which was important because the league would come up with an idea at 9 o ’ clock in the morning and they want to see it [ working ] by 11 a . m . – it ’ s very fast moving .”
Kenny cites some specific elements as being VIP fixtures : “ The TMB Solaris Flare and Flare Qs we had and gave us a lot of elegant and really strong looks . We also had a lot of Robe and Clay Paky fixtures . I like using all sorts of different fixtures and that really worked out . I know it goes up quick and what ’ s great and Solotech just happened to have all that stuff available .”
When it comes to VIPs , however , Wichansky , Moro , and Kenny all point to the various teams in each venue who made this work . Specifically , Kenny points to the operators he reached out to : For Edmonton , Kurt Wagner ( Michael Bublé ’ s LD ) and Brent Clark ( Barenaked Ladies , The Tragically Hip ), and for Toronto , Corey Tom ( crew chief for Elton John ) and Eric “ Frenchie ” Belanger . Many other crew members were drawn from recent Taylor Swift , Céline Dion , and Rolling Stones tours , Kenny says : “ So they ’ re used to really huge events and just immediately dove in to help us without a whinge or a cringe . Everybody was just amazing .”
“ I can ’ t say enough about those guys ,” Moro adds , “ and I can ’ t express how grateful we are to Hotopp , the NHL , and Tom . It was tough to throw together but it didn ’ t matter – we had some of the best of the best in the world .”
Overall , the results and the experience were very impressive . “ One of the Nashville Predators ’ players said to me , ‘ It ’ s like playing in a video game ,’” Kenny recalls . “ And then there ’ s just the positivity and the fact that we were in Canada . The venue in Toronto , I ’ ve been in there many times and it ’ s got a great vibe . And Edmonton is a 21 st -century facility ; the most amazing arena I ’ ve been in in years . I ’ ve been in a million venues in my life , but I started realizing how adaptable and cool some new venues are . I was just so impressed with everything . I ’ ve also been in the Rogers Place before with The Who , but when you ’ re doing a gig you don ’ t really consider as much what ’ s going on around you . I was so impressed with both venues ’ staff and owners .”
In the end , Moro says : “ The reactions were great . The NHL was super happy about everything . It looked really fantastic and the programmers and operators in both cities did a really great job .” And although working for the NHL and being among the very few to watch the playoffs and Stanley Cup Final live , he adds : “ It took a lot of patience having to be locked down for so long and some days they were doing three games in a day – one crew , not three , so hats off to them .”
As has been the case with other live event organizations that have had to pivot to cope with the new normal , the technology and process applied to these applications will likely have an impact in the future when the live entertainment and sporting industries return to something approaching the old normal .
“ For those of us that got to watch the games in the arenas it was fantastic . It worked on camera and it worked live ,” Wichansky says . “ So , what does this mean ? How do we get the content and the lighting outside of the box of a rectangular screen into the endzone of a stadium or arena and make it more immersive ? I think it was sort of a happy accident that we essentially liberated the content within the arena and , in the big picture , what could we do in the future in an arena that would build on what we learned from this ? We saw some real potential ,” he notes , adding that the interdependence of sports and entertainment has grown over time and will continue to .
The secret sauce to success was the fact that , as Wichansky puts it : “ The sport was still first , but we upped the game on entertainment – certainly on television . So , if we fill an arena or stadium with 55,000 people and do what we just did , well , I think it would be pretty incredible and really heighten the experience . This experience was really special for everyone . It was intense and there were so many moving parts that had to come together . It felt like we were all on a Zoom call for six weeks straight . But being able to mount highly complicated events this way has opened up everyone ’ s minds . These types of things aren ’ t going to go away . They ’ re not going to replace live experiences , but I think when life returns [ to normal ] we ’ re going to be definitely living in a world of both .”
And perhaps when we do , we ’ ll value these experiences more , collectively .
In early October , when speaking with PL & P , Kenny was in Nashville working on the CMT Awards . In the moment , he ’ s happy to be working – and happy that both in the NHL and CMT gigs he ’ s able to employ others who have been having a tougher time . “ We need sports and music for our minds and souls , especially in these times where there are a lot of people out of work and I think that ’ s why this thing was so important to the NHL and all of us to get right . I ’ ve worked with the best live bands in the world and the funny thing is that the best live bands don ’ t need much [ production ] to be great , and hockey doesn ’ t need very much to be great – it ’ s the talent on the rink that ’ s so impressive , and it ’ s the same with great musicians on stage .”
Like fans of soccer or basketball , the fans are very tuned into the technical aspects of a game , as are the players , but by and large the effort on the part of the NHL and everyone involved was a resounding success on and off the ice .
“ That ’ s certainly been my impression ,” Wichansky says . “ I know the league and the teams were very happy . Early on the players weren ’ t there , but when the bubble expanded and they started coming in , they would poke their heads into the arena and they were excited . Then , when it went on air , to see the fan response – particularly in this world of social media where everybody has something to say about everything – the feedback was predominantly positive and that was very gratifying . What made me feel the best – and I heard this over and over again – was that people didn ’ t notice the lack of a crowd – it was a non-issue . When we do theatrical work , we talk about the suspension of disbelief , and this was a version of that .”
Kevin Young is a Toronto-based musician and freelance writer .
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