John Lennon once said of touring, “It was like being in the eye of a hurricane. You’d wake up at a concert and think, ‘Wow, how did I get here?’” A hurricane is an apt description of the touring world; all the elements combine to create an experience that envelops audience and artists alike. In the eye of the storm of many tours on the road today you will find the accomplished professionals that make up Production Resource Group’s Concert Touring group. From their own experience, these individuals understand that a concert tour is well-organized chaos requiring a high degree of problem solving and immediate response to the needs of designers, artists and production managers. It is a business that demands passion, dedication and, particularly in today’s competitive environment, the ability to exceed expectations at every turn.
Been There, Done That, Got the Black T-Shirt
Over the years, PRG’s Concert Touring (CT) group has built a reputation with designers, artists and production managers around the globe. As account executive Julian Edwards points out, “We have been working with the best in the industry for years. We know that they expect the highest level of service. Because we all come from production backgrounds, we’ve been in the trenches and we know what our clients are trying to accomplish. Our CT account executives are not salespeople; we’re production people, so we understand the pressure because we’ve experienced it first-hand.”
Mickey Curbishley, president of PRG Concert Touring, agrees. “The strongest asset that PRG brings to any client,” he says, “one which can’t be duplicated elsewhere in the industry, is our people. The core of our global CT team consists of Curry Grant, Tim Murch, John Lee, Julian Edwards and Bill Campbell in the U.S., along with the team in the U.K. — Robin Wain, Jon Cadbury, Yvonne Donnelly Smith, Scottie Sanderson, Mick Healy and Kal Butt. And that list doesn’t even begin to include the vast support staff and production crews. We have an incredible depth of personnel and expertise.”
That depth is evident when you look at the resumes of some of the key members of the CT team in the U.S. Curbishley, with 27 years experience, started as a freelance technician for popular artists including Elton John, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, George Harrison, Frank Sinatra and AC/DC.
Curry Grant, vice president of Concert Touring, began his career in 1974 and in the 1980s and 1990s he worked as a freelance lighting designer for such well-known acts as Fleetwood Mac, Supertramp and Hall & Oates. His lighting designs can be seen on MTV videos produced for performers like Aerosmith, Whitesnake, Poison and Chaka Khan.
In 1976, prior to founding Light & Sound Design, Tim Murch, vice president of Business Development, began his career as a lighting technician in London and he continues to directly support such clients as U2, Rod Stewart, Earth, Wind & Fire and Pearl Jam.
Account Executive Julian Edwards began touring in 1996 as an Icon™ technician for a wide variety of artists, including Bon Jovi and Tina Turner. Edwards was also the touring lighting director for Bryan Adams.
Fellow Account Executive John Lee started his career as a lighting technician and designer for some of the U.K.’s classic cult bands, including Captain Beefheart, Slade and Ace. Scott Gross, national operations manager, makes sure the gear and the crews are where they need to be, when they need to be there.
Rounding out the CT group are numerous project managers, crew chiefs and technicians.
When Size Matters
Today’s tours are complex, and PRG’s Concert Touring group strives to do more than just fill a shop order; they support every aspect of a tour. Being part of PRG means every account executive can call on all of PRG’s resources to offer clients creative solutions to technical and budgetary problems.
“We know we are a large organization and honestly, we see that as a real asset,” explains Curbishley. “Within the Concert Touring group, as in all the different parts of PRG, we have a very focused operation with an extremely knowledgeable pool of people, worldwide. We have multiple depots, which allow us to provide services, gear and expert staff, without compromising on design or equipment reliability. I believe most of our clients see PRG not as a large company, but as a production partner with an unmatched support network.”
Lee agrees. “It is a misconception that because we are big we don’t give that individual attention. CT is comprised of a dedicated group of people — veterans of this business, people who helped make the concert touring industry what it is today. Whatever the scale of the tour, be it U2 or Madonna, Snow Patrol or Pendulum, or emerging artists like The Fratellis, every tour at PRG gets personal attention.”
“For all of us, it is about service,” explains Grant. “Concert touring is all about providing solutions in advance. We don’t just get the plot and give them what they asked for. We are really great at helping clients find better ways to do things. At the end of the day the gear is important, but it is the service and the quality of the crew that sets us apart from our competitors.”
Performing Globally, Supplying Locally
Part of PRG’s success in the touring industry stems from their ability to service projects with well-trained crews from numerous fully equipped depots around the world. “Without a doubt, our various locations in the United States and in Europe are a major asset,” comments Lee. “For example when I worked with Velvet Revolver, we supplied a touring rig in America, a touring rig in Europe, and then, for their East Coast and West Coast one-offs, we supplied rigs from our local depots. That is a huge cost benefit. If there is a problem or if anything needs to be replaced or serviced, more than likely there is a PRG location nearby.”
Murch added, “The ability to provide service locally is a great advantage to the crews and the production managers. And if you go overseas, systems can be duplicated instead of shipping them. We have an incredible amount of equipment, in excellent condition, prepped and ready to go throughout PRG worldwide. That gives a tour a lot of security.”
PRG is actually expanding the amount of facility space dedicated to their concert touring clients. In 2008, they opened their Longbridge, U.K. facility in Birmingham. The Las Vegas Concert Touring facility includes a building in which clients can hang a touring lighting rig. This multi-purpose space, which can also be used as a full production rehearsal venue, is 9,000 square feet (90 feet by 100 feet) with a 45-foot trim height.
“Our global support network and facilities are second-to-none,” states Curbishley. “When we say we have an office in NY, we mean we have 300,000 sq. ft. in New Windsor, N.Y.; 200,000 sq. ft. in North Bergen, N.J. We also have large facilities in Las Vegas, in Orlando, in Birmingham and so on. These are not satellite offices; each one is a fully functioning production facility. We know that when building a large show, physical space is essential.”
Solutions Start at Home
Many of the depots, notably London, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, also offer previsualization suites and demonstration space to play with new gear. The Concert Touring group also works very closely with PRG’s own R&D division. These developers, who came to PRG through the acquisition of LSD and Vari-Lite Production Services, are the same people who created products such as the Icon™ automated luminaire, the Icon™ control console and the VL™ series of automated luminaires. This collaboration has led to propriety products such as the Bad Boy™ luminaire and the Series 400™ Power and Data Distribution System.
“Because we have years of experience in the touring world, we can communicate to our developers what the market needs, what designers want,” comments Curbishley. “We are constantly polling designers, production managers and crews about what works, what helps.” Other PRG products recently introduced to the touring market include the V676™ lighting control console and the Mbox EXtreme™ v3 media server.
From hiring experienced people to finding creative solutions to a client’s problems to developing products specifically for the concert touring industry, PRG seeks to serve the market from a unique position. As Curbishley emphasizes, “We strive to exceed our clients’ expectations.”
