If you’ve seen Luke Combs play a stadium recently, or heard about Zach Bryan selling 112,000 tickets for a single 360-degree show with John Mayer in Ann Arbor, you’ve witnessed Adam Weiser’s work—whether you knew it or not.
In this episode of Behind the Music Biz, Kurt Ozan and I sat down with Adam, Senior VP of Global Touring and Talent at AEG Presents, to talk about his journey from booking pop-punk shows in New Jersey to orchestrating some of the largest concerts in the world. Adam isn’t just a name in the credits—he’s one of the trusted minds behind today’s biggest tours, helping artists like Luke Combs, Zach Bryan, Kelsey Ballerini, Megan Moroney, Koe Wetzel, and Warren Zeiders dream big—and pull it off.
Adam’s origin story is wild and honest—like most great music biz tales. As a teenager on Long Island, he babysat for a venue owner and constantly recommended bands he thought were cool. When those bands started selling out, the owner offered him a shot at booking full time. By 16, Adam was booking his first shows. And by his 20s, he was running the calendar at Starland Ballroom in New Jersey—often working 150 shows a year.
But after a decade of being one-and-done with artists passing through his venue, Adam wanted more. “My relationship with artists would end when they got bigger,” he explained. “I loved the idea of growing with them, long-term.”
That itch eventually brought him to Nashville.
After working in tour marketing for Warner and getting a cold call from AEG in 2007, Adam made the move to Music City in 2017—right after a life shift that included a divorce and a soul-searching trip to CMA Fest.
He didn’t come to Nashville with a grand plan, but he found his people quickly. One of his first meetings? A lunch with Chris Kappy. That connection sparked a partnership that would scale all the way to stadiums.
“The first time we sat down, it was like—how do we dream five years ahead?” Adam said. “We were doing arenas, but the question was, how do we get to stadiums?”
Fast-forward to now: global stadium tours, hundreds of thousands of tickets sold, and strategic partnerships that have reshaped what a country concert experience can be.
What stood out most in this conversation was Adam’s heart. He’s a fan first—still obsessed with live music, still going to a dozen shows a year just for fun, still watching the last-row fans cry and laugh in awe.
“It doesn’t matter if there are 10 people or 100,000—those moments are why I do this,” he said.
He also shared what makes touring different than local club promoting: it’s not just about one night, it’s about building something sustainable. With Luke, they planned years in advance. With new artists, the focus is on long-term trust, smart routing, and being data-aware—but still gut-driven.
“No two artists are the same,” Adam told us. “Data helps, but you’ve got to know your team, know your fanbase, and trust the vision.”
On That 112,000-Ticket Zach Bryan Show
Yes, it’s real. Yes, it’s wild. And yes, it will likely go down as the biggest single-ticketed concert in U.S. history.
Zach Bryan’s Ann Arbor stadium show with John Mayer is an example of what happens when artist vision and tour execution align perfectly. “That idea didn’t come from a spreadsheet,” Adam laughed. “It came from the artist being inspired, asking the right people, and all of us pulling together to make it work.”
That’s the theme with Adam: trust the vision, find the right people, and go make the magic happen.
Adam’s story isn’t just about ticket sales. It’s about hustle, community, and having the right mindset in an unpredictable business. His biggest advice to aspiring industry folks? “Just be passionate. If you want in, you’ll figure it out.”
And we believe him—because he’s been that person before.