I’ve never been interested in being the star, but the stage is a different story.
I had the unique and rare opportunity to be born into the highest levels of the entertainment industry. I experienced what “fame” was at a young age before I understood what fame meant. In that environment at that age I wasn’t drawn to the crowds, the performance, or the showmanship. What caught my attention were the architects, consultants, and stage experts who were responsible for the portable stages that would travel with the band. I interacted with thousands of these logisticians over the years as there were different crews for every tour and part of the world. In the high volume of people involved in such a massive operation, two, in particular, stand out. One engineer, Nigel, was very impactful as far as stage planning and engineering and had a phenomenal mind. He is someone I deeply admire. He taught me a lot about the hospitality management aspects of managing very intense, critical logistical situations to allow the band to focus on performing at its best night after night. Another impactful engineer, Ralph, was around 6'5" tall but at my young age seemed even taller. To me as a young kid, he resembled a mountain man out of a movie on his motorcycle — his preferred mode of transportation when not driving his Jeep. He’s one of the best sound and stage engineers I’ve ever been around. He contributed to the design of the sound system and stage prod of notable venues like The Belly Up in Aspen.
I remember one night after a show when I was about 14 years old asking Ralph in a panic how they were going to be able to break down the stage and set it up in the next city in time. He pragmatically explained to me that there are two crews who alternate cities. That way, they always have time to break down and set up the stages. This was a lightbulb moment. It immediately sparked an obsession within me and was the first time in my life that I realized my passion for logistics.
From early childhood, I was never the smartest or the most powerful, but I was always the most adaptable. Learning about how these specialists not only created and transported massive stages around the world but retrofitted them to venues with varying dimensions daily was the most fascinating thing I’d ever heard. Before, during, and after the shows, I was not interested in the thousands of fans or even necessarily the music. I would be under the stage effectively and consistently observing as they were built and managed in live time to support the ever-changing conditions of a live musical performance at indoor and outdoor venues, stadiums, festivals, etc. I’ve never been able to give these individuals the level of credit they deserve, but I plan to make sure people like Nigel and Ralph get their due because they’re the reason we all can enjoy the scale of shows that we do. Even though their names are unheard of to the fans, every person in the venue hears their work.
I share this anecdote to highlight an important fact. Without being aware of the societal value placed on fame, I was free to innocently gravitate toward what resonated most with my mind and personality — my Behavioral RNA. This makes me think deeply about how many others would have been sparked to choose a path besides chasing fame if they could be given a similar opportunity.
Today more than ever, our culture prizes and prioritizes fame and notoriety. This is a notable side effect of the internet which provided every person access to a potentially worldwide audience. That is new in human history. It has not only changed the nature of celebrity with the advent of “famous for being famous”, but has skewed our collective behavior toward things that garner views and likes without necessarily knowing why.
I confidently think that if others could be immersed in the reality of fame before they knew conceptually what fame was, they would be empowered to freely and confidently choose what matters to them as an individual — whether that be on the stage or under it.
What’s the best stage you’ve ever seen live?
