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If there was any doubt before, it’s officially squelched: The Parnellis have arrived. The show, which featured rocker Alice Cooper and guest comic Michael Wilson among many surprises, was a big hit. The 8th Annual Parnelli Awards ceremony, the “Oscars” of the live event industry, was held on Oct. 24 at the Rio Las Vegas Resort and Casino. The event was sold out, and, in fact, additional tables and chairs had to be brought out to accommodate the surge of last minute arrivals who wanted to be a part of it all.
The Parnelli Awards gala took place one day after the inaugural PLSN/FOH Parnelli Celebrity Classic golf tournament, where Alice Cooper played and also served as Honorary Chairperson. (That event, set at Siena Golf Club, had its own prize ceremony, with drivers and putters for top playing teams — and tennis racquets for the last place team.)
The Best of the Best
The Lighting Designer of the Year Award went to Bryan Hartley for his work with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Seth Jackson and Elizabeth O’Keefe took top honors in the Set/Scenic Designer category for their work with Toby Keith. The nod for Video Director of the Year went to Mark Haney. Ed Wannebo took home the Production Manager of the Year Award, and Mike Amato now has a Parnelli for his expertise as a Tour Manager.
Bandit Lites won for best Lighting Company, and Precise Corporate Staging (PCS) won for Hometown Hero/Regional Lighting Company of the Year. The honor for Staging went to All Access, Rigging kudos went to Atlanta Rigging, and Tait Towers won Set Construction Company of the Year. Nocturne Productions (Video Rental Company) and Pyrotek (Pyro) also took home Parnellis.
Alice Cooper’s Charity
Alice Cooper delighted the crowd with stories from his early days, his influences, and who he’s influenced. “When I started out, the term ‘show biz’ was a dirty word among rockers,” he said. “But I wanted to give people not just music to listen to, but a show.” Cooper then made a plea for his organization, The Solid Rock Foundation, which is a charity based in his adopted town of Phoenix that aims to turn disadvantaged youth into musicians and live event professionals — or at the very least, offer an alternative to gangs and drugs. PLSN publisher Terry Lowe was on hand to provide a check for the cause, and he urged everyone else in the industry to support The Solid Rock Foundation as well. (For more information or to see how you can help, go to www.alicecoopersolidrock.org.)
Blowing Stuff Up
Cooper than gave out several awards, which was certainly a treat for Diamond Coach, Coach Company of the Year; Upstaging, Trucking Company of the Year and Rock-It Cargo, Freight Forwarding Company of the Year. In handing Pyrotek their award for Pyrotechnics, he told a story about an exchange he once had with Kiss, another group he’s influenced. He said he told the band that when they come to a part in their show where they don’t know what to do, they could just blow up something else.
Then Cooper had to tear himself away, joking, “You know, this is the longest I’ve ever been on stage without cutting the head off of something, so I better go.” He then thanked everyone in attendance — “I think I’ve worked with every single one of you at some point over the years,” he said — and exited to catch a plane to Boston for a gig.
Industry Luminaries
It was a night of great presenters as industry legends such as Chip Monck, Jake Berry, Bruce Jackson and Patrick Stansfield entertained the crowd. Other equally well-received presenters included lighting designers Vickie Claiborne and Matt DeYoung; FOH Mixer Ken “Pooch” Van Druten; and Timeless Communication Editors Richard Cadena (PLSN), Bill Evans (FOH), and Jacob Coakley (Stage Directions).
Other winners of the night included Sound Image, Sound Company; Tour Tech East, Hometown Hero/Regional Sound Company; Ken “Pooch” Van Druten, FOH; Kevin “Tater” McCarthy, Monitor; and Russell Fisher, System Tech.
Emotional Tributes
Among the many show highlights were those who received special Parnellis for their career accomplishments. First up was Jake Berry, who introduced a tribute video to Michael Tait, before presenting Tait with the Parnelli Visionary Award for his work in lighting and set design. Berry, a respected production manager himself, spoke of his early years in the business working with Tait on an historic tour for the band Yes. “Michael was a pioneer in many areas,” Berry said. “Do you know he built the first computer lighting board? It looked great and could give you hotel information, flight information, where the good clubs and bars were — it just couldn’t run the lights.”
Berry pointed out that Tait’s painstaking pursuit of perfection sometimes made delivery a few minutes late, and he brought down the house with a joke: “If it’s late, it’s Tait, but it will be great, and worth the wait!” He ended his introduction of Tait by saying: “I know for one that I am a better person for meeting and knowing Michael, and am very proud to call him my friend.”
Bruce Jackson, himself a Parnelli honoree, came to pay tribute to his old bosses and mentors Roy and Gene Clair. The brothers built Clair into a powerhouse sound company from the small town of Lititz, Penn., and they were both there in person to receive their Parnelli Audio Innovator awards.
Lifetime Achievement Award
But the night, first and foremost, belonged to Dennis Sheehan, who received the Parnelli Lifetime Achievement Award. Stansfield began by saying it was wonderful to be in a room full of friends and admirers of Sheehan’s, then introduced two very special, very funny videos that were made exclusively for the Parnellis. There was one from U2, for whom Sheehan has worked for 25 years, and one from Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin. Plant joked about Sheehan having to wake him up at 4 p.m. and then expressed his gratitude for all he did with the band in the 1970s. He then congratulated Sheehan on his Parnelli award.
The U2 video had the band play “Stairway to Heaven,” with Bono singing; “There’s a tour manager who’s sure …,” alluding to the many stories Sheehan had shared from his days with Led Zeppelin. At the end of the video, each band member held up a sign with one word on it, making the sentence: “Dennis Sheehan — Man Legend.”
A Surprise Guest
Stansfield then brought out a surprise guest: U2 guitar tech Dallas Shoo, who flew in to honor Sheehan, saying a few words about how much he’s done for the band. A video of Sheehan’s career, also created especially for the awards, followed. It recapped his career, including his stint as a professional musician before going behind the scenes to be a tour manager.
The noticeably moved Sheehan took the podium and spoke about his career and his special relationship with the current U2 family.
A Night to Remember
“This was by far the most enjoyable, entertaining, and memorable Parnellis ever,” Lowe said afterwards. “Everyone stayed until the very end and it was just a great time.” He added that the show could not have been possible without the many sponsors. The Gold Sponsors were: All Access Staging and Production, Bandit Lites, Brown United, Dedicated Staging, Harmon Professional Group, Lab.gruppen, Nocturne, Precise Corporate Staging, Pyrotek Special Effects, Rent What?, Rock-It Cargo, Show Distribution, Sound Image, Strictly FX and Syncrolite.
Silver sponsors included: Apollo Design, ASI, Littlite, Martin Professional, Stage Rigging and Techni-Lux. The Production sponsors included ASI, Mendenhall Productions, On Stage Audio, PRG, PSAV, Stage Crew and Techni-Lux.
And the 2008 Winners Are…
Lifetime Achievement Award: Dennis Sheehan
Visionary Award: Michael Tait
Lighting Company of the Year: Bandit Lites
Lighting Designer of the Year: Bryan Hartley
Hometown Hero Lighting Company of the Year: Precise Corporate Staging (PCS)
Set/Scenic Designer of the Year: Seth Jackson and Elizabeth O’Keefe
Video Director of the Year: Mark Haney
Production Manager of the Year: Ed Wannebo
Tour Manager of the Year: Mike Amato
Staging Company of the Year: All Access Staging & Productions
Rigging Company of the Year: Atlanta Rigging
Set Construction Company of the Year: Tait Towers
Video Rental Company of the Year: Nocturne Productions
Pyro Company of the Year: Pyrotek Special Effects
Coach Company of the Year: Diamond Coach
Trucking Company of the Year: Upstaging, Inc.
Freight Forwarding Company of the Year: Rock-It Cargo
A Special Thanks to the 2008 Parnelli Award Sponsors:
Gold Sponsors:
All Access Staging & Productions
Bandit Lites
Brown United
Dedicated Staging LLC
Harmon Pro Group
Lab.Gruppen
Nocturne HDTV
Precise Corporate Staging
Pyrotek Special Effects Inc.
Rent What?
Rock-It Cargo
Show Distribution Rigging and Staging
Sound Image
Strictly FX
Syncrolite
Silver Sponsors:
Apollo Design Technology Inc.
ASI
Littlite
Martin Professional
Stage Rigging/A Freeman Company
Techni-Lux
Sponsors of the 2008 PLSN/FOH Parnelli Celebrity Classic Golf Tournament:
4Wall Entertainment Lighting
Solid Rock Foundation
Columbus McKinnon
Daktronics
CPR Rentals
Precise Corporate Staging
Dedicated Staging
BRockcom
Martin Professional
PRG
IntelEvent
2008 Parnelli Awards Photo Gallery:
