Thank Ron Delsener For New York's Most Famous Concerts

Summary

Podcast Summary: All Of It – "Thank Ron Delsner For New York's Most Famous Concerts"

Introduction

In the May 29, 2025 episode of All Of It, hosted by Alison Stewart on WNYC, the spotlight shines on Ron Delsner, a legendary concert promoter who has indelibly shaped New York City's music scene. The episode delves into Ron's illustrious career, exploring his pivotal role in bringing iconic performances to the city and the making of the new documentary, Ron Delsner Presents, directed by Jake Sumner.

Ron Delsner: The Man Behind the Music

Alison Stewart opens the discussion by highlighting Ron Delsner's significant contributions to New York's cultural landscape. Described as a "legendary concert promoter," Ron has worked with an array of legendary acts, including Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, Kiss, and Billy Joel. His knack for making his name synonymous with the events he organizes is emphasized through his distinctive poster branding.

The Documentary: Ron Delsner Presents

Jake Sumner, the director of the documentary Ron Delsner Presents, joins Alison in the studio to discuss the film's genesis and its portrayal of Ron's career. Sumner recounts his long-standing peripheral knowledge of Ron, rooted in his childhood fascination with the live music business. He shares:

"Ron is someone that always kind of had a wisecrack or like a funny story. And as I got older and got to know him, I realized that, wow, these stories are kind of really important. And he's talking about some really important people and everyone from Jimi Hendrix to the Beatles, Nina Simone. He just has kind of this amazing history that comes with him."
— Jake Sumner [02:01]

Sumner explains the documentary's focus on Ron's pioneering efforts, such as initiating outdoor concerts in Central Park, transforming Carnegie Hall into a rock venue, and facilitating performances at Yankee Stadium. The film also captures Ron's relentless passion, as he continues to manage multiple shows even in his 80s.

Community Voices: Listener Anecdotes

Throughout the episode, Alison invites listeners to share their personal encounters with Ron Delsner, adding depth and personal perspectives to his story.

Interview with Jake Sumner

Sumner elaborates on the challenges and experiences in creating the documentary. He shares insights into Ron's personality and work ethic:

"I think Harriet actually... helped me understand a little bit of the kind of gambler mentality that Ron's always had."
— Jake Sumner [06:08]

He describes Ron's basement as "Aladdin's cave of amazing stuff," highlighting the extensive archive of rock and roll memorabilia that served as a rich resource for the documentary. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the documentary's production is also discussed, revealing how Sumner and his colleague spent extensive time digitizing Ron's archives.

Listener Stories

Alison introduces Liz from Wilton, Connecticut, who shares her memories of Ron:

"I saw my very first concert courtesy of Ron Delsner, Aerosmith at Madison Square Garden when I was 14 years old."
— Liz [07:59]

Another caller, Gregory from Arizona, recounts a personal interaction with Ron:

"Ron says he's retired, but he doesn't actually appear to be retired... he was going into the stage door and I walked in with Ron Delsner."
— Gregory [17:19]

These stories underscore Ron's lasting influence and his personable nature, making him a beloved figure in the community.

Notable Concerts and Challenges

One of the episode's highlights is the discussion of the Simon & Garfunkel concert in Central Park, orchestrated years after their breakup. Sumner recounts Ron's strategic maneuvering to bring together Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel for a monumental performance, showcasing Ron's "magicianship" in event planning.

Another intriguing segment covers the infamous "Electronic Thanksgiving" concert at Philharmonic Hall in 1968. This event, which featured Jimi Hendrix Experience alongside classical acts, exemplifies Ron's ability to navigate complex logistical and artistic challenges:

"Ron had to kind of work with Philharmonic... convincing Leonard Bernstein into allowing it to happen."
— Jake Sumner [16:03]

Ron’s Relationships and Legacy

The documentary also delves into Ron's relationships with artists, managers, and agents. Sumner explains Ron's omnipresent role backstage and his ability to maintain strong ties within the industry:

"Ron is just always kind of like he's omnipresent sort of backstage and in green rooms."
— Jake Sumner [10:04]

Despite the evolving music industry, Ron's personalized approach and entrepreneurial spirit have allowed him to remain a central figure in New York's concert scene.

Conclusion

As the episode wraps up, Alison Stewart emphasizes the importance of Ron Delsner's contributions to New York City's cultural fabric. The documentary Ron Delsner Presents is highlighted as a must-watch for anyone interested in the behind-the-scenes efforts that bring legendary performances to life. Ron's unwavering dedication and passion serve as an inspiration, ensuring his legacy endures in the heart of the city's vibrant music history.

Listeners are encouraged to watch the documentary, which premiered at the Quad Cinema, to gain deeper insights into Ron Delsner's impactful career.

Notable Quotes

• Jake Sumner on Ron’s early influence:

  "He was just the greatest rock and roll memorabilia you've ever seen."
  — Jake Sumner [03:10]

• Liz reflecting on her first concert experience:

  "It was my very first concert, Aerosmith at Madison Square Garden."
  — Liz [07:59]

• Gregory on Ron's enduring presence:

  "Ron doesn't actually appear to be retired... he's just that kind of."
  — Gregory [17:28]

Final Thoughts

This episode of All Of It offers a comprehensive look at Ron Delsner's pivotal role in shaping New York City's music scene. Through interviews, personal anecdotes, and insightful discussions, listeners gain a profound appreciation for the man behind some of the most memorable concerts in the city's history.

Transcript

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[Alison Stewart]

You're listening to all of it on wnyc. Alison Stewart, if you've been a longtime fan of music here in New York City, there's a very good chance you have seen a concert presented by Ron Delsner. And he made sure you knew it by putting his name right there on the poster. Ron Delsner is a legendary concert promoter who has worked with acts like Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, Kiss, Billy Joel and so many more. And now a new documentary tells the story of how Ron came to dominate the New York music scene. The name of the movie is Ron Delsner Presents. The film, directed by Jake Sumner, shares how Ron pioneered outdoor concerts in Central park, turned Carnegie hall into a rock venue, and even managed to convince George Steinbrenner to let musicians play at Yankee Stadium. The movie also follows Ron, now well into his 80s, as he runs around the city, still working, sometimes even covering multiple shows a night. Ron Delsner Presents is running at the Quad Cinema starting tomorrow and will play in various select theaters after that. I'm joined in studio now by Jake Sulliv. Hey, Jake.

[Jake Sumner]

Hey, Allison.

[Alison Stewart]

Hey, listeners, we want to hear from you. Have you ever encountered Ron Delsner in your life or your career in the music industry? Do you remember going to $1 concerts in Central park or seeing Simon and Garfunkel reunion that Ron Delsner planned? Give us a call, 212-433-969-2212, wnyc. You can text that number or you can call in and join us. How did you first meet Ron Delsner?

[Jake Sumner]

Oh, well, I've known Ron Delsner in a kind of peripheral way since I was a small kid. I grew up around the live music business, and Ron was the guy in New York who put on shows. So actually we would be we'd live in the States during kind of Legs of Us tours, and Ron would get me and my sister tickets to various things from, like the Ringling Brothers Circus and also to Nick's Games. And so I've just known him in that way. And Ron is someone that always kind of had a wisecrack or like a funny story. And as I got older and got to know him, I realized that, wow, these stories are kind of really important. And he's talking about some really important people and everyone from Jimi Hendrix to the Beatles, Nina Simone. He just has kind of this amazing history that comes with him. And it took a lot of convincing, actually, to get him to do this.

[Alison Stewart]

I was gonna say, what questions did he ask when you said, hey, I wanna do a documentary about you?

[Jake Sumner]

It just took. It took time and it. You know, he would sort of palm it off and, you know, he'd say, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, like one minute and then he'd change his mind the next. So it was this kind of dance that we did. And I think in the beginning, we didn't really even know what we were doing. We would just kind of follow Ron around shows and kind of go out to his place in the Hamptons. I think I saw his basement, which is kind of this Aladdin's cave of amazing stuff. It's like the greatest rock and roll memorabilia you've ever seen. And then a lot of junk. And you kind of have to find your way through the junk to get to the gems. So then I kind of realized, okay, we have a real archive to work with here. And Covid happened, so we stopped being able to go to shows. So I just spent really, a lot of COVID with my colleague Kate Greenberg, both of us just in Ron's basement, kind of going through his archives and digitizing his stuff.

[Alison Stewart]

It was hilarious. There's a very little subtle moment where he pulls out a police. Yeah, a police flyer. As people may have figured out by now, that you are. You're dad is Sting. Yes, yes, yes, correct. Ron Delsner was born in 1936 in Astoria in Queens. When you thought about it, how did Queens shape him?

[Jake Sumner]

I mean, I think New York shaped Ronnie. I feel like he's, you know, they broke the mold with him kind of. I think he's just the. An iconic kind of New York character. I don't know that you'd get a Ron Dellsner coming out of anywhere else. And he also grew up. His dad was a salesman. And Ron grew up going to a lot of Broadway shows, going to the circus at Madison Square Garden. He was sort of in it from the beginning. And then as a teenager, he would go to the Copacabana and to Birdland and watch the Basie Band or watch Sinatra. So he really, you know, it's sort of in his blood, like the showbiz kind of thing. So, you know, I don't know that that kind of character could really come out of anywhere else.

[Alison Stewart]

One of his longest Partnerships has been with his sister who works for him. What insights did she provide about. About Ron growing up?

[Jake Sumner]

Harriet. Yeah, Harriet's wonderful. Harriet Delsner. And she's been his partner. Yeah. For over 50 years. And I think, you know, they talk about in the film that he's the only person that Ron trusts with the money.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah.

[Jake Sumner]

What insights did she provide on Ron? I mean, I think, you know how complicated Ron is to work with. I think you have to be a pretty complicated person to be a rock concert promoter. Especially at the time he was doing it. I mean, these are real gambles and kind of moonshots he was taking with these acts who now it makes total sense. Oh, David Bowie at Carnegie Hall. Yeah. Sounds like a hit. At the time, in 1972, no one had heard of David Bowie, and Carnegie hall didn't want to program David Bowie, so Ron had to kind of convince them to do it. So, you know, I think Harriet actually. Yeah, kind of helped me understand a little bit of the kind of gambler mentality that Ron's always had. And actually the two of them would put on shows in their basement as kids. They would see the circus at Madison Square Garden and then they would replicate it in their parents basement and they would go and they would charge kids like, I don't know, 5 cents to come to, like, watch the show. And they had like, they would stack tables so they had, like, cheap seats. And I think, you know, so that was really his beginning in show business. I think he was, you know, probably 10 years old.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's talk to Liz from Wilton, Connecticut. Hey, Liz, thanks for making the time to call, all of it.

[Liz]

So happy to be here and share my history with Ron Delsner. Crazy driving in the car and I hear you're talking about him. So I had to pull over and call in.

[Jake Sumner]

Hi, Liz.

[Liz]

So I grew up in the building that Ron Delzner and his family lived in, and I used to babysit for his children. And it was a great gig because the side benefit was tickets to concerts. I saw my very first concert courtesy of Ron Delsner Aerosmith at Madison Square Garden when I was 14 years old.

[Alison Stewart]

When you were 14?

[Liz]

Yes.

[Alison Stewart]

That must have been quite a sight. Wow.

[Liz]

It was.

[Alison Stewart]

Thank you for.

[Jake Sumner]

Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

What?

[Liz]

Going to his office after school and picking up tickets or picking up his kids. Just great, great memories of Ron Delzner as a teenager in New York City.

[Alison Stewart]

Liz, thanks for calling in. My guest is director Jake Sumner. We are talking about his new documentary, Ron Delsner Presents about New York City concert promoter Ron Dels, if you have a relationship to Ron Deltner or you saw a Ron Delsner concert, give us a call. 2124-3396-9221-2433. WNYC. You mentioned how hard it was to get David Bowie at Carnegie Hall. What were some other acts that Ron Delsner really, really had to pull for?

[Jake Sumner]

Oof. I mean, I think a lot of them. I mean, I know there's the kind of inverse of that where an actual by the name of Kiss had to convince Ron Delzner to take them on because he didn't really believe in. He thought they were kind of like a novelty act. That's what he referred to them as in the beginning with the makeup and things like that. Someone approached him from Casablanca Records about promoting this act called Kiss, and I guess he saw a tape or he saw something and he was like, no, this is not for me. But I think Casablanca convinced him to. So I think he had a date and he said, all right, I'll give you guys one show. But you know, this is back in the day where they would do two shows a night and Kiss, the band, I think, put up the money to do a second show. And Ron said, okay, but that's on you. And it. They sold out both, and they were a huge hit. And this is like one of the only times that Ron admits, like, okay, I got it wrong. And then after that, he developed this kind of great relationship with the band and obviously went on to promote them at Madison Square Garden, and the rest is history.

[Alison Stewart]

How would you describe his relationship with musicians?

[Jake Sumner]

You know, I think he's someone that just has kept tabs on people and he kind of. He's always there. He's like one of these figures that just turns up to the show, turns up to the events through probably the ebbs and flows of different acts careers. Ron is just always kind of like he's omnipresent sort of backstage and in green rooms. And I think, like, you know, I think I imagine that Axe appreciate that.

[Alison Stewart]

What about managers and agents?

[Jake Sumner]

You know, that's a different story. That's a complex triangle. Yeah, the promoter, the manager, and the agent. That's, you know, there's a lot that goes on between those three figures in a. In an Axe career. So I think that's a. Yeah, I mean, I think. But I think Ron does have really good relationships with managers and agents, you know, and I think he's just one of these kind of stalwarts of the. The business that's Kind of just sort of been around long enough and knows sort of all the players.

[Alison Stewart]

We're talking about the new documentary Ron Delzner Presents with its director, Jake Sumner. After the break, we'll hear about the Simon and Garfunkel concert in Central Park. Stay with us. You're listening to all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. My guest in studio is director Jake Sumner. We're talking about his new documentary, Ron Delzner Presents about New York City concert promoter Ron Delzner. It's playing at the Quad Cinema starting tomorrow. So Ron helped facilitate the huge, huge concert in Central park of Simon and Garfunkel years after they broke up. And you got both of them to talk for the documentary. That was amazing. How was he able to pull that together and to convince them to do it?

[Jake Sumner]

Well, I think there's different versions of the story and but to my eyes, it was kind of a magic trick that Ron pulled to kind of pull it all together. I think it started off as a Paul Simon show. Well, first of all, I think Gordon Davis, who was the Parks commissioner at the time, had it in his mind that he wanted a Simon and Garfunkel show. And this was around the time of Ed Koch's re election campaign. So they wanted a big kind of blow out in the park before, I guess, the election, the mayoral election. And he had this idea like, Ronnie, get me Simon and Garfunkel. And Ron was like, that's not possible. They don't like each other. It's not going to happen. But I think what ensued is Ron went to Paul Simon with the idea of Paul doing a Paul Simon show, knowing that Paul would kind of come around and sort of think, oh, they're gonna want to see Artie. Maybe Artie comes on at the end and kind of. It sort of. I don't want to ruin it because I think you have to see the film. But it kind of shows the kind of skills and kind of magicianship of Ron on the phone, which I think is, you know, at the time was kind of walking the phone was really a big part of Ron's job.

[Alison Stewart]

That's a big part of it. He was working the phone constantly.

[Jake Sumner]

Yeah, that's a theme in the film. The phone is a theme in the film for sure.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's talk to Larry from Oceanside, Long Island. Hi, Larry, you're on the air.

[Jake Sumner]

He's on the phone.

[Larry]

Hey there, Allison. Hey there, Jake. How are you doing?

[Jake Sumner]

Hey, Larry.

[Larry]

Good. So I have a story and it's more of a story than I realized. This has to do with the very first concert I ever attended. It was dubbed an Electronic Thanksgiving.

[Jake Sumner]

Oh, wow.

[Larry]

It was. This is November 28, 1968, at Philharmonic Hall. Okay. Do you know of the show?

[Jake Sumner]

I do know. I do know of this infamous show that we had a whole scene of the movie dedicated to this show that sadly, there wasn't enough good archival. But please go ahead. I'm curious to hear your story.

[Larry]

Well, yeah, this is unusual. Being at Philharmonic hall was a best, decidedly different turn of events for the Hall. This concert found no home at Carnegie because I think the Stones had a ruckus concert there. In doing so, and allowing the Jimi Hendrix Experience into the hall, they insisted that needed to be a classical music component. So on the same bill was Fernando Valenti, a musical harpsichordist and a New York brass quintet, you know, and in order to do this, I spoke to Mitch Mitchell once about this, who played with his Jim Hendrix Experience. This is something that Ron must have navigated because Mitch had to show up for an interview, if you will, with Leonard Bernstein with regards to how the evening was going to go. And either he or Jimmy or someone needed to play on stage with one of the artists. And it turned out to be Mitch, because Jimmy didn't want to do it, who played, in fact, with New York Brass Squint. He came out and played drums. But the whole navigation of that had to do with Rod to even get permission to play in that. In those conditions. So tell me what you know about that, because I'm curious what you know about that performance.

[Jake Sumner]

I do know a little bit about it. I do know that they first went to Carnegie hall, which is where Ron did a lot of shows. And I think the Allman Brothers had played Carnegie hall preceding that. I think this is how the story goes. I could be getting it wrong, but I'm pretty sure from. From what Ron told me, the Omens had played Carnegie hall, and I think someone had vomited in one of the boxes.

[Alison Stewart]

Oh, my.

[Jake Sumner]

And I think that the powers that be at Carnegie wanted a kind of break from rock and roll, and I think so then Ron had to kind of, you know, use kind of all kinds of chicanery to get rock and roll acts into Carnegie Hall. So he would then work with Philharmonical. And I believe that the Electronic Thanksgiving was really him convincing Leonard Bernstein into allowing it to happen, which is amazing in itself. Just the idea of Jimi Hendrix Experience playing Philharmonic hall. And then, yeah, as you said, Mitchell having to do this kind of Classical rendition. We've tried to find tape on this stuff, but it was very hard to find. And there's only one photo that we could find in existence of this show and it's just a black and white image of Jimi Hendrix. It really could be anywhere. But we, yeah, we had a whole kind of scene and story in this about this show and the film and it just, sadly, we didn't really have the material to kind of be a visual accompaniment.

[Alison Stewart]

We got to tell it here, so that's kind of exciting. Let's talk to Gregory from Arizona. Hey Gregory, thanks for calling all of it.

[Gregory]

Hey y' all. It's great to be on your program. NYC has been my pleasure. Now I'm moving into retirement and I thought, wow, what a great idea to talk about Ron Deltner, a great, a great guy and a serious entrepreneur.

[Jake Sumner]

Hey Gregory, nice to chat.

[Gregory]

Yeah, I'm excited, Film brother. I'm very excited. It's, it's going to be fun to walk down memory lane with someone else's eyes.

[Alison Stewart]

Because you used to be a stagehand, is that true?

[Gregory]

I'm a semi retired stagehand and iatse Broadway tours, etc. I grew up in New York City, so NYC has been my home for a long time. And Ron Delzer and I have crossed paths many times over the last 30 plus years. And you know, he's very approachable, always recognizable, always well dressed. And I'm coming down the street, I was telling one of your, one of your assists, I was coming down the street on the way to a show at Madison Square Garden and coming the other way is Ron Delsner, easily recognizable, you know, very dapper, always with a tan, even in the middle of, yeah, of course, say hello. And he says, where you going, stagehand? And because he doesn't remember my name because he meets so many thousands and thousands of people. And so we walk on together until he gets to the stage door and he says, you're coming in. I said, I'll go with you. And I walk in with Ron Delzer. So no one's going to question why I'm there because I'm walking with Ron Delzer.

[Jake Sumner]

Which show is this?

[Gregory]

He's going in. He's going in to check with people backstage before he heads up to the Beacon to see Tedescu trucks. And I'm going in to see Chris Stapleton. So all of a sudden I don't need a ticket, but of course I have to meet friends, back out with him and he says, catching a car. And I said, no, I'M going in to see Chris. He said, well, why didn't you just stay there? I said, because we were hanging.

[Alison Stewart]

And how do you do that with. I'm going to dive. You know what? I'm going to dive in, Gregory, because we're going to run out of time. And I have more questions for Jake. I did want to ask you. You know, you follow him around. He says he's retired, but he doesn't actually appear to be retired.

[Jake Sumner]

You know, I don't think that Ron is capable of full retirement. We kind of labeled it Ron Dells. No Retirement. I think that's how he, you know, I think it's what he loves doing is booking shows. And I think that he'll be. He'll be doing that. He'll be working the phone until he can't anymore. You know, he's just that kind of. It's just like what he loves to do. So, yeah, I don't know.

[Alison Stewart]

You've got people in the film like Patti Smith, you've got John Bon Jovi, you've got Bruce Springsteen. Why do you think they agreed to sit down and talk about Ron Deltzner?

[Jake Sumner]

Actually, that was the easy part, because.

[Alison Stewart]

I think he was the hard part.

[Jake Sumner]

That's correct. That was the easy part. And we focused on acts that either from New York or sort of made their break in New York. So that was sort of important, I think. So Everyone from Billy Joel, Simon and Garfunkel, Kiss, Patti Smith, Bette Midler. You know, obviously this is where she. She's not. She's not a native New Yorker, but this is really where she kind of started, so. And many others. But I think that Ron, for a lot of these acts, like Kiss and Billy and Bon Jovi, Ron was like, kind of gave them their first shot. Like, yes, they were playing in clubs, but to take it to the next stage to play theaters or arenas, I think you had to kind of go through Ron Delsner. And there were others at various points, too. Ron was not the only promoter in New York, but for a good deal of time, he kind of. It really was Ron Delsner Presents. And what's amazing is now the business is kind of very large corporations, but at the time, if you think about the kind of major media market of New York, it was really like one guy and a small team that were presenting all these shows and doing many shows a night. So I think you have to be a certain type of person to be able to sort of take all that on. And it's also like, it was all his money.

[Alison Stewart]

To find out more, you have to see the documentary. It's called Ron Delzner Presents. My guest has been director Jake Sumner. Thank you for being with us. By the way, it's opening at the Quad tomorrow.

[Jake Sumner]

Thanks so much for having me.

[Alison Stewart]

Okay, go. They're going to be next, performing live in Studio 5. Stay with us.

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