They call him the King of Concerts….Chris Fritz, the man behind Capitol Federal Park & the Kanrocksas Music Festival…has been booking concerts since he was 15. He is the Co-Owner and Executive Vice President of New West Presentations.
Chris Fritz has made an exciting and rewarding career in the entertainment industry. Chris’ promotional career started in Chicago and has evolved over the past 45 years from club owner and manager to concert and sports promoter. His promotions have attracted millions of music and sports fans nationally and internationally.
In 1983, Chris teamed up with long-time business acquaintance Russ Cline, then Marketing Director for the Kansas City Chiefs. They collaborated in the formation of several companies, using their expertise to produce sports and entertainment events.
Chris was a partner in United Sports of America, a major promoter of motor sports in the United States and Canada; Globe Construction, a company that specialized in event production construction; and in 1984 was co-founder, along with Russ Cline, of the Major Indoor Lacrosse League, owning all of the teams until 1998. Chris is currently the co-owner of the Philadelphia Wings and was inducted into the National Lacrosse League Hall of Fame in 2006 as a member of its inaugural class.
In addition, Chris partnered with Russ Cline to produce the AND1 Mix Tape Tour for three years. He is also President of New West Presentations, which is currently expanding into certain creative concepts for television, musicals, and movies, creating a unique network of talent for collaboration in multiple projects. Chris is currently involved in artist management, representing Kansas City’s “Racy Grace” and Austin, Texas’ “Meridianwest Band”. He is also a consultant to Live Nation, which produces shows worldwide. Performances vary from children’s shows to rock n’ roll and are presented in multi-capacity venues, ranging from 2,000 seat performing arts centers to 80,000 seat stadiums.
He has been orchestrating the Kanrocksas Music Festival since construction began on the Kansas Speedway. The two day event brings together some of the biggest names in the music industry including Eminem, Muse, Flaming Lips and The Black Keys. Kathy Quinn sits down with Fritz to get a unique perspective on the realization of this concert promoter’s dream.
For more info on the festival, check these sites:
