Review of Who the F**K Is Arthur Fogel (2013) by Anthony S — 26 Sep 2015

If Arthur Fogel were a behind-the-scenes madman or visionary without the self-discipline to keep from pissing people off, this would-be music biz doc might have earned Its provocative title. Instead, that title is just a corporate come-on, and Fogel is the rather boring CEO of global touring for Live Nation, for which this documentary is an hour-and-45-minute commercial.

Bono, Sting, and Madonna praise him for being a swell guy, i.e., he makes their tours run as smooth as he can. Lady Gaga, proving she may be the most calculating shill of all, gets the most screen time, using it to sell Fogel as a guy who supports the AR-TEEST.

But it's all about business for Fogel, who says as much when talking about his support for the entertainment and the audience. So long as that support makes money, it's a wise investment. U2's handlers want a 360-degree experience for their tour? Sure thing, because that means the tour can sell 20-30 percent more seats.

We're constantly being alerted to how many hundreds of millions of dollars the Live Nation tours for the above acts have generated. But just looking at the gaudy spectacle of the U2 tour, you may start craving the intimacy of a nightclub.