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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
OT: Rich Engler, new book on "Concert Promotion"
OT: Rich Engler, new book on "Concert Promotion"
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Frank
3528 posts
Dec 18, 2013
7:06 AM
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Having presented somewhere in the neighborhood of 5,000 concerts, Mr. Engler has a few good stories to tell and if you've ever met him -- he's a great talker -- you've probably heard one or two. He can't even count how many times someone's told him, "You need to write a book."
Now, they don't have to, because that's what he's done with "Behind the Stage Door," 156 pages of stories and photos from his exciting career.
from drummer to concert promoter
Last Edited by Frank on Dec 18, 2013 7:06 AM
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LSC
560 posts
Dec 18, 2013
12:49 PM
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I just read the article and the thought struck me I could have written some of those stories.
In the very early 70s I was hired by one of my best friend's boyfriend, Alex, as an "assistant" promoter in Hollywood/LA. We were putting on free shows every Sunday in Griffith Park by the merry-go-round. We'd set up a makeshift stage by the toilet block and run power off the lighting fixture. The park on a Sunday had been a popular place for a while on Sundays with drum circles, kids, dogs, bikers, and some of the most stunning hippy chicks. When we started doing the bands the numbers grew and when we started drawing literally thousands every week management companies were throwing money at Alex to book their bands for exposure. Mostly unknowns but we did get Eric Burdon and a version of the Animals, Love, The Blues Project and a few other better known acts.
We hit a peak when Alex was asked by the Council of Free Clinics to put on a benefit. We managed to get the Hollywood Paladium and book Steppenwolf, Charles Lloyd and labelmates String Cheese. Steppenwolf had broken up at that time with much animosity but having availed themselves of the STD services of the clinics always said they wanted to do a benefit. Besides, Goldie McJohn once lived in the same $20 a week apartment building as myself and used to share communal spaghetti dinners with a bunch of us.
The day of the show there still wasn't much for presales so I got on the phone to some people and asked them to make repeated calls using different names and voices to every radio station in LA asking why they weren't doing public service announcements for the show. There is an obligation under FCC licensing that x amount of time be devoted to such things. Pretty soon we're all over the air waves and two hours before showtime there's a line to the box office literally around the block.
So now Alex decides the smart play is to drop two tabs of acid and run amok around the backstage area. Suddenly clueless 22 year old me is in charge. First thing I do is lock Alex in a dressing room.
First two acts go reasonably well but backstage fist fights are breaking out within Steppenwolf. I dispatch a callgirl/groupie friend to their dressing room to, shall we say, offer oral relief and now, tensions released, the band takes the stage.
I'm then informed that someone has to direct the spots and I'm handed a headset. A short while into the set one of the two super troopers goes dark. I run up into the balcony to find the union operator had decided that was the moment to take his break. I spot him straight away and chase him back to his post. Goldie has started a keys solo in the dark so I tell the guy to hit him with the spot. As the light comes on I'm greeted with the site of "producer" Alex in front of Goldies B3 freak dancing! He'd escaped and nobody is doing anything about it. At a dead run I'm back down to the stage, pull Alex off and lock him in a dressing room with a guard this time.
Thinking all must certainly be okay now I'm standing in the wings attempting to enjoy the show when shards of glass start raining down just behind me. I look up and see something moving in the rafters. I again dead run up to the balcony reaching an access door the same time as a rent a cop with drawn gun. I yell at him to put the fucking thing away cause I can see it's just a kid who managed to sneak in some how. Turns out he broke a skylight on the roof and "..just wanted to see the show, man." I gave him a tongue lashing but told him he could get his ass down and watch the show but if I had any more problem I'd shoot him myself.
In the end no one was killed or injured and the Free Clinics made several thousand dollars. A few days later I got a call from Steppenwolf's manager, also the resident screamer at the Willam Morris agency, who thanked me for the job I'd done and saving a lot of collective asses. He also wanted the phone number of my very friendly friend who apparently was very good at her profession.
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LSC
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Last Edited by LSC on Dec 18, 2013 1:23 PM
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