FEATURE PROJECTION LIGHTS & STAGING NEWS 2009 Parnelli Lifetime Achievement Award Winner By KevinM. Mitchell 38 <strong>PLSN</strong> OCTOBER 2009 Jake made a name for himself, literally and figuratively. Above, the Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto SARS benefit in 2003. Jake, with daughter Melissa, flanked by U2’s Adam Clayton, Bono, The Edge and Larry Mullen, Jr. From AC/DC to U2, Berlin to Yes, Janet Jackson to Tina Turner, Cher to Madonna, Barney to Walking with Dinosaurs, Bob the Builder to the Wiggles, Metallica to the Rolling Stones — tour manager Jake Berry has earned a backstage pass to some of the most successful and biggest acts in the business and to rock ‘n’ roll history itself. What started with a beer with a keyboardist decades ago has evolved into one of the most enviable and fascinating careers in live event production, one worthy of the industry’s highest honor, the Parnelli Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be bestowed on Berry Nov. 20 at a gala awards ceremony in Orlando, Fla. “He <strong>com</strong>bines all those attributes that are so important in a production manager — logistical ability, management, a lightning sharp financial brain, the ability to tread carefully through a political minefield and a view of the big picture,” declares award-winning lighting designer Patrick Woodroffe. “But most of all he has courage.” “There’s a county in the southwest of England called Devonshire,” says Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman. “It is famous for being a holiday destination and having pretty thatched cottages, thousands of sheep, an accent few people can understand and Jake Berry! He is a credit to the industry and a credit to all who have had the pleasure of knowing him, including me. He is one very special guy. “After a few years working with me he moved on to AC/DC — that is, the band, not the lifestyle choice. As the years rolled by, Jake continued to climb the ladder, and no one could be more proud of what he achieved than me.” Berry’s resourcefulness is legendary. Fellow tour/production manager Ian Jeffrey tells of an AC/DC gig that was scheduled at an outdoor arena in Phoenix, but torrential rains had created a swimming pool in front of the stage. There was talk of canceling the gig. Instead, Berry strapped down all the equipment on stage and hired a helicopter. In logic that exists only in Berry’s mind, the idea was the helicopter would hover close to the ground and the wind it created would push the water away. It worked; the gig went on. “He was very noisy and certainly mad, which helps in this business,” recalls acclaimed scenic designer Mark Fisher. “He’s somebody who people will follow through conditions of great difficulty as well as in the good times. And he would never ask anyone to do anything that he wouldn’t do himself, even today.” “Jake has shown the industry how to take mammoth productions on the road without artistic <strong>com</strong>promise and still make money,” says former Parnelli winner and scenic designer Michael Tait, who also worked with Berry. “He has the ability to edit a production to its essentials, yet maintain that tenuous balance of pleasing artist, management and designer. He attracts dedicated and talented road crews who are fiercely loyal and will follow him anywhere.” A Beer and a Career plsn Steven “Jake” Berry was born in the small village of Exeter, Devon, in the U.K., along with his twin brother, Trevor, in 1953. At age 12 the brothers formed a rock group with Jake on drums. “We called ourselves the Scandal because we thought it was scandalous that people would pay money to hear us,” he laughs. His career as a musician was aborted when he sold his Sonor drum set when he was 18. Trevor turned his attention to thatching roofs and Jake worked as a truck driver, among other vocations. Trevor happened to be thatching the country home of one Rick Wakeman, who resided in the quiet hills of Devon. “One day I finished my work early and my mother asked if I could take some things my brother had forgotten to take with him on a job,” Berry says. Upon delivery, Berry struck up a conversation with the rock star and the two decided to share a pint at a nearby pub. Both men recall it leading to an afternoon of drinking, followed by an evening of drinking, followed by a job. “Out of the blue, Rick told me he was doing this show at Wembley [Arena in London] and asked if I wanted to <strong>com</strong>e help,” Berry recalls. “Then there I was, pushing cases.” “I first met Jake in 1974 when I moved to Devon to try to cut back on my drinking. Jake was a tremendous help to me and actually played an enormous part in increasing my alcoholic intake by about 300 percent,” jokes Wakeman. “In 1975 he came to London with me to help with my King Arthur shows. Jake then said he really wanted to learn everything there was about the production side of the music business and asked to stay on as part of the crew. Over the ensuing years, Jake literally spent every waking hour learning his craft. He roadied for every possible instrument and musician there was and even spent time doing things like discussing what kind of sticks drummers used!” He went to London where Wakeman had rejoined Yes and went on the group’s Going for the One tour. During this period, he met someone who was crucial in the development of his career: Ian Jeffrey (AC/DC, David Bowie, Madonna, Sting, among others). “Jake got his start with AC/DC because of the telling of a fib,” laughs Jeffrey. After working with Yes, Jeffrey was working with AC/DC as tour manager/FOH mixer. The band was opening for Black Sabbath when they started to explode in popularity. Suddenly they needed a production manager/stage manager, and he immediately thought Berry would be perfect, despite the fact that Berry’s experience in live concert touring was limited at the time. So in 1979, in a plot that could only be hatched in a pub after an evening of draining pints, it was decided that the band would be told that Berry had stage managed for Yes. Jeffrey’s faith, however, was unwavering and was willing to put his own reputation on the line for Berry. They just had to convince manager Peter Mench. AC/DC’s Highway plsn “When I got my start as AC/DC’s manager, I was told to hire Jake Berry as our production manager,” legendary rock manager Mench recalls. “I count that as among the smartest decisions I have ever made. Culminating with a couple of Metallica tours, Jake did an amazing job. Clearly, now he is at the top of his game with U2.” The promotion was a whirlwind experience for Berry. “The next thing you know I’m landing in Oakland, Calif., as production manager for the 1979 Highway to Hell tour,” Berry says. “We had two trucks, and I knew nothing. I was terrified, but there were a lot of great people on that tour who really helped me out.” The band grew to trust Jake, and his success landed him on AC/ DC’s payroll permanently. He credits Jeffrey as being a superb mentor. “I would listen to how he would advance a show, make notes and then do it myself. And he taught me my first important lesson, which is never appear like you don’t know something. Always say, ‘I’ll get back to you on that,’” Berry laughs. In February 1980, the band and their fans were shattered by the death of singer Bon Scott from alcohol poisoning. In what he says was his lowest moment of his career, he and Jeffrey had the gruesome task of going back to Scott’s apartment and cleaning it all up. In 1983, while with the band in San Francisco, he got word his father passed away. “It was terrible, but the one thing that has stayed with me all my life is how wonderful the band was. Malcolm [Young] came in to see how I was and then told Ian, ‘You [fricking] make sure he sits in the front of the plane and make sure he gets a car and driver when he lands.’ And they sent the biggest bouquet of flowers, too.” When AC/DC was taking a break from touring, he went to work, albeit briefly, for Ronnie James Dio. “Dio was the only person to ever fire me,” he says. Berry says they were doing a show in Quebec, and he was trying to explain to non-English-
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