HumidCity

Our first stop evacuating from Katrina.

The Centennial Olympics in the mid nineties, a hell of a job. I was part of a team of about thirty sent up from the New Olreans House of Blues to work the event in a muti-million dollar venue set up in a deserted Baptist Tabernacle with the largest functioning pipe organ in North America.

Attached to the site was the Gospel Tent, my world for three weeks plus. It could hold about 2,500 people and was filled with an amazing array of stuff. The home Muddy Waters was born in had been dismantled and set up in one end, right next to 250 harley Davidson morcycles parked in cocentric circles (Dan Akroyd had led the ride into the tent on opening day). Then there were the huge, round conference tables where SUN Microsystens was debuting Java. Add a 200’ bar, merchndise tables and live acts ranging from gospel music to James Brown and you have a pretty good picture.

It was three weeks of eighteen hour days, punctuated by the pipe bombing in Centenniel Park. We had to evacute James Brown right before his encore and then get the guests and staff out safely and quickly.

It worked me harder than I ever had and it gave me the credentials to start producing the Anne Rice Fan Clubs 3,000+ person Halloween Balls. It got me started…