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The career of Indianapolis-based event promoter Geno Shelton includes several landmark dates.
He launched a recurring dance party known as “Hots” in 1986 at Indiana Avenue’s Walker Theatre. In 1987, he established a monthly dance party known as “Passion” at Broad Ripple’s Vogue venue. He promoted his first concert, a show headlined by jazz keyboard player Alex Bugnon, in 1990 at the Vogue. In 1993, he launched a monthly stand-up comedy series—billed as the “Hip Hop Comedy Shop”—at the Walker.
But Shelton considers 1985 to be the big year in his career arc. He moved from Michigan to Indianapolis 40 years ago to take a job as an on-air personality for radio station WTLC-FM 106.7.
He’s celebrating with a string of anniversary concerts, including “Funkfest” on Sept. 26 at Clowes Memorial Hall and “Comedy Jam” one night later at the same venue.
Shelton said “Funkfest,” headlined by 1970s band Con Funk Shun, and “Comedy Jam,” headlined by DeRay Davis, are a gift of sorts for audience members.
“It’s my way of saying ‘thank you’ for the support,” Shelton said. “People didn’t have to come out to ‘Hots’ in 1986. They’ve been there for me.”
“Passion,” which Shelton describes as Indianapolis’ answer to Manhattan’s Studio 54, ran for more than a decade at the Vogue.
As a concert promoter, Shelton is responsible for the financial risks associated with putting on a show. A promoter hires the performers and makes arrangements for how tickets are sold, where the event is staged, how the concert is advertised and what security measures are needed.
He refers to a 1999 concert starring the Isley Brothers, Teena Marie and Jeffrey Osborne at the Grandstand of the Indiana State Fairgrounds as a career breakthrough in promoting large events. In 2001, Shelton promoted a Jill Scott concert at Gainbridge Fieldhouse that attracted 13,000 attendees.
But his journey as an independent promoter included its share of confidence-shaking lows. Shelton said a poorly attended concert on Valentine’s Day 2018 nearly knocked him out of the music industry. When people didn’t come out for the bill headlined by R&B groups Dru Hill and Tony, Toni, Tone, Shelton lost more than $50,000 in a single night.
Shelton said he eventually bounced back with a three-city run of an Isley Brothers/Charlie Wilson bill in Indianapolis, St. Louis and Louisville in September 2021.
“Nothing short of a miracle got me back in the game,” he said. “I went from nothing to doing a $1 million [run] with the Isleys and Charlie.”
Looking back to 1985, Shelton arrived in Indianapolis during the weekend of the second edition of Circle City Classic—the football showcase for historically Black colleges and universities.
“Funkfest” and “Comedy Jam” coincide with this year’s Circle City Classic, which features a game between Miles College and Morgan State University at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Shelton, 67, said “Funkfest” is a fitting anniversary show because he played the music of many funk artists while working at the student radio station at Western Michigan University in the ’70s.
“Comedy Jam” aligns with Shelton’s history because stand-up shows were an important part of his career development. He said comedy shows helped him transition from minimal production required for DJs at dance parties to complicated arrangements for bands at concerts.
“I didn’t understand concert riders and stuff like that,” Shelton said, referring to the sometimes over-the-top backstage requests made by performers. “Working with comedians was easy, and a lot of the urban promoters felt the same way. It was the closest thing to parties, and I learned about riders and other things by doing comedy shows.”
Shelton said his on-air evening shifts from 1985 to 1995 at WTLC influenced his approach to concert promotion.
“I noticed when I took requests that the artists people would bring to Indianapolis for concerts weren’t really matching up to what people wanted,” he said. “I said to myself, ‘I could do a better job at this. I could bring people who they would actually pay to see.’ A key to promoting is that you don’t bring artists who you like. You bring who people pay to see.”•
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