Vol. 21.

12
January, 2021

YEARS
OF

WHAT’S HOT

6 26 28
Production Profile Designer Watch LD-at-Large
XR Visuals for CrowdStrike Virtual Event Alec Spear's Set for Lindsey Stirling Adjusting to Life Off the Road
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JANUARY 2021
FEATURES
5 Showtime: Top Tours, 2000-2020
The firehose of anticipated concert
tour action for 2020 got reduced to
a trickle of live events staged after
the Covid-19 shutdowns in March.
So instead of our usual approach,
PLSN’s annual “Top Tours” Showtime
feature takes a look back at the top
tours of the new millennium.
6 Production Profile
Silent House Productions creat-
ed an XR world for CrowdStrike’s
fourth annual Cybersecurity
Conference, a.k.a. Fal.Con. Alex
Reardon, Vincent Richards and
XR Studios’ Cory FitzGerald took
PLSN contributor Michael S. Eddy
through the process that uses LED
screens to place performers and
props in a fluid, three-dimensional
environment.
The Parnelli Awards, a 20-Year Retrospective
8 Two Decades of Excellence
PLSN writer and Parnelli Awards show
writer/producer Kevin M. Mitchell
chronicles the highlights of this
unique awards program, which has
evolved through two decades from
its humble origins in the early 2000’s
to the live event production indus-
try’s premier awards gala today.
9 The Ghosts of Parnellis Past
Parnelli Awards co-founder and
executive producer Terry Lowe raises
a toast in homage to the backstage
stars who left an indelible stamp on
the industry and the Parnelli Awards.
10 Plus ça Change…
Marshall Bissett, retired founder of
TMB and chairman of the Parnelli
Awards board of advisors, ponders
what Rick “Parnelli” O’Brien would
think of all the legendary people
who have been honored over the
years by the Parnellis.
P R O J E C T I O N , L I G H T S & S TA G I N G N E W S
CONTENTS w w w .pl s n .c o m
EDITOR’SNOTE
18 And the Winners Were…
The list of those who have been hon-
ored for career achievement, includ-
ing Lifetime Achievement, Visionary
and Audio Innovator winners along
with the Parnelli Hall of Fame.
18 Notes from Past Editors
Richard Cadena (PLSN), Bill Evans
(FOH) and Jacob Coakley (Stage Direc-
tions) share their Parnelli memories.
20 Parnelli Board of Advisors
The list of active and posthumous
board members, with thoughts
penned by John Brown, Kent Black,
Mark Haney, Robin Shaw and Chris
Weathers.
21 Indispensable Technology
“IT” Awards
The best Lighting, Video, Staging and
Audio products, as voted by PLSN and
FOH readers over the years.
21 Parnelli Moments to Remember
PLSN and FOH editors join Parnelli
production team members in a look
back at some of the wild moments
that, in retrospect, were humorous.
23 In Memoriam, 2020
Remembering those we lost, from
January to December 2020.
24 Friends of the Parnelli Awards
Reflect and Remember
Hosts Tony Levin and Kevin Lyman
join NAMM’s Joe Lamond and
Parnelli presenters and honorees to
share their thoughts and observa-
tions on the awards program.
COLUMNS
26 Designer Watch
Debi Moen reports on some of the
few gigs that managed to happen
despite the pandemic’s restrictions
on gatherings in late 2020, includ-
ing Lindsey Stirling’s PPV special, a
military band’s drive-in gig, outdoor
lighting projects in NYC and more.
28 LD-at-Large
Chris Lose notes the struggle to
adapt to life off the road. It might
not be without its blessings, but it
still isn’t easy transforming from a
“roadie” into a “homie.”
DEPARTMENTS
2 Editor’s Note
4 Industry News
5 Showtime
26 Ad Index
20 — Still a
Great Number
T
he number “20” still resonates with me. I
liked a crisp 20-dollar bill because I can
always buy a drink or a lunch with one.
I liked the start of 2020 because it brought
around the 20th Anniversary of PLSN and a
special appearance by
Garth Brooks at the
Parnelli Awards that
capped the most stellar
awards celebration ever.
This month was sup-
posed to mark the 20th
Parnelli Awards, but like
everything else in the
By
NookSchoenfeld world, we’re on hold. We
could have presented
our readers with a weak virtual awards show of
some sort based on some submissions made
by our readers, but that’s really not our style.
We’ve always been about the party that sus-
tains the awards.
With this issue, as we kick 2020 to the curb
with great fervor, I invite you to enjoy this
month’s look at the 20-year history of the Par-
nellis as we travel down Memory Lane.
Kevin Mitchell, who normally keeps busy
this time of year in his role as Parnelli Awards
producer/writer, took a deep dive into the
archives for a look back for the Parnelli Retro-
spective filling this issue from pages 8-25. (See
Table of Contents listings at left).
Be also sure to check out the 20-year video
retrospective, which can be viewed at Parnelli-
Awards.com starting Jan. 22.
Don’t wait 20 years to reach out to Nook. Email
him at nook@plsn.com.
ON THE COVER Two Decades
of Excellence.
Vol. 21.12
January, 2021
Clockwise from top
center: Michael T.
Strickland, Garth
YEARS
OF
Brooks, Michelle
Sarrat, Howard
Ungerleider, John
WHAT’S HOT
6
Wiseman, Sooner 26 28
Routhier, Nook
Production Profile Designer Watch LD-at-Large
XR Visuals for CrowdStrike Virtual Event Alec Spear's Set for Lindsey Stirling Adjusting to Life Off the Road
Schoenfeld, Yvan
Miron, Butch
Allen, Richard
Fernandez, Tom Petty, Terry Lowe, John
Waite, Joe Branam, Dale “Opie” Skjerseth,
Mark “Springo” Spring, Jake Berry, Kevin
Lyman, Benny Collins, Ted Maccabee and
Grant Sellers.
Projection, Lights & Staging News (ISSN: 1537-0046)
Volume 21, Number 12, January 2021. Published monthly
by Timeless Communications Corp. 6000 South Eastern
Ave., Suite 14J, Las Vegas, NV 89119. It is distributed free to
qualified individuals in the lighting and staging industries
in the United States and Canada. Periodicals Postage paid at
Las Vegas, NV and additional offices. POSTMASTER: Send all
UAA to CFS. NON-POSTAL AND MILITARY FACILITIES: send
address corrections to Projection, Lights & Staging News,
P.O. Box 16655 North Hollywood, CA 91615. Mailed in Canada
under Publications Mail Agreement Number 40033037, 1415
Janette Ave., Windsor, ON N8X 1Z1. Overseas subscriptions
are available and can be obtained by calling 702.932.5585.
Editorial submissions are encouraged, but must include a self-
addressed stamped envelope to be returned. Projection,
Lights & Staging News is a Registered Trademark. All Rights
Reserved. Duplication, transmission by any method of this
publication is strictly prohibited without permission of
Projection, Lights & Staging News.
 ALWAYS LEADING THE WAY!
Our Awards Speak for Themselves!

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Vanguard LED Displays Chromium Fine Pixel Pitch Series

w w w. v a n g u a r d l e d . c o m
 SPIK & SPAN SHINE COVID-SAFE IN ST. LOUIS
ADJ fixtures lit the stage and castle. Logic lights El Monstero’s shows.
(See News in Brief, below), 4 (See News in Brief, below), 4

INDUSTRY & GLOBALNEWS

David Summers lit August Burns Red’s Thrill Seeker
Pro Production Sessions to anniversary livestream with Elation Dartz fixtures.

Be Part of NAMM’s Virtual

Believe In Music Week
›› LAS VEGAS — Timeless Commu-
nications, publishers of PLSN, FOH and
Stage Directions, has been sponsoring the
Pro Production seminar series at Winter
NAMM in recent years. As part of NAMM’s
virtual Believe in Music Week program,
these discussions among industry pros
will be offered online Jan. 21 and Jan. 22.
On Jan. 21, the focus will be on XR,
with Ash Nehru, Laura Frank, and Nils
Porrmann joining moderator Michael
Eddy at 10 a.m. At 3 p.m., Eddy will delve
further into XR topics with Cory FitzGer-
ald, Bianca Moncada, Alex Reardon and
Vincent Richards.
On Jan. 22, the focus shifts to produc-
tion design at 10 a.m. and production
management at 2 p.m. Panelists include
Ben Dalgleish, Bryan Hartley, Robb Jib-
son, Peter Morse and Tamlyn Wright (10
am) and Bobby Schneider, Marty Hom
and Elliot Saltzman (2 pm).
For more, go to plsn.me/NAMM-PP and

From Stage to Stream

scroll down to click “Pro Production by PLSN
and FOH” on the left side of the web page.

News in Brief
ADJ fixtures lit both the stage and
the castle for two Covid-safe outdoor
›› LITITZ, PA — Squeek Lights supplied to miss most of the effects. I practiced with thing that not many other fixtures can create.”
shows this summer at Landgoed Kasteel
a variety of Elation Dartz fixtures to light Au- new lighting positions and ended up with He created another unique look by drop-
Limbricht in the Netherlands. The con-
gust Burns Red’s Nov. 14 livestream perfor- positions I wouldn’t normally use on a tour- ping in a small gobo to produce multiple
certs featured Niek Drikx and Jo Huijnen,
mance as the metalcore band celebrated 15 ing show. It was a different approach, but it “needle beams” that look like a spider web,
better known as the duo Spik & Span.
years since their debut studio album, Thrill turned out great.” and also praised the fixtures for their abili-
More details at plsn.me/Spik
Seeker. Summers placed 20 Dartz 360 fixtures out- ty to create “unique colors like mint, a light
The performance, streaming from Rock rigged on 10 pipes on the ground, forming a lavender, a light amber. The color control is
Chauvet Professional fixtures
Lititz Studio, featured a lighting design by semi-circle around the band. Fixtures worked great.” Summers also incorporated ADJ Hex
energized jam band Spafford’s two NYE
David Summers, adapting his live stage looks from the top and bottom of each pipe, form- Panels as dedicated drum lights for drummer
shows at the mostly-empty 1,500-seat
for the multi-camera shoot in Lititz after two ing arrays of thin beams high and low, for Matt Greiner.
Marque Theatre in Phoenix. LD Matt Col-
days of rehearsals at Squeek Lights’ facility. classic ACL looks. Summers credited Squeek Lights and
lier added camera-friendly depth and
“There were five or six cameras plus a few “I can put 10 fixtures in an infinite pan to lighting tech Steve Kosiba, who did all the
color to his livestream looks with eight
GoPro’s, so there were multiple shot angles make a wide encompassing circle, and then backend programming for the event, for
Maverick MK2 and 12 Rogue R1 Spots.
to consider,” Summers said. “It’s very differ- I’ll put the other 10 in a different staggered their support. And the band was happy with
More details at plsn.me/Spaf
ent — on a livestream, if not every light is position with an infinite tilt,” Summers said. the livestream gig as well, following up with
aimed towards the camera, then you’re going “It’s a simple trick, but that look alone is some- a Christmas Burns Red livestream on Dec. 12.
Creative Stage Lighting named
Tracey Cosgrove VP of sales and opera-
tions. Cosgrove will be responsible for
CSL’s sales efforts, customer experience Parnelli Awards Marks 20 Years with Video Recap
and operations processes. es and irreverent words from Parnelli Awards this issue possible. Gold sponsors include
›› LAS VEGAS — Along with this issue’s
20-year Parnelli Awards retrospective penned executive producer Terry Lowe and chairman 4 Wall Entertainment, All Access Staging &
INFiLED added Henry Ambrose to of the board of advisors Marshall Bissett. Productions, Bandit Lites, d&b audiotechnik,
by Kevin M. Mitchell (see pages 8-25), a “Keep
INFI Group, its North American subsidiary. “The reality is we would have never had Harman, L-Acoustics, Maryland Sound, Mey-
the Torch Lit” 20-year video retrospective will
Ambrose is an industry veteran with over the time or resources to dig through all the er Sound, Rock-It Cargo, Sound Image and
be available for viewing on Friday, Jan. 22 at 5
30 years of experience. wonderful memories and hilarious moments Strictly FX. Silver sponsors include Chauvet
p.m. PST, 8 p.m. EST through NAMM’s Believe
More details at plsn.me/INFI-HA that have happened at the Parnelli’s since the Professional, Elation Professional, Global
In Music event being held from Jan. 18-22. (It
will also be available on ParnelliAwards.com first one,” says Lowe. “But we are all glad we Trend Productions, Hemphill Brothers, Solo-
Logic Systems lit The Pageant, did. We found some VHS video of the second tech and Stageline. TPI is a Production Part-
starting Jan. 22 at 6 p.m. PST). A link will be
a 2,000-plus capacity music venue in show, hundreds of great pictures, and video ner.
emailed out to all PLSN and FRONT of HOUSE
St. Louis, for Pink Floyd tribute band El clips of artists that have participated, includ- “We hope you join us for our Pro Produc-
subscribers that evening, too — which is
Monstero’s Dec. 2020 holiday shows. The ing Alice Cooper, Brooks & Dunn, Paul Anka, tion sessions (see separate article, this page),
the same day that the in-person ceremony
shows continued a two-decade holiday Mick Jagger, Brad Paisley, Tom Petty and so and then Friday night be there for this high-
would have been held this year, if not for the
tradition for the band, crew and fans — many others. We’ve really enjoyed reliving light reel, raise a glass, and help us keep the
Covid-19 pandemic’s restrictions on events.
but in the era of Covid-19, the production those moments in a highlight reel, and we torch lit until January 2022, when we meet
The video, like the printed section, will in-
also entailed some big adjustments in- think you will, too.” again in person,” Lowe says. “At that point,
clude our memorial video saying goodbye to
cluding UV germ-killing technologies. Lowe thanked this year’s Parnelli sponsors we’ll be celebrating a spectacular year.”
those we’ve lost this year along with Parnelli
More details at plsn.me/Logic-EM who made the video and special section in For more, go to parnelliawards.com
highlights over the years and some well-wish-

4 JANUARY 2021 • plsn.com

 SHOWTIME/Top Tours, 2000-2020
Ed Sheeran U2 Guns N’ Roses The Rolling Stones

RALPH LARMANN/MEYER SOUND

KATERINA BENZOVA/ROBE

MARTIN LIGHTING
1 2 3 4

Ed Sheeran’s Divide Tour ran from 2017-2019. U2’s 360° Tour ran from 2009-2011. Guns N’ Roses’ “Not In This Lifetime” Tour ran 2016-2019. The Rolling Stones’ “A Bigger Bang” Tour ran 2005-2007.

Lighting Cos: LCR/SES Lighting Co: PRG Video Co: XL Video Lighting Co: Upstaging Lighting Co: PRG Video Co: Screenworks NEP
Video Co: Colonel Tom Touring Visual Design: Willie Williams, Show Designer/ Video Co: Screenworks Visual Design: Patrick Woodroffe, Lighting De-
Visual Design: Mark Cunniffe, Show/Lighting Director; Ethan Weber, Lighting Director; Stefaan Visual Design: Phil Ealy, Production Designer; Ron signer; Ethan Weber, Lighting Director; Dave Hill
Designer; Matt Jones, Lighting Director; Phil Mead, “Smasher” Desmedt, Tom Krueger, Video Directors; Schilling, Lighting Director; Steve Fatone, Video and Adam Bassett, Associate LD’s; Sam Pattinson
Video Director Mark Fisher/Stufish, Production Architect Director and Christine Strand, Video Directors; Mark Fisher,
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Coldplay Roger Waters AC/DC Metallica

STEVE JENNINGS

WEMBLEY STADIUM

STEVE JENNINGS

STEVE JENNINGS
5 6 7 8

Coldplay’s A Head Full of Dreams Tour ran 2016-2017. Roger Waters’ “The Wall Live” Tour ran from 2010-2013. AC/DC’s Black Ice Tour ran from 2008-2010. Metallica’s WorldWired tour format, from 2016-present,
has evolved over the years.

Lighting Cos: Upstaging, Lite Alternative Lighting Co: PRG Lighting Co: Upstaging Lighting Co: Premier Global Production
Video Co: VER Video Co: XL Video Video Co: Screenworks Video Co: PRG
Visual Design: Phil Harvey, Creative Director; Visual Design: Roger Waters, Mark Fisher, Pro- Visual Design: Patrick Woodroffe, Creative Visual Design: Dan Braun, Production Designer;
Paul Normandale, Lighting Designer; Graham duction Designer; Marc Brickman, LD; Mark Risk, Director; Dave Hill, Co-Lighting Designer; Rob Koenig, LD/Lighting Director; Troy Eckerman
Feast, Lighting Director; Ben Miles, Video Director; Lighting Director/Programmer; Sean Evans, Video Charlie “Cosmo” Wilson, Lighting Director and Joe Cabrera, Programmers; Dave Neugebauer
Misty Buckley, Set Designer Designer; Richard Turner, Video Technical Director More details at plsn.me/TT-ACDC and Eugene MacAuliffe, Video Directors
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The Rolling Stones Madonna P!NK U2

STEVE JENNINGS

SEVEN DESIGN WORKS

STEVE JENNINGS

STEVE JENNINGS
9 10 11 12

The “No Filter” Tour has been running since 2017. Madonna’s Sticky & Sweet tour ran from 2008-2009.
Pink’s Beautiful Trauma tour ran from 2018-2019. U2’s Joshua Tree tours ran in 2017 and 2019.

Lighting Cos: Upstaging, Neg Earth Lighting Co: PRG

Video Co: Solotech Video Co: Nocturne Lighting Co: Solotech Lighting Co: PRG Video Co: PRG
Visual Design: Patrick Woodroffe/WBD, Show Visual Design: Jamie King, Show Director; Video Co: Solotech Visual Team: Willie Williams, Creative Director/
Design & Creative Direction; Terry Cook, Associate LeRoy Bennett, Production & Lighting Design; Visual Team: Baz Halpin, Production/Lighting LD; Mark “Sparky” Risk, Alex Murphy, Allen Branton
LD; Ethan Weber, Lighting Director/Programmer; Mac Mosier, Lighting Director; Troy Eckerman Designer; Eric Marchwinski, Associate LD/ (Consultant), Lighting Directors; Stefaan “Smasher”
Ray Winkler/Stufish, Stage Architect; Roland Greil, and Cory FitzGerald, Lighting Programmers; Programmer; Steve “Six” Schwind, Lighting Desmedt, Video Director; Ric Lipson/Stufish, Es
Video Designer Christian Lamb, Video Director Director; Larn Poland, Video Director Devlin (Consultant), Set Designers
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plsn.com • JANUARY 2021 5


PRODUCTIONPROFILE
CrowdStrike’s Fal.Con XR Event
A Striking Use of
W
hen 2020 began, the plan was that
the fourth annual CrowdStrike Cy-
bersecurity Conference — Fal.Con
— would once again bring together the best
business and technology minds in cybersecu-
rity, in-person. With the pandemic, the need to
move to a virtual event was recognized, but for
CrowdStrike going virtual was not to be mere-
ly a pivot, it wanted a game-changing virtual
event.
CrowdStrike’s event producer, experien-
tial marketing firm George P. Johnson (GPJ),
brought in Silent House Productions to design
the 2020 Fal.Con as an in-person event, so they
looked to Silent House, led by design partner,
Alex Reardon and studio design director, Vin-
cent Richards, for a new virtual concept. Silent
House suggested to GPJ and CrowdStrike the
idea to move Fal.Con as a virtual event into the
eXtended Reality (XR) world.
CrowdStrike, an industry-leading provider
of cybersecurity services with their core Fal-
con platform technology, saw the potential to
offer a singular event experience on the cut-
ting-edge of both technology and the cultural
moment. Delivering a world-class virtual expe-
rience, Fal.Con was a success thanks to Silent
House and GPJs proper planning and prepara-
tion. PLSN asked Reardon and Richards, along
with XR Studios president, Cory FitzGerald, to
take us through the process of producing this
XR corporate event.
›› Creative Development
“This was the first time we had worked with
CrowdStrike,” says Reardon. “Though Silent
House is known for big music tours and events,
we actually do a fair number of corporate gigs
as well. So, we do fully understand the idiosyn-
crasies and needs of the corporate world. That
knowledge helped when we had to change
from an in-person event to a streaming event.”
The Silent House team was tasked with
bringing creative ideas, concepts and ener-
gy into the virtual realm for Fal.Con, so they
showed the GPJ and CrowdStrike how moving
6 JANUARY 2021 • plsn.com
Silent House takes CrowdStrike
into the XR World
the event into the XR world would fill this brief.
“We first asked ourselves, ‘How do we still have
an impact on a streaming event?’ A lot of the
creative process that we had gone through
with them for the in-person event was still
valid,” explains Richards. “We could still use the
creative already developed for the live show.
That could all still be carried through into the
XR setting. Now, the designs changed, but
those relationships and thought process were
consistent in that transition.”
XR, as explained by disguise, a technology
leader in the field, uses LED screens to place
performers and props in a fluid three-dimen-
sional environment, captured in-camera with-
out the need for post-production visual ef-
fects. In XR, a camera tracking device mounted
on each camera figures out where the camera
is and where it’s pointing (position, angle, and
field of view). The XR system working with a
game engine (like Notch, Unreal, or Unity) and
powerful computers quickly draws the back-
ground scene from that point of view and then
renders the resulting image onto the screens
on stage. Looking from the point of view of
the camera, you experience the illusion that
the performers and props are actually “in” the
virtual scene.
With the decision made to move the event
into the XR world, the team chose to work with
CROWDSTRIKE
Production for CrowdStrike’s Fal.Con XR
Event, at XR Studios’ Los Angeles facility
By Michael S.Eddy
XR Studios in Los Angeles. The expert XR Stu-
dios’ team includes award-winning designer
Cory FitzGerald, XR Studios president, and the
visual visionary technologist, Stefaan “Smash-
er” Desmedt. The event was produced on site
using XR Studios’ 70-foot-wide stage, three
LED walls and an LED floor.
“We did initial demos to show everyone in-
volved what we could do,” explains FitzGerald.
“That included a walk-through in the space
with the client’s corporate team and creative
executives, and the George P. Johnson team.
Along with Silent House, we went through
the options, and what was realistic with our
real-time content integrators and our part-
ners, Silent Partner Studios, who would build
the content. We looked at what would be pos-
sible with the budget and the timeframe. We
were able to help facilitate how we were going
to do this with what they wanted to do.” As a
technology company themselves, the team
from CrowdStrike quickly understood the XR
technology approach and were excited by the
possibilities for their event.
With decisions made and plans agreed
upon, the teams from GPJ, Silent House and
XR Studios moved forward. “We are a fully
functioning XR studio space,” describes Fitz-
Gerald. “We have a pipeline of people, work-
flows and technologies that allow us to work
SILENT HOUSE PRODUCTIONS/ XR STUDIOS
with the teams to create the concepts, as well
as facilitate the capture, edit and release the
final product to either the client or direct to
an online platform. As the technology and fa-
cility provider as well as advisor on the tech-
nical part of XR, we worked closely with Silent
House. We advised on what things we should
be handling, how they should approach the
content and the space, and then Silent House
worked directly with the client on the look and
feel. We sat at the implementation level be-
tween the idea and the reality of show.”
›› Adapting to Change
One inevitable fact of corporate shows and
events is that often clients want and need to
make last minute changes and adjustments.
This idea wasn’t too far from mind as Rear-
don and the Silent House team planned the
XR event for Fal.Con. “Almost every corporate
event does a speaker rehearsal the night be-
fore the CEO’s keynote address, and the script
writers and PowerPoint people work all night
making changes needed to the presentation,”
says Reardon. “With this in mind, we quite
quickly developed a very easy way of commu-
nicating with CrowdStrike, and we were able
to speak truth to power — professionally and
respectfully — about what could and could
not be changed at the last minute in XR. We
knew we had to give them something that
they would be able to change. It was Vince’s
idea to subdivide what we were designing into
worlds and props. The props became portals
for the CrowdStrike team to — in real-time and
live — pipe in a slideshow just as they would
do through a PowerPoint presentation in the
real world. That enabled the client to still be
part of the process, which is vital.”
“We were able to have an XR environment
that we all planned out and agreed on what it
was going to be and that it wouldn’t change,”
notes Richards, “but we were also able to have
a large part of the experience — which was
filming, getting closeups, and even going to
isolated shots of their slides — that they could
change very rapidly. We did that for both tech- surprises. In fact, they finished production a not only corporate meetings, but presenta- knew we had to do something unique for our
nical and creative reasons since some of their day early. “I think that was a testament to the tions and product displays,” says FitzGerald. first major virtual event. Silent House Produc-
content would need to change because of it collaborative nature of the process,” comments “Once clients see the processes with their own tions brought us into the limitless potential of
being based upon what was happening in the Reardon. “We just blazed away and listened eyes, it really does click and make sense how eXtended Reality (XR) and designed a virtual
world. I am glad we were able to find a way to very carefully — not just to the client, which is powerful this technology can be in the right event that allowed us to engage our global au-
help their needs while still delivering on a high what you always have to do — but we also lis- situations. This event illustrated how much we dience in a way no other corporate event has
level.” tened to the people that we’re partnering with can do — and how much more we could do delivered.”
To provide easy ways for the CrowdStrike to make sure that we didn’t have anything ex- next time. It opens your eyes to what is possi- Both Richards and Reardon felt that the cli-
PowerPoint presentations to be displayed plode. If there was actually any surprise, I think ble and how to better push the creativity for- ents were satisfied with their first foray into the
in the XR world that the Silent House and XR it was how well it went.” Richards concurs. “That ward on the next go round.” XR world. “CrowdStrike and GPJ were fantastic
Studios teams had conceived, they essentially was my surprise, too,” he says. “All the planning clients and they got it very quickly,” says Rich-
created Picture-in-Picture placeholders for the that was put in ahead of time really helped us ›› The New Standard ards. “This Fal.Con event was the first major
presentations. “CrowdStrike brought in their finish early. It just goes to show the profession- Though they weren’t able to host Fal.Con corporation to do an XR event, and it wasn’t
PowerPoints, which were plugged right into alism of the people we were working with that in-person, CrowdStrike feels it was fortuitous just a successful proof of concept; it was a re-
the disguise servers at XR Studios,” says Rich- it was a very straightforward professional ex- timing that brought the company to Silent ally good and successful event,” adds Reardon.
ards. “And then the disguise servers were run- perience that we could plan, and the plan was House and in to the world of XR. “The Crowd- “As George Kurtz from CrowdStrike was head-
ning Notch, which controlled the world and executed.” Strike brand has always been strong, edgy ing out the door,” says Reardon, “he just looked
the cueing.” Reardon continues, “We could eas- For FitzGerald and the team at XR Studios, and distinct,” says George Kurtz, CrowdStrike back to the studio and said, ‘The new standard
ily map PowerPoint slides to moving objects the Fal.Con event was a perfect example of co-founder and chief executive officer. “Over met.’” That statement is a well-earned credit of
in X, Y and Z space. There were slide holders what XR can do for a corporate client. “We feel the years, our events have delivered some success by George P. Johnson, XR Studios, and
that would come up from behind the props, strongly that XR is a cost-effective way to do of the strongest brand experiences, and we Silent House Productions.
and then the presenters could move around.
Because it’s XR and not a green screen, the
presenter could turn to the presentation and
see it.”
The CrowdStrike team for the PowerPoints
worked off-site due to the pandemic, yet they
could easily make updates to the PowerPoint
presentation as needs dictated. The remote
teams all communicated via Slack and Zoom.
“Because we were portaling the PowerPoint in
directly — in real-time — they could bring up
their slides and make updates,” says Richards.
“Even very minute things like a line weight that
wasn’t reading and needed to be changed.
They would be able to make those changes
instantly. It worked very well.”

›› The Best Surprise is No Surprise

A key point to note when considering work-
ing using XR technology is the need for me-
ticulous planning ahead of actual production.
The CrowdStrike Fal.Con 2020 event would
take five months of design and development,
with seven days scheduled for production in
the XR Studios’ facility. “The XR Studios team
did two days of physical prep before we ar-
rived on site,” says Reardon. “There was a lot
of very focused thinking and preparation by
everyone before we got on site, so we were all
ready to go before we rolled in. In reflection, I

REPRODUCE
think we were really, really fortunate to work
with this particular client and GPJ, who had
the vision, at one of these seminal moments
in the world of production. It’s important to
remember that there’s a lot more to an XR
event than just putting on an event in XR. It
THE REAL SCENE
takes planning and understanding of what it
is, and what it is not.”
When working in XR, every decision in one
area of the production affects every other area
of the production, so a team that communi-
cates well is paramount. GPJ, Silent House and
XR Studios worked closely with key partners to
HDR Output
achieve the right team dynamic for this ambi-
tious project. The content, including a digital Super Visual
world to underscore CrowdStrikes’ messaging Color Accuracy
and branding, was created by Silent Partners High Frame Rate
Studio led by J.T. Rooney. Lighting and vid- Ultra Low Latency
eo support were supplied by Fuse Technical
High Brightness
Group, and Joe Cabrerra handled lighting
programming. Eighth Day Sound/Clair Glob-
al provided audio equipment, and RailCam
supported robotic camera tracking. Delivery
of XR content was via disguise with Notch as
content engine. Entertainment Industry Re-
sponse handled the Covid safety compliance www.infiled.com info@infiled.com +86-755-3366 1784
and testing.
Perhaps the only surprise for the team was
that the Fal.Con event was executed with no

plsn.com • JANUARY 2021 7

 A 20-Year
Retrospective
By Kevin M.Mitchell
Chris Adamson, Richard Fernandez and Robert Scovill were lauded by Tom Petty’s camp in 2016.
A
s busy as he was preparing for the in-
augural issue of Pro Lights & Staging
News in Feb. 2000, PLSN and FRONT
of HOUSE publisher Terry Lowe was already
thinking of putting on an accompanying
production trade show. As the story goes,
he went over to the house of his friend and
co-conspirator, the great production manag-
er Patrick Stansfield. In addition to taking
care of Neil Diamond tours for a decade and
a half, Patrick had also worked with everyone
from Santana to the Pope. Patrick’s home of-
fice was a little building poolside, and Terry
marched in and said, “Patrick, we have to do
an award show!”
And from there it began, proving the best
ideas happen poolside….
The first one could not have been hum-
bler; the last one could not have been grand-
er — with no fewer than five music stars
showing up to honor those who make them
look and sound good. When Tom Petty sur-
prised the audience with an appearance in
2016 before embarking on his last tour mark-
ing 40 years with The Heartbreakers, he took
the stage and said that he was “so glad this
forum exists…I’ve on many nights thought
there should be an award for that monitor
mixer who saved the whole show there, and
nobody knows it but me.”
But while neither Patrick nor Terry could
have foreseen the next 20 years, they certain-
ly knew that it was important to honor those
who work behind the scenes. As the producer
of the show for the last 17 years, the experi-
ence can be summed up by what Dave Rat
of Rat Sound said at the 5th Annual Parnelli
Awards. He was picking up the Parnelli for
FOH Mixer of the Year for his work with the
Red Hot Chili Peppers and awkwardly at the
mic, he mumbled: “I spent my whole career
avoiding being on stage with a live mic, and
now here I am…” It moved me to a deeper ap-
preciation of the show as I realized that the
Parnelli Awards are the one night each year
when we turn the lights on the lighting peo-
ple; the mics on the audio people; and get the
8 JANUARY 2021 • plsn.com
stage designers on the stage… and honor all
those “invisible” amazing behind-the-scenes
professionals who make live events happen.
At the 8th Annual show, Ron Doroba took
home the Tour Manager of the Year award. He
summed it up nicely: “I want to thank Terry
and Patrick and everyone else involved with
this show for giving us the chance to cele-
brate our industry.” And celebrate we have…
›› The ProProduction Years
Parnelli #1/2002. The first four Parnelli
Awards were tied to the ProProduction in-
dustry trade show that Terry launched. After
declaring to Patrick, “We have to do an award
show,” Patrick immediately named it after
industry legend, Rick “Parnelli” O’Brien,
whose life was taken too soon by cancer. (Rick
started as a driver at Tom Fields Associates in
Boston, and would become a stage and pro-
duction manager for Queen among many
other bands of the 1970s and 1980s.)
The first Parnelli Awards Show was hum-
ble indeed: A dinner in a San Diego bar called
On Broadway. Just one award, the Lifetime
Achievement Award, was presented. The first
recipient was Brian Croft, a stellar produc-
tion manager for acts like The Rolling Stones,
Queen and the Moody Blues. In the 70’s, he
founded ESP Lighting and later became man-
aging director of Vari-Lite Europe. “I got a call
one day from my old friend Patrick Stansfield
to say that Terry Lowe had come up with this
idea of a Lifetime Achievement Award in
honor of Rick O’Brien,” Croft recalls. “Whilst I
applauded the concept — Rick deserved the
recognition — I told Patrick that I very much
doubted that I was the right guy. On reflec-
tion, I suspected I was the only person they
knew in the industry who was old enough… I
was approaching retirement age.”
In an ominous sign of future shows, the
evening event went long. When it was time
for Brian to speak (with no mic), regular bar
patrons started to fill the space. “During my
acceptance speech, the hubbub in the bar
became a cacophony of noise, quite deaf-
Parnelli co-founder Terry Lowe gives two thumbs up to the crew that makes the show happen.
Parnelli co-founder Patrick Stansfield
ening. Tommy [Stephenson]] from TMB,
bless him, saw the look of panic on my face,
stood on a chair, and using his considerable
vocal power, shouted ‘Shut the F*ck Up.” That
worked. When I’d finished, [Gerry] Stickells
thrust the actual award at me with a ‘here you
go Crofty.’ That was it and we got on with the
drinking … not the most elegant affair, but
very rock’n’roll.” [Editor’s Note: Photos of this
event can’t be found, but there’s an entertaining
video of Brian describing the event on Parnelli-
Awards.com.]
Parnelli #2/2003. The following year, still
in San Diego, the Parnelli Awards expanded
to the Culley Garage, an actual event center.
A formal sit-down dinner awaited attendees,
along with a real production for the ceremo-
ny. Mike Brown of Brown Staging was the
lifetime honoree, and 18 “Of the Year” awards
were handed out across Visual, Audio, and
Production categories. We found a VHS tape
of the show (if you’re old enough to know
what that is) where we saw future Lifetime
Achievement Honoree PM George Travis
(Bruce Springsteen) present the Parnelli to his
good friend Mike. Keith Kevan was the host,
with his ribald and risqué dialogue the order
of the day. We survived. The Parnelli Awards
had arrived.
Parnelli #3/2004. My arrival on the scene
came during the third ProProduction confer-
ence. Having freelanced for PLSN since its sec-
ond issue, Terry had called me one day and
asked, “Have you ever written a documenta-
ry?” “Sure!” I lied. It was the best lie of my ca-
reer. It would be for that year’s Lifetime hon-
oree Chip Monck. Terry himself narrated (and
did a damn fine job.) Officially, I was there to
Alice Cooper hosted the 2008 event
coordinate the seminars and workshops with
industry leaders as part of the trade show, so
for my first Parnelli Awards, I was merely an
audience member. It was on the Queen Mary
in Long Beach and is best summed up by my
then PLSN-editor Richard Cadena: “It was a
magical night.”
LeRoy Bennett would take home the
Set/Scenic Designer award that night, and it
would not be his last. Eventual Lifetime hon-
orees Jake Berry and George Travis would
receive the Production Manager and Tour
Manager of the Year awards respectively
that night. I have fond memories of it all as
it afforded me the opportunity to meet Chip
in person and watch what would be one of
the longest acceptance speeches ever. Win-
ners included legends in the making, whom
I would interview down the line, such as Le-
Roy, Jake Berry and Marc Brickman. I would
shake hands for the first time with the own-
ers of companies like Rock-It Cargo, Upstag-
ing, Pyrotek, Atlanta Rigging, All Access and
Screenworks.
Parnelli #4/2005. In 2005, for the fourth
annual show, the lifetime achievement
awards expanded with the addition of the
Audio Innovator lifetime honoree, which fit-
tingly went to John Meyer of Meyer Sound.
I would get to interview him and his partner
and wife Helen, both industry leaders to this
day. The legendary Bob See received the Life-
time Achievement Award honor. Todd Rund-
gren was there to give the keynote speech.
Soaked with vodka that his handler (me)
plied him with, he got on stage and handed
out a few awards. That went well, though lat-
er someone he was sitting with knocked over
his entire table. Drinks and food went a-fly-
ing. Which caused the group to scurry out,
Irish goodbye style. That night, “Big Mick”
Hughes took home his first FOH Mixer of the
Year Award, and Marty Hom was named Tour
Manager of the Year.
›› The LDI Orlando vs. Las Vegas Years
Parnelli #5/2005*. 2005 was an aster-
isk-earning year, because we had the Parnelli
number four in February and number five in
November. The ProProduction trade show
had run its course and ended, but the Parnelli
Awards needed to continue. It seemed wise
to have the awards concurrent with the LDI
trade show. (Note: we were never “partnered”
with LDI, and our relationship with them vacil-
lated between mildly pleasant to antagonistic.)
We marked a period of growth and, frankly,
growing pains. Tagging along with LDI was
challenging, because during this period, they
were still bouncing back and forth between
Las Vegas and Orlando. So, our first LDI year
was in Orlando. I got more involved, working
closely with Timeless Communications’ VP
William Vanyo — our first agreement being
about the “horrible” Orlando restaurants.
The show was good: the star-studded list
of presenters included Brian Croft, Chip
Monck, Robert Scovill, Peter Morse and
then LD-at-Large columnist and future PLSN
editor Nook Schoenfeld. It would be my
only time to meet and work with Brian, who,
as those of you who know him know well, is
hilarious. The Lifetime Honoree was Patrick
Stansfield himself who, while certainly de-
serving, resisted the idea at first. In one of his
rare moments of humility, he believed that,
as co-founder and chairman of the Parnelli
Board of Advisors, being honored might look
questionable to others. But he relented when
we convinced him that having him on the
“ticket” would increase attendance. With Pat-
rick’s award came a new tradition: an artist of-
fering a video tribute. Neil Diamond, whom
Patrick had ushered around the world for
decades, sent in a touching video that played
well with the crowd.
That night, we also honored Bruce Jack-
son as Audio Innovator. He had mixed sound
from Elvis to Bruce, and went on to create pi-
oneering audio gear. He was one of the most
beloved and admired people in the business.
Bruce became a semi-regular to the show,
and I always enjoyed talking to him over the
occasional dinner. We’ve lost a few lifetime
achievement honorees, but his death in a
plane crash six years later was particularly
heartbreaking.
Parnelli #6/2006. Vegas! The show ran no-
ticeably smoother because Terry had moved
his company headquarters here, meaning we
had access to the full office staff. Jere Harris
of PRG received the Lifetime Achievement
Award, as did Bill Hanley, the “father of festi-
val sound.” Counting production partners, we
were up to over 20 sponsors while the num-
ber of awards expanded to 22. I was firmly
producing and writing the show at this point,
and in addition to Terry’s contributions, edi-
tors Richard Cadena (PLSN), Bill Evans (FOH)
and Jacob Coakley (Stage Directions) were
wonderful to work with. [See their comments
on the shows during this time on page 18]. All
three were funny and great at getting good
presenters. Bill had the audacious tasks of
getting audio people to attend a lighting
show (and when LDI was in Orlando, it was
damn near impossible). Production manager
(and Board Member) Kent Black was always
negotiating difficult Vegas ballroom condi-
tions with challengingly late access to the
ballrooms, but managed to pull it off.
Terry and Patrick’s decision to pay it for-
ward while looking back was realized when
they introduced the new Parnelli Scholar-
ship to benefit Entertainment Engineering
Design program at the University of Neva-
da — Las Vegas. It was a new program that
was launched the following year, which the
Parnelli Awards sponsorships and ticket sales
continue to support. Scores of future live
event personnel have benefitted from this
scholarship.
Parnelli #7/2007. Back to Orlando and the
Peabody. It was widely known that the great
Gerry Stickells was fighting cancer, so time
was of the essence. In addition to being tour
manager to Jimi Hendrix, Queen, and Michael
Jackson, he was key to opening up South
America to big rock shows. Gerry made it to
the show, but not to the stage. Patrick walked
the mic down to him, but cancer had made
his voice difficult to hear. Gerry enjoyed it all,
especially when the vast majority of those
in attendance showed up in Hawaiian shirts
like the ones he loved to wear. (Looking back,
it’s funny to see Terry and Patrick, who are al-
ways dapper in three-piece suits, joining in
the “Hawaiian shirt” fun, which Gerry clearly
relished.)
The great (and hilariously goofy) purple
Converse-wearing Bob Heil received the
Audio Innovator award. Years later, his full
“quad” mixing board that The Who used in
Quadrophenia, built at the request of Pete
Townshend, was placed in the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame. Future Parnelli Lifetime Achieve-
ment Honoree Chris Adamson took home
the Production Manager of the Year award for
his work with Tom Petty, and Tom Young took
home the FOH award for his work with Tony
Bennett.
Parnelli #8/2008. Back to Vegas. Artist
participation in honoring their crews has be-
come a hallmark of the Parnelli Awards mov-
ing forward. 2008 started our tradition of hav-
ing a notable host for the show — and who
could be more notable than Alice Cooper?
U2 sent in a funny video congratulating their
longtime production manager Dennis Shee-
han for his Parnelli Lifetime Achievement
Award. Roy and Gene Clair of Clair Bros. were
the Audio Innovator honorees — the first
of only two times where a pair shared one
award. (The other was Dave Shadoan and
Ross Ritto with the Audio Innovator Award in
2012.) This was the first year we added a new
lifetime honor: The Parnelli Visionary Award.
It went to the brilliant and eccentric Michael
Tait of Tait Towers, who built an innovative
round turntable stage that revolved for Yes,
among many other notable “firsts.” Future
Parnelli Lifetime Honoree Ed Wannebo took
home Production Manager of the Year. The
star-studded list of those handing out the
awards included Carol Dodds, Buford Jones
and Marilyn Lowey. At this point we were ex-
panding, acknowledging video’s importance,
and video director (and Parnelli winner) Mark
Haney became an official member of the
Board of Advisors.
Parnelli #9/2009. Orlando… [sigh]… All
Parnelli Award Shows are special and had
memorable moments, and in 2009 there was
further growth: We grew to 30 sponsors, up
from 20 the previous year. Technical Produc-
tions Inc. (TPI) of St. Louis became one of the
production partners, dramatically improving
the quality of the show. Every year since, the
team headed by Michael O’Keefe and his Achievement honoree) Randy “Baja” Fletch-
Parnelli Award-winning designer wife Eliza- er was one thing; but it was really impressive
beth have made it better. PLSN editor Rich- that they wanted to sit at the Baja’s table for
ard Cadena somehow got Dennis DeYoung the entire show (it went over three hours —
of Styx to host, and he would establish a high sorry, Kix and Ronnie). Funny, sincere and
bar for those hosts who followed. Jake Berry gracious, Kix started his presenter speech ac-
was the Lifetime Achievement honoree, and knowledging the talent and technical prow-
acts that he worked with — U2, Rolling Sto- ess that it takes to put on a show, saying he
nes, Metallica — sent in hilarious video trib- was impressed with all the night’s winners be-
utes. In addition to his rock ‘n’ roll credits, Jake cause “I don’t even know how cable TV works.”
also did a stint with Walking with Dinosaurs, Mark Haney took the stage with Vickie Clai-
a live “arena spectacular” touring show. Mick borne to hand out some awards and, in refer-
Jagger’s video tribute mentioned how he encing all the country crews in the audience
did great work with the Dinosaurs show, then that night, remarked: “You can tell there’s a lot
quipped: “… But enough about the Stones.” of Southerners in the audience tonight. They
U2’s Bono and The Edge filmed an elabo- are serving chicken.”
rate sketch in a tent by the beach where they Parnelli #11/2011. This was our last show
framed their performance as a mere opening in Orlando, and we were all grateful for that
act for Jake’s load-out, and how it could never (though the Peabody ducks were pretty
compare. cute…). It was a fun show, as no one expect-
Parnelli #10/2010. By the 10th Anniversa- ed the hosts to come out dressed in “meat” to
ry, Patrick and Terry clearly felt good about sing a Lady Gaga song, but that’s what The
what they had built. Those who were able to Turtles’ Flo and Eddie did. Flo joked about
get a ticket were glad they did, as the stars being nervous showing up, quipping, “We
who attended included Brooks & Dunn probably still owe quite a few of you money
and Paul Anka. Anka wrote his own speech for the drugs we got from you in the ‘60s and
about his longtime sound engineer, Al Sini- ‘70s.”
scal, that year’s Audio Innovator honoree. Af- The big surprise of the night was an appear-
ter his speech, Anka brought Al to the stage, ance by Kenny Chesney, who came to con-
perched him on a bar stool and proceeded gratulate his production manager Ed Wan-
to sing a special version of his hit, My Way” nebo on his Lifetime Achievement award.
(retitled “His Way.”) It was an all-time Parnelli Chesney had what seemed like a simple re-
highlight. quest — it was a longtime tradition for Ed to
Having Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn make him
(Brooks & Dunn) show up to support their a special
production manager (and that year’s Lifetime margarita
A Note from Terry Lowe
The Ghosts of
Parnellis Past
W
henever I wax nostalgic about the Parnelli
Awards, I cannot help but think of those who Terry Lowe and Hall of Fame Honoree
Mo Morrison at the 13th Annual Parnelli
have been part of the awards through the Awards in 2013
years that are no longer with us. I am quite sure their
spirits are with us every year when we gather to bring new honorees into this special
Parnelli Ring of Honor.
The beloved Patrick Stansfield, who named the awards after his good friend, Rick
“Parnelli” O’Brien, said to me, “At the end of the day, making these awards happen is
one of the proudest accomplishments of my life.” Patrick’s love for the industry had no
bounds. He cherished his ability to honor his peers and to help mentor the next genera-
tion of production professionals. There are countless tour buses full of industry veterans
who owe a debt of gratitude to Patrick — myself included.
Patrick took great pride in honoring those who moved our profession forward. He
wanted to ensure these individuals whose life’s work of countless hours working to
define the mantra of the “show must go on” were given their due. Indeed, the Parnelli
Awards have achieved a status in the industry that Patrick had hoped for.
To be selected for a lifetime Parnelli Award is an honor people cherish throughout
their life and beyond. I was so touched when Dennis Sheehan — in his New York Times
obituary — was recognized as a Parnelli Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.
Alas, when an institution like the Parnelli Awards reaches a milestone of 20 years,
many of our recipients have gone to the final load-out. Bob See — another legend who
helped so many get started in the industry — was a great supporter of the Parnelli
Awards from its beginnings. Benny Collins — one of the industry’s most beloved — at
his celebration of life had his Parnelli acceptance speech replayed. Other Parnelli recip-
ients we have lost through the years include production managers Gerry Stickells and
Mo Morrison — both living legends that helped define our industry — along with audio
icons such as Bruce Jackson, Ross Ritto and Gene Clair.
In addition to these award recipients, the Parnelli Awards have also seen the loss
within their own production family. Stephen Gudis — Parnelli Board member and award
show stage manager — brought a dedication to the awards for over 15 years. I’ve no
doubt that he too continues to share the stage with us in spirit.
So, as we move in to the next 20 years, the foundation we have laid to ensure our
best and brightest will receive the accolades they deserve is secure. We will endure more
losses, but whenever the Parnelli Awards come around, we must feel the spirits of those
who have left us will join us once again at the annual gathering of the tribe.
—Terry Lowe, PLSN/FOH Publisher, Parnelli Awards Executive Producer
plsn.com • JANUARY 2021 9
PARNELLIRETROSPECTIVE
in the middle of his show. (I got to watch Ed put on his mixol-
ogist hat when the tour came through my town that summer.
A Note from Marshall Bissett
It was a pleasure to be in the back of a Chesney truck, which
had a special little bar for just this occasion.) At the pre-deter-
Plus ça Change
Change…
R
mined time, Ed would walk out on stage and give Chesney his
ick O’Brien, who bequeathed his nickname to the show we now
drink, and both would toast the audience. Well, Kenny want-
call “The Parnellis,” would be astonished to look back on its 20-
ed to return the favor when he walked out on stage for Ed.
year history. Ever the student of baseball, he would probably
Suddenly, I was running to the different bars to see if I could
pronounce it an industry no-hitter. For some, it’s about bringing the
arrange for a specific one for Ed. Kenny surprising Ed with that
plaques back to the office, for others, a night of drinking and bonding Marshall Bissett (right) with fellow Parnelli Awards board
drink, and the reaction of the crowd is one of my favorite all- members Dave Shadoan and Stan Miller in 2018.
interrupted by a bunch of speeches. For others it’s a job fair.
time Parnelli moments. Another one ended the show: Flo and
It is fitting that Rick’s strongest influences — Gerry Stickells, Brian Croft and Chris Lamb — were amongst the first
Eddie sang their hit “Happy Together” with Terry Lowe joining
Lifetime Achievement honorees. He would be shocked to see the shift from sharing a San Diego restaurant with a bunch
in — and he did a damn fine job on that, too.
of punters to selling out a ballroom without partitions. He would surely get a kick out of observing the stage fright that
comes from speaking to 700 industry peers, who have temporarily muted their cell phones to hear your life story.
›› Las Vegas Years
The term “board meeting” is without a doubt a bit too grown up to describe the haphazard gatherings at Patrick
Parnelli #12/2012. By the 12th Annual Parnelli gala,
Stansfield’s house at the turn of the millennium. The nomination process was marginally more democratic than that of
George Petersen had taken over the FRONT of HOUSE helm as
a small African country. The voting protocols came later, along with a slew of additional awards that, like your waistline,
editor and proved extremely helpful to the show. For number
threaten to expand. Despite that, the right people received the right stuff. The earliest honorees fell into the “no brainer”
12. we honored the great — and verbose — Charlie Hernan-
category. Lighting Woodstock, breaking the Rolling Stones in South America, or creating the first concert lighting com-
dez with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Absolutely one of
pany were sure-fire backstage passes into the newly formed Parnelli pantheon.
the most beloved people in the industry, he started his career
Thank you to the board members past and present who are tasked with nominations in the three major categories.
with Billy Squier, who was just rocketing to fame at the time.
The bar is set high — legends and innovators are an endangered species. Just getting past the 4 H’s (Humanity , Humility,
Billy came out to the show and performed two songs, which
Honesty , and Humor) set by awards co-founder the late Patrick Stansfield, is tough enough. Throw in the element of peer
was for this crowd… one too many. I stood in the back and
endorsement, and it starts to look like the rock ‘n’ roll Nobels.
watched all the cell phones come out when he launched into
No task is harder than finding a suitable host for the show, ever since Keith Kevan (remember him?) was fired by the
that second one. Still, it was a special moment watching him
good taste police. Each year, the names of rock luminaries are pitched breathlessly. “I have a friend whose roommate
sing “Everybody Wants You.”
was Joe Walsh’s guitar tech,” says one. “I’m sure we can get Jackson Browne next year — my sister-in-law is his neighbor,”
As noted, Dave Shadoan of Sound Image shared the Au-
says another. Somehow, from the mire of dashed hopes and unreturned phone calls, despite the best efforts of agents
dio Innovator Award with his longtime partner Ross Ritto,
and managers, a host emerges, and we’ve had some doozies. Who can forget Alice Cooper’s exit line: “This is the longest
who had passed away in the previous year. Before taking the
I’ve been onstage without blood;” or Tom Petty’s heartfelt paean to Richard Fernandez and the industry we all love? Let’s
stage, their long-time client Brad Paisley delivered a tongue-
not leave out Micky Dolenz’s Bloody Mary fueled stories of the 60’s and Adrian Belew’s ouster by stage manager Jeff Van
in-cheek tribute video extolling all the reasons why Dave de-
Duyn. Paul Anka serenaded Al Siniscal, Kenny Chesney high fived Ed Wannebo, Brooks and Dunn sat through the whole
served this award. “I might be the wrong guy,” Paisley began.
show and Garth Brooks gave Michael Strickland a near heart attack.
“All I know is, he shows up at our shows, Hawaiian shirts, flip
So how far have we come? The shows are slicker, the drugs are cheaper (but less popular), and now we read spread-
flops, and then he just eats our catering, drinks whatever is
sheets more than tour itineraries. What hasn’t changed is the buzz in the room at cocktail hour before the doors open on
backstage, and smokes Cuban cigars… Sometimes he gives
another Parnelli dinner. Let’s all look forward to that joyous moment.
us Cuban cigars, and that is cool. So if this award is for some-
—Marshall Bissett, TMB Founder; Parnelli Awards Board Chairman
one who hangs out and hands out Cuban cigars, he is very
deserving… otherwise, I have no idea what he does. I heard
PARNELLIRETROSPECTIVE
he’s in some kind of sound business or something? I’ve just
seen a guy who seems like a pretty big freeloader…”
Dave’s speech was as emotional as it was profane: “You’re
my people — this is who the f*ck we are, right? [Pause; a shout
is heard] Hey go f*ck yourself.”
The Board of Advisors would expand the definition of an
industry “Visionary” and this year gave it to a rigger: one of the
most influential ones of our business: Joe Branam.
Three Dog Night’s Cory Wells was the emcee — an in-
credible gentleman who was surprisingly shy but did a good
job with the jokes. Otherwise, the ParnellI’s had truly arrived.
When monitor engineer Kevin Glendinning took home the
award that year for his work with Maroon 5, he said: “Starting
in the business, I heard about the Parnelli Awards, and it’s re-
ally something to be part of this group.” Concert sound mixer
Robert Scovill took home his Parnelli for his work with Tom
Petty and the Heartbreakers this year. It would not be his last.
The list of presenters included Parnelli Advisory Board mem-
bers from Canada, Peter Hendrickson and Dean Roney,
along with lighting designers Steve Cohen and the always
lovely, funny Susan Rose. Visionary honoree and one of the
most interesting people I’ve ever encountered, lighting in-
novator Richard Belliveau (High End Systems) returned as a
presenter as well. “I’m not usually asked back to any place I’ve
been before,” he joked.
Parnelli #13/2013. This show was perhaps the most emo-
tional to date. The Parnelli Awards Board of Advisors meets in
February and begins the discussion of who will receive the
three Lifetime honors at the next show. By April we typically
have our list, and for 2013 it was George Travis (Bruce Spring-
steen) for Lifetime Achievement; Mark Engebretson (Altec,
JBL, QSC) for Audio Innovator; and Eric Pearce (SGPS/Show-
Rig) for Visionary. But late that spring, word came that produc-
tion great Mo Morrison was ailing. Mo was a former Board
member, and his name had come up in previous years. It was
inevitable he would receive a Lifetime Award, but board mem-
ber Robin Shaw was adamant that we might run out of time.
Mo took care of so many great artists from the Grateful Dead
through Michael Jackson and most recently, Lady Gaga. To
For our touring community, 2020 has been a difficult time.
We’re very grateful for our friends, clients and team members.
We’re looking forward to being able to rekindle
friendships, and rebuild livelihoods in 2021.
O U R C O M PA N I E S
12 JANUARY 2021 • plsn.com
make sure he got his due, we created the “Hall of Fame” honor.
His speech was one of the most inspiring and heartfelt ever
spoken on our stage. “Someone mentioned what a great job I
have — making millions happy,” Mo said. “I thought, ‘You know
I do, and I have for 40 years.’ Ultimately our employers are the
fans — without them, we have nothing.” He spoke eloquently
about the life of a nomad… “You go not seeing another roadie
for five or 10 years, then when you do, it’s a big hug and [we]
pick things up like no time has passed. We have a unique com-
mon bond that ties us all together, brothers and sisters who
have fought campaigns together… I have every intention to
continue to grow in this business because the more you give,
the more you get.” He would pass a few months after the show.
This was also the year the late Rick O’Brien’s two wonder-
ful daughters, Madeleine and Eve O’Brien, took the stage
and spoke of their father. They showed a visual of his tomb-
stone, a stone bench, which had the words “Final Tour” etched
in. They quoted a member of Pink Floyd who, upon hearing of
Rick’s death, said: “That’s just like Rick, to be first on site.” It is
hard to watch their speech with choking up (you can try — if
there is one highlight reel you watch on ParnelliAwards.com, I
recommend this one).
Longtime Bruce Springsteen tour manager George Travis
was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award, intro-
duced by manager Jon Landau with a video from The Boss
himself. The room was full of love and, during his speech, the
stoic man of few words got seriously choked up.
The emcee was Micky Dolenz of The Monkees. Let’s just
say that, after this show, board member Marshall Bissett and
I, among others would have a post-partum of the show and
make notes for the following year. For that meeting, the big
note was: “Let’s not let the host get too drunk.”
›› The Show Must Go On
Parnelli #14/2014. A month before the show, we were
dealt the devastating news of Patrick Stansfield’s death from
kidney failure. It was a blow to the industry, and it hit Terry
hard. It was surreal for those of us working on the show to
not have him work the room, solving problems and making
Terry Lowe singing “Happy Together” with Flo & Eddie
suggestions. But Patrick of all people would have insisted the
show go on, and that’s what we did.
We topped over 40 sponsors for this event, and the great
Benny Collins received the Lifetime Achievement Award this
year and longtime friends Michael Ahern and Steve Thomas
made rare appearances to the show to present it to him. Nook
Schoenfeld had taken over as editor of PLSN this year, and like
Petersen, would bring in great presenters and help with the
script. Fee Waybill of The Tubes was the host and was abso-
lutely one of the best we’ve had and a dream to work with.
With Patrick’s passing, Marshall Bissett took over as chairman
of the Parnelli Awards and began co-writing the script with
me, which continues to this day.
Bob Goldstein of Maryland Sound received the Audio
Innovator Award for all the seemingly impossible feats he’s
pulled off, from presidential inaugurals to New Years Eve cele-
brations in New York’s Times Square. Making it extra cool, his
longtime client (and one of his first), Frankie Valli showed
up to give it to him in person. Howard Ungerleider, one of
our industry’s most influential lighting designers, received
the Parnelli Visionary Award for all his years with Rush (and a
warm, funny tribute to him from band members Alex Lifeson
and Geddy Lee resides on the ParnelliAwards.com site). Pre-
senters included Marguerite Nguyen, who finally got to the
AUDIO
VIDEO
LIGHTING
RIGGING
SOFT GOODS
PARNELLIRETROSPECTIVE
stage to thank everyone in person for receiving Tour Manager
of the Year for Coldplay a few years earlier (work had kept her
away in 2012).
Parnelli #15/2015. The following year was another big
milestone: Our 15th show (or as some still refer to it, “the year
Pat Quilter dressed up as an Egyptian king to accept the Au-
dio Innovator Award”). The equally eccentric lighting innova-
tor David Cunningham received the Parnelli Visionary Award.
He took the stage with a female entourage, a bag of wigs and
a feather boa. A very Rocky Horror Picture Show moment in-
deed.
We went in a different direction for host, turning to Kevin
Lyman, who created the Vans Warped tour. Gracious, inspir-
ing and funny, he said he was constantly asked by kids about
skillsets needed to get into this business. “Be able to drive a
van at night and hold your bladder for six hours,” he advised.
The “In Memoriam” video segment of the show, where we
pause to reflect on our departed friends, is always emotional.
This year’s was devastating because it included Jerry Cobb.
Jerry, a musician and big music fan in addition to being excel-
lent in the video editing room, created the great pieces from
the show opening to the documentaries and anything else
we needed. We also lost Bob See of See Factor that year, our
fourth Lifetime Achievement award honoree (early 2005) and
a longtime Parnelli Board member. Marshall Bissett spoke of
his experience with him as a young lighting guy. “I first met
Bob See in 1976 backstage, and I have to say, he terrified me.”
He was asking See if he could use Aerosmith’s lighting rig for
an opening act. See replied: “I know…I get it; you want the
whole lighting rig and all the followspots.” Marshall begged
off saying, “Mr. See, I wouldn’t be so presumptuous.” See: “You
limeys — you get what you want for being so goddamn po-
lite.”
›› “God is In That”
Parnelli #16/2016. And then there was Tom Petty. When
his longtime tour manager Richard Fernandez was to receive
the Lifetime Achievement Award, in an early conversation, he
told me: “I’m going to get Tom there.” I, of course was skeptical,
14 JANUARY 2021 • plsn.com
but I said, ‘Well, let’s keep this between us.’ At this point Suzi
Spangenberg had joined the production team and this rock-
star stuff could not have happened without her (who knew
that a grief counselor with crisis management experience is
exactly what you need in these situations?). Despite the ev-
er-shifting logistic changes, Tom made it to the show along
with most of the band in tow. They were all gracious, most of
all, Tom. His health was already in decline, and he would not
be with us much longer. But when he hit the stage for Richard,
he became full of life.
“I never knew anyone who didn’t admire him to the bot-
tom of their soul,” Petty said of Fernandez, noting how the East
L.A. native was lucky to have “really good parents who raised
a really good man.” From the Parnelli stage, Petty noted how,
when everything comes together, there can be a co-mingling
of artistic expression and audience appreciation that borders
on the sacred. “God is in that,” Petty said, capping an evening
of appreciation for what makes the live events industry so
unique.
Charlie Hernandez and Jake Berry showed up to pres-
ent to their longtime friend, Danny O’Bryen, who was the
first video pro to receive the Visionary Lifetime Achievement
Award, and a deserving one at that. Terry Lowe took the stage
to needle the honorees, as he typically does. When referenc-
ing the Audio Innovator honoree, Terry joked, ‘“There hasn’t
been a single audio person in America who hasn’t twisted
Greg Mackie’s knobs at least once in their life.”
Adrian Belew (King Crimson, David Bowie) was a mag-
nificent host. It was his idea to start the show with his guitar,
pretending he was at a typical gig. Longtime Timeless and
Parnelli associate and stage manager extraordinaire Jeff Van
Duyn came out and took his guitar, whispered something in
his ear, and Adrian let out a mock cry of disbelief that he was
there to host a show. Associate producer Jamie Leasing was
instrumental in getting Adrian as well as several of our other
hosts, and his contributions to the annual show had increased
significantly. And as Adrian said during the show, “If I had to
sum up the Parnelli Awards in one phrase, it’s about people
striving for perfection.”
›› NAMM
Parnelli #17/2018. Continuing our “King Crimson” kick,
Tony Levin, who also played bass for Peter Gabriel, came to
host the next event, the first to shift from late fall during LDI in
Las Vegas to January with NAMM in Anaheim, CA. After mak-
ing reference to the previous show going long, he promised
“not to take an extended bass solo.” Coincidentally, he knew
that evening’s Visionary honoree, lighting/production design-
er Jonathan Smeeton, from way back when: “When I got the
call to host tonight, I learned right away that an old friend is
getting a big award. Jonathan famously says that he’s worked
with Peter Gabriel longer than he probably should have, but
let me tell you, I’ve always been enamored by his talent. So
I’m glad to be here for that.” DiGiCo’s John Stadius received
the Audio Innovator honor and flew across the pond from En-
gland to receive it.
The big man in the house that night was Bobby “Boom-
er” Thrasher, Billy Joel’s longtime production manager,
who brought more than 40 friends, devoted crew and family
members to the show. Many times I’m skeptical of more than
one person presenting an award, and after tapping longtime
friend and much-more-than-Billy’s-LD Steve Cohen, Steve
called me and insisted some guy named “Chainsaw” present
with him. When Rick LaPointe took the mic, he gave a sear-
ing, touching and hilarious tribute to Boomer: “To always take
the high road for the greater good of the tour, and to repre-
sent the entertainer that signs the checks with a bit of class!
But he allowed general mischief, gags, practical jokes, mild
torture and extreme displays of character building!” And he
ended with: “We would follow him down any given path, any
dark alley, at any time of day or night... just so we could say
“Yeah, I went there with Boomer!”
That show had wonderful presenters, too, including Kev-
in Lyman, who returned to our stage on the heels of retiring
the Vans Warped Tour. He joked he was there just to pass out
resumes. Other favorite return presenters included Chris Ad-
amson, Susan Rose and Ed Wannebo. It was a touching, hi-
larious, emotional — and not too long — show.
But this show was another big step forward, as it marked
PARNELLIRETROSPECTIVE
PLSN’s Greg Gallardo (right) plays a key role in securing sponsor support.
our new partnership with NAMM. This not
only gave us a January time slot but a chance
to get more of the audio and backline folks
who were never keen to be at LDI. While we
were among the most popular segments to
coincide with LDI for many (maybe outside
of the Circle Bar at the Hard Rock), that didn’t
really suit the audio and scenic side of our in-
dustry, who did not wish to attend LDI itself.
As January is traditionally the touring
community’s off-time, that month worked
out well with the conversations Terry had
been having for years with NAMM CEO/pres-
ident Joe Lamond. He and Terry worked out
the details, and it’s been a great partnership
since. We moved to Anaheim and our shows
were the third week in January instead of the
tour-heavy fall. Both the location and the
time proved a boon to getting more people
to the show. Working with the wonderful
people of NAMM in that environment had
many advantages, including being able to
present seminars and workshops, which we
had not done since the ProProduction days.
Also, being in Southern California made it
easier to get the stars out, as the following
year proved…
Parnelli #18/2019. A few weeks before
the 18th show, I got a call from Canada bear-
ing some alarming news: Audio Innovator
honoree Brock Adamson had been in a hor-
rible car collision which left him with serious
multiple injuries. He could not come to the
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Parnelli Awards co-founder Patrick Stansfield with Bob See and Chip Monck
show. Luckily, by the week of the show, he
had recovered enough to appear in a video.
Introducing that video was Parnelli winning
monitor engineer Kevin “Tater” McCarthy,
who started his hilarious speech about Brock
this way: “His words mostly sail completely
over my head… and whoever said ‘all Cana-
dians are nice’ has obviously never met this
man. Genius? Without question. Curmud-
geonly? You betcha. Demanding? Go work
for him and find out. But friendly? That’s sub-
jective.”
We had a great group of presenters in-
cluding Anne Militello, Stefaan “Smasher”
Desmedt, Sara Full and Michelle Sarrat,
among others. George Petersen brought
his friend Alan Parsons up to present with
him, and that was a hugely a cool highlight.
The always-entertaining Chris Adamson,
who sometimes served as awards presenter
himself, was the Lifetime Honoree this year.
He was introduced by longtime road buddy
Marty Hom. Kevin Lyman returned to the
stage to present to Stageline’s Yvan Miron
with the visionary award — a more “typical”
Canadian in that he was nice and liked by
all. (It was indeed unusual that we had two
Canadians and two people named Adamson,
which made for an interesting Venn diagram
of career achievement honorees.)
Parnelli #19/2020. John Waite (The
Babys, Bad English) was the host, and drum-
mer Carmine Appice was the show’s open-
Brian Croft applauds Gerry Stickells’ Lifetime Achievement win in 2007
ing presenter. Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam
was there to honor the band’s long-time
monitor mixer, Karrie Keyes, with the Audio
Innovator award, and Brent Smith of Shine-
down was there to present to Bandit Lites’ Mi-
chael Strickland the Visionary award. What
only William, Suzi and I knew, as the show’s
run-through rehearsal was winding down
that late afternoon, was that Garth Brooks
was getting on his private jet to fly in and sur-
prise Strickland with an appearance. We had
to quickly secure the Green Room without
people knowing why we needed it and run a
line to have a monitor for the show into it in
order to accommodate Brooks’ early arrival.
Mark “Springo” Spring received the
Lifetime Achievement honor, and Charlie
Hernandez returned to the stage to give a
hilarious sendup of him. “Sprinkle [sic], you’re
a real piece of work,” Hernandez said. “It’s no
wonder you ran away from home and got
your first job in the men’s room at Capron
[Lighting]. It was there he acquired his skills,
charm, and a saintly patience… and a ca-
reer in promiscuous farm animal videos was
launched. You’re an old friend working for
an old act with old people who will be dead
soon.” Speaking of old friends, Jake Berry did
his own take on David Letterman’s Top Ten
List, complete with the set.
Karrie Keyes’ speech resonated beyond
the room. As the first woman to receive a
Parnelli honor for career achievement, she
spoke eloquently, but didn’t pull any punch-
es, either. She challenged the industry to be
more diverse. “…and with that love comes a
commitment to diversity and inclusion in this
industry. To not acknowledge that much of
the industry is a Boys Club would be a disser-
vice. Tonight, there are 64 people nominated
for awards, of which only seven are women.
There are men and women who fight every
day for change, but there are many more
who believe that things will eventually
change and become equal. But as we wait,
the next generation of talented women will
continue to be stopped by the gatekeepers
or asked to enter through side doors — the
way women have entered the world of men
for centuries. So I ask you, the leaders in our
industry, to think about this and somehow
bring and welcome more women into the
industry.” Her speech moved attendees, with
many references to it throughout the night.
Stone Gossard had introduced Keyes
with this: “Historically, the sound engineer
position has been filled with guys, [but] all
that is changing,” he said in a speech that was
equally touching and funny. “It took a Karrie
Keyes taking huge chances, displaying cour-
age, resolve, wit and resiliency to pave that
road. Can we just admit now that women all
across the world will not accept being shut
out of anything that they decide is cool —
and thank God, because they will make it
better.”
›› Forward March
For me, the Parnelli Awards Show gets
bigger and better every year. I’m glad I love
every minute of it because increasingly, the
days of the year that I go entirely without
doing anything Parnelli has been whittled
down to about five. We meet the day after
the show for a post-partum. Then I’m writ-
ing up stories, and the inner team is paying
bills and tying up any loose ends. By Feb-
ruary, the Board is meeting to discuss who
the three honorees will be this year, which
we did. And then… March. Thinking back,
I would have never ever imagined our in-
dustry would still be in this pandemic lock-
down, but here we are. The Parnelli Awards
has been a key part of my life for 17 years,
so to not do it is unthinkable.
But of course, that pales to all the pain
and suffering going on for all of those who
make their living in this industry. I hope we
all come out of this with our wits and pas-
sion, and I look forward to seeing you in
person at the show in January 2022. Before
then, please check out the video retro-
spective of the first 20 years of the Panellis
that will be presented as part of NAMM’s
virtual “Believe in Music” event on Jan. 22
at 5 p.m. PST. It will also be available at 6
p.m. at parnelliawards.com.
PARNELLIRETROSPECTIVE
Howard Ungerleider, Jim Fitzpatrick
and Benny Collins in 2014
Parnelli Awards for
Career Achievement
Lifetime Achievement Award Winners:
2002 — Brian Croft
2003 — Mike Brown
2004 — Chip Monck
2005 — Bob See
2005* — Patrick Stansfield
2006 — Jere Harris
2007 — Gerry Stickells
2008 — Dennis Sheehan
2009 — Jake Berry
2010 — Randy “Baja” Fletcher
2011 — Ed Wannebo
2012 — Charlie Hernandez
2013 — George Travis
2014 — Benny Collins
2015 — Chris Lamb
2016 — Richard Fernandez
2018** — Bobby Thrasher
2019 — Chris Adamson
2020 — Mark “Springo” Spring
Audio Innovator Award Winners:
2005 — John Meyer
2005* — Bruce Jackson
2006 — Bill Hanley
2007 — Bob Heil
2008 — Roy and Gene Clair
2009 — Stan Miller
2010 — Al Siniscal
2011 — Kenton Forsythe
2012 — Dave Shadoan/Ross Ritto
2013 — Mark Engebretson
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JANUARY 2021 1 • plsn.com
Notes from Past Editors
These former PLSN, FRONT of HOUSE and Stage
Directions editors played a big part in the Par-
nelli Awards first decade and beyond. In addi-
tion to presenting themselves, they wrangled
great presenters and helped write what were
often the best bits of the show. They were also
Dale “Opie” Skjerseth, Mark “Springo” Michael Tait and Debi Moen in 2020
Spring and Jake Berry in 2020 critical in Board meetings helping to choose
Lifetime Achievement honorees.
Richard Cadena: I started working in the
lighting industry as a tech at High End Sys-
tems when Jesus was a boy. They made me an
account rep, and one of the other techs said it
2014 — Bob Goldstein was because I couldn’t solder. And that’s pretty
2015 — Pat Quilter much how I became the editor for PLSN from
2016 — Greg Mackie 2003 to 2011, because I wasn’t much of an ac-
2018** — John Stadius count rep either, and as an editor, it turns out
2019 — Brock Adamson I’m a pretty good seamstress. But I had a great
2020 — Karrie Keyes time working with a great bunch of people at
Timeless Communications during those years,
Visionary Award Winners: and lending a hand presenting at the Parnelli
2008 — Michael Tait Awards is one of the highlights of my career.
2009 — Richard Belliveau If there’s one thing I have missed during the
2010 — Jim Bornhorst pandemic, it’s getting together with hundreds
2011 — Jim Fackert of my closest friends and recognizing the awe-
2012 — Joe Branam some talent in the room. Congratulations on
2013 — Eric Pearce 20 years of Parnelli Awards.
2014 — Howard Ungerleider —Richard Cadena, Former Editor,
2015 — David Cunningham PLSN Magazine
2016 — Danny O’Bryen
2018** — Jonathan Smeeton Bill Evans: When I helped launch FOH,
2019 — Yvan Miron I had never heard of the Parnellis. It was
2020 — Michael T. Strickland an event that meant we all had to work
way harder than normal was all. The switch
Parnelli Hall of Fame flipped for me in the days before the 2004
Mo Morrison (Inducted Nov. 2013) show, when I arrived in the office and poked
my head into the conference room where
*In 2005, the Parnelli Awards Ceremony preparations were being made and scripts
shifted from February to November to take written. As I walked away, I realized that
place during the annual LDI show. the three people in that room (Patrick, Chip
and Keith) had been deeply involved with
**Starting in Jan. 2018, the Parnelli Awards everyone from Streisand to Springsteen to
started taking place during Winter NAMM the Stones to Woodstock. I did a little more
instead of LDI. This shifted the 17th annual research and found that they had been in-
show from Nov. 2017 to Jan. 2018. volved in something like seven of the top 20
11/7/19 9:27 AM
tours of all time. It was a sobering moment.
At that point, I started looking at the
event with different eyes, and in the next
few years watched the event grow into
something really special. (You know you’re
onto something when people start openly
lobbying like it’s the freaking Grammys.) In
2004, when plans were being made, some-
one in a board meeting mused about may-
be getting a celebrity to host the show.
Some names were bandied about and, on a
total whim, I interjected that maybe I could
get Todd Rundgren. Note that I had met
Todd via his sound guy (Robert something?)
exactly once at a sound check and had no
reason to think it could be made to happen.
But an introduction was made and an invi-
tation proffered and someone else made it
happen, setting up a whole new level off at-
tention. It was pretty damn cool.
While I’ve not been involved in many
years nor been to the event, being there
when it was in its infancy is a part of my
journey with FOH, of which I’m especially
proud.
—Bill Evans, Former Editor,
FRONT of HOUSE Magazine
Jacob Coakley: There are far too many
amazing Parnelli moments for me to choose
just one to write about. There was the time Tom
Petty showed up to surprise his tour manager
Richard Fernandez, or when — at the height of
Lady Gaga’s initial fame — Flo & Eddie showed
up to host in “meat” dresses. But the moment
that really brought home to me what the Par-
nelli Awards were all about was when Bob Heil
received the Audio Innovator Award in 2007.
Reading the history of everything he pioneered
in the audio industry — L-C-R arrays for speak-
ers in concerts, quadrophonic mixing consoles,
the parametric EQ, the Talk Box — was aston-
ishing. And the story of how he started in a
small music shop in Illinois before becoming a
preeminent sound provider was even more re-
markable. His story — along with all the Par-
nelli Award winners through the years — is
the story of how the live music industry was
built, expanded, and transformed through
the years.
More importantly, it’s a story told by
those who know, and they know because
they did it, because they were there, they
were a part of making it happen. In his ac-
ceptance speech, Bob Heil said, “To me, this
is a bigger deal than getting in the Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame, because this award
is voted on by my peers.” To me, that’s what
makes the Parnelli Awards truly remarkable.
Critics don’t pick the winners, producers
don’t pick the winners, fans (bless ‘em) don’t
pick the winners. The winners are chosen by
people who know great work because they
do the work.
And make no mistake, they will do the
work. There will be more concerts, more
live events, more tours. When that happens,
I will be there to scream my head off and
dance with thousands of people and wit-
ness the amazing work all you engineers,
technicians, programmers, truckers, lamp-
ies, hummers, and everybody else do. I can’t
wait to hear more stories at the Parnellis
about all of you creating live event history.
—Jacob Coakley, Former Editor,
Stage Directions Magazine