In the Midst of the Chaos...

I asked my wife to marry me in October of 1992.  She is four years younger than me - a bigger deal when I was 19 and met her at Band Camp (yes, band camp) - then it is now.  One of her favorite stories was about the first concert she ever attended.  It was a late September wholesome family outing.  Mom and Dad drove her and her two older brothers up from LaSalle / Peru, IL (a few hours Southwest of Chicago) to the International Amphitheater on the south side of Chicago to see...KISS.  Ken, my wife's oldest brother was 16 and fully inducted into the KISS army.  Calling Ken a mere follower of Team Gene, Ace, Peter and Paul would almost be a disservice to him.  The Amphitheater in Chicago was a concrete block of a building.  Any rock show was going to shake those walls, but KISS took it to a new level - or so I hear.  The line of the night, as my mother-in-law tells the story, is when my wife (her then eight year old daughter) looked up at her and said, "Mommy - they're playing in my stomach."  But despite the sound level and the "funny smelling smoke," the family marched on into a concert experience that still gets talked about during Thanksgiving dinner.  So, now that I was marrying into this family, how did I get on the good side of my future father and brother-in-law?  I took them to see KISS. 

KISS was on tour (sans make-up) in support of Revenge throughout the majority of 1992.  With supporting acts Great White and Trixter on the bill, they made their way back through the Midwest - with a stop at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago in late November.  Jeff McClusky and Associates, my first job in music promotion, had been hired to work the new Trixter single, "Road of a Thousand Dreams" to see if it could gain some traction at radio.  I reached out to the local MCA Records promotion rep to see if I could get three tickets to the show and some passes to meet the band.  Even though it was a business gesture, my ulterior motives were clearly in place - and I am sure that didn't go unnoticed with this request.  MCA Records came through for me and with tickets and backstage passes in hand, our night was set. 

Bands usually meet fans before or after a concert.  Some have done meet and greets while a support act is on stage, but I have found that to be pretty rare out of respect for their fellow touring brethren.  The tour manager usually scouts out a room backstage or in an adjacent hallway so that fans and winners can be lined up in an orderly fashion to say hello, take pictures and maybe - depending on the guidelines set up by the band and artist management - get something autographed.   For this particular show, the meet and greet was on the main level in a back hallway of the UIC Pavilion prior to the show.  Trixter was scheduled to be on first at 7:30 so we had to get to the venue when doors opened at 6 p.m. to make sure we had time to meet the label rep and say hello to the band.  We joined the already 40 or so fans on the main concourse that were lined up and ready to head downstairs to meet Trixter.  Security identified our meet and greet group by the rectangular, blue backstage passes that were stuck to our shirts.  After short wait, we started down the stairs to the main level.

Exiting the stairwell on the main level backstage was like playing an advanced game of Frogger.  There were so many people walking by the doorway, we weren't sure we would be able to break through the stream of fans.  With my future father-in-law leading the three of us, we were the end of the line as far as our meet and greet group was concerned.  I'm not sure how we missed sticking with the line, but instead of stepping through everyone, we watched as our excited and anxious Trixter meet and greeters disappeared into the crowd - leaving us on our own.  In my 20+ years in the music industry, I have still never experienced a more crowded and chaotic backstage area than that night at the UIC.  We edged out into the back hallway of the arena and stood up against the wall to survey to situation.  I asked a few different guys wearing venue security jackets where we needed to go for the Trixter meet and greet, but all I got was a blank stare from each of them.  I wasn't sure what to do next but I knew it wasn't going to include anything with Trixter.

I spotted the Mercury records rep trying to herd a small group of VIP's through the stream of fans and into a room off of the hallway.  He looked completely frazzled.  After having my share of nights directing meet and greets where you need to make sure the high level VIP's are happy and get the "full treatment," I can look back and sympathize with what he was going through.  We figured we would stay put for a little longer just in case we saw the MCA rep or someone from our group come back looking for us…even thought we knew it was a long shot.  But after a few minutes we decided that a beer and some open space would be the better option.  As we turned to head back into the stairwell, the Mercury rep came back out of the room followed by Gene Simmons and his bodyguard. 

"Sam.  Sam.  Sam!!" I yelled with increasing intensity over the noise.  He spotted me against the wall and held up his finger telling me to wait a minute.  I pointed to my group and then to Gene to see if he would let us say hello.  My brother-in-law Ken, always a cool customer, was just that….but I know his heart jumped and his stomach turned over.  Sam looked back over at me and shook his head "no" and pointed ahead.  I could barely make it out as he mouthed the word "interview."  This just wasn't our night.  Ken was a good sport about it but I could tell he was bummed.  My father-in-law looked a bit disappointed as well.  I think he had told some of his colleagues he was going to the KISS show and this would have made a great story.  Gene was now being recognized by everyone - which caused a rush toward Sam and Gene's bodyguard.  They pushed forward and carved a path through the crowd and into a secured area where Gene was scheduled to do a radio interview.

Ken asked if we could wait to see if Gene would have a chance to say "Hi" on the way back - assuming he was coming back - so we stayed put against our wall.  It was still pretty crowded but the three of us had been able to make our way into a bit of a corner and carve out some space against some backstage equipment and the wall.  We watched and commented on different fans backstage, empathized as Trixter's band crew tried to get through to the stage with equipment and generally amused ourselves while we waited.  Great White must have just finished their meet and greet because a long line of winners were being escorted back upstairs into the pavilion.  As the final few went by, someone in the group either tripped or got pushed from behind, and ended up poking me in the right eye.  I covered my eye but the pain wasn't too bad.  My bigger concern at that point was my contact lens.  I lifted my head and slowly moved my hand from in front of my eye.  I opened it to blurred vision.  I had a lens in my left eye but nothing in my right eye.  I immediately dropped down to one knee and felt around on the concrete floor.  I had a pit in my stomach.  Crowded, hot, busy and no one had seen what had happened.  In the midst of the chaos, as I frantically looked around for any sign of the lens, I heard a voice say "It's near your foot."  I looked and felt around for a second, but I didn't find it.  There wasn't a lot of light and I was now half blind.  "Your right foot - it is right next to your right foot" the voice said again.  I lightly brushed my hand over the floor and it caught my thumb.  Holy Crap - there it is!!  Totally relieved, I stood up - right into the face of Gene Simmons. 

"Holy shit.  I mean, uh, thanks.  How in the hell did you see that?  You must have been six feet away?!" I said to him. 

"I'm not sure - I just did" Gene said back to me.

No one had seen me get poked in the eye or drop to the floor because they were all looking at Gene Simmons coming back down the hall.  I thanked him again and asked if he would take a few quick pictures with us.  Sam, the Mercury Records Rep, who was still with him and the bodyguard, snapped that they weren't taking any pictures and that they just didn't have time.  He was definitely having a bad night.  Gene gave Sam a look like "Don't fuckin' tell me what I can or can't do" and then very politely (almost as if to stick it to Sam) looked back at the three of us and said "I would be happy to."

After a few very quick off-center pictures, Sam, Gene and the bodyguard slipped back into the room down the hallway.  We stood there a bit dumbfounded not really sure what to say.  We had started the night in line to meet Trixter and ended having Gene Simmons save me a couple hundred bucks and assure that I would still be able to (literally) see the show.  After re-telling the story to each other right after it had happened - like none of us had actually been there, we made our way back up the stairs to the concourse to grab a beer.  By this time, Trixter was already on stage and Great white would be up next.  We made our way to our seats and watched the show while waiting for KISS to hit the stage.  They ripped through a massive set list closing out the night with "Love Gun" and the Star Spangled Banner…as the on stage replica of the Statue of Liberty crumbled giving way to a skeleton hand giving the crowd the finger.  I thought the place was going to implode as everyone erupted in approval.  Rock and Roll - KISS style. 

That was the only time I saw KISS in concert but it was a damn memorable one for me.  When the KISS conversation comes up at Thanksgiving, the 1992 concert, failed Trixter meet and greet or the contact lens don't come up…"Mommy, they're playing in my stomach" is always the line that wins the night.  My take-away?  As much fun as we had, nothing beats a wholesome family outing to see KISS.

$200 and a Flat bed Truck

"What Girls Want" was the debut single from Material Issue's second release, Destination Universe.  This was the follow up release to their 1991 release, International Pop Overthrow, which got noticed with hits "Valerie Loves Me," "Diane" and "Renee Remains the Same."  Their record label, Mercury, was really high on the band and saw a chance to build on the success of Material Issue's debut release by getting them back in the studio and then out on the road. 

Alternative radio, as a music format, didn't really exist yet - Q101 in Chicago had not even made the switch - though it would a bit later in 1992.  So outside of the college radio format, promoting to mainstream radio, whether it be Top 40 or Rock radio, was the way to go. 

When the first single, "What Girls Want," was being serviced to radio stations, I was the Director of Secondary Promotion for Jeff McClusky and Associates - the largest independent record promotion company in the U.S.  I loved Material Issue's first release and was excited to see what this hometown band could do with the follow-up.  I made a pitch to work the single with our list of secondary radio stations and got the green light.  The "Secondary's" were Top 40 radio stations that were either not yet a part of the Radio & Records reporting panel or were stations in smaller markets around the country.  My philosophy was that even though these were not big markets individually, that as a whole, the secondary markets reached almost 11 million people.  So it was like reaching out and adding another Los Angeles or Chicago to the listening arsenal.  These markets ranged from Battle Creek, MI and Wilmington, NC to Mankato, MN, Dodge City, KS and Laredo, TX.

Laredo, TX currently has a population of 188,000 with 180,000 (according to the latest Arbitron ratings) being Hispanic.  It is also an interesting market because even though the U.S. reach is just under 200,000, Laredo radio reaches an additional 500,000 people right across the border in Nuevo Laredo.  KRRG Radio, Energy 98, was one of 175 stations my department talked to on a weekly basis.  I had become pretty good friends with the programming team (Mark and Al) at the station and I had already visited the station once to further build on our relationship.  The first time I got off the plane in Laredo, Mark met me at the airport and with a big smile, an arm-on-the-shoulder handshake and proclaimed "Holy shit, Paul - you just doubled the white population in Laredo!"

Energy 98 was getting ready to celebrate a station birthday and wanted to put on a free show in downtown Laredo.  They had a local band to open their event, but they needed a national band to headline their party.  I asked if they were interested in the Material Issue song because I had heard that the band was available to do some shows  - helping promote the new album.  The station just needed to cover the cost of travel, back line, etc.  Mark and Al talked it over and decided it would be a fun show.

I called Tony Smith at Mercury Records (who had hired me on the project) and told him what we wanted to do.  "Laredo Texas?!  What are they going to do in Laredo Texas?"  But after some discussion, realizing that the station was a strong supporter of a lot of his records, as a favor to me and as a way to show the band that the label was doing everything it could to promote them…he agreed.  Wow, I thought - we just might quadruple the white population in Laredo with this show.

Laredo is a beautiful little city, loaded with incredible architecture, heritage and very friendly people.  I landed in Laredo the day before the show to make sure the station was set, had all of the required back line, items for the food rider and closed off on all of the required details.  Mark, Al and I pulled up to the center of town to look over the progress of the set-up.  I got out of the car and saw a stack of cones, 4 crash barricades, and a flat bed semi. 

"Paul - I know what you're thinking," Mark jumped in.  "Don’t worry.  The sound and back line will be here in first thing tomorrow and we have 4-6 police officers that will be here as well for security." 

Now I don’t think they felt they were unprepared.  I do, however, think that culturally, there was a lot of trust in the audience and how everyone would behave during this concert.  But there was no way I could have the band, who we needed to soon pick up from the airport, feel that the station was unorganized or that they would ever feel like they were any danger with a potentially large crowd.

"Hey Mark - when is that flat bed going to be moved?" I hesitantly asked. 

"Why, do we need the stage to be somewhere else?" Al asked as he tried to envision what the event would look like.

"No - that is where the stage should go - but the flat bed is in the way," I countered.

Mark looked at me with a curious look on his face and stated, "Well we don’t want to move it then - that is the stage."

BOOM!

Knowing we had a few things to figure out in the next 18 hours before show time, we got back in the car and headed to the airport.  Laredo airport in 1992 was not hard to navigate.  It had two gates.  So if your party wasn't at Gate 1 - move 50 feet to your right and they should be at Gate 2.  The band was flying from Chicago through Dallas and connecting on a prop plane to Laredo.  Mark, Al and I waited at the gate for everyone to de-plane.  Everyone got off - except the band.  I ran over to the nearest pay phone and called the record label.  They didn't have any info so I called the travel agent. 

"Oh - they didn’t make the flight.  There was bad weather out of Chicago and they didn’t make the connection in Dallas in time.  Don’t worry - they will be there tomorrow - first flight arrives at 10 a.m." 

CRAP - I have a show that is supposed to start at 2:30 p.m. and I won't even have a band until 10 a.m. - hopefully.  I told the station not to worry (crossing my fingers) and we went back to work at the stage area.  The station arranged for more barricades, set up check points, got security involved to go over a game plan, went shopping for the food and beverages for the rider and made sure t-shirts and other prizes were set for the show.  Now - the stage.  The station called around to see if they could get something brought in to replace the flat bed, but the closest stage was in Brownsville.  Being that it was just under a 4 hour drive from Brownsville to Laredo…this just wasn't going to happen. 

Around Midnight I finally got hold of the tour manager at a hotel in Dallas and filled him in on where we were for the show.  "Sounds like we should be O.K.  Jim, Mike and Ted are good about improvising and will make the best of it."  Deep sigh…I could sleep tonight knowing we should be prepared for tomorrow.

At 10:00 a.m., we met Material Issue at the airport as the station was on the air broadcasting the band's every move.  This was a big deal.  It is possible that Energy 98 learned this "every move programming" from CNN and their coverage of Desert Storm.  We got them over to the hotel around 10:30.  A bit after Noon, Jim Ellison, the lead singer and guitar player, called me in my room and said he wanted to go check out the stage and get a feel for where they were going to play.  He, Ted Ansani and Mike Zelenko were tremendous to work with and were in pretty good moods - under the travel circumstances.  We pulled up to the center of town and immediately Jim asked me what the back line was doing on the back of a flat bed.  I explained the situation and that the tour manager had said that it should be "OK." 

"Nope - can't do it," Jim said without hesitation.  "There is no way we can do a show from a flat bed…it just wouldn't be safe.  I'm not sure we would actually fit up there anyway.  I'm not trying to be a dick, but it just isn't safe."

"Gotcha - I hear what you're saying Jim.  But we have to find a way to do this show - it is supposed to start in two hours."  A crazy thought then popped into my head.  I turned to Jim.  "What if we got a second flat bed?"

"Mark - come pick me up - we have to go find some more stage."  Maybe the local Hertz or Avis locations had something we could rent - or maybe an industrial company outside of town.  Mark and I headed north our of Laredo.  We weren't 4 miles out of town when an empty flat bed passed us going south.  Mark and I looked at each other with that "are you kidding me?" look on our faces.  I think the car was on two wheels as he pulled a 180 to turn around and catch that truck.  We pulled alongside and waved him to pull over.  Mark explained to the driver what was going on and that we just needed the flat bed for about 5 hours.  He wasn't going for it until I pulled some cash out of my pocket.  Money does truly speak an international language.  Mark translated for me as I told him we would pay him $200 if he followed us back into town and parked his flat bed until 6 p.m.  He quickly agreed to the plan.  We got back into downtown Laredo around 1:30 and got the flat bed in position to give the band 16 feet of depth - instead of 8 feet.  The driver took off and as we moved the back line and instruments into place we brainstormed ways to fill in the gap between the two flat beds to make sure it was safe.  Sometime after 2 p.m., Jim, Mike and Ted came to check things out and do a quick sound check.  We already had a few hundred kids out front - but there really wasn't any other choice.  The guys did a few quick monitor checks and ran through parts of a few songs before coming off stage.  The band huddled together side stage with the tour manager - looking concerned.  Jim was a bit animated, pointing over to the stage and gesturing with both arms.  I felt a huge pain in my stomach - I think I was about to get some very bad news.  The opening band was about to start playing (as they had set up in front of the stage at ground level) and there really wasn't anything else I could do.  Mark was asking me if the show was going to happen or if he needed to get his staff out on the flat beds to entertain between band performances.  I ran over to break up this little band meeting.

"Guys.  Sorry to interrupt, but we have to do this show - on this stage.  The station has been all over the single, it is their station birthday concert and they have been on the air talking about for the last month.  I'm sorry about the flat beds.  We'll laugh about this someday - right?"  I was pleading with them.  Jim glared at me for what felt like ten minutes before cracking a smile and giving me a big pat on the back. 

"We get it.  It isn't ideal by any means, but what else do you do when you go to Laredo?  You play a rock show."  OK - record guy freaks out and band gets a good laugh.  They could have put me in a dunk tank - I was just relieved they were going to play.

Because of the logistics, equipment issues and the addition of the second flat bed, Material Issue went on stage about 90 minutes late.  But when they hit the first note of "International Pop Overthrow," I pumped my fist and gave Mark and Al a huge high five.  The band played almost an hour and a half, invited the station staff back to their hotel for an after party and headed back to Chicago - through Dallas - the next day. 

I saw Material Issue 8 - 10 more times in the next 4 years - shows at The Cubby Bear, Oak Theater and other clubs around Chicago.  I would often see Jim Ellison around town at different industry events.  The last time I saw Jim was at the Hard Rock Café in April of 1996 as he was leaving with Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick.  Jim tragically took his own life on June 20, 1996.  His death hit me harder than I expected and I still miss thinking about "what could have been" for him and for Material Issue.

When my daughter entered first grade in 2005, we headed over to the annual "Back to School" picnic.  I asked her who she had met and who was in her grade.  She listed off several names - none of which I recognized.  "And a boy named Teddy," she added.  "His dad is playing in the band today over on the playground.  I can't pronounce his last name."  Almost 10 years after I had last seen Material Issue in concert, I was reunited with Ted Ansani…on our grade school playground.  I re-introduced myself and we had a nice conversation.  It felt really good to see him after all that time.  And wouldn't you know it, his oldest son, Paul, plays in a band called The Break.  Look them up - they are really good…even recently headlining a concert during the 54th Annual Grammy Awards telecast viewing party presented by the Chicago Chapter of the Recording Academy…and I am sure they didn’t have to play that show on a set of flat bed trucks.