Tour Guide Journal | volume 10 issue 9 | Toby Keith - Mobile ...

TOBY KEITHLIGHT, LIGHT ANDMORE LIGHT!PLUS...AND MORE

Contentson the COVERTOBY KEITH 24VARI*LITE 30SYNCROLITE 32KEITH URBAN 12BITS & PIECES2 PUBLISHER’S NOTES4 SOUNDD.A.S. AudioRocks Delta Fair & Music FestivalInnovasonDebuts DioAV A-Netconnectivity module6 LIGHTINGUVLDBrings Media-Management ExpertiseMA Lighting8 VIDEOXL VideoNew Trix for Maximo Park18 INDUSTRY PROFILERobbie Greenberg36 VENUESResch CenterCelebrates Five Years38 IAAMArena Management Conference48 ADVERTISER’S INDEXBREAKOUTS&event PHOTOS12 KEITH URBAN38 IAAM - AMCIAAM’s 18th AnnualArena Management Conferenceindustry profileROBBIE GREENBERGTour Guide Journal 1

Publisher’s NotescFall is here and as the leavesstart to change, so do our priorities. This is the seasonwhere tours start to wind up and corporate events springup. As the industry begins to shift priorities and focuson inventories and new products we present a cover featureon Toby Keith and two prominent manufacturers-Syncrolite and Vari*Lite.Our coverage of the industry is clearly the most diverseand comprehensive in the industry, as evidenced inour Journals and annual Directories. Our Road BookDirectory is the primary source of data and information in the Mobile ProductionIndustry. In our Journals, we strive to cover events, issues and products as well aspossible. To that end, we encourage the industry to send us regular press releasesand information on activities that are of interest to our readership. We invite youto add us to your list of press resources as often as appropriate.Finally, we are always in search of data on new touring professionals. Pleaseencourage anyone on the road to send us their contact information and touringcredits. We are nearing completion on a massive searchable global databasethat will present this data to the industry in a unique format. We need the inputof everyone to make this database comprehensive and functional. Stay tuned formore information on this exciting project and enjoy the seasonal change.L A R R Y S M I T Htour guide journal volume 10 issue 8HOME OFFICE STAFFph: 615.256.7006 • f: 615.256.7004email: info@tourguidemag.comtourguidemag.com750 Cowan St • Nashville, TN • USA 37207Owner: Larry Smithemail: larrysmith@tourguidemag.comPublisher In Chief: Michael Waddellemail: michaelwaddell@tourguidemag.comAdvertising Coordinator: Chris Cogswellemail: chriscogswell@tourguidemag.comChief Writer: Michael A. Beckemail: grockit@comast.netContributing Writer: Nat Hechtemail: gnat@earthlink.netContributing Writer: Loren Fayeemail: loren@rule6communications.comContributing Writer: Phil Bourneemail: philbourne@tourguidemag.comArt Director/Graphic Designer: Kristin Searcyemail: kristinsearcy@tourguidemag.comIT Support: Michael Stalcupemail: michaelstalcup@tourguidemag.comTOUR LINK BOARD OF ADVISORSBenny Collins, Jim Digby, Nick Gold, Jon Nevins, Stuart Ross,Bobby Schneider, Jay Sendyk, Seth Sheck, Nicki Goldstein,Karyln Hawke, Kim Okeson, Chuck Randalltourlinkconference.comADVERTISING SALES OFFICEJessi Wallace • Nashvilleemail: jessiwallace@tourguidemag.comph: 615.256.7006 • f: 615.256.7004Steve Byam • Nashvilleemail: stevebyam@tourguidemag.comph: 615.256.7006 • f: 615.256.7004Peter Lorimer • UKemail: peterlorimer@tourguidemag.comph: +44 (0) 20 8340 1138 • skype: peterlorimerukPUBLISHED BYAnvil Productions, LLCph: 615.256.7006 • f: 615.256.7004Email: info@tourguidemag.com©2007 Anvil Productions, LLC. Nothing may be reproduced without written permission of thepublisher. The publisher reserves the right to edit any and all editorial content included in thispublication. The publisher has made every attempt to insure accuracy and consistency of thispublication. However, some listings & information may be incomplete due to a lack of informationprovided by various companies listed. Please send any inquiries to the attention of thepublisher. All advertising appears at the paid solicitation of the advertiser. Anvil Productions,LLC, can not be held liable for any errors, omissions or inaccuracies appearing in this journalin the form of editorials, listings or advertising.Member of:2 Tour Guide Journal

newALPHA WASH 1200Putting it to the test is an exclusive privilege forProfessional Lighting Designerswww.claypaky.itwww.claypakyamerica.com

SOUNDcD.A.S. AUDIO ROCKS DELTA FAIR AND MUSIC FESTIVALAllstar Audio Systems, Inc.selects D.A.S. Aero systemfor new regional eventAccording to Mike Borne, Presidentof Allstar Audio Systems, “The D.A.S.system offered incredible coverage to themain stage area. By utilizing the D.A.S.provided EASE Focus aiming software,we were able to focus the top three boxesfor long-throw penetration, while archingthe bottom three elements to fill in for theareas right up next to the stage. The factthat the D.A.S. Aero system is self poweredalso played an important role in thisproject. The system cabling was considerablyeasier and cleaner than one typicallyencounters with non-powered systems,and the entire rig was much easier interms of our truck pack. For these veryreasons, we’ve deployed D.A.S. systems onnumerous projects.”Abrand new fair recently opened to recordcrowds at the Agricenter and Grounds inMemphis—the Delta Fair and Music Festival.Coined as an alternative fair to the 151-yearold Mid-South Fair of Memphis, the Delta Fair and MusicFestival focuses on wholesome family entertainment. Inits first year, the festival broke all expectations for attendance.Running August 31st through September 9th, thefestival included a broad range of performers, includingthe Spin Doctors, Mark Chesnut, Grand Funk Railroad,Survivor, and the Gym Class Heroes. The sound reinforcementsystem driving these acts was none other than a sizeablesystem from the D.A.S. Audio Aero catalog.The Aero 38A is a powered, mediumformat line array module which integrateslow, mid, and high frequency transducersinto a single unit. Low frequency reproductionis handled by two D.A.S. 12GNCloudspeakers in a bass-reflex configuration.Two D.A.S. 10LMN16, 10-inch conetransducers incorporating neodymiummagnetic assemblies and 3-inch voice coilsare used for mid frequency reproduction.High frequency reproduction is handledby a single D.A.S. ND-10 large formatcompression driver using a 4-inch titaniumdiaphragm, copper clad aluminumedge-wound flat wire (EFW) voice coilwith a 1.5-inch exit throat. Power is providedby a three-channel class “D” poweramplifier.Smyrna, Tenn. based Allstar AudioSystems, Inc.— a full-service sound, lighting,and staging design firm in the touring,festival and corporate marketplace— was chosen as the production vendorfor the kick-off year. Allstar provided allsound, lighting, staging and personnel forthe two large entertainment venues. Forthe festival’s main stage, the Allstar crewdeployed twelve D.A.S. Audio Aero 38Aself-powered line array elements coupledwith twelve Aero 218A self-powered subwoofers.Each side of the stage saw sixflown Aero 38A’s with the six Aero 218Asubs in a 3-wide, 2-high ground stack configuration.Looking back on their experience withthe new the Delta Fair and Music Festival,Borne offered this closing thought. “Allof the staging and production gear wasinstalled in one day by Allstar’s Smyrnabasedcrew prior to the fair’s grandopening,” said Borne. “Fair ProductionManager Darrin Hillis was totally amazedby how fast the stages and systems wentup, and he was particularly impressed thequality of the audio when it was turnedon for the first time. This was anotherhighly successful event for Allstar Audio,and our D.A.S. Audio rig was a significantpart of that.” c4 Tour Guide Journal

INNOVASONDEBUTSDioAV A-Netconnectivity moduleFollowing the recent announcement at AESin San Francisco of a development partnershipbetween digital mixing console companyINNOVASON and Aviom, world leaders andpioneers in personal monitor mixing technology,INNOVASON unveils the first productresulting from the collaboration.DioAV is an INNOVASON Dio modulewhich is easily installed in one of the twolocations available on the DSP board of theSy48 and Sy80 consoles. Two CAT5 connectorsoffer direct digital connectivity to two16-channel networks and Aviom’s signaturePro16 Personal Mixers via Aviom’s proprietaryprotocol, A-Net. The virtual patchbays withinINNOVASON’s proprietary management software,Sensoft, enable you to assign quickly andeasily any audio bus (direct input or mix bus)to these channels. DioAV offers the option toprovide musicians, conference attendees andpublic speakers alike an extremely high levelof foldback listening comfort thanks to theindependence provided by Aviom’s personalmixers.INNOVASON’s Xavier Pion, director ofsales and marketing, regards the developmentas a highly positive move for all concerned.“This is all about offering choice to our users,and adapting to the ways in which they liketo work,” he explained. “A growing numberof musicians like to have a personal monitormixer on stage with them, and Aviom is themarket leader in this field, so it made perfectsense for us to incorporate the A-Net protocolinto our Sy48 and Sy80 platforms in the shapeof a specially designed Dio module in order tooffer simple and direct connectivity to Aviom’sPro16 Personal Mixers. Furthermore, it alsobenefits users in the corporate environment asAV technology develops apace and corporateconsumers have ever-higher expectations.It sits perfectly with our ethos of providingsuperlative audio quality, flexibility and easeof use.” cTour Guide Journal 5

LIGHTINGcUVLD BRINGS MEDIA-MANAGEMENT EXPERTISETO SLAYER AND MARILYN MANSON DOUBLE-HEADLINER TOURUNLIMITED VISIBILITY LIGHTINGDESIGN (UVLD) brings its media andmedia-management expertise to the concert-touringarena with Cameron Yearyconsulting on the dual Slayer and MarilynManson tour.S l a y e rYeary teamed with lighting designers Jason Cainand Sonny Satterfield, with the Slayer and MarilynManson tours respectively, as the bands set out on adouble-headlining tour of the US this summer. “Theybrought me in to help merge the two shows togetheras they moved from small venues and European festivalsto large amphitheaters,” says Yeary. “My job wasto assist with the equipment interface and make thetransition as seamless as possible. Combining equipmentand managing media for a show now twice thesize was quite a challenge.”According to Yeary, Slayer had been deploying HighEnd Systems’ DL.2 digital lights and a Catalyst systemwhile Marilyn Manson favored Coolux’s Pandora’sBox. "I had to figure out a way to run Catalystthrough Pandora’s Box as an input and to add thecameras Slayer requested,” Yeary explains. “Weneeded to operate five lipstick cameras and two frontof house cameras through Pandora’s Box and mix thelive cameras on top of Catalyst.”In addition, the designers had to be capable of controling,from front of house, seven cameras and theirown media and content live. “That was a pretty coolfeat,” Yeary notes. “I had to make sure all of thoseelements would be able to come together in time forthe show. It was definitely fun to see cameras comeinto a show that been programmed with nothing butprerecorded media; now the tour was able to use livecontent.”Yeary was also tasked with re-encoding media andchecking files as they were received from production.“There were drastic differences between thetwo bands in terms of content and technology,” henotes. “Slayer's content was very literal while MarilynManson's was more theatrical. It was also interestingto see the two media systems combined, one Mac andone PC, each requiring drastic different codec types.”M a r i l y n M a n s o nTwo stacks of two Christie Roadster S+ 16L projectorshandled the big-screen display which alongwith the Pandoras’s Box, were provided by DelicateProductions. All the lighting gear, rigging andCatalysts were provided by Gemini Stage Lighting. c6 Tour Guide Journal

LIGHTINGcStarlight:MA LIGHTING NETWORKStarlight: MA Lighting networkcontrolled lighting of MercedesBenz booth during the IAAAs the 62nd International CarShow (IAA) recently opened itsdoors in Frankfurt a nine monthpreparation and a two monthsetup ended for the plannersof the DaimlerChrysler AGbooth. The company furnishedFrankfurt’s “Festhalle” (festivalhall) with state-of-the-art LEDtechnology as well as more than500 moving lights and scores ofPARs. 10,000m² and 68 cars weresophistically illuminated this way.Besides the Mercedes-Benz booththere were also the booths ofSmart and Maybach located inthe festival hall.For lighting control the plannersof TLD Planungsgruppe GmbHrelied on an MA Lighting systemconsisting of 5 x grandMA fullsize,3 x grandMA light, 7 x MANSPs, 24 x MA 2Port Nodes aswell as 11 x HP ProCurve Switch2626. The installed fibre opticnetwork had a length of 1.4kilometres and connected sevenequipment rooms. 35 DMXuniverses were used for the show.MA NSPs, located in one room,provided the necessary processingpower and distributed their signalto the MA 2Port Nodes whichwere located throughout the festivalhall. They provided DMXto control the entire lighting rigin real time. During the fair afully automated show was run.Lighting, video/LEDs, sound andtwo turntables were synchronisedvia Timecode.The planners took a lot of stepsto ensure maximum reliability.Amongst others a Spanning TreeAlgorithm was used for the network.Furthermore the systemstructure was build up in a waythat even the failure of multipleNSPs would not have affectedthe show. Also, the main console,controlled via Timecode andMIDI, was seamlessly backed upby another MA console. All theseprecautions were undertaken dueto the fact, that a failure wouldhave caused every light in thebooth to go out.During the setup it was possibleto focus the cars and architectureand to view the lighting fromcontinued on page 40Tour Guide Journal 7

VIDEOcVINEW TRIX FOR MAXIMO PARKXL VIDEO UK IS SUPPLYING MAXIMO PARK’S LIGHT-ING AND VISUALS DESIGNER STEVIE MARR WITHBARCO MITRIX SCREEN AND CATALYST DIGITALMEDIA SERVER FOR THE BAND’S CURRENT UK ANDEUROPEAN TOUR, MARKING STAGE 3 OF A PROGRES-SIVE VIDEO/LIGHTING DESIGN PROCESS WHICH COM-MENCED AT THE START OF 2006.For Marr, an enthusiastic exponent ofvideo and lighting “convergence”, theMiTrix added a new edge and depthto the show as well as providing surfacesfor his 70 or so custom createdvideo clips. These were all sorted onand played back through two layers ofthe Catalyst.The account was handled for XL by JoBeirne and Phil Mercer who comment,“Stevie always comes up with new andrefreshing ideas, and it’s been great tosee Maximo Park’s video design evolve.He knows what he wants and is greatto work with on all levels”.The MiTrix are arranged in 7 rectangularcolumns of various shapes anddimensions across the stage, its gentleasymmetry suggesting an optical illusionof uniformity which isn’t quitewhat it seems!Offering 602 x 192 pixels, the MiTrixwas relatively high resolution forMarr who used VersaTILES andthen VersaTUBES respectively on theprevious two tours. The clips he hasdesigned and made for this leg of thetour arecompletely new,although with several stylistic links andreferences to what has gone before.His initial brief from the band – whohe keeps updated with visualisationsas the content evolves – was to keepit bold and blocky utilising plentyof primary colours - in the vein ofthe industrial and angular oeuvre ofRussian constructivist art.Marr’s collocation of clips were primarilynon-narrative, with a coupleof notable exceptions, including “OurVelocity”, which sees the screens comealive with sequences of rapidly jumpingand flickering numbers.8 Tour Guide Journal

DEOcHe also used the occasional clip thathas persisted throughout the entire tour– in this case an oscillating graphic EQeffect, which also graced the Tubes andthe Tiles of the previous shows, activatedduring the high energy “Limassol”.That content takes on a totally differentambience when displayed on theMiTrix.Operating both lighting and video viaa RoadHog console supplied by lightingcontractors Lite Alterative, Marris really impressed with the speed andresponse time of the MiTrix. At timeshe flashes between different clips justas if he was operating lighting fixtures,“The response is instantaneous” hestates. He maximises this functionalityduring the spikey guitar riffs of “GirlsWho Play Guitars”, adding that MiTrixis “The best surface I have seen yetfor playing back graphics and materialtimed exactly to the music.” cTour Guide Journal 9

KEITH URBANN O T A B A D S E A T I N T H E H O U S E“LOVE, PAIN & THE WHOLE CRAZY WORLD TOUR”b y MICHAEL A. BECKFrom the very beginning of the KeithUrban show, anyone who wanted tosee a country show knows they cameto the wrong place. The stage was thebasic rectangle in an end-on configurationat one end of the room playing tothe whole house.There was, however, a runway that ranout into the house to a point beyondwhere the mix position would normallybe where there was a circularB-stage upon which Urban and hisband played a short acoustic set duringthe latter part of the show. During theshow Urban worked a good portionof the runway as a tool to get closer tothe crowd.The visual highlight of the show isthe gigantic video wall that comprisesthe entire background of the show.The overall design was done by designlegend Mark Brickman and looks verysimilar to the show he designed for thisyear’s Roger Waters show.The hot seat on this show is without adoubt the LD position, as Urban washimself an LD before he became successfulin his musical career. While thevideo wall is certainly the 900-poundgorilla in the room, anyone really payingattention to the visual action in theshow sees that specific care has beentaken to make sure that the first lawof lighting is duly adhered to, which isLight the Money.As is too often the case, lightingdesigners correct the show to accountfor video to the point where one canscarcely see the players on stage. In thecase of this show, if the lighting wascorrected, it was done with such sensitivitythat it had no effect on the nakedeye when watching the action that wastaking place on the stage as opposed tothe action on the video wall. The performerswere lit for the live experienceand the video looked great because ofvideo engineer, Danny Whetstone.Regardless of where he is, Urban iswell lit and stands out from the restof the action that is taking place onstage. The video system was fed by theusual compliment of cameras bothin the house on sticks and hand-held.But the cool video twist was that therewas a camera on an arm that retractedvertically and ran along a track thatfollowed the runway and was able toget great shots of Urban while on thestage.The other issue of the video portionof the show was that it weighed 30,000pounds in a show that had a totalweight of just over 50,000 pounds.This was a bit of a challenge in someof the older stadiums that the showplayed in.As was said before, the lighting systemwas well handled by LD Joel Reiff inthat no matter how close Urban wasstanding to the screen, he was alwaysthe focal point of the room unlesssomething was happening that wasintended to take the focus off of theartist. This was a very well lit show bya very sparse rig giving the messagethat it really was all about the music.There isn’t really a lot to say aboutthe audio. That is to say that this showsounded great. Once again we cameto a show where the audio paid intenseattention to full coverage of the roomand it paid off.Keith Urban came out and put ona screaming rock n’ roll show. Everyaspect of the production kept perfectpace with his performance. There simplywasn’t a bad seat in the house. cCONTINUED ON page 4012 Tour Guide Journal

Scott Frey: System Engineer,Andy Hill Monitor: Tech, ChadFranscoviak: FOH Engineer, MikeAdams Monitor Engineer, RudyPaniagua: Audio TechPHOTOS BY MICHAEL A BECKbandVocals, Guitar, Piano, Bass: KEITH URBANDrums: CHRIS McHUGHBass, Guitar, Keys, BK Vocals: JERRY FLOWERSGuitar, Ganjo, Bass, BK Vocals: CHRIS RODRIGUEZGuitar, Mandolin, Ganjo, BK Vocals: BRAD RICEGuitar, Mandolin, Ganjo, Keys, BK Vocals: BRIAN NUTTERtour related officesArtist Management:BORMAN ENTERTAINMENTBusiness Management:FLOOD, BUMSTEAD, MCCREADY & MCCARTHYLegal and Business AffairsANSEL DAVIS ESQ.Booking Agency:CREATIVE ARTISTS AGENCYPublist: PFA MEDIARecord Label:CAPITOL RECORDS NASHVILLETravel: PRO TRAVEL INTERNATIONALSet & Lighting Design:BU WHO ENTERTAINMENTSound: CLAIR BROTHERSLighting: BANDIT LITESVideo: XL VIDEOVideo Content:GRAVELROADS PRODUCTIONSStaging: SGPS INCBuses: ROBERTS BROTHERSTrucks: STAGE CALL CORPORATIONAir Charter: MARQUIS JETSStylist: WENDY SCHECTER STYLISTMerchandise Vending:CROM TIDWELL MERCHANDISINGMerchandise Manufacturing:CHASER MERCHANDISECredentials: CUBE SERVICES INCItineraries: SMART ARTTour Guide Journal 13

KEITH URBAN | crewTour Manager: CHUCK HULLProduction Manager: MARK MILESTCB: MIKE PONTESTicket Manager/VIP Services:LINDSEY LONGProduction Assistants: AMBER OWENS, DEANBAYLORStage Manager: DAVE CARNEYGuitar Techs: MARC LARESE, STEVE COHEN, GA-LEN HENSON , JEREMY DENTON, SCOTT WELCHDrum Tech / Drum Line Boss:MARK ARNOLDSecurity: MIKE SMITH, RANDY FOSTERRiggers: SONNY OYLER, AARON DRAUDECarpenters: BERNARD SLATTON,MIKE ANDERSONWardrobe/Stylist: GILLE MILLSTrainer: JP LOURENCEShow Rig Crew Chief: BJORN MELCHERTShow Rig Asst Crew Chief:JOSEPH SMITHFOH Engineer: STEVE LAWMON Engineer: JASON SPENCEFOH Audio Tech: JOE KEISERAudio Techs: BILL FLUGAN, KENNETH MCDOW-ALL, MATT WOBSTLighting Director: NATHAN ALVESLight Tech: BILLY WILLINGHAM, JOSH FENN,ROBERT COLVIN, MICHAEL STEHR, CHAS ALBEA,ERICH HUDGENSVideographer: JEFF JOHNSON,Video Director: BOB HARTNETTVideo: DANNY WHETSTONE, JOHN BONNIN,CHRIS CAMPBELL, MARK INSCOE, LONNIESTONER, JEFF GAINER,RUSSELL WINGFIELDMerchandise: JIM CARSONBus Drivers: MIKE CAREY, DALE LEE,JAY ZAVISIN, JON LOUGHLIN, MIKE MEDFORD,DANA HEIDEMANNTruck Drivers: DAN FISHER, MIKE DASILVA,ROBIN GOODWIN, JEFF WEIMER, THERESAQUINONES, MICHELLE MORROW, TOM COUCH,DANNY JOE KILE, KEITH SCHIDLER, BILL MA-HONEY, MARIA MAHONEY, MIKE WALTZ14 Tour Guide Journal

KEITH URBANpictured left (L to R)Head Carpenter Bernard Slatton, Set Carpenter Mike Anderson,Stage Manager Dave Carney, Rigger Aaron Draude, Head RiggerSonny OylerPHOTOS BY MICHAEL A BECKProduction Manager Mark MilesAudio: Audio Tech Joe Keiser, Monitors Jason Spense, FOH SteveLaw, Audio Tech Bill Flugan, Audio Tech Matt Wobst, Audio TechKen McDowellpictured left: (L to R)front Crew Chief Mark Inscoe, FOHCamera Lonnie Stoner, Camera/LEDTech Chris Campbellback Director Bob Hartnett, LED TechJeff Gainer, Libra Camera John Bonnih,Camera/LED Tech Mark Woody, ChiefEngineer Denny WhetstoneMerchandise Jim CarsonTour Guide Journal 15

INDUSTRY ProfilecROBBIE GREENBERGSEE WHAT HARD WORK AND A SMILE CAN DO?AN INTERVIEWb y MICHAEL A. BECKAs you traverse the landscape of this industry, you may come across a person like RobbieGreenberg once in 20 years. She is kind and caring while at the same time having the abilityto be edgy and irreverent. Her friendship is the coin of the realm. If Robbie gets angry atyou she will let you know about it and you have no misunderstanding of what just happened,yet you will walk away thinking only that you don’t want to let her down again. In short,she is the kind of person who can tell you to go to hell in a way that will make you lookforward to the trip. She is a priceless addition to any crew she is on as her work ethic andthe product of that ethic is without question and simply unsurpassed!It has been the pleasure of this writer to count Robbie Greenberg as very close friend fortwenty years and the prospect of getting paid to sit down and chat with this gem is like gettingpaid to taste whipped cream.Join us.Tour Guide Journal: Let’s start at the beginning.What attracted you to the lighting business?Robbie Greenburg: See, here’s where I’m goingOf Course itRocks!it’sSuperiorMANUFACTURER OFQUALITY COACHES312 Babb Drive,Lebanon, TN. 37087615-466-2000www.superiorcoach.comto sound like a knuckle head.TGJ: If so, it’ll be the first time anyone hasever seen that side of you.RG: Originally, it was a way toget out of the house at nightand do the things that teenagekids want to do without theirparents finding out under theguise of going to build sceneryfor the high school theatre. Wehad a great theatre in my highschool and a friend of mineand would go at night and bangscenery together for the highschool plays. We had a propertheatre, not a gymnasium.TGJ: So did this give you a directionto follow as a career?RG: Once I started doing it Ifell in love with it and I neverlooked back.TGJ: Where did you go to college?RG: I got a B. A. in ElectricalEngineering from the Universityof Vermont.TGJ: Was that to prep you forthis career?RG: I thought of that. But I alsohad in the back of my mind,“I’ll never make a living at this,so maybe I should start taking my career seriously.So what if I become an engineer?” Butthen I looked around at the other people inthe classes I was taking and realized that theyweren’t a very fun-loving bunch of people. SoI started asking myself if I really wanted tospend my whole career with people like thiswho can’t seem to smile. And then I got thisoffer with [I. A. T. S. I.] local 11 in Boston tocome in and start building this show that wasgoing to Broadway. I took it and quit school.TGJ: What was the show?RG: It was a show Bob Fosse was directingcalled The Big Deal.TGJ: When was this in Boston?RG: 1985.TGJ: But by the sound of it, you are headingfor a career as a set carpenter. How did lightinghappen?RG: That happened in high school. I noticedthat the lighting kids got to walk around on thecatwalk, they got to play with the patch bays;they had all the cool stuff. So I started hangingaround with them.TGJ: Okay, let’s get back to Boston.RG: That was a pretty difficult place to workback then for a woman and I started thinkingthat there was no way I was going to be ableto make a living at this. I even contemplatedgoing back to school.18 Tour Guide Journal

TGJ: What made you stick it out?RG: The fact that I loved what I was doing andI didn’t want to let the situation bate me intoquitting and deter me from doing what I reallywanted to do. As I was faced with contemplatingwhat else would I want to do for a living, thatwas really all I could come up with. I just keptgetting sucked into it. It’s the career equivalent ofbeing too stupid to come in out of the rain.TGJ: There’s that and the old saying that says thedevil you know is better than the devil you don’t.RG: Well I just have never in my life imaginedmyself doing anything else. No matter how downI would get with what I was doing or how toughit was, I couldn’t see anything out there thatcould attract me away from it. No matter howbummed out I would get or how bad I felt aboutthe job I was doing at any given time in mycareer, this just never ceased to fascinate me. It’sthe only thing I ever wanted to do.TGJ: I know what your living condition was thenbecause I was there with you. But describe it forour readers.RG: It was horrible. It was a daily struggle just tomake enough money to pay your rent. You know,you’re living in one of the most expensive citiesin the country and you’re not making any money.There were only so many games in town thatyou could play in, and most of those never paidenough that you could ever afford to not be hustlingfor work 24 hours a day. I would take anyjob at all. A job that was a four hour call that youwould only stand to make $25.00, I would takeit. During the winter when work was slow, I wastaking home $240.00 a week before taxes when Iwas working for BN Productions.TGJ: There is a lot of talk about young peoplecoming into the business with a sense of entitlementdeclaring that they deserve this and theydeserve that. Do you see that?RG: Sure do.TGJ: What do have to say to them?RG: I was always taught by my immigrantgrandparents that this world owes you nothing.The fact that you are standing there with yourhand out doesn’t mean that someone has to putanything in it. So you have to earn whateveryou want. I don’t go for that sense of entitlement,no matter who you are, how old youare, or what industry you work in. You have toget out there and work for whatever you want.The fact that you pushed a box from point A topoint B doesn’t entitle you to a show run. Thatisn’t something that just lives in our industry, it’sacross the board. You have to earn your way andkeep earning it every day. You have to be as goodtoday as you were yesterday. The other thing Icontinued on page 41We are a full service insurance company dedicated to your business.Call today to see how we can help you with all your insurance needs.Errors & Omissions • Camera/Musical Equipment Floaters • Music/Concerts/Performers/ Musicians •Special Events • Non-Appearance/Abandonment/Cancellation • Performing Arts/Dance Cos. • Tenant/UserLiability • Theatres/Venues • Film and Music Videos • Weather/Rain Insurance • AND MUCH MOREPeter ShoemakerNew York212.297.1444pshoemaker@dewittstern.comPeter A. TempkinsBrentwood, TN888.762.5771ptempkins@dewittstern.comDavid OliverStudio City, CA818.623.5401doliver@dewittstern.comAmy BuddsStudio City, CA818.623.5409abudds@dewittstern.comTour Guide Journal 19

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TOBY KEITHMEET THE CREWBANDBoss Man: Toby KeithBand Leader/Bass: Chuck GoffBand: Rich Eckhardt, Joey Floyd, Rex Mauney,Dave McAfee, Josh Bertrand, Roman Dudok,Willie Roy, Carl Murr, Mica RobertsCREWTour Manager: David MilamPersonal Asst: Mitch DeneuiProduction Manager: Mickey MulcahyStage Manager: Tim RogersBoy Wonder: Chandler MerrittProduction Asst: Kirby MiddletonTour Security Director: Jason HarrisonMerchandise: Billy Ray Eden, Yancy JohnsonLighting Director: Eddie “Bones” ConnellFOH Engineer: Dirk DurhamDoug Page Set CarpenterSet Carpenter: Jamison HyattPyro: Allen Grant, Scott AllenTour Rigger: Lance StonerGuitar Tech : Frank BokeschSound Image Crew Leader: Russell FischerSI/Monitor Engineer: Earl NealSI/Sound Tech: JD RegisterSI/Sound Tech: Ian MaurerBandit/Crew Leader: Chuck HastingsBandit/Lighting tech: Mark DonahueBandit Lighting: Erich Hudgens, Sam HardenSyncrolites: Anthony DormanIMAG Video: Kevin Daniels, Anthony Hollingsworth,Lee Garland, Andrew Humphries,Kyle BrinkmanBad Ass Trucker: Robert LawBus Drivers: Chris Troup, John Jones, JonKendall, Johnny Barnhart, Van YoungbloodHightopps Catering: Jimmy Bell, Robert BellGirl Wonder Megan SmithVENDORSLighting: BanditSound: Sound ImageVideo: I-MagCatering: Hightop CateringTrucking: Stage CallBus: Music City Coachpictured above (L to R, top to bottom)Tony Doorman (Syncro tech) Mark Donahue, Eddie“Bones” Connell - LD, Sam Harden , Chuck Hastings- Crew Chief, Erich HudgensIan Maurer- Audio Tech, JD Register - Audio Tech,Russell Fischer - Crew Chief, Dirk Durham - FOH Engineer,Earl Neal - Monitor EngineerVideo Crew: Lee Garland, Kyle Brinkman, KevinDaniels, Anthony HollingsworthDoug Page - Set Carpenter, Tim Rgers - StageManager, Jamison (Porkchop) Hyatt - Set Carpenter,Mickey Mulcahy - Production Manager.Lance Stoner - Rigger28 Tour Guide Journal

Stretch your coach budget in EuropeSLEEPER COACHESSuperb sleeper coaches for all pockets. Please visit http://jumbocruiser.com or call +44 1297 2471729Tour Guide Journal 29

VARI*LITE IS PAYING ATTENTIONb y MICHAEL A. BECKTour Guide Feature VARI*LITEcHave you noticed that there are a lot ofVari*Lite fixtures showing up everywherelately? The 3000 series has climbed to thetop of the hill with a sense of absoluteauthority. As the automated lighting industrykeeps improving what it can do withlight and efficiency, the words ofthose who say that we’ve seenall that the technology can dorings more and more hollow.There was a time when people weresaying that with the advent of movinglight the par and leko are finished.But they’re still hanging in there andbeing improved on. Indeed, pan andtilt can only pan and tilt. But there is alot more to this technology. It must beremembered that the intelligent lightingindustry is only 26 years old. And withthe way the rate of technological developmentis growing at a hyper-exponentialrate, to say that anything has goneas far as it can is on the far side ofshortsighted.While at the recent WFX (Worship FacilitiesConference and Expo) in Atlanta TGJ wasable to chat with Vari*Lite product manager GeorgeMasek. “As we have grown through the very shortlife time of automated lighting we have reached anumber of plateaus,” Masek explained. “Howdo we get a smoother movement? How dowe get a brighter light? How do we getstronger color? And as we reached oneplateau, we sought out the next one.”Cost, weight, reliability, noise, andmaintenance are big issues thatare being faced. As these issues areaddressed, other matters fall intoline. Again Masek explained, “TheVL-500 was obviously patternedafter the VL-5. We were able to geta much tighter tolerances for thedichroics than we could ever havegotten on the VL5 while keeping thecost down. So my thinking is if wecan give you more even and closelymatching colors from fixture to fixtureat the same cost then we havemade a strong improvement.”It is said that 90% of all technology thatwill exist 20 years from now has not been imagined yet. Sowhere is automated lighting going? Let’s look at the 3000series. Here are some facts lifted right from the company’swebsite.VL3000While issues like color and brightness and are definitely onthe list of things designers want to see, there are other mattersthat are figuring largely into the R&D process.When asked what’s next, Masek said, “I think certainly thatthe green initiatives that we’re seeing in Europe are goingto play heavily into our minds as we work to make ourproducts more efficient and effective.” Hewent on to add, “If you ask automotivemanufacturers what’s new in thefuture, they can look inward to see.Automated lighting manufacturershave to look outward. Everything wedo is tied to lamp manufacturers. Ithink that they way they deal with thegreen initiative is going to gage what thenext product is that they hand us. Oncewe receive that, we can then branch outfrom there.Vari*Lite has, as have all companies,made good and bad decisions along theway. However, the company that was oneof the first out of the gate with the technologythat currently defines the way welight a stage (as well as many other areasof life) is not only still there, but it ison the top looking down at all the restfrom a long distance.There is another issue to consider. Onthis year’s Justin Timberlake tour, one ofthe few aspects of the show that was actuallyimpressive was the use of VL-4’s. Theselighting are older than many of the peoplenow coming into the industry andthey are still out there hauling the mailwith outstanding punch. This provedthat nothing tells the story like time.The minds of Vari*Lite have learnedfrom the mistakes that all businessesin every industry make and they havebuilt on the success that they haveachieved. George Masek and his teamare not just listening to the dealerswho sell the gear, but they are listeningto the designers who create magic withit and the technicians who have to keepit running. They’re paying attention topreachers who want to deliver a sermonon Sunday without having to speak overthe fans of the lights above them andBroadway performers who want todeliver a soft love scene in silence.This company is paying attention toVL3500 the people who count. It is the consideredopinion of this writer that we as an industryshould pay attention to Vari*Lite. c30Tour Guide Journal

Tour Guide Journal 31

SYNCROLITE, THE SKY IS THE LIMITYou can’t look in any direction these dayswithout seeing a show with a compliment ofSyncrolites in it. Any one of the products putout by Syncrolites can add amazing powerto even the most complex show. That’s whydesigners like Roy Bennett use them.“I love those things,” said Bennett.“They’re big, bright and reliable.I love what they can do and thenew ones coming out have effectsengines that I can’t wait to use.”are lights that are meant to illuminate set and scenery andarchitecture. That requires a flat field of light and rich,smooth color.In getting to the end of this R&D tunnel, a number of challengeshad to be surmounted. The first was that you have tobe able to spread the light out to cover the target in a waythat a camera won’t pick up any field variation in the eventthe instrument is being used on a film or video shoot. Oncethat has been dealt with, you then have to do the samething with the color. Flat field is everything.What Roy was talking about are the Series 3 units thathave just been released. At the heart of all of the Syncroliteproducts is the OmniColor system. In the story writtenin TGJ about this system a year ago, we spoke extensivelyon it.Giza, Egypt. photo credit: Nick JonesTour Guide Feature SYNCROLITEc32Giza, Egypt. photo credit: Nick JonesColor mixing is the oldest news in the industry until youstart talking about 10k Xenon lights that can turn anythingyou put in front into untraceable history instantly. Whendealing with lights this size, it’s important to discuss anumber of issues. These aren’t just big search lights. TheyIn addressing the issue of flat light, the ingenious solutionwas to create a film that could offer smooth diffusionacross the aperture of the instrument. This film is madeup of several discs that are comprised of concentric circlesjust like the lens of a Fresnel stage light. As the light hitsthe film, it spills from one circle into another and as itdoes, (delete ‘it’) the light is diffused into one smooth output.Once that was done it was discovered that altering the sizeof the “discs” in the film could alter the beam spread. Soby putting several different sizes of diffusion on a scrolland shifting from one size to the next, the beam spreadcan be altered real time.Next issue is color. In a world where designers aredemanding color mixing as opposed to color scrolling,the mandate for color mixing was taken on at Syncroliteas well. Once again, the diffusion film is the hero. Byintroducing color into the field of light, the diffusion filmspreads it evenly across the field. Let’s say green was partiallyintroduced into the field. The diffusion would pick upthe green that it is seeing and transmit it across the frameof diffusion. The farther into the field the green comes, themore saturated the green output becomes.So now let’s put the green color on one side of the frameand blue on the other. Now you’re mixing green and blueevenly across the field.The OmniColor-D system is available as a CYM subtractiveor hybrid CYM-RGB additive/subtractive color set for ourD-Series three-scroller units. Coupled with our VFL(TM-CONTINUED ON page 43

10,000W XENON • 500,000 LUMENSCYM/RGB dichroic color via Syncrolite OmniColorSyncrolite VFL lens and FX enginesTight beam laser effects to searchlight full flat field —color scrolling wash in a heartbeat540 pan - 250 tiltHigh speed douser • High speed beam driveCompact lamphead — 110kg/outboard ballast racksWorldwide patents pendingworld leader in automated xenon lighting systemssyncrolite.com • 214.350.7696Tour Guide Journal 33

Relaxation achieved.Find a blissful backdrop at a MetropolitanHotel - your ideal retreat pre- and postshow.Ultra-comfortable surroundings,luxurious amenities, celebrated cuisineand intimate service ensure your timeoff-stage is restfully spent.1.866.806.9288 www.metropolitan.com34 Tour Guide Journal

VENUEScRESCH CENTERCelebrates Five YearsThis year, the Resch Center is celebratingits 5th year of hosting entertainmentin Northeast Wisconsin. The Resch Centeropened its doors in September 2002 andhas been on a very good run since.PMI is the management company for theResch Center and also runs, Brown CountyVeterans Memorial Arena, Shopko Hall,Meyer Theatre in downtown Green Bay, theLeach Amphitheater in Oshkosh, and ownsthe Green Bay Gamblers, which is a Juniorhockey team. PMI is set up the same as theGreen Bay Packers in that they are a nonstock,for Profit Corporation and report to aboard of directors who are a group of localbusinessmen. Tour Guide Journal spoke withthe very likeable President and CEO of PMI,Ken Wachter.“The last 5 years has gone by very fast,”Wachter said laughing. “It has been a tremendousamount of fun, not only for mebut for all of our staff. I think if you ask ourgeneral public we’ve had a tremendous, notonly number of events, but a great mix ofevents.” This mix of events include; RinglingBrothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus,Champions On Ice, WWE, World’s ToughestRodeo, Harlem Globetrotters, UWGBPhoenix Men’s Basketball, WIAA State GirlsVolleyball Championship, Milwaukee Bucks,Sesame Street, Metallica, James Taylor, andmuch, much more.The Resch Center is the newest facilitywithin the Brown County Veterans MemorialComplex, seating over 10,000 people. Itjoins ShopKo Hall, which is a 48,000 squarefoot expo hall and the 15 year old 6,000seat Brown County Arena. “This gives uslots of flexibility with what we can do,”said Wachter. The Resch Center, being themarquee building, is estimated to host nearly1.2 million people per year and has alreadyhad record crowds for Elton John, ShaniaTwain, Tim McGraw, Rod Stewart, JohnMellencamp, Aerosmith, Cher, Toby Keith,Kenny Chesney Josh Groban in addition tothose listed above. “It is no wonder that thepublic is excited about this building.”The venue is equipped with 4 loading docksand has serviced shows with as many as 22trucks without a problem. “ It’s easy accessin and out,’ said Wachter. “Tour Managerfor Sara Evans told me how much he likethe building, which of course made me feelgood.”The Resch Center utilized the same soundengineers as Staple Center in LA and PhilipsArena in Atlanta. The building is one level,which helps with sound as well as sight linesbecause you don’t have people up so high.A county owned facility, the Resch Center isunique in the way it was financed. “In ourmarket the Visitor Convention Bureau budgetwas based upon two percent room tax,”Wachter told TGJ. “The Visitor ConventionBureau gave up their room tax so the conventioncenter and the Resch Center could bebuilt. In turn, PMI agreed to fund the VisitorConvention Bureau on a yearly basis so theycould still market the area.” PMI also paysthe county $160,000 annually which goesinto a capital maintenance fund.Time Warner Cable Theatreat the Resch CenterOpen in the fall of 2004, Time WarnerCable Theatre at the Resch Center is yetanother offering PMI can promote to theentertainment industry. Following the sameideas of the Pond in Anaheim, ConsecoFieldhouse in Indianapolis and the HondaCenter, the Resch Center can be modified foruse as an intimate theatre.A curtain hangs from the ceiling to the flooron a rigging grid that runs across the entirearena. To further give you a theatre feelcarpet is laid and a chandelier is hung. Thetheatre configuration seats between 3,500and 5,000. This was accomplished at a costof about a quarter of a million dollars.continued on page 4036 Tour Guide Journal

ticketstaronline.com5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OFFEREXPIRES 05/31/08pmiwi.comGreen Bay, Wisconsin$1,000 OFFConcert Rent at the Resch CenterGreen Bay, WisconsinBOOKING: Ken Wachter - 920.405.1239Coupon must be presented at settlement. May not be reproduced. Void iftransferred to any person, rm or group prior to redemption. You may payany sales tax. Any other use constitutes fraud.Expiration date: 05/31/08.LIMIT ONE COUPON PER CONCERT.The Resch Center is a PMI Managed Facility Tour Guide Journal 37resch center

Turner Madden, Jane Kleinbergerand Gary Brosius on the the“Whose Ticket Is It Anyway?” PanelJohn Siehl (Nutter Center) and JeffBowen (Sears Center) discussing thecontroversy of 3rd party ticket salesTom Richter (Swiftel Center), Tom Albert (FELD Ent.), CharlesReed (FELD), Cindy Schonholtz (Animal Welfare Council), PattiStrand (National Animal Interest Alliance) discussing how todeal with animal rights activists in venuesiAAM hosted it’s ownversion of The ViewiAAMiA2007 iAAMiAAMiAAMArt Fahey & SportyJeralds at the OpeningNight ReceptionFELD Ent. hosted an ice creamsocial between panel sessionsiAAM hosted it’s ownversion of The ViewCharles Reed, Cindy Schonholtz, PattiStrand and Tom Richter on the “Lions andTigers and PETA, Oh My!” Panel SessionTom Albert (FELDEnt.) giving openingremarks for the PETApanel sessionInteractive Scoreboard inside the BobcatsArena provided by Daktronics38 Tour Guide Journal

cVENUESiAAMiAAMiAAMiAAMiAAMiAAMiAAMiAAMiAAMiAAM’s 18th Annual Arena Management ConferenceVenue professionals from all across North Americamet in Charlotte, NC September 15-18, 2007 for theInternational Association of Arena Managers (IAAM)’s18th Annual Arena Management Conference (AMC).The host hotel was the Hilton Charlotte Center Cityand all panels and events occurred in the meetingrooms within the hotel.The Charlotte Bobcats Arena hosted the opening nightreception and allowed conference attendees to tourthe two-year-old facility. Those who took the tourwere in awe of the technology put into the building.The primary focus was on the incredible scoreboardbuilt by Daktronics. Not only does the LED screenallow the arena to broadcast crystal-clear videos andscores to its audience, but it also features a three-dimensionalbacklit cityscape of Charlotte that changesthe skyline between night, day, seasons, and holidays.A large focus of the AMC was how the arenas canreach out to their younger patrons. The opening keynotespeaker was Kwain Bryant, founder of EmpowermentChange in Charlotte, NC. Bryant gave a “knowledgeis power” presentation, which provided a betterunderstanding of young people today. He included alesson on the slang that today’s youth are using sothe adults don’t feel like they are in a foreign countrywhen their arenas are filled with teenagers. After hislesson, he hosted a panel session of high school andcollege students. This allowed arena managers to askquestions directly to the students and find out howmuch is too much for a concert ticket, how often theyconsider going to live events, and what they love andloathe about arenas.The daily panel sessions offered attendees the opportunityto discuss controversial issues, express concerns,and share ideas for the future of the industry.Charlotte, NC | September 15-18, 2007Sessions included topics such as dealing with animalsin venues and facing animal rights groups, challengesindependent promoters face, the controversy of thirdparty ticket sales, and artist/agent, agent/promoterrelationships. There was even a session titled “TheView… from the Venues” where women (and aspecial male guest) sat in comfortable seats anddiscussed challenges they have faced while workingin their venue. While all the panel sessions coveredserious issues in the industry, attendees made a pointto enjoy the conference with laughter and hilariousstories.Sponsors this year were 360 Architecture, ABI, AccessPass & Design, American Seating Company, Athletica,Caddy Products, Centerplate, Charlotte Bobcats Arena,Charlotte Regional Visitor’s Authority, Clarin, Comcast-Spectacor, Contemporary Services, Connor SportCourt International, Cy Young Industries, Daktronics,Delaware North, FELD Entertainment, FREEMAN, FrontRow Marketing Services, Global Spectrum, GreensboroColiseum Complex, IMG, Irwin Seating, JTECHCommunications, Johnson and Wales University, LandmarkEvent Staffing Services, Levy Restaurants, LiveNation-Motor Sports, Millikin Hospitality Carpet, MTSSeating, New Era Tickets, Nutter Center, Pepsi, N.W.Gets & Associates, Odell Associates, Ovations FoodServices, Paciolan, Pritchard Sports Group, RobbinsSports Surfaces, Show Pros Entertainment Services,Spalding, StageRight Corporation, Staging Concepts,Ticketmaster, Tickets.com, TicketsWest, VenuWorks,White Stallion Productions, WJHW, and X-P Events.Next year’s AMC will be September 13-16, 2007 inKansas City, MO.FOR MORE INFO: GET ON THE WEB | iaam.orgTour Guide Journal 39

MA Lighting continued from p. 7every location in the hall, thanks to the connectionof the consoles via the fibre opticnetwork. Replacements weren’t necessarybecause the grandMAs were mobile integratedinto the system at the primary positions.For the fair 120 tons of equipment wereinstalled into the hall roof. Amongst othersthere were Vari*Lites VL3500 spot, VL3000spot, VL5 arc and VL5 tungsten as well asscores of ETC CE Source Four PAR. Nearly1,600 metres of truss and 6,000 metres ofsteel and aluminium pipes formed an extensiverig. The strictly structured trusses servedas suspension for a half transparent metalceiling. All spots were symmetrically placedin openings in that ceiling and by this nearlyinvisible.An absolute eye-catcher was the so named“car-walk”, a 50 metres long and twelvemetres wide street which consisted of BarcoMistrips. At the front end it ran into anElementlabs Stealth curtain which had aHibino Cromatec HD LED-wall installedabove. Furthermore there was a stage implementedinto the booth design for the worldpremiere of the concept car F700 which wasinteractively presented by a moderator.TLD Planungsgruppe GmbH was responsiblefor the planning of the Mercedes-Benzand Maybach booth. Alexander Orkischwas project manager. Construction managementlight was done by Sebastian Ströherand Christoph Rupieper. Claudia Furrer wasresponsible for the mounted and emergencylighting. As programmer and operator workedDietmar Rauh and Lars Wulff. Richard Profedeveloped the concept and the lighting design.Udo Kraemer was technical manager. S+LLeonberg delivered the lighting equipment.cResch Center continued from p. 36“We’ve had good success with the theatre,”Wachter admits. “We book between sixand eight show a year and some familyshows. We just had Sara Evans and JoshTurner and a bout three days before that wehad the rock show Three Days Grace andBreaking Benjamin. Dolly Parton was ourfirst show in the theatre configuration.”In the last five years the Resch Center hasbeen very successful in bringing in a varietyof shows from sports, family shows, rockand country shows. The future looks brightfor the Resch Center. In addition to hostingCirque de Soleil, Sugarland, MartinaMcBride, and Brad Paisley, they also hostedWalking With Dinosaurs, which also happensto be an upcoming cover feature inTGJ.To rent the facility (Booking), call920.405.1142, kristie@pmiwi.com c40 Tour Guide Journal

Robbie Greenberg continued from p. 19was taught was to evolve or die. Learn somethingeveryday.TGJ: I remember telling you over and over thatyou would be great on the road and then oneday Boston had run it’s course. The next thingI knew, you were touring out of Dallas. Howdid that happen?RG: I got a job working for Samuelsons. I wentout on the road for Barbara Mandrell. I hadalways wanted to work for Vari*Lite, but atthe time, they were hiring people from withinthe manufacturing or engineering areas of thecompany to go out on the road. I was neither.I happened to be working for Samuelsons atReunion Arena and during the load-out I metthe personnel guy for Vari*Lite who asked meto call him. I did and they offered me a jobright then and there.TGJ: What tour was that?RG: That was Prince. That was really gettingthrown into the deep end. Back then the companydidn’t have a training program. Like Isaid, everyone who was on the road for themcame from their engineering or manufacturingdepartments. They had first hand experiencebuilding these things. But for me it was on thejob training. Wow! I made every mistake youcould make. A lot of stuff that you filed awayunder ‘DON’T DO THAT AGAIN!’TGJ: How long were you with Vari*Lite?RG: I think it was about 12 years.TGJ: Who were some of the acts you were outwith during that time?RG: Let’s see, there was Prince, The RollingStones, The Who, Genesis, ZZ Top, INXS,Dianna Ross, Paula Abdul, The Grateful Deadand a lot of TV stuff and little one-off ’s.TGJ: You did all this time with Vari*Lite. Whathappened to make you leave?RG: I had wanted to get off the road in 1998and they very kindly put me in the R&Ddepartment in Dallas doing software testing.The company had recently gone public andthings were changing both in the companyand in the industry as a whole. As a result,they were scaling back and they cut my positionin the software department. They offeredme a job in Los Angeles to be the technicalservice manager there. After a little over ayear of that, I realized that was not for me. Ijust couldn’t take the negativity of knowingthat every phone call I was going to get wasa problem. I was starting to burn out withempathy overload. So I figured it was time togo back out on the freelance path, as scary asthat sounded, and take my chances of trying todrum up work and hope for the best.TGJ: How tough was that?RG: I moved to Vegas and, no pun intended, itwas a roll of the dice. I knew a lot of peoplewho were coming through town and one personknew another person who knew anotherperson and things picked up. As it turned out,there was a real need for automation techs.TGJ: When was this?RG: 2000. I did my last tour that year forCandice Brightman. I was the lighting directorfor The Other Ones, which was The GratefulDead without Jerry Garcia. Then I came backto Vegas full-time and started drumming upwork around town and it all sort of took thecorporate path. I was the luckiest person in theworld. I met the top people in Vegas and veryquickly and it just snow balled from there.TGJ: What’s your favorite memory of the road.RG: Oh God, I knew this was coming. Onereally great memory I have is of being inEurope when the Berlin Wall was comingdown and the Eastern Bloc was crumbling.Being in those countries and getting to talk tothe people or at least pantomime with themand seeing their exuberance over the fact thatworld was changing was amazing. I rememberthinking how lucky I was to be there at thatmoment in time and see it all happen. It wasincredible to actually grab a hammer andtake a chunk out of the Berlin Wall. Therewas such a sense of newness and elation andrebirth. It was a wonderful time to be there.TGJ: What was the greatest lesson you learned.RG: I got to travel all over the world and Ilearned that people are people wherever yougo in the world. Cultural differences aside,everyone pretty much the same. But the mostimportant lesson of all is that a smile will getsyou everywhere.Certainly Robbie’s smile does. cTour Guide Journal 41

THE MOST COMPREHENSIVEEVENT PRODUCTIONCONFERENCE IN THE WORLD!Includes all panels, minigolf/lazer tag/go-carts, lunches, dinners and awards show.This event, hosted at some of themost fabulous resorts in the U.S.,brings production managers, tourmanagers, business managers,transportation companies, concertservice personnel, crew, hotels, andvenues together for the mosttalked-about conference in eventproduction history.:January 24-27, 2008:Phoenix Marriot Mesa200 N. Centennial WayMesa, Arizona 85201800-456-6372marriott.com/PHXMM (Register between Dec. 1, 2007 – Jan. 25, 2008) - $325.00 each(Register between Nov. 1, 2007 – Nov. 30, 2007) - $300.00 each(Register before Oct. 31, 2007) – $275.00 each(Register onsite) – $350.00 each - $100.00- $50.00 (Included with full Registration) - $100.00In an effort to further the education for students and young people who wish tomake a career in the live entertainment world, Tour Guide Magazine is offering theopportunity for the industry to sponsor a student or students at the aboveregistration cost. This cost will include accommodations and all Tour Link functionsfor the students.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Name: _________________________________________________________Company: ______________________________________________________Street Address: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________City: _______________________________State/Prov.: ___________________Postal Code: ________________________ Country: ____________________Phone: _________________________Fax: ____________________________Email : _________________________________________________Number of full conference registrations - QTY: ___________ Spouse ($100) qAdditional Names:______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Mother Hubbards Cupboard - QTY: ___________Industry Dinner Awards Show ONLY($100) - QTY: ___________Golf Tournament ($50) - QTY: ___________: ___________Payment Type: q CHECK q CREDIT CARD: ____________________________) : 615.256.7006: Register online: tourlinkconference.com42 Tour Guide Journal

Syncrolite continued from p. 32superscript) film lenses, these systems provideseamless dichroic color cross- fading andunprecedented flat fields. DichroFilm filters donot burn or deform like standard absorptivegels and feature a scratch-resistant protectivelaminate. All the advantages of dichroic colormixing in a long-lasting, unbreakable thin film.The last step was to create a film that wouldnot disintegrate when it gets hit with the forementioned 10k Xenon output.But wait, there’s more!Custom scrolls can be made with any combinationof colors and effects, though the use ofsome effects reduces the total available framecount due to material thickness. Generallyspeaking, a scroll can accommodate 8 to 10frames of effects (gobos and VFL lenses) orapproximately 12 colors. As these are customapplications, you are advised to contactSyncrolite to discuss options.Available custom colors include any color ofRosco SuperGel (pending availability) and willinclude a limited number of dichroic filters inthe latter part of this year. Full additive andsubtractive Syncrolite OmniColor color mixingsets will also be available.Available effects include Syncrolite FP Gobosand Syncrolite VFL film lenses. Standardavailable lens values are 5°, 10°, 20°, and 30°.Other lens values as well as anamorphic lenses,such as 60° x 10° and 75° x 35° are also availablewith sufficient advance notice.There are too many features to this equipmentto be fully discussed in this article. Please feelfree to visit the Syncrolite website (www.syncrolite.com)and see for yourself.This system is so new that new ways to applyit are being discovered every time it is firedup. However, one thing is very clear withSyncrolite products—when you are dealingwith lights that can be used for everything fromtheatre shows to lighting the Great Pyramids,the sky is clearly the limit. cTour Guide Journal 43

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HELPING YOU GET FROM HERE TO THERE.It’s a bumpy road to the top. That’s why top entertainers from all over the world relyon the smoothest riding motorcoach on the road. The same sentiment is shared bythe entertainment industry’s most respected operators and converters. In fact thePrevost XLII Entertainer is the Entertainer of choice for best overall performance.While refinement and quality make it a world-class motorcoach, personalizedafter-sale support provides the ultimate ownership and operating experience. For over3 decades, Prevost has been committed to helping you keep your tour on schedule. Nobody has more experienceand nobody goes the extra mile like we do. Is it any wonder the world’s top entertainers insist on the Ultimate Class ® .To learn more please visit prevostcar.com. For Sales Inquiries: 866-637-4355.