Marie Pauls
Mike Allison: From the Rolling Stones and Beyoncé to Overture Center
February 27, 2024
"When you get that feeling when people are enjoying the show and you know you’re part of it, it definitely affects you."
A stagehand is used to working in the shadows and blending in with the scenery, but sometimes it’s appropriate to shine the spotlight on the remarkable people who work backstage like a well-oiled machine running Overture’s productions. I had a chance to sit down with Mike Allison, one of our dedicated theater technicians, who has been at Overture since 2016. Before joining our team, he spent decades touring with major artists such as the Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi and Prince. He has many years of experience in the recording studio and has even taught classes in live sound.
If you ask about the performers on his resume, he will respond that the better question is perhaps “Who haven’t I worked with?”
Told as if it happened yesterday, and with zero ego, you are bound to hear some stories that you won’t forget. For example, the time when Mick Jagger chewed out Dan Akroyd for partying a little too hard with his band mates. Or, on a more serious note, preparing for a tour of Russia while it was still under Communist rule, which involved packing toilet paper, food and other supplies that were in scarcity. Maybe you’ll hear about the time when Beyoncé was late for her own show in Beijing and then nearly arrested by Chinese authorities (twice) for not strictly adhering to the event schedule. Allison has seen the world through the lens of his profession, something he doesn’t take for granted in the least.
A native of El Paso, Texas, Allison had the opportunity to take a stage craft class in high school and got started running sound for school events and performances. Also a bass guitar player, he was one day invited to play in a friend’s band, a day that ignited a new path for him.
“They had a 12 channel mixing board,” says Allison. “It sounded horrible, so I said, ‘Do you mind if I play with this?’”
So he started tinkering with the system.
“After the rehearsal they said, ‘That was pretty good. Do you wanna to keep doing that?’ So I kinda quit playing bass guitar and started doing sound.”
Allison’s passion developed into a career, and he began running sound for local bands. He quickly ascended in rank, and in the mid-1980s he connected with Showco, a major sound equipment provider for touring shows based in Dallas, Texas. He was taken on for a two week internship, which was cut short when they decided to officially hire him. Shortly thereafter, he found himself on Willie Nelson’s 1986 tour.
What does it take to be successful in this demanding industry? A little expertise in human psychology goes a long way, especially when working with large crews and even larger personalities, not to mention the ability to quickly pivot when things don’t go according to plan.
When he was touring with Pantera, he recalls a “trial by fire” moment.
“Rex, the bass player, had a habit of throwing beers out at the audience. Once it landed right in the middle of the mixing board. Ninety percent of it (the sound board) went out.”
Allison swiftly reassigned the settings to the left and right sides of the board and the show went on.
“I have very big adrenaline plan,” says Allison, and glancing down at his forearm tattoo, “And that’s why the dragons are here to remind me, that when the dragon comes out, look out. A few times people have seen the dragon come out.”
Despite the outrageous stress potential, there is an equally great capacity for the joy of music and human connection.
“When you get that feeling when people are enjoying the show and you know you’re part of it, it definitely affects you. When 88,000 people start jumping up and down at same time, it’s like an earthquake on stage,” he says in reference to a Rolling Stones concert in Buenos Aires.
While on tour with Vince Gill, he had the chance to be assistant to Reba McIntire, who he describes as “funny as heck.”
“My job was to take a flashlight and guide her around stage and hand her the mic. We’d tell jokes and stuff. She’s an amazing person,” he says.
Throughout his career of almost five decades, the music industry has changed drastically, and Allison says the hardest part of touring was being away from family. After he “got off the road,” he owned and managed a venue in Lake Mills and then found his way to Overture through the Madison Stagehand Union.
To cap off our interview, Allison offers to give me the “five-dollar technical tour” of Overture Hall. As a professional musician, I’ve spent plenty of time backstage and in the bowels of performance venues, but not so much in the rafters. Let’s just say it offered new perspectives.
As we ascend the stairway toward the catwalk scaffolding, I get a bird’s eye view of the stage below, where all the moving parts come together to create living, breathing artforms. Checking out the rigging system with countless ropes, pullies and weights is like a mini physics lesson.
“I hope you’re not afraid of heights,” Allison tells me.
Thankfully, I’m not. However, I might have opted out of high heeled boots that morning had I realized I’d be walking on a grid suspended several stories above the stage. It’s from this gridwork that crews can hang custom lighting, scenery and more.
“You can’t fall through,” he says reassuringly.
“No, but I might twist an ankle,” I reply, channeling my “can do” attitude.
When not actively working a performance, Allison can be found doing routine maintenance and planning for the technical needs of upcoming shows. So next time you get to witness the magic on stage at Overture, offer up some extra applause to our Mike Allison and our technical crew!