My Conversation with Lauren Hill
Doors were supposed to open at 8. Because Ms. Hill (As we were required to refer to her. I'm not making that up by the way.) decided to rehearse over time doors actually opened at about 9:40. So already some people are a bit aggravated. Realizing that with a mile long line outside there is no way in hell that she'll go on at 10 as stated on the tickets. Most people are actually okay with this realizing that that's the way concerts go sometimes. Oh well. We in the tech booth were told to plan for 11:30. Okay, not the early show we were hoping for, but still earlier than Prince ever goes on. By Midnight we realize that it's going to be much later. We are now at the point where we know about as much as anybody on the floor. Nothing. Except come to find out, she's staying at a hotel about 45 minutes away from the RIO and had decided at 9:45 when her rehearsal ended to go back to her hotel to clean up, shower, smoke a bowl, and then come back. As the night wears on fights start breaking out on the floor. People are getting more and more upset as time goes by. Not to mention more and more drunk.
I'm there to run the spotlight. By 12:30 the video guy, who has to be back at 10a.m. for the superbowl party, and on a strict drug regimen that requires a certain number of hours of sleep, has to leave, so I go to take over the video station. I have enough time to figure out the system he has set up, smoke a cigarette, and settle in. This is the time I write the bulletin.
We sit, we wait, we wait, we sit. People leave. 200 people. 100 people. We look down and there are honestly no more than 50 people in the room. Honestly, no exaggeration. We are now down from over 900 people who came to see her, to 50 die hards running out the dance music. I go down to the break room and see that all the servers are out of uniform and leaving. Whether Lauren comes or not, they're out. Over headset I get the message that the show is called. No one has heard from her. It's almost four full hours after she was supposed to go on, and the room is empty.
I go back upstairs and clean up the video system. Turn off everything and go back to start up the strike. Justen and I are back there when who should walk in the back door but Ms. Hill herself. And here is a rough transcription of our brief conversation.
Ms. Hill: What's going on?
Me: They called the show, everyone left.
Ms. Hill: Everyone left?
Me: Yeah.
Ms. Hill: I don't understand. Why didn't someone make an announcement?
Me: We did.
Ms. Hill: When?
Me: I don't know, a couple hours ago.
Ms. Hill: What did they say.
Me: I don't know..."Ms. Hill will be here soon."...tried to get them excited for the show.
Ms. Hill: Did they make another announcement.
Me: No.
Ms. Hill: Why not?
Me: I don't know...I...
Ms. Hill: Why didn't anyone call me?
Me: I don't know...look Carlos is up front why don't I get him you can talk to him about it.
This is when I left to get Carlos. (Carlos is the AEG rep who works with Prince and I don't know really what he does, but Lauren Hill is not my responsibility at this point and I really don't care.) I find him near the front door and let him know she showed up and wants to talk to him. His face falls. It's awesome. I try not to laugh. I step out the front door and it's a NEAR RIOT out front. I look in three different directions and see three different fights. All of our security guys are out front trying to keep a handle on it...plus I think I see some yellow metro jackets out there. AWESOME. I feel terrible for the box office guys, cause they're scrambling with a refund line that contains about...oh say...900 people. Ouch.
I go back in to keep working on the strike, and pass LH going back toward the front door. I actually here her talking about bringing people back in. She's going to do a show By God. I laugh.
My ride home, Richie had to leave because he also has to be back early for the Superbowl party in the morning, so I'm leaving too. As we pack up to go we see that indeed the remaining techs are resetting the stage for a show. If she does it though it's without 2 out of 3 spotlight operators and video. Oh well...I chuckle.
So now at 3 in the morning, for all I know she's performing right now. If so, it's for some very, VERY, angry drunk people, who in reality should get there money back anyway.
Superstars really do live on a different planet.
I'm there to run the spotlight. By 12:30 the video guy, who has to be back at 10a.m. for the superbowl party, and on a strict drug regimen that requires a certain number of hours of sleep, has to leave, so I go to take over the video station. I have enough time to figure out the system he has set up, smoke a cigarette, and settle in. This is the time I write the bulletin.
We sit, we wait, we wait, we sit. People leave. 200 people. 100 people. We look down and there are honestly no more than 50 people in the room. Honestly, no exaggeration. We are now down from over 900 people who came to see her, to 50 die hards running out the dance music. I go down to the break room and see that all the servers are out of uniform and leaving. Whether Lauren comes or not, they're out. Over headset I get the message that the show is called. No one has heard from her. It's almost four full hours after she was supposed to go on, and the room is empty.
I go back upstairs and clean up the video system. Turn off everything and go back to start up the strike. Justen and I are back there when who should walk in the back door but Ms. Hill herself. And here is a rough transcription of our brief conversation.
Ms. Hill: What's going on?
Me: They called the show, everyone left.
Ms. Hill: Everyone left?
Me: Yeah.
Ms. Hill: I don't understand. Why didn't someone make an announcement?
Me: We did.
Ms. Hill: When?
Me: I don't know, a couple hours ago.
Ms. Hill: What did they say.
Me: I don't know..."Ms. Hill will be here soon."...tried to get them excited for the show.
Ms. Hill: Did they make another announcement.
Me: No.
Ms. Hill: Why not?
Me: I don't know...I...
Ms. Hill: Why didn't anyone call me?
Me: I don't know...look Carlos is up front why don't I get him you can talk to him about it.
This is when I left to get Carlos. (Carlos is the AEG rep who works with Prince and I don't know really what he does, but Lauren Hill is not my responsibility at this point and I really don't care.) I find him near the front door and let him know she showed up and wants to talk to him. His face falls. It's awesome. I try not to laugh. I step out the front door and it's a NEAR RIOT out front. I look in three different directions and see three different fights. All of our security guys are out front trying to keep a handle on it...plus I think I see some yellow metro jackets out there. AWESOME. I feel terrible for the box office guys, cause they're scrambling with a refund line that contains about...oh say...900 people. Ouch.
I go back in to keep working on the strike, and pass LH going back toward the front door. I actually here her talking about bringing people back in. She's going to do a show By God. I laugh.
My ride home, Richie had to leave because he also has to be back early for the Superbowl party in the morning, so I'm leaving too. As we pack up to go we see that indeed the remaining techs are resetting the stage for a show. If she does it though it's without 2 out of 3 spotlight operators and video. Oh well...I chuckle.
So now at 3 in the morning, for all I know she's performing right now. If so, it's for some very, VERY, angry drunk people, who in reality should get there money back anyway.
Superstars really do live on a different planet.
1 Comments:
At 11:42 AM,
chudluscious said…
this comment is undoubtly an exercise in futility....see if i was a 'celebrity' i would never do such a thing. it's like becoming famous wipes out any common courtesy they were born w/ (if in fact they were someone who was born w/ any).
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