LAS VEGAS – The 10th Annual Parnelli Awards ceremony, held Oct. 22, 2010 at the Rio All Suites Hotel & Casino, paid tribute to engineers who developed moving lights (Jim Bornhorst of Showco, Vari-Lite and PRG) and the powered speaker (Al Siniscal of A1 Audio). Also honored was Randy "Baja" Fletcher, the son of a coal miner, who grew up to master something even more complex than lighting and sound gear – the people who make great shows happen. The awards dinner chronicled the decades Fletcher spent with Brooks & Dunn, who were on hand to present Baja's Lifetime Achievement Award, and also included a look back at the technological advances made by Parnelli Audio Innovator Siniscal and Parnelli Visionary Jim Bornhorst, with a recap of past Parnelli winners as well, including Lifetime Achievement Award winners Brian Croft, Mike Brown, Chip Monck, Bob See, Patrick Stansfield, Jere Harris, Gerry Stickells, Dennis Sheehan and Jake Berry, Audio Innovators John Meyer, Bruce Jackson, Bill Hanley, Bob Heil, Roy & Gene Clair and Stan Miller and Visionaries Michael Tait and Richard Belliveau.
The evening included tributes to some of the many who have left us too soon, including Albert Leccese, Ross Ritto, Michael "Pig" Caron and the namesake for the Parnelli Awards himself, Rick "Parnelli" O'Brien. But there were moments of humor, too, ranging from the polished double entendres in Paul Anka's musical tribute to Al Siniscal to the occasional profane ramblings of an Ozzy Osbourne impersonator.
In addition to all that, there were presentations and acceptance speeches for two dozen awards – and that added up to a marathon of an evening with an agenda that was as packed as the banquet hall at the Rio, with nearly 600 guests in attendance.
And the winners are:
Lifetime Achievement Award: Randy "Baja" Fletcher
Audio Innovator Award: Al Siniscal
Parnelli Visionary Award: Jim Bornhorst
Companies
Lighting: Upstaging Inc.
Sound: Sound Image
Hometown Hero Lighting: East Coast Lighting & Production Services (ECLPS)
Hometown Hero Sound: Beachsound
Staging: Stageco
Rigging: Atlanta Rigging Systems
Set Construction: All Access Staging & Productions
Video: Chaos Visual Productions
Pyro: Strictly FX
Coach: Hemphill Brothers
Trucking: Stage Call
Freight Forwarding: Rock-It Cargo
Crew
Lighting Designer: Steve Cohen, Star Wars: In Concert
Set/Scenic Designer: Bruce Rodgers, Super Bowl Halftime Show
Video Director: Mark Haney, Star Wars: In Concert
FOH Mixer: Robert Scovill, Tom Petty
Monitor Mixer: Mike Adams, Brooks & Dunn
Audio System Tech: Matt Fox, Star Wars: In Concert
Production Manager: Kevin Freeman, Brad Paisley
Tour Manager: Ron Doroba, Star Wars: In Concert
Gear
Indispensable Technology "IT" Awards:
Lighting: Vari*Lite VLX Wash
Audio: L-Acoustics K1 Systems
Video: Martin Professional EC-20 LED display panels
Staging: Atlanta Rigging Systems ARS Flying V trolley system
