Ron Delsener, a highly regarded concert promoter in the live entertainment industry, and chairman of Live Nation NYC, announced his plans for retirement after almost six decades in the business.

“It’s been a great honor to have played a role in bringing music’s biggest stars to stages across New York,” Delsener said in a statement.

“Ron helped bring concerts to New York for 50+ years and supported countless artists along the way. We wish him all the best in his next chapter,” Live Nation said.

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Starting his career by promoting The Beatles’ first outdoor concert at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium in Queens in 1964, Delsener subsequently undertook the promotion of shows for Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra with Ella Fitzgerald, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Oscar Peterson, and the Count Basie Band conducted by Quincy Jones among countless others.

He brought live music to Central Park with a ticket price at $1.50 in order to make the concerts of Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, Louis Armstrong, Led Zeppelin, and more, accessible to mass audiences.

By the mid-80s, Delsener had become an exclusive booker to promote concerts throughout New York and New Jersey. In 1988 he partnered with the late Mitch Slater, who had been booking shows at Madison Square Garden, to launch Delsener / Slater Enterprises. He recalled those years stating that they had gone after every act from the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Neil Diamond.

In 1996, he sold the company to SFX Entertainment for $20 million and remained with their successor companies, including Live Nation, heading the New York office until now.

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