Behind The Scenes with The Doors of the 21st Century
Most music fans wonder what
goes on “behind the scenes” as the band and crew prepare for a concert.
And, most fans probably also wish they could be inside to have that
experience. This is not the part of the concert experience that fans are
welcomed into: besides the heavy equipment getting moved around, the band
may not want an audience as they rehearse songs, or just relax.
I had the privilege of just
such a rare opportunity recently when I traveled to the east coast to see The
Doors of the 21st Century perform a return engagement at NYC’s
Roseland Ballroom on May 5th, and then the following night at the
very impressive Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
My friend Daphne had
journeyed down from Boston to attend those shows with me, and together we got
to share the “backstage” experience at both venues.
ROSELAND BALLROOM, NEW YORK CITY – May 5, 2004
My instructions were to show
up at the Roseland stage door at a certain time to get our All Access
laminates. We would be the “crew girls” and were expected to be
there for sound check, and invited to eat with the band and the crew before the
show(s).
The Roseland stage door is
across 53rd Street from the stage door entrance to the Ed Sullivan
Theater where the David Letterman show is broadcast. We arrived
early and thought we might kill some time watching THAT stage door, but a call
to my son confirmed that there were no big names or significant rockers on the
show that evening, which explained the lack of commotion that I’ve seen there
other times.
When we couldn’t take the
waiting any longer, we made the call to D21C Webmaster Artski, who was already
inside busy with his behind the scenes tasks. Art arrived
with our laminates, and we were then allowed to pass the stage door security
into the backstage area.
The D21C crew guys greeted
us, and seemed to already know that we were going to be “helping out” that day.
Art began by giving us a
tour of the areas that we would need to be familiar with. We went
upstairs, where we walked past the band dressing rooms. They had already
been identified with 8x10 sheets with the band member names on each door.
First we came to Ian’s and
Robby’s dressing rooms on our left. As we went down the hall, we turned
right down another hallway and saw Ray’s dressing room, and the room shared by
Angelo and Ty. At the end of that hall was the “Production Office”
… pretty much the Command Post Central.
Art put Daphne and I to
work, counting out the backstage passes that would be given out, and stamping
the current date on them. Some of those were then further inked and
set aside for Press.
Next, we followed Art and
helped carry a suitcase and some other items into Ian’s dressing
room. We set up a small, portable ironing board and iron on the
vanity area over one of the sinks, and Art set up a clock radio / CD player
nearby.
http://community.webshots.com/photo/136777995/141226657vsqRRm
http://community.webshots.com/photo/136777995/141226988DGJeqf
We went back down to the
stage area, where Marco, Owen, Bob, Darren, the Brotherhood of Light guys, the
Disc Live crew, and the Roseland employees were testing the equipment which was
already in place on stage. There were seemingly dozens of other guys
keeping busy too. There were long tables set with meats and veggies
and munchies to keep them going.
As we walked around the side stage area, I noticed an open door just off the stage area. My eyes were drawn to it when I realized there was an interesting assortment of brassieres hanging on the wall. I didn’t ask, but the ‘mind wanders’ about some of the stories those bras could tell, if they could talk!
Crew Manager Marco Moir enlisted our help in searching for an item in the Manhattan Yellow Pages, without much luck. We were then dispatched to go to the band’s hotel to pick up a FedEx package containing items needed for that evening’s show. As we walked down Broadway and looked up 52nd Street, we saw that there were red letters being put on the marquee. By the time we returned from our errand to their hotel, The Doors of the 21st Century was spelled out in full in red block letters under the Roseland name.
When we returned to the
Production Office, we found D21C Manager Tom Vitorino multi-tasking at a desk
with his laptop and telephone.
Art had no other duties for
us right then, and instead of getting in their way, we left to wander the hall
and ran into Robby and Ray arriving for the sound check.
After another trip to Ian’s
dressing room, I spotted a white shirt over a chair in Robby’s room as we
walked back. I recognized the shirt and blurted out something about
it. The shirt was very recognizable, as it had a peace symbol, the
words ‘peace’ and ‘love’ and the numerals 03 on it, in large letters. To
see the shirt onstage at the “secret show” in Paris on December 8th
go to: http://robbykrieger.com/doors/images/europe/12-8/DSC00458.JPG
I guess Robby heard our
voices and shirt discussion: he poked his head out of his dressing
room. I told him we had just set up an iron and ironing board in Ian’s
room. He asked me if I’d like to iron his shirt: YES!!!!!!!!
So off we went, back to Ian’s dressing room, for the most thrilling ironing
chore I’d ever had!
To see the finished ironing job in action, go to: http://robbykrieger.com/doors/images/may/DSC01881.JPG
By now, there were trays of
food and beverages that had been placed in each of the dressing rooms.
While ironing, we could hear
the sound check begin. We returned the shirt to Robby’s dressing
room and reported in to Art, who told us there was nothing further right then,
and to go on downstairs and enjoy the sound check – which we did!
We hovered around the side and front of the stage as they ran through several
of the songs we would hear later that night: Love Her Madly, Unknown
Soldier, Touch Me, Spanish Caravan. When they were satisfied, the
band members left the stage except for Robby, who stayed behind to practice
some of his Spanish Caravan flamenco.
We returned to the
Production Office where Manager Tom was having an animated discussion with the
performer who would open the show later that night with a juggling
act. That gentleman (he later told me he was known as Laserface)
had an impressive array of skills along with a bag full of masks and costume
options. A great deal of time was spent with him as Tom considered
the other performance possibilities, allowing him to ‘show his
stuff.’ Ultimately, Tom knew what his vision was for the
opening of the show, and he coached Laserface through several rehearsals to get
the timing down right.
Although by this time there
was a relaxed calm down in the stage area, there was a frenzied energy kicking
in around the Production Office area: people came and went to discuss
guest lists, who the local radio personality was who would introduce the band,
last-minute guest list changes, etc.
Artski was busy preparing
more backstage passes and slicing lemons for what would become Ian’s onstage
elixir later that evening. Finally there seemed to be nothing left
to do … although we had hoped for a chance to sit around and munch with the
band and crew, it seemed like everyone had scattered for the intervening
hours. Tom said that since we were “crew members” that day, we were
entitled to a dinner allowance and gave us each some money for dinner before
the show.
Once the audience was
admitted into the room, we began checking from a backstage balcony area and
watching for friends who were in the crowd. Soon it was time to go
to our positions to watch the show. We had been told we could
stand on the side of the stage, but Roseland security said no. We
went up to an elevated side platform area where we could see above the
crowd. From our vantage point, we could see that the room was full
all the way to the back.
At 8:30 p.m., after the show
introduction by Maria of Q104, the juggler appeared onstage with red
illuminated balls, which were eerie in the darkened theater.
http://robbykrieger.com/doors/images/may/DSC01877.JPG This
was followed by someone dressed as a circus ringmaster. He announced the
band, and they proceeded to blow the lid off the dump for the next two hours.
After the show and two
encores ended, we returned to the backstage area. By now, those
with After-show backstage passes were everywhere in the halls, visiting in the
various band dressing rooms. There were fans carrying posters and
albums and cameras, trying to get autographs and photos taken. The
band members were gracious and patient, and stayed until everyone had gotten
their turn with them.
When Daphne and I finally
left by the back stage door, there were a dozen or more fans waiting outside,
hoping to catch a picture or an autograph. We stayed and talked
with some of them until the night’s chill got the best of us.
MOHEGAN SUN ARENA, UNCASVILLE, CONNECTICUT – May 6, 2004
In contrast to the preceding
day, there was a prevailing calm backstage at this beautiful (and classy)
venue. By the time we arrived and got checked into our room
and found our way to the backstage area, we were disappointed that there was
not much in the way of tasks for the “crew girls” this night.
There were generous platters
of meats and cheeses, etc. in the Production Office as well as side rooms where
the crew could take breaks. There were also platters in each
of the dressing rooms.
By way of explanation of the
differences, D21C Manager Tom Vitorino told us that the Mohegan Sun Arena was a
very professional place; there was no union crew to work with; the stage
setup had gone easily, and there was nothing we needed (or could) do.
We wandered down the hall and got the lay of the land of the dressing rooms again, amusing ourselves by posing by the name signs.
http://community.webshots.com/photo/136778164/141243363UjoXCC
http://community.webshots.com/photo/136778164/141243458gUFNKi
Finally, a plate full of
lemons was delivered, and Artski allowed me to do the honors of cutting them
into halves and juicing them … again, for Ian’s mystery elixir.
Manager Tom came into the
room and spent a lot of time talking with us and answering questions about
future tour plans and projects (sorry, folks, those details cannot be shared
yet).
When there was simply
nothing else to do backstage, we went out into the area where people were
waiting to be searched and admitted into the arena.
I have NEVER seen
such crystal clear video screens as those hanging from both sides of the stage
at Mohegan Sun Arena. It was like watching a big screen television
in my living room.
Following the 2-hour show
with two encores, we returned to the backstage area. In Ian’s
dressing room was the large cake with a chocolate “sign” that said Happy
Birthday Ian, which had been rolled out onstage midway through the show as the
entire audience sang to him.
Eventually the crowds
drifted away, and we reluctantly left the backstage area along with the band
and D21C crew members.
It was a treat and an honor
to be given the access we had for those two shows. I can’t wait
until the next time! :=)
Thank you, Tom, for making
it possible.
Thank you, Artski, for the
mentoring.
Special thanks to Daphne for
sharing the adventure and taking the pictures!
Ida
May 19, 2004
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