There have been at the very least 4 main festivals throughout North America this previous weekend, not together with Tomorrowland wrapping up its third weekend in Belgium, one among which being Lollapalooza in Chicago. The pageant would have been celebrating its twentieth anniversary final 12 months if not for COVID-19 forcing the 2020 and 2021 editions to postpone, so this 12 months was particularly vital in its first full occasion again.
With Metallica, Dua Lipa, Machine Gun Kelly, J. Cole, Kygo, Kaskade, Inexperienced Day, The Child Laroi, and extra representing the highest line, there was a lot to get pleasure from from this 12 months’s lineup. In the meantime, over on Perry’s Stage on Saturday, one thing legendary was occurring: SIDEPIECE was amassing an unbelievable crowd for his or her first time enjoying Lollapalooza.
Those that made the sensible determination to remain for the whole set had been witness to an unimaginable sight, as nicely. Jim Peterik from Survivor got here out on stage and Nitti Gritti moved again to the drums as they performed a dwell rendition of “Eye of the Tiger.” Surprisingly, the Chicago-native band has by no means, not as soon as, performed Lollapalooza (which, in case you missed it, is in Chicago), so this was a really historic second for the Windy Metropolis.
After we heard of what occurred, we needed to attain out to Jason Rosenbaum, a part of the administration staff for SIDEPIECE (on the Occasion Favor facet for House Camp Administration), who additionally manages Wuki, Rossy, and Hex Cougar, to search out out simply what it took to make this second occur.
How or when did the concept materialize to get Jim Peterik from Survivor to look for the Lollapalooza set?
Jason: So this would possibly really be the craziest a part of the story, funnily sufficient. This concept solely got here up again in February, a mere 5 months earlier than the present. I used to be talking with a writer simply throwing concepts on the wall for some cool samples that my shoppers would possibly be capable of use, and “Eye Of The Tiger” got here up – we had dozens of concepts, however that one caught with me instantly. I’ve a pair shoppers who love sampling, however my thoughts jumped instantly to SIDEPIECE since they’ve already carried out a few of their very own bootlegs/edits of some unconventional tracks like this. Gave the stems to Occasion Favor who began the monitor, he completed it with Nitti a few week later, and every week after that it was already getting performed on their Kiss And Inform tour! The minute I heard the ultimate product and noticed the insane reactions on the reveals, I knew I needed to make one thing massive occur with it and my thoughts began racing. I considered each massive present we had developing this 12 months, after which I remembered…Survivor is a Chicago-native band, and we had been booked for Lolla. I set to work on it proper then and there. To suppose that we went from a pure concept throughout a telephone name to THAT dwell efficiency in 5 months is mind-boggling, and I really didn’t fairly understand that till I typed this reply out.
What, if any, had been a few of the challenges confronted when making the second occur?
J: One thing I believe lots of people don’t absolutely understand is simply how a lot work it takes to placed on an epic dwell present, even for DJs. The tour managers, the media folks, the visuals/manufacturing crew, the SFX, the DJ gear, so many items should completely align earlier than the DJ even steps on stage to provide followers the expertise they’re hoping for. The second you begin introducing dwell parts or deliberate moments, it will get 10 occasions extra sophisticated.
Jim is the unique guitarist from Survivor and authentic author of Eye Of The Tiger, so step 1 was getting in contact with him and seeing if he even preferred the track! As soon as we performed it for him he liked it although (shoutout to rock legends with open minds haha) and began speaking about dwell efficiency concepts, and everybody agreed instantly that Lolla was the place to do it. After that, we began sourcing native guitar amps for Jim, Nitti can also be a mega-talented musician and determined to play drums dwell with Jim for even additional impact so reserving his drum set, the three guys labored collectively for a number of weeks on the precise dwell model of the track they might play so they may rehearse and put together timings and the on-stage moments, we labored with our manufacturing staff to create and program the visuals to accompany the track (naturally we had to make use of a Rocky montage, layered with a few of our different customized content material), I’d say there have been about 30 hours of telephone calls and lots of of emails to create this one second. We spent a full 2 hours at Lolla soundchecking the drums, guitar, our visuals, training the second, the whole lot to verify it was flawless. Really an insane quantity of coordinating, planning, making ready, and rehearsing to create a 3 minute expertise for our followers, however one which they’ll hopefully keep in mind for a very long time to return.
Completely couldn’t have carried out this with out the mixed efforts of our complete prolonged staff, so deeply heartfelt gratitude for Ryan, Corynne, Paul, Cheryl, Kleos, Mike, Nate, Ivan, Tyler, Jim, Joe, and most of all, to Dylan and Ricky for trusting me and the staff with their careers and believing in us to make it occur for them. I keep in mind being at Miami Music Week, not even a month after the track was made, and asking the staff to let me run with my concepts – I can’t thank them sufficient for trusting me, and I’m so glad I used to be capable of ship for them.
Now the subsequent problem is lining up the official launch, extra information quickly 😉
Why Survivor? Why ‘Eye of the Tiger’?
J: One of many mottos now we have on staff SIDEPIECE is that the whole lot we do must be a second. Whether or not that’s a giant track that hits simply the suitable method, or a loopy present, or perhaps a easy press look, we attempt to make the whole lot the blokes do one thing price speaking about. Once I initially came across this particular concept, I knew just about instantly that it match completely into the SIDEPIECE ethos. It was surprising, it was legendary, it joined disparate worlds, it was one thing nobody had ever carried out earlier than, and I needed to make it occur. “Eye Of The Tiger” is a track that just about everybody from each era is aware of and has SOME form of connection to, a track that even somebody listening to it for the primary time would resonate with, and I knew how impactful it could be in a dwell setting. Hell, even standing there on stage, figuring out what was about to occur, I nonetheless had probably the most nervous power and pleasure I’ve ever had in my life, and when Jim walked out and hit that first guitar chord I felt it coming again to us from the group instantly. Fairly positive I used to be simply as hyped as anybody within the crowd, if not much more so, regardless of figuring out it was coming.
Would you rank this as one among your proudest or greatest moments as an artist supervisor?
J: Palms down, far and above the best second of my profession thus far. I’d be mendacity if I stated didn’t get extremely emotional on stage watching the fruits of our labor unfold earlier than my eyes. I set to work with one among my rock idols since I used to be a child, I obtained to assist my shoppers obtain an unforgettable and career-defining present, I obtained to create a particular second for our followers, and I obtained to assist put collectively a whole banger of a track. That’s what this job is all about for me, and that present was the whole lot I like about music coalesced into the reminiscence of a lifetime.
We noticed the photographs from the set and it regarded like SIDEPIECE had the stage just about as packed because it could possibly be. If you regarded out, and noticed what you, your staff, and your artists had achieved, what was going by means of your thoughts?
J: To be completely sincere, the one factor going by means of my thoughts was “holy shit holy shit holy shit.” Utter disbelief that we’d managed to drag off such an enormous endeavor, sheer elation that it was occurring simply how I’d envisioned it, I merely couldn’t course of that my loopy concepts had been coming to life in entrance of me. Issues hardly ever go the best way they’re deliberate, particularly on this enterprise, however to see it come collectively like that, simply…wow. The music trade places us all by means of the ringer, however moments like which can be why I do it, and experiencing them is my reminder to maintain on pushing ahead.
I’ve heard you personally have a singular connection to Lollapalooza. Are you able to inform us a bit extra about that?
J: The primary pageant I ever went to exterior of my hometown (LA) was Lollapalooza 2009 – I traveled there as a fresh-faced 16-year-old with my finest good friend, and was capable of see legends like Simian Cell Disco, MSTRKRFT, Bloody Beetroots, Crookers, I even noticed The Glitch Mob play a 3pm set on a folding desk to a crowd of MAYBE 500 folks. Really the early days of the dance music growth, when all of it nonetheless felt underground and chaotic and new – I used to be already a giant dance fan, however that single occasion cemented my love of festivals, dance music tradition, and the whole lot that went with it. I went again in 2010 and 2011, and all 3 years are nonetheless to today a few of my favourite music pageant recollections. Lolla continues to be my favourite pageant on the planet even now. I then graduated highschool and went to school, however I already knew by that time that I wished to work in music in some capability and be concerned within the magic I’d begun to witness at occasions like Lolla. I didn’t have the chance to attend Lolla throughout school, however as soon as I began my profession, and noticed how this facet of the enterprise works, I made up my thoughts that I wouldn’t attend once more till I had an artist acting on the lineup.
This 12 months marked 11 years since I’d final attended, and it was extra fulfilling than I ever might have imagined to see the objective I’d set for myself come to cross, and in SUCH a wild method. I’m so blessed to get to work with such proficient folks, and serving to make their goals come true is my dream come true.
I’m undecided if this second was a particular objective you’d set out for the undertaking, however trying again I’m positive it’s going to be a proud second total. What would you hope to perform subsequent with SIDEPIECE?
J: I actually by no means helped launch SIDEPIECE with the thought that we’d sometime be working with Survivor, that’s for positive haha. What a whirlwind (not even) 3 years it’s been!
I believe it’s going to be fairly onerous to prime what we simply pulled off, however that’s the enjoyable and the problem in administration – now it’s time to provide you with even crazier concepts and make these occur, too. Certainly one of my greatest private objectives with the undertaking is to search out inventive and distinctive methods to bridge the hole between the underground/tech home/home scene and the extra mainstream music sphere, one thing I really feel the blokes already excel at with their songwriting and manufacturing, in an genuine and impactful method that every one sorts of followers can resonate with ultimately.
We’re all the time in search of methods to suppose exterior the field, accomplish issues nobody ever anticipated from us, and make each track and present greater and higher than the final. I’m already engaged on that subsequent massive second for subsequent 12 months, it’s nonetheless beneath wraps so that you’ll simply have to attend and see, however Lollapalooza 2022 has given me the arrogance that we are able to accomplish something we set our minds to and I can’t wait for everybody to see what else is in retailer! Everyone wants a SIDEPIECE in any case…
All photographs through Tyler Fuhrmeister
