What we talked about
Joe Sanchez is the CEO and founder of 1826, a tour and event production company born in London and now based in Los Angeles. In this conversation, Joe shares the unlikely, very human story of how a music fan became one of the most trusted operators in global touring and experiential events.
Show notes
Joe Sanchez got into the music industry in 1989 by lying to the members of The Cult outside a New Jersey arena, telling them he had come all the way from England to see them. He had not, he was staying four miles down the road. They got him in anyway, and six months later he was their personal assistant on a four-month arena tour, earning $100 a week carrying bags, walking a pit bull, and recruiting backstage guests. Thirty-six years later, his company grossed $40 million.
What we covered
- Joe’s first concert was Queen at Wembley Stadium in 1986, when he was 16. His entry into the industry came three years later through sheer nerve: he talked his way backstage at a Metallica and Cult show in New Jersey, befriended the singer, and parlayed that into a touring job with three actual responsibilities, luggage, the band’s dog, and finding girls for backstage.
- He spent the 1990s as a tour manager for artists including Sophie Ellis-Bextor, then transitioned into production management around 2000, the role that runs the show itself: lights, crew, video, trucks, buses, staging, power. He ran Pet Shop Boys’ touring for eight years before moving on to Sarah Brightman, then a $30 million Oman National Day celebration in 2010.
- Rihanna’s new management team at Roc Nation called him at the end of 2010 after getting his name from a contact. He flew to Sydney, met Rihanna briefly, and was hired on the spot to take over all her touring. He ran her production through the Loud, 777, and Diamonds tours, what he describes as her biggest peak stadium era, for three years straight.
- 1826 launched from the spare room of his house in Laurel Canyon with one assistant. By 2019, it had 18 employees and was running tours for Calvin Harris and Harry Styles. COVID reduced it back to five or six staff; the US government’s Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program helped them survive. By 2026, the company has around 55 employees, with 60 expected within a month.
- Formula One came to Joe in June 2023 in a crisis: the company they had hired to produce the Las Vegas Grand Prix opening and closing performances fell through. Joe said yes immediately, figured it out, delivered, and has since become Formula One’s de facto experiential agency. The relationship now represents about 50% of 1826’s income as an experiential business.
- For Tyler the Creator’s 2026 Grammy performance, Joe’s team had nine days to build a life-size replica Ferrari F40 that could drive itself, because Tyler wanted to drive it on stage in a performance described as shooting a music video live with no ability to stop or retry. The base was an electric golf buggy; the car was built to look identical to Tyler’s actual F40. The show also included an exploding gas station set built from scratch.
About Joe
Joe Sanchez is the CEO and founder of 1826, a tour and event production company based in Los Angeles with offices in the UK. The company produces major concert tours, live events, and experiential content for artists including Tyler the Creator, Calvin Harris, Ariana Grande, and Rihanna, and for brands including Formula One, Airbnb, Nike, and Spotify.
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-sanchez-8541161a
- Website: https://eighteentwentysix.com
Episode 106 of the PreVetted Podcast.