In the Trenches

Throughout my career, I doubt I’ve ever met anyone who never worked a show at a fairgrounds. In fact, I know some acts who make the majority of their annual revenue playing sets at these venues. The same applies for vendors. Last summer alone, I played four different Midwest state fairs and used different light rigs from TMS, the lighting vendor out of Omaha, all within two weeks time. Every gig is different, and the only thing I expect from these venues these days is…the unexpected.

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to head up a talented team of programmers for a major music festival making its USA debut, Rock in Rio.  Having worked in concert touring throughout my career, I am no stranger to music festivals; however, I had never been the “go to” person for a main stage at a festival, so I eagerly took on the challenge and began preparing myself.

I was recently able to catch up with Russ Felton during a break in his schedule, which is one that barely allows for sleep. I’m chatting with him during lunch to see how he handles all the pressures of dealing with the lighting at these massive festival shows he works on. Russ is one of the top lighting crew chiefs in the world. He is employed by BML Blackbird, one of the top lighting companies on the East Coast, located in Secaucus, NJ, right outside NYC. Russ deals with everything from touring acts to trade shows to stadium-sized festivals.