My concert experience: Pulling back the curtain

I have to confess, not being able to attend a concert or theater production for 18 months has been excruciating.

Helping me and my fellow concert geeks through the agony is Scott Gelman, president and owner of One Eleven Productions, who for more than four decades has been pressing the buttons behind the scenes as a Chicago-based concert promoter.

Is it over the top to suggest that promoters like Gelman have given us hope and put us back in “our cultural happy place?”   

Having lived abroad for more than a decade, I have been fortunate to listen to music at many historical venues from London to Vienna — sites that give you the feeling that you are experiencing an “Abbey Road” production.

True confession: I could not have been more excited as the London music scene opened up to put on my formal dinner jacket, cufflinks and the “proper” bow tie, the same one Prince Charles wears to entertainment events.   

Heading to The Royal Albert Hall for a night of musical theater, I arrived early, so I could do a little wandering.  

I wondered if the concert experience would feel the same, if I would be more appreciative of the opportunity or if it would all feel different.

Surprisingly, the memories came rushing back. I know this place as if it were an old friend. 

As the memories kept pouring in, I looked toward the Royal box and could remember the small spotlight fading up seconds before her Majesty entered to the regal sounds of “God Save The Queen.”

Yet, my thoughts kept going back to Chicago and concert promoter Scott Gelman, who has been fortunate enough to have worked with some of the greatest entertainers of his generation, including The Rolling Stones, Sir Paul McCartney and Frankie Valli.

Gelman says people want concerts to come back because “it is a great feeling to be in a group with friends and strangers all who are there for the same common interest.” He believes the business is coming back in 2021 and much more will come back in 2022.

I, for one, am glad. In fact, I’m almost giddy! I left my first post-pandemic concert grateful to only have had to use my Covid social tracing app to gain entrance, apply plenty of hand sanitizer and have the ability to wear a mask.

One Eleven Productions is preparing to bring back acts like Frankie Valli to Chicagoland this fall. Valli is also set to play Albert Hall in London in 2022.

Gelman recently celebrated with another promoter after his first post-Covid Chicago concert at SuperDawg. I’ve got to admit, I was a bit jealous!

Just as many businesses have had to pivot during the pandemic, so is the case of the entertainment industry, said Gelman.

“What we have found is that during the pandemic individual artists and bands have had to reinvent themselves," he said. "Since they couldn’t tour they’ve had to perform at home, live stream, they just wanted to engage with their audiences. Performing is in their blood."

With four decades of experience, Gelman knows the entertainment business model has had to change. Things that artists would typically do in the past, such as meet and greets and autograph signing, are probably not going to happen, he said.

But in the end, it makes the business tougher and more competitive, he said.

While most things are negotiable, Gelman is clear that without the ability to have a full house, this business can’t survive.

The one elephant in the room that no one really wants to talk about is the rise in Covid cases and the Delta variant. If an artist or band member tests positive, it could shut down the entire entertainment industry. Let’s hope not!