“John [Scher] was brought in because university did not want to incur any expenses, or any additional risk,” McEvoy said. “As a result as the prices artists were charging at the time, the potential risk to the university increased dramatically during the ‘70s.”
“In the Summer of ’72 or ’73, some great shows musically turned out to be really difficult shows financially,” he continued, citing an “infamous Deep Purple show” plagued by poor attendance and rain and which resulted in “some real damage” to a piano.
“The university was getting really risk adverse from a financial point of view.”
The Cornell Daily Sun’s Susan Gilbert reported that the May 8th show would offset a $94,700 owed to the University Unions by $5,0000. “$5,000 doesn’t sound like a lot, but I’ve worked for an agent, and a promoter, and a band makes a lion share of the [gross] when money is made,” McEvoy said.