I’m one of those guys who likes to do everything himself. I like to draw my own plots. I like to make my own artistic renderings. I like to load in my own shows. I like to paint my own house too, but I don’t always have time to do any of these things myself. So for just about everything there is in life, I got somebody for it.
The Go-To Network
Over the years, we all collect our own personal bunch of people for different stuff. I’m home a lot this summer, so I’m gonna try and mow my own lawn. But if something comes up and I find myself too busy to be home, it’s nice to know I have a dude down the street. And I depend on this kid. Just like I depend on the guy who shovels my driveway in the winter or the guys prepping lighting rigs in a shop somewhere while I am on another gig. It’s nice to have a guy (or gal) to cover everything we can’t find time to do. But what happens when they are no longer available when you need them? Well, then it’s no fun.
As I get older, I find myself losing some of these people, and it’s creating a problem for me. What happens when you spend your whole career knowing you can trust that one person to have your back, that one person who knows you inside out and precisely what you need, before you know what you really want yourself. For instance, I have had a guy drawing for me for 10 years. I hate to use anyone else. Not because there aren’t as many talented people out there that can do the work, it’s because I don’t have to explain myself before every project. I can say to him, “Remember that concept we came up with for Rihanna in 2006, but we never used? I want to revisit that idea for this artist.” And they get it. My problem is that this particular artist has turned into such a fine LD in his own right that he’s constantly busy and not always available to me.
My friend Bruce Sirus is retiring. He is one of the owners of Production Plus Technologies, a well known, widely respected scenic company out of the Chicago area. I always enjoy doing shows with his organization, because they are quite together, and the staff he has amassed over the years is the backbone behind some great work. It saddened me a couple years ago when Bruce told me he was unsure of what would become of his company after he moved on. I am thankful that he reached a deal with some of his fellows to keep the company rolling long after he hands over the reins. But while that comforts me, I’m not so sure others will have the same feeling, as Bruce retiring is leaving a rather gigantic hole in the lives of other people.
Not Easy to Replace
John Huddleston said it best. “What do I do now that the one go-to guy I’ve had my entire working career is not in my corner?” John and his staff at Upstaging Lighting have worked side by side with Production Plus on some projects that have seemingly spanned a lifetime. I’m sure both companies will continue to do these same events every year, but all the things Huddleston has never had to think of will all have to be revisited. “The thousand little things that Bruce did, and nobody else wrote down, will raise their ugly heads one by one.” I imagine when a guy like Bruce leaves his position, you need multiple people to shadow him for quite some time just to get a feel for all that he does.
I love the fact that I have a partner who thinks precisely like I do. Mike is as good as my wife at completing my sentences. We rarely are together in the same event like when we started out years ago. We always bounce ideas back and forth, and the camaraderie remains as we tackle obstacles in the design process. But I miss the days when we both sat down behind lighting consoles and designed something through two sets of eyes to come up with great looks. If one of us had a great idea, the other would recognize it and bring that vision to fruition. Because we got so busy, we lost that magic juju we shared in the creative process, and I essentially lost my go-to designer. And he lost his favorite lighting programmer.
Giant Footsteps to Fill
We all have people we depend on for a show. But what happens when that person passes on? A great LD, John Labriola, passed away in April. It left a hole in my heart, as he was a tremendous dude and a talented guy behind a lighting console. That hole pales in comparison to the giant footsteps left empty behind the console on the current Bruno Mars tour. I’m sure that production manager Joel Forman was crushed when his friend passed. The show must go on, of course, but how the heck was he gonna fill that hole in short notice. I’m sure Cory FitzGerald, the shows’ designer, came up with a new director, but that could not have been easy. That show is so tight that it needed a skillful set of hands, and his go-to guy was gone.
I feel comfortable with all my preferred vendors. They know me, and my quirks. I know them and what they are capable of. Certain vendor relationships I have are there because of a particular relationship I have forged with someone over many years and countless projects. These people are as good as gold in my book. I like certain lighting crew chiefs. Any time I can get Ken Burns or Wayne Kwiatt to crew chief one of my tours, I am thrilled to use Upstaging.
Sure, their gear is pristine, but their people are what back the product. You can’t buy these kinds of people that get how I personally operate. When scenic fabricator Joe Gallagher left his previous company to go out on his own, he took a chance. I think he adopted a “Build it and they will come” philosophy. I side with my scenic guy wherever he goes. So when Gallagher Staging appeared out of nowhere one day, I knew where my work was going. Nowadays I find myself dealing more with Joey Jr., his son. Took me a while to trust him, as his dad and I have so much history. But he turned out to be pretty good. And now I have another go-to person.
Personal note here: In the last few months our concert industry has lost some friends who tragically passed before their time. Some left nothing but their legacy and a Facebook fund to help their kids. Some lost their spouses. We get paid well and life insurance is relatively cheap. My heart breaks to see that any children are left to fend for themselves because we felt 10 feet tall and bulletproof. Please look after your families now. Cover their future. I’m tired of these tears while I make online donations. —N.S
