Features

Bob See, founder and CEO of See Factor Industry and one of the leading innovators in rock ‘n’ roll tour packaging, died Feb. 10, 2015. See Factor noted that he died peacefully in his sleep. He was 67.

I recently visited behind the scenes at Cirque du Soleil’s traveling arena show, Varekai. As with all of this company’s performances, safety is the key factor. Performers fly through the air, climb 20 feet up on set pieces and do all kinds of circus style stunts, without a net. Production manager Mike Naumann walked me through the setup and how Varekai rolls.

For a 15th Anniversary, apparently it’s appropriate to give crystal. We’ll demur, but it’s crystal clear that it has been a grand and successful adventure — one that promises to continue many years to come. Of course, we got here with a lot of help and support from our advertisers, some of whom were with us from the very beginning.

Nashville and the phrase professional songwriting are practically synonymous. The city’s importance to contemporary and traditional American country music is undeniable and self-evident. But in recent years, Nashville has experienced an influx of recording artists of all stripes, positioning the capital of the Volunteer State as an emerging force in the live-event industry.

The very first College Football Playoff National Championship Game took place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX on Jan. 12, replacing the BCS National Championship Game of seasons past, and with it came a whole weekend of festivities, none of which were brighter than CMT’s Ultimate Kickoff Party.

I’m having lunch today with Paul “Arlo” Guthrie, who could well be the finest Australian export to the States since Vegemite. He has again assumed his recurring role as production designer for Fleetwood Mac’s latest world tour. The band wrapped up well over a year ago when one of the founding members, bassist John McVie, had to take a leave of absence due to health issues. But that was after another original member, Christine McVie, sat in with the band for a show in London last year. She had been missing from the lineup since 1998, and for the first time in 17 years, the five members from the powerhouse lineup of the 1970s were involved in the show. I also spoke with lighting director Chris Lose and with screens provider Danny O’Bryen about the tour.

It’s a Friday afternoon, and Nate Almeida and the rest of the East Coast Lighting & Production Services team (ECLPS) are gearing up for another stop on Groove-Boston’s Cohesion Tour. These players have been collaborating on large-scale shows for 10 years and six consecutive tours. GrooveBoston combines massive pro-ductions with resident DJs to create immersive concert events on college campuses. ECLPS has been a key partner in creating a majority of the visual designs for each show since its’ inception.

Tomorrowland, the international dance music festival founded by Dutch concert promoters ID&T and staged in Boom, Belgium since 2005, branched out to the U.S. in 2013 with TomorrowWorld, which featured a roster of 300+ EDM artists and a collective audience of 140,000 for its Sept. 27-29 debut in in Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia, outside Atlanta.

Nearly 300 friends and members of the live event industry gathered at PRG’s facility in San Fernando, CA on Dec. 7 to send off one our own, Patrick Stansfield. Stansfield was a tour manager who worked with such acts as Santana, the Rolling Stones, and most notably, Neil Diamond for 25 years (Diamond and many from his organization attended the event).

LAS VEGAS – It was Vegas, after all, so the bet was on. “We were all voting when Benny [Collins] would start crying, and I said he wouldn’t make it through the introduction, and I won,” laughs production professional and friend Steve Thomas. Thomas, with Michael Ahern, presented the Parnelli Lifetime Achievement Award to Collins, the live event industry’s highest honor. Collins took the stage choked up and shed some tears in giving his appreciation to all he’s worked with and made friends with over the years. It was a fitting end to an evening filled with emotions, laughs and tears.

I have attended perhaps five LDI conventions over the years. Usually I see a lot of rehashed products mixed in with a few new ideas. 2014 seemed to bring a big reversal in this trend; I viewed so many new products that I felt like a kid in Disneyland. With more than 300 exhibitors and 8,000 people in attendance, it was certainly a packed house. There was never a dull moment as I ventured from booth to booth.