Alice Cooper left the nearly 2,500 fans who crowded into The Q Centre on Tuesday in awe, amazed at how a 68-year-old rock star B次元官网网址� with the help of a collection of talented younger musicians B次元官网网址� can still put on a wildly entertaining show.
From his intro by gothic horror legend Vincent Price and opening number B次元官网网址淏lack Widow,B次元官网网址� to the rousing and timely finale, B次元官网网址淓lected,B次元官网网址� the singer who once shocked audiences by hauling around snakes, wearing strait jackets and bringing guillotines on stage offered fans in Colwood a memorable rock theatre performance a couple of weeks before Halloween.
For Albert Berns and Matt Laundrie, the dynamic duo behind Ghostfinger Productions, the concert promotion company, bringing CooperB次元官网网址檚 show to The Q Centre was somewhat of a watershed moment.
The company is based on the West Shore and Berns says the goal is to offer up to half a dozen shows at the arena, which has not traditionally hosted many rock concerts in its more than 10 years of existence.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 tons of bands that can sell 2,500 tickets, which is perfect for this place,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檇 really like to see it grow here. What we tell people is B次元官网网址榠tB次元官网网址檚 safe, you guys live here and thereB次元官网网址檚 no parking issues.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�
The latter comment is a swipe at hosting concerts at larger venues like the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre, which have higher costs for promoters B次元官网网址� which can mean higher ticket prices and require patrons to scramble for parking.
Laundrie, who ran busy Victoria concert promotion company High Tide Entertainment for 13 years until shutting down the company and joining Berns at Ghostfinger this year, likes the idea of bringing concerts to the people, in smaller, more cozy venues.
B次元官网网址淲e want to make people realize that we arenB次元官网网址檛 stuck with one arena here,B次元官网网址� he says.
High Tide brought the Steve Miller Band to EsquimaltB次元官网网址檚 Archie Browning Sports Centre in 2013, Laundrie says, and B次元官网网址減eople thought we crazy.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淲e put 2,000 people in there and we totally transformed that venue,B次元官网网址� he says of the normally nondescript hockey arena.
Counting the Alice Cooper show, Steve Vai in Nanaimo on Monday and the Mick Fleetwood Blues Band earlier this month at the University of Victoria, Ghostfinger has put on more than 40 events so far this year.
ThereB次元官网网址檚 another 10 on the docket for 2016, including Celtic Thunder at the Royal Theatre and Ziggy Marley.
Berns, a lawyer by day and a self-professed B次元官网网址渉ackB次元官网网址� guitar player and music promoter by night, recalls the germ of an idea that led to him founding Ghostfinger.
B次元官网网址淚 was at Sonisphere (Music Festival), travelling through Europe to catch these professional acts, when the clouds parted and a beam of light shone down,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淚 figured after seeing 150 shows I want to go behind the scenes and create the shows.B次元官网网址�
The name came before the first date. Berns was trying somewhat unsuccessfully to teach his son guitar chords when the youngster looked up and said, B次元官网网址淒ad, itB次元官网网址檚 like you have ghost fingers.B次元官网网址�
That was late in 2014 and four months later Berns and his new company were promoting local band The New Groovement at Lucky Bar.
Having Laundrie come on board has taken this fledgling company to the next level, says Berns, noting that his partner B次元官网网址減ut on 600 shows on his ownB次元官网网址� before the merging of the minds.
B次元官网网址淢att has brought the weight of his experience and connections with High Tide to roll into this company,B次元官网网址� he says, adding that Laundrie began helping out before High Tide shut down. The pair hope to make music at The Q Centre a more regular occurrence, and not just when thereB次元官网网址檚 a political campaign on or a quasi spooky holiday.
editor@goldstreamgazette.com
