Working security for Agora Productions was fun for five years, indoors and when we had summertime rock concerts in towns like Steubbenville or the Aquapark near Dayton. Being on stage and walking through the crowd subjected me to billowing “walls” of marijuana…couldn’t help but “catch a buzz” just being in the area…and I didn’t smoke!!
Gotta admit that a “most embarrassing moment” was before opening the front doors for the QUEEN show…people pressing against the doors. I went out the back, circled, found some guy in a suit pushing and shoving his way to the front of the crowd. I snatched him up by pants and collar, hauled him to the curb, “Who do ytou think you are pal?” “…I’m the Fire Marshall.” Ooops! Had about “ten seconds” to clear and organize the crowd or no show.
My newspaper was “Street Sheet—a positive viewspaper” and it’s office were above Street Scene. Later we converted into an artist co-signment shop and something called “Rag Works” in which we sold “hip” cothing styles. The Agora was our home, Gary put in basketball nets for the crew for slow days between shows. I basically ran “security” and hired Buckeye defensive linemen and linebackers to help out with some shows.
It’s funny that Dave posted that marquee shot. In the early days of THE AGORA, Gary Proctor “Bozo” and Freakie Steve ran the stage with Gary calling a lot of the shots preparing The Agora for Hank. Jimmy Marshall was told to put up the marquee…and had first put up “Hauling Oates.” He had not heard of the duo’s band and was wondering why Gary said to put up “Hauling Oates.” We changed the sign…as readers may notice.
A group of us know just about everything to know about The Agora since we helped redo it for concerts, ran the stage, security, lights, sound, offices, and field shows for years. Know the bands, the roadies, the girls, the music…and writing a major book for 2010 expecting to go to film in the next full year of 2011. My offices were above Street Scene (next to the entrance of Agora) and we had the interior painted scarlet and gray for obvious reasons. (Go Buckeyes!!)
We had a basic band room on one side of the stage and put in a spiral staircase for a little room above the stage on the other. Also added the stage area restroom for bands and security guards (aka “bouncers” in the era of such). Over the front was the “busines office.” We had QUEEN’s first show, where they paid RUSH to not play—–(afraid of being upstaged.)
Working security for Agora Productions was fun for five years, indoors and when we had summertime rock concerts in towns like Steubbenville or the Aquapark near Dayton. Being on stage and walking through the crowd subjected me to billowing “walls” of marijuana…couldn’t help but “catch a buzz” just being in the area…and I didn’t smoke!!
Gotta admit that a “most embarrassing moment” was before opening the front doors for the QUEEN show…people pressing against the doors. I went out the back, circled, found some guy in a suit pushing and shoving his way to the front of the crowd. I snatched him up by pants and collar, hauled him to the curb, “Who do ytou think you are pal?” “…I’m the Fire Marshall.” Ooops! Had about “ten seconds” to clear and organize the crowd or no show.
My newspaper was “Street Sheet—a positive viewspaper” and it’s office were above Street Scene. Later we converted into an artist co-signment shop and something called “Rag Works” in which we sold “hip” cothing styles. The Agora was our home, Gary put in basketball nets for the crew for slow days between shows. I basically ran “security” and hired Buckeye defensive linemen and linebackers to help out with some shows.
It’s funny that Dave posted that marquee shot. In the early days of THE AGORA, Gary Proctor “Bozo” and Freakie Steve ran the stage with Gary calling a lot of the shots preparing The Agora for Hank. Jimmy Marshall was told to put up the marquee…and had first put up “Hauling Oates.” He had not heard of the duo’s band and was wondering why Gary said to put up “Hauling Oates.” We changed the sign…as readers may notice.
A group of us know just about everything to know about The Agora since we helped redo it for concerts, ran the stage, security, lights, sound, offices, and field shows for years. Know the bands, the roadies, the girls, the music…and writing a major book for 2010 expecting to go to film in the next full year of 2011. My offices were above Street Scene (next to the entrance of Agora) and we had the interior painted scarlet and gray for obvious reasons. (Go Buckeyes!!)
We had a basic band room on one side of the stage and put in a spiral staircase for a little room above the stage on the other. Also added the stage area restroom for bands and security guards (aka “bouncers” in the era of such). Over the front was the “busines office.” We had QUEEN’s first show, where they paid RUSH to not play—–(afraid of being upstaged.)