STAGING A CONCERT MEANS A THOUSAND DETAILS AND MORE

Steve White was standing in front of the Sports Arena stage, inside the barricade, watching English teen idols Duran Duran play the first couple of songs of their set.

Suddenly, he spied a photographer getting ready to take some pictures--a definite no-no under Duran Duran’s contract. With a snap of the fingers, White dispatched two security guards to cart off the photographer before the first flash had even been fired.

Later, White learned that the photographer had been trying to get shots of him, not the band, for this story.

But a deal’s a deal, and if a simple violation could end up costing the promoter thousands of dollars, White wasn’t about to take any chances.

As production manager for Avalon Attractions, Southern California’s largest concert promoting firm, White is responsible for making sure every contract condition is properly met.

The seats, the stage and all of the equipment must be set up exactly as the band wants. There must be sufficient power for the sound system and the light show to function smoothly. The backstage food must be just right; everyone roaming around backstage must be wearing the proper credentials.

“I’m basically a liaison between the band and the facility, the band and the promoter,” said White, who averages between 8 and 10 local shows a month, mostly at such large facilities as the arena and San Diego State University’s Open Air Theatre.

“My job is to coordinate every aspect of the production in accordance with the artist’s wants and needs,” he said. “Whatever the band wants, they get, as long as it’s in the contract.

“And if the contract says no cameras, well, then that’s the way it’s going to be.”

Aside from keeping the band happy, White must also satisfy the wants and needs of everyone else involved with the concert.

He satisfies the promoter, his direct boss, by minimizing production costs however he can. He satisfies the facility by providing adequate security to prevent fights and vandalism. And he satisfies the City of San Diego’s fire marshal by making sure the aisles are kept clear throughout the show.

“I frequently have to deal with the unexpected, because there are a lot of things that can go wrong,” White said. “When Deep Purple played the arena, we had a voltage drop on the lasers that we had to correct real fast before it interrupted the show.

“At another arena show, by the Cure, everyone in the first eight rows rushed the stage the minute the band came on. Because we’re required to have a five-foot fire lane between the stage and the seats, the fire marshal could have stopped the show.

“But because he knows me, he was patient. And fortunately, security was able to push everyone back after just three songs.”

White’s involvement with the Duran Duran concert began more than a month before the show. A few days before tickets went on sale, he scoured the arena seating chart and pulled out several dozen floor seats where the sound board would be.

As the concert date grew closer, White determined how many stagehands, security guards and other support personnel he would need, based on estimated ticket sales, and diagrammed the stage layout as specified by the band’s contract.

The day of the show, White arrived at the arena at 8 a.m. Until the late afternoon, he supervised his crew of stagehands as they unloaded Duran Duran’s equipment trucks and set up the floor seats, the stage, the sound system and the lights.

By 5 p.m., everything was in place and the band arrived for its customary pre-show sound check. Two hours later, the arena doors opened and White retired to a vacant backstage dressing room for a quick break.

“That’s generally the only time people leave me alone,” he said, laughing. “The sound system isn’t ringing in my ears, and I have just enough time to grab a sandwich and a cup of coffee and spend a few quiet minutes by myself.”

At 8 p.m., White led opening act Erasure onto the stage with a flashlight. An hour later, he supervised the set change and then pulled out his flashlight a second time to bring on Duran Duran.

After watching the first couple of songs--and keeping an eye out for cameras--from inside the barricade, White spent the rest of the concert roaming around the arena, inspecting his troops.

“While the headlining band is playing, I make my rounds and see to it that nothing weird is going on,” White said. “I make sure the fire marshal is happy with the fire lanes, I make sure only those people with the proper credentials are backstage, and I do a lot of trouble-shooting, making sure everything is safe and functioning just right.”

After the concert ended, White supervised his crew as they broke down the stage, sounds and lights; loaded Duran Duran’s equipment back into the trucks, and cleaned up the arena floor.

“I didn’t get out of there until 3 a.m.,” White said. “The hours are long, but I really do enjoy my job. Not only is it exciting, but I’m constantly learning something new.”

White, 31, broke into the business as a theatrical stagehand in his native Fresno in 1976. Three years later, he was hired by Avalon as production manager for all its Central California rock concerts. In 1981, he was transferred to San Diego.

“My ultimate goal is to get involved in Broadway theatrical production work,” White said. “I enjoy the theater a lot more than I do rock ‘n’ roll, and some day I’d like to join a touring road show and travel all over the country.

“That would be great--I’d spend three weeks in every big city, stay in the nicest hotels, and make good money doing the work that I love.”