Barbra Streisand performed outdoors for the first time in 52 years at the British Summer Time Hyde Park July 7 in London. “She had a good time,” says LD Peter Morse. “Luckily, it rained the night before, and so we were blessed with a cloudy gray day until it finally got dark the last 20 minutes of her show. Normally she would have had sun in her face and that light would have been hard to control. As it was, I was fighting lighting levels continuously.”
This show offered a video backdrop with custom content from her history, and for a duet with former film co-star Kris Kristofferson from A Star Is Born, with West End’s Phantom Of The Opera star Ramin Karimloo on “Music Of the Night” and surprise guest Lionel Richie on “The Way We Were.”
While 80,000 Londoners may have viewed Streisand’s tea sipping onstage as a nod to their culture, it’s actually a constant. But she does tailor her written script to each city. Programmer Troy Eckerman says they did previz in Burbank, CA before the London show, and next up are indoor gigs at Madison Square Garden (Aug. 3) and Chicago’s United Center (Aug. 6).
Stuba and NASA
LD Chris Stuba was in orbit over his involvement with Apollo 11’s 50th anniversary celebration at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, which was part of the Apollo Live event featured a concert headlined, appropriately by Walk the Moon. Stuba, working with DRK Event Lighting, took care of the stage lighting and ran the show for Philip Phillips’s performance. Stuba says, “The event company was responsible for lighting the space shuttle and the plane. The Johnson Space Center had celebrations all day that included some of the original Mission Control team as well as a lift-off to the international space station.” This landmark event sent the Houston-area LD over the moon as well. “I have been a NASA geek since I was eight,” he says. “It was thrilling to be there on such an amazing anniversary.”
Pollak and The Acropolis
LD Jon Pollak spent time in France at the Women’s World Cup of the USWNT as unit manager for Fox, where he managed the arrangement and hook up of satellite trucks in a parking lot. “Not a glamorous job,” he admits, “but it led me to a gig with a group called Tindersticks in some amazing places: Beirut, Istanbul, Antwerp, and an awesome gig at the Acropolis in Athens.” Actually, the theater was The Odean of Herodes Atticus — at the foot of the Acropolis — which was built in 161 AD for music concerts. Though it was restored in 1950, it stands as it originally did, but without the wooden roof. Pollak enjoyed the quiet hours of midnight to 5 a.m., focusing lights in the ancient venue.
“The show was fantastic,” the LD says. “It’s the kind of band that plays music so quiet you could hear a pin drop. And with 5,000 people engrossed in what’s being played, that says a lot.”
Alves and Jackson Form DarkRoom Creative
LDs Nathan Alves and Seth Jackson have formed DarkRoom Creative to offer full service creative direction and production design for artists and events. The two have worked together for over a decade, including sharing creative direction duties for Barry Manilow for the last few years. They continue with Manilow’s Las Vegas residency and his Broadway run. In addition, Alves launched John Mayer’s U.S. tour after a Southeast Asia run. Jackson is developing a co-headline tour for Casting Crowns and Hillsong Worship for the fall. They’re looking to an exciting, and rather full, winter season.
Quick Cues
LD Allen Branton’s outdoor gig involves spending the next few weeks with the trout of the Rocky Mountain West, he tells us. Perhaps he’ll share big fish tales when September sees him in the studio for the annual Comedy Central Roast with Alec Baldwin as the roastee. Felix Peralta, Kevin Lawson and Jason Uchita join him on the team.
The Summer of 2019 heat wave is particularly affecting this season’s amphitheater circuit. Cooling off on the tour bus, LD Brent Clark shared his iPhone screen showing a 116 degree heat index at the Great Jones County Fair in Iowa. He’s out with The Barenaked Ladies on Hootie & The Blowfish’s Group Therapy tour with Hootie’s LD Will Loudermilk. (See related story, this issue, page 30).
Carly Rae Jepsen’s Dedicated tour is mostly dedicated to indoor theaters. LD Charles Ford designed the production and lighting and is running the show.
LD Carl Burnett has escaped the U.S. heat dome. He designed Heart’s Love Alive North American tour. Jim Fitzpatrick helped program during rehearsals in St. Louis, and after all was set on a stable course, Burnett turned it over to lighting director Ed “Taz” Gardner to direct. The North American trek tours with Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Brandi Carlile, Sheryl Crow and some dates with Elle King through mid-October.
Send your hot summer news (and cool preview for fall) to Debi at dmoen@plsn.com.
