Vince Edwards, longtime Sound Engineer for Sound Image Productions and host of Beyond the Backstage Pass, died Feb. 6 at age 57. Serving as Operations Manager, he worked there alongside his brother George Edwards since 2017.
Born in the San Diego area, Vince grew up in Monterey, CA, supporting shows in the punk rock scene before working his way into touring. Although George notes that Vince came into the business after him, the two started together and worked together for 40 years. “Vince started as a guitar tech for many years, then started doing double duties as monitor engineer,” noted George. Vince toured from 1986 until 2010, supporting shows for Eddie Money, Aerosmith, Huey Lewis and the News and Green Day, among many others.
For the last eight years, Vince played an integral role in the day-to-day running of Sound Image Productions, now part of Sound Image, a Clair Global company, where he supported the audio, lighting, and video needs of hundreds of shows and artists.
Despite that busy schedule, Vince found time to share his expertise and create online communities with closed Facebook groups. He created and moderated The Backstage Pass and Death X Load Out, which together had more than 80,000 followers.
After the pandemic hit in March 2000, he started his YouTube channel, Beyond the Backstage Pass. Featuring in-depth chats with fellow industry pros, it shed light on and celebrated the unsung heroes in backstage production.
“He was a friend a mentor to hundreds of engineers and live event pros,” said George Edwards. “His involvement in the community was so far reaching, he touched so many lives.”
Along with his older brother George, Vince Edwards is survived by two sisters, two children, and two grandchildren. Plans are in the works for “Vince’s Last Loadout,” a celebration of life.
