When the Wisconsin State Fair opens Thursday and The Doobie Brothers and Kansas hit the Miller Lite Main Stage, I’ll be working security backstage as I have the past several years. I got hooked into moonlighting when I had press credentials, and some of the backstage people whom I’ve known for a long, long time asked if I would put on a bright yellow Security shirt and give them a hand.
With the 11-day run of the Fair about to begin, I thought I’d share some backstage security memories, some good, some not so good.
WAYNE NEWTON
Mr. Las Vegas came to the Fair about 7 or 8 years ago, complete with full orchestra and state of the art lighting, lasers, and Vegas-style stage show.
It was an extremely hot and humid night, and tickets sold barely numbered a thousand.
About an hour before the show, I was backstage, keeping my eye on the dressing room trailers. Suddenly, out of the main dressing room walks Wayne Newton, about 15 feet away from me. The well-tanned, jet black-haired Newton was resplendent in evening tuxedo and bow tie. I was in a security baseball cap, bumble bee yellow shirt, black shorts and shoes, and sweating profusely.
I smiled at Newton and before I could say a word, he walked right up to me, extended his right hand and said, “Hello, I’m Wayne Newton.”
It wasn’t until later that I recalled how this particular moment reminded me of an interview done with one of Elvis’ back-up singers, the Jordanaires after Elvis had died. I believe it was Gordon Stoker who said that when Elvis had a recording session, he would walk into the studio and before getting started, he would make it a point to say hello to everyone, from the engineers to the janitor.
Bobby Vinton said the first time he met Elvis was in Las Vegas and Elvis introduced himself first to Vinton, Usually, its’ the other way around, with the lesser name addressing the bigger name first.
Being an Elvis fan, and knowing Elvis and Newton were very good friends, I was immediately impressed that Newton talked to a lowly security guard immediately after leaving his dressing room.
Newton and I, just the two of us, stood there and conversed for 15 minutes, just exactly about what I do not recall. But it was amazing to me how down to earth this guy was.
Newton went onstage in blistering heat before a crowd that could have been multiplied by ten and it still would not have been a full house, and he worked and worked for two hours and 45 minutes for that small audience. Certainly he could have shortened his show, but he did not.
After the show, an exhausted, drenched Newton was informed by other security that the Governor of Wisconsin, Tommy Thompson, was on the grounds and wanted to meet him. Waiting nearby was Newton’s private limo, ready to take him to the airport and his private jet.
Newton told security he would love to meet Governor Thompson.
Security then told Newton that Governor Thompson was elsewhere on the grounds participating in the Governor’s annual livestock auction and would be about another 30 minutes.
Without hesitation, Newton said, “I’ll wait.”
And he did.
The two celebrities enjoyed each other’s company before Newton finally did climb into his limo to drive to Mitchell International.
Now, I am not a huge fan, but I have always liked Wayne Newton. After seeing him at the Wisconsin State Fair, he will always be top-notch in my book.
KENNY ROGERS
The very next night after Wayne Newton, Kenny Rogers was the headliner.
When his huge tour bus pulled in, it stopped directly behind the stage. Part of our duties backstage includes organizing and overseeing the “meet and greets,” the impromptu photo opportunities for selected fans or fan club members or winners of radio contests to meet the stars. We were told by Rogers’ “people” that Rogers would come off the bus, immediately talk to the fans that we would line up, he would say hello and they would say hello, and after he’d pose for one photo, the fan was to walk away.
And that’s exactly what happened. When it was time to meet the fans, and as I recall there were only about ten at the most, finally Rogers emerged from the tour bus, and in robotic fashion said hello to each fan, signed an autograph, posed for a picture….NEXT!
Each fan encounter took no more than 15-20 seconds. When the line was done, in literally a few minutes, Rogers stormed right back into his bus until showtime.
Before the show, Rogers and his staff were told that Governor Thompson was going to be at the show with a group of people and wanted to meet Rogers afterwards. Rogers had agreed, but the plan was that as soon as Rogers walked offstage, the Governor and his entourage were to get backstage as quickly as possible to meet Rogers, who wanted to leave as soon as possible.
Knowing what Rogers wanted to do, we had Governor Thompson and his group leave their seats and come into the backstage area for the final few songs in order to save time. They were positioned along the side of the stage.
Rogers’ tour bus driver had lined up the bus so that Rogers could literally walk off the stage, down the steps, and right onto the bus. When Rogers ended the show, he climbed right into the bus, its motor running.
Around the corner comes Thompson in cowboy hat and jeans with his group, literally running to try to meet Rogers. Too late. He got there just in time to see Rogers get onto the bus, the door close, and the bus take off, exhaust flying in the direction of the Governor.
Contrast that to the way Wayne Newton handled himself the night before.
To this day, I wouldn’t cross the street to see Kenny Rogers.
AMY GRANT
Often, I have the tough job of helping performers walk up and down the steps that lead up to the actual stage. When it’s dark you use your flashlight to help guide them. Some of the female performers actually need to have their hand held.
A few years ago, I was helping Amy Grant down the steps. She started to extend her left hand to me, and I grabbed it, but she was carrying her guitar in her right hand and then stopped, handing me the instrument.
So I had Amy Grant’s guitar in my left hand, and Amy Grant in my right hand, all the while praying I wouldn’t drop either. As Amy took one step at a time, out of nowhere comes her manager, running frantically towards me.
“I’ll take that,” he said, referring to Amy’s guitar (yes, I guess we’re on a first name basis because she signed a CD for me later, “To Kevin, With Love”).
Amy said something to the effect that I had “it,” and everything was ok.
All the while, Amy’s superstar husband, Vince Gill, was at the top of the stairs, hiding from the audience behind some equipment. He had watched his wife’s entire show, but never stepped in to steal her limelight.
Gill took one look at Amy’s frazzled manager and just chuckled.
DANIELLE PECK
My, but you do get to meet some interesting people at those onstage steps. One of them was country newcomer Danielle Peck. I tried to help her onstage, but she had come out of her dressing area a bit early, so I was forced to stand at those steps and carry on a good, long conversation with her until it was showtime.
THE ABBA TRIBUTE GIRLS
Another rough assignment….again, at the bottom of the steps as the young galls waited to go on. When they sang all those ABBA tunes in their Swedish accents, the thousands of people in the crowd didn’t know that I had a great chat with them in their true native New Jersey-like tongues.
LITTLE RICHARD
“I’m not going on. No. Hear me and understand, Little Richard is not going on.”
The man who gave us Long Tall Sally and Lucille refused to get out of his limo and take the stage until he was paid. Apparently State Fair management pays their acts after the show is completed. Little Richard would have none of that, and he was serious.
After awhile, the State Fair brass got together and presented Little Richard a check.
With a holler of WOOOOOOO!!! Little Richard in his white flowing outfit jumped out of the limo and began his show, even inviting audience members onstage to dance, a practice normally frowned upon by management and security.
To this day, rumor is the check was a bouncer, and that the REAL check was given to Little Richard after he was done performing.
KOOL & THE GANG
Old enough to remember Kool & the Gang when they played jazz, I was thrilled to see them at the Fair. (They’re back this year). I was given clear instructions to keep an eye on their dressing room. Thousands of dollars worth of jewelry had been stolen from their dressing room the night before, I believe in Pittsburgh, so once the show started, no one, absolutely no one except band members were allowed in.
Shortly after the concert started, a young man started walking towards me and the dressing room, wanting in. I stopped him and informed him he couldn’t enter the dressing room. The man had every Kool & the Gang credential and pass ever created. I wouldn’t let him in. He was nice but was obviously in total disbelief that I was standing my ground, started to walk away and said he’d be back.
About 10 or 15 minutes went by when a figure comes walking off the stage with a bass guitar slung around his neck: Robert “Kool” Bell, the founder and leader of Kool and the Gang. With him, the young man I refused entry to.
Bell asked me if it was true that I wouldn’t let the young man into the dressing room. I said yes because……and proceeded to explain why.
In front of the other man, Bell thanked me for doing my job and doing what I was instructed to. Then he gave his permission to let the young man into the dressing room.
No jewelry or any other item was stolen from Kool & the Gang that night.
KC AND THE SUNSHINE BAND
I love when KC comes to town. We spoke briefly about his concert at the Republican National Convention. (Yes, Casey Finch, better known as KC, is a staunch Republican). But again, it’s all about those stage steps, and the job duty of helping, in this case, KC’s scantily clad with bodies that won’t quit dancers in big boots make it safely on and off the stage.
JO DEE MESSINA
Big Al Hartmann (big as in around 400 pounds) and I had to walk Messina and her young son around the park a few hours before the show. No one, I mean not a single soul recognized her with hair bunched up under a baseball cap.
When we got back from a tour of the grounds, Hartmann went to another area and Messina told me she wanted to take a shower.
I just assumed that I was nominated to show her where the women’s showers were. She politely asked that I stand outside to make sure she’d be alright. I think I said something to the effect of, “Well gee, Ms Messina, I don’t know……WELL OKAY!”
I did shout once, inquiring if she was ok or needed anything. With shower running, I heard her yell, “Oh, I’m just fine!”
Yes, they paid me that day.
EDDIE MONEY
I got to drive him in a van to a corporate tent party, and then after his show, I stood right next to him as he signed autographs.
One young woman in a tank top insisted that Money sign her chest. Money wanted to oblige, so because it was completely dark outside, I had to get as close as I could with my flashlight so Money could more readily see and sign the desired area. Many flashbulbs were going off for that one.
THE JORDANAIRES
Elvis’ back-up singers
SARA EVANS
The summer of 2002, the summer after 9-11. Some State Fair police officers assigned backstage asked Evans for autographs.
I’ve always seen performers be very gracious to the guys in uniform.
Not Evans, who refused to honor the officers’ request.
JOHN MICHAEL MONTGOMERY, DAVID CASSIDY, PETER FRAMPTON
I’m going to be candid. Montgomery was bombed when he went onstage. At one point, he climbed the ladder going up to the lights and was hanging onto the ladder with one hand with the microphone in the other hand. Many of the security folks immediately rushed to the bottom of the ladder at which point Montgomery’s manager came over, laughing. Don’t worry, he told us, Montgomery does this all the time. We respectfully said we weren’t moving, just to play it safe. Now the smile came off his face and the manager asked us to move away again. My boss backstage, Mike Wenzel told the manager in no uncertain terms that backstage security meant all of the backstage area and that we were going to be in perfect position in case Montgomery fell (especially in his inhibited state).
The next night, the Jordanaires were at the Fair. They asked me who else had been performing. When I mentioned Montgomery, Gordon Stoker of the Jordanaires immediately asked, “Was he sober?”
David Cassidy also was blitzed before going onstage. There was a threat of rain all night, the show was delayed as a result of rain and lightning, and the top-notch stage crew told Cassidy and his folks that it would take some time to get everything in order before Cassidy could go on so there’d be no technical difficulties.
Cassidy wouldn’t listen, stubbornly went on, and the rest of the show was marred by microphone and sound problems, feedback, you name it. Cassidy used to profanities in blaming the stage crew, the worst he claimed he had ever worked with. That coming from a has-been who was drunk onstage.
Peter Frampton was just an ornery jerk, screaming at the local female disc jockey assigned to introduce him just because she brought some old LP’s along in hopes he’d sign them.
THE CRUSHER
One of my prized possessions is a photo taken alongside Milwaukee’s favorite son, the Crusher, in his usual sunglasses and cigar.
How bout dat!!
ISAAC HAYES
A very nice man, but obviously not as young as he used to be.
Walking him to the stage, I said to him, “Well Mr. Hayes, what’s it going to be tonight? Two, three hours.”
“@#$%& no,” he said with a big laugh.
His manager warned me that during, “Walk on By,” there would be a rather lengthy drum and keyboard solo, and that I should watch to help Hayes back to the dressing room. This was an intentional built-in bathroom break.
As a rule, I have found most of the entertainers to be gems. It’s their nervous Nelly, over-protective managers that drive you nuts.
I can’t wait for more backstage memories.
