tour. Given the circumstances, it was very difficult, and a very different touring environment than everyone was used to.”
Styles’ manager Jeffrey Azoff of Full Stop Management also received recognition in the Personal Manager of the Year category.
“It’s been an absolute pleasure to have watched from afar as you have achieved everything from the comfort of your own home while I toured,” Styles said in another video message to a laughing audience. “Congratulations. I’m very, very happy for you – and you’re welcome.”
Styles was just one of several stars to deliver acceptance speeches by video, including Chris Stapleton (Best Country Tour), Billy Strings (Best New Headliner/Artist Development Story), Enrique Iglesias (on behalf of his and Ricky Martin’s Best Latin Tour win), Adam Levine (for Maroon 5’s win for Best Pop Tour) and Earth, Wind & Fire (Best R&B Tour). Sebastian Maniscalco appeared in person at the event, hosted by Steve Treviño and held once again at Los Angeles’ Beverly Hilton, to accept Comedy Tour of the Year.
Pollstar Awards 2022
– Pollstar Awards 2022
Amy Corbin

“First and foremost, I want to thank Irving Azoff for getting me Super Bowl tickets this Sunday,” Maniscalco said, turning his acceptance speech into a miniature stand-up set. “I also want to thank Kevin Hart for not touring this year. It’s the only reason I’m up here.”

Other artists and programming honored included J. Cole (Best Hip-Hop Tour), Garbage (Best Support/Special Guest Act, for supporting Alanis Morissette), Lady Gaga (for her Jazz & Piano Las Vegas residency) and Disney On Ice (Best Family, Event or Non-Music Tour of the Year).
While the night had plenty of levity, it periodically turned more somber, as winners reflected on the challenges of the pandemic and other hardships. In accepting Best Concert Visuals for Bandit Lites, Michael Strickland praised the industry’s collective work in passing the Save Our Stages Act relief package – and encouraged those in the audience to continue the fight for additional aid. When High Road Touring took home Independent Booking Agency of the Year, agency head Frank Riley discussed the tremendous accomplishments of the National Independent Venue Association.
Derrick “D-Nice” Jones won the Music Unites Award for his philanthropic work and ongoing Club Quarantine series, and used his speech to provide a detailed account of the pandemic’s immediate impact on the live industry and society at large in March 2020.
And in the most emotional moment of the night, manager Andy Gould paid tribute to late agent Steve Strange of X-ray Touring, who posthumously won International Booking Agent of the Year. An emotional Gould even brought a cutout of Strange onstage with him.
“This guy wasn’t just my friend, he was all of our friends; he wasn’t my agent, he was kind of all of our agent,” Gould said. “I miss him so fucking much, I really do. And I think I speak for everyone in the room: We need more Steve Stranges.”
Other executives to take home individual honors included Bridgestone Arena’s David Kells (Venue Executive of the Year), C3 Presents’ Amy Corbin (Talent Buyer of the Year), Goldenvoice’s Donna Busch (Small Venue Talent Buyer of the Year), Live Nation’s Bob Roux (Bill Graham Award / Promoter of the Year), Marshall Arts’ Barrie Marshall (International Promoter of the Year), Live Nation’s Molly Warren (Rising Star), Ken Helie (Road Warrior of the Year) and CAA’s Alison McGregor (Marketing/PR Executive of the Year). CAA won Booking Agency of the Year.

Pollstar Awards
– Pollstar Awards
Jeffrey Azoff
Several of the county’s most beloved rooms were recognized, with West Hollywood’s Troubadour (Nightclub of the Year), Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium (Theatre of the Year), Inglewood’s Forum (Arena of the Year) and Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater (Red Rocks Award – Outdoor Concert Venue of the Year) all receiving awards. In addition to winning International Venue of the Year, London’s Royal Albert Hall, which celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2021, was bestowed the new Milestone Award.
Texas’ Austin City Limits Music Festival and Southern California’s Ohana Festival earned accolades, as did Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl, Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena and Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium, which received new venue honors for the club, arena and theater level, respectively. Climate Pledge also won Best Brand Partnership/Live Campaign for its naming rights deal with Amazon.
Other companies to receive honors included Rock-it Cargo (Transportation Company of the Year) and Clair Global (Best Concert Sound).
The night’s tone was perhaps best summed up by High Road agent Dave Rowan, who won the Bobby Brooks Award – Agent of the Year.

Pollstar Awards 2022
– Pollstar Awards 2022
High Road Touring (and Steve Strange)
“One thing – which I hope doesn’t sound corny, but I try to internalize – is, if you think about it, in our world, if you go to a baseball game, someone roots for the Yankees, someone roots for the Red Sox. You go to a political thing, and someone’s red and someone’s blue,” Rowan said. “But you go to a show, and it doesn’t matter, right? Everybody there’s across all kinds of spectrums, socioeconomic and race and gender and sexuality. And you know what they’re doing? They’re experiencing joy together. And that’s what we do.”
Find the complete list of winners below.

Major Tour of the Year
Harry Styles, Love on Tour
Best Rock Tour
Foo Fighters
Best Hip-Hop Tour
J. Cole, The Off-Season Tour
Best R&B Tour
Earth, Wind & Fire, Miraculous Supernatural Tour
Best Pop Tour
Maroon 5
Best Country Tour
Chris Stapleton, Chris Stapleton’s All-American Road Show Tour
Best Latin Tour
Enrique Iglesias / Ricky Martin, Live in Concert
Comedy Tour of the Year
Sebastian Maniscalco, Nobody Does This Tour
Best Support/Special Guest Act and Tour
Garbage (Alanis Morissette)
Best Residency
Lady Gaga, Jazz & Piano, The Las Vegas Residency, Park Theatre, Las Vegas
Best Family, Event or Non-Music Tour of the Year
Disney on Ice
Best New Headliner/Artist Development Story
Billy Strings
Music Festival of The Year (Global; over 30K attendance)
Austin City Limits Music Festival, Austin, Texas
Music Festival of The Year (Global; under 30K attendance)
Ohana Festival, Dana Point, Calif.
Nightclub of the Year
Troubadour, West Hollywood, Calif.
Theatre of the Year
Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, Tenn.
Arena of the Year
The Forum, Inglewood, Calif.
Red Rocks Award – Outdoor Concert Venue of the Year
Ascend Amphitheater, Nashville, Tenn.
Best New Concert Venue – Small Venue
Brooklyn Bowl, Nashville, Tenn.
Best New Concert Venue – Arena
Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, Wa.
Best New Concert Venue – Outdoors
Sofi Stadium, Los Angeles, Calif.
International Venue of the Year
Royal Albert Hall, United Kingdom
Venue Executive of the Year
David Kells, Bridgestone Arena
Talent Buyer of the Year
Amy Corbin, C3 Presents
Small Venue Talent Buyer of the Year (Under 10,000 Capacity)
Donna Busch, Goldenvoice
Bill Graham Award / Promoter of the Year
Bob Roux, Live Nation
International Promoter of the Year
Barrie Marshall, Marshall Arts
Bobby Brooks Award – Agent of the Year
Dave Rowan, High Road Touring
International Booking Agent of the Year
Steve Strange, X-ray Touring
Booking Agency of the Year
CAA
Independent Booking Agency of the Year (Global)
High Road Touring
Rising Star Award
Molly Warren, Live Nation
Personal Manager of the Year
Jeffrey Azoff, Full Stop Management
Road Warrior of the Year
Ken Helie (Dead & Company)
Transportation Company of the Year
Rock-it Cargo
Best Concert Visuals
Bandit Lites
Best Concert Sound
Clair Global
Marketing/PR Executive of the Year
Allison McGregor, CAA
Best Brand Partnership/Live Campaign
Amazon/Climate Pledge Arena Naming Rights
Best Hang
Austin City Limits Music Festival, Austin, Texas
Best Person to Score a Dinner With
Irving Azoff, The Azoff Company (TIE)
Michael Rapino, Live Nation (TIE)
Life of the Party 
Ron Delsener, Live Nation
Damn The Torpedoes: 2021 Touring Artist 
Dave Chappelle
Milestone Award
Royal Albert Hall, United Kingdom
Music Unites Award
D-Nice