Avalon Attractions Reunion

These are photos from the Avalon Attractions reunion on January 10, 2009. How lucky I was that my first job out of college was working at Avalon. It was the most fun I've ever had packed into one year. Many thanks to Stephanie Swengel who had the good grace (and keen judgment!) to hire me. 3 shows a night, 8 days a week, no show went unattended from U2 at the Coliseum to Buck Naked & The Bare-Bottomed Boys at Raji’s, a dive bar in a basement the size of a packing crate off Hollywood Boulevard. I’ll never forget Buck’s pièce de résistance, a stirring number in which he came forth wearing nothing but a rubber chicken strategically secured over his private parts. And a very energetic set it was, too. Tickets to every show (and always great seats, thanks to Randy) – you can’t beat that. Those were the halcyon days of the concert industry, which was experiencing a boom which we may never see again.... although we hope to. And it was a great time to work at Avalon which was the largest and by far the best promoter in Southern California. And so it was with enormous delight that I attended this reunion, and was happy to reconnect with friends and colleagues, many of whom I’ve haven’t seen in years. On top of the automatic fun inherent in working in concert promotion, Avalon had a company culture the likes of which I’ve never seen or experienced since working there. It was exceptional. And it’s not as if I haven’t had (and continue to have) much more than my share of fun working in the record business. Nor do I look to the past with exaggerated rose-colored glasses. Those were days of such staggeringly intense work AND pure enjoyment that I wish everyone could have such an experience. It hardly seemed like work at all, and that’s the kind of job we should all have. Apart from leaving its mark in the hearts and memories of so many, Avalon has left an important legacy by providing a training ground for some of the top minds in the industry. These include some of the most powerful and successful executives in the concert, agency, touring and artist management business today, folks who got their start at Avalon, and a quite a few were there tonight.