Aaron Black: “I was in Copenhagen at the Royal Danish Opera with a new production of Lohengrin, which premieres Jan. 22.”
Andy Cass: “NYE is our biggest show of the year with String Cheese Incident, and it’s my personal favorite because it’s in my backyard, in Broomfield, CO. We brought in a huge 3D video wall (48 by 15 feet) and a massive light rig along with dancers and aerialist. I used a local vendor and a national vendor to make it happen.”
David Davidian: “I was at home with my wife and my children, happy to spend time together. My first project [for 2016] will be to tour-manage the Hollywood Vampires at the Grammys in February. It will be my first time at the Grammys, so another bucket list item checked off. Thank goodness, because time is running out.”
Jack Davis: “I took a bit of time off. We just had our first child, John Dangerwolf Davis, a.k.a. Baby Wolfie, on Dec. 7, 2015, happy and healthy. Excited to spend the holidays and this upcoming year with our sweet little boy.”
Phil Ealy: “I spent my New Year’s with Britney Spears at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. I return to Kenny Chesney’s tour for the summer, so I’ll be back and forth getting my pop and country on through 2016.
Troy Eckerman: “I’ve been in Japan for the last month programming and operating X Japan with LD Peter Morse. I have been fortunate to stay home the last eight or 10 NYEs. In January I start a new project at Exxon world headquarters in Spring, TX — a couple of small corporate shows and some work at the Super Bowl (not the Halftime Show). I am good with the smaller stuff these days. It pays the same and the stress level is low. I plan to do a little winter fishing and a ski trip to Colorado in January as well.”
John Featherstone: “This NYE, I will be home with my lovely family and friends raising a glass to all those who are working to keep us entertained, and looking forward to a great 2016 full of exciting challenges, inspiring shows, and collaboration with talented people and great friends!”
Cory FitzGerald: “I ran the Bruno Mars concert at the Cosmopolitan in Vegas. It was quite a show!”
Steve Garner: “I was in Times Square with LD Mike Grabowski lighting Ryan Seacrest on New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. (Lee Rose did the pre-taped performances in Cali. We did the live show with Ryan in the ABC Times Square studio and outside, under the ball drop.) Then I jump to another Republican debate with LD Dennis Size in January.”
Dara Guiney: “I was taking my first Mighty Mighty Bosstones Christmas/New Year’s shows off in about 10 years, as my wife and I were expecting our first baby!”
Kieran Healy: “I was in Ireland practicing drinking Guinness! In January, I start the Final Farewell Season of American Idol — hard to believe it has been 14 years (15 seasons) of my life. I just finished a season of a new show with Steve Harvey called Little Big Shots, which conventional wisdom is predicting a hit; it airs in March on NBC.”
David “Gurn” Kaniski: “Mega NYE Spectacular in Singapore with Adam Lambert!”
Chris Lose: “Programmed Chi-Town Rising, Chicago’s version of the NYE Ball Drop.”
Gregg Maltby: “I was in Brooklyn on NYE with Huey Lewis + The News, opening for Jimmy Buffett. In 2016, I re-design Boston for their 40th Anniversary Tour.”
Jon Pollak: “After all bloody year on tour, I was at home with my family. I’m not allowed to miss the holidays at home.”
Joel Reiff: “It was a quiet NYE for me. I was home mucking after the horses, which isn’t a bad thing. My first project is a cruise with Peter Frampton. Hoping for calm waters…”
Lee Rose: “As usual, I did Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest. I shot the ‘Billboard Hollywood Party’ portions with 5 Seconds of Summer, Andy Grammer, DNCE, Ellie Goulding, Fall Out Boy, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Nathan Sykes, Nick Jonas, OMI, One Direction, Pentatonix, Rachel Platten, Tove Lo and Walk The Moon. This was my thirtieth time doing NYRE in 31 years. (There wasn’t a NYRE 2000. ABC did the whole night.)”
Susan Rose: “I was in NYC with Carter Fulghum and watched the ball drop in Times Square! Participating in the festivities for a change, instead of lighting them.”
Nook Schoenfeld: “I spent NYE at the KFC Yum Center in Louisville, KY with 18,000 of my favorite rednecks at a Kid Rock show. Didn’t eat any KFC, however.”
Bryan Schrumpf: “We have Willie Nelson and Family every New Year’s at ACL-Live.”
Marco Silva: “We [lit] The Voice Portugal.”
Jonathan Smeeton: “For New Year’s, I was in the Bahamas with Diana Ross. In January, I plan to do a bit of sailing in Florida. All of February, 15 shows with Miss Ross in the Southeast/Midwest. March, I’ll be in Australia Northeast, visiting family and friends. And April seems to be filling out quite nicely too. And here I am trying to be retired.”
Chris Stuba: “I was in Vegas for New Year’s doing CES, working in Samsung for fine designs programming. I have more Brian Wilson shows this year with the 50th Anniversary of Pet Sounds, and more Bob Seger shows this summer.”
Troy Stubby: “On NYE, I had an independent project as LD for Denver-based band Itchy-O at a venue in Denver. They are an avant-garde/marching/performance/EDM/Taiko drumming/experimental band with performance dancers, tribal drumming, electronic noise devices. A ‘Burning Man’ kind of group. This is the very opposite of Air Supply — which starts back up Jan. 16, in Sarasota, FL.”
Jim Tetlow: On NYE and day, I’ll be in rehearsal for the Intel Keynote address at CES in Las Vegas, followed by the GM keynote the next day. Then it’s direct to Detroit, where we are designing the lighting for all of the GM exhibits and three different press events.”
Liam Tully: “I will be continuing with the James Bay worldwide tour. We have a Christmas break, so I will be sitting at home redesigning next year’s show, then a vacation.”
Scott Warner: “I’ll enjoy NYE by changing the colors of the cheap LEDs lighting my home at midnight. My first project could be two acts I can’t name yet, and for sure some new Icona Pop stuff.”
Ethan Weber: “Home for New Year’s. Rolling Stones’ South American run starts end of January and goes until mid-March.”
Resolve to email Debi Moen with news of your gigs every month to dmoen@plsn.com.
