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Rosemont releases details on rebating Garth Brooks $1 million

Rosemont officials paid Garth Brooks more than $1 million to kick off his tour last fall at Allstate Arena — but they say they made twice that in profits, according to information made public Monday.

The village had fought for months to protect documents related to country star Garth Brooks' 11-concert event in September, specifically information about incentives or a rebate that might have drawn Brooks to the venue.

But instead of taking the Chicago Tribune to court to further fight the newspaper's request for financial information behind the deal, Rosemont officials Monday released the agreement details.

Brooks was paid $1,050,000 as a rebate for the concert series — a breakdown of $100,000 for 10 sold-out performances and a prorated amount of $50,000 for the one show that didn't sell out, according to a report by the Tribune. In return, Brooks paid about $40,000 to rent the arena for the initial show and between that and $35,000 for the others, the report said.

The release of the information Monday concludes a drawn-out battle between the newspaper and village officials, who have likened the information to “trade secrets.” The village has long contended that incentives are an important tool in attracting performers who might consider other venues and that disclosing certain information could make it lose its competitive edge against privately owned venues, such as the United Center, which doesn't have to disclose such information.

Officials say Brooks' shows and their effect on the local economy made $2 million for the village.

“As far as 'incentives,' call it what you will, but those revenues wouldn't be generated if we didn't have the show,” Mayor Brad Stephens said Monday. “So we feel it's good business sense.”

In November, the village board passed an ordinance that provides for the “protection of confidential financial and proprietary information” about village-owned entertainment venues from public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.

But last month, Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office determined the village violated the FOIA law when it denied requests for details about Brooks' appearance at Allstate Arena.

The attorney general's decision further stated that the November village ordinance does not supersede FOIA and that negotiated contracts with public bodies do not constitute trade secrets.

Starting Jan. 23, the village had 35 days to choose whether it wanted a judicial review of the attorney general's decision through the circuit court of Cook or Sangamon counties, but it opted Monday to release the contract information instead.

“After our discussions we just felt Garth was such a unique event, we decided to release the info since it was mainly meant to keep the ticket prices around $65,” Stephens said. “So the money stayed in fans' pockets.”

In a Dec. 12 guest column in the Daily Herald, Stephens defended the practice of giving incentives to lure entertainers — a practice he says is the norm across the country. Providing incentives, he wrote, helps keep ticket prices lower, helping to boost overall ticket sales. And more concertgoers means more concession sales, hotel lodgings and tax dollars, Stephens said.

Brooks decided to kick off his first tour in 16 years in Rosemont, even though four other cities were considered. At a news conference before his first show Sept. 4, Brooks said it was only after viewing two minutes of a promotional video from Brooks' team that Stephens asked “What do we have to do?” to bring Brooks' world tour launch to Rosemont.

“This gentleman is the reason we are here,” Brooks said, putting his arm around Stephens.

“We thought about giving him the key to the city, but we should really give him a key to the box office,” Stephens told the assembled media.

Brooks' 11 shows in Rosemont were attended by a record-breaking 183,535 concertgoers.

The village still faces a court battle against the Better Government Association, which filed suit last month over the village's refusal to release financial records relating to its entertainment venues, including the arena and Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.

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