Geezers of Gear
by Marcel Fairbairn
Music Industry veteran talking about anything and everything with incredible people - behind the scenes creating live events, concert and entertainment. Over 300 episodes, with memorable conversations and stories from many pioneers of the event and concert touring world, including hot new up and comers. Geezers Of Gear is never boring, offering great surprises as well. Plus, check out the NEW "Leading Ladies" episodes - that celebrate the incredible women of the concert business, with host (and Geezers Of Gear Producer) Sarah Birnie and our fully Ai FutureTech podcast for industry releases.
Episodes
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The role of diversity and inclusivity in art with Pauline Di Silvestro
LEADING LADIES - EPISODE 31 Pauline Di Silvestro, a North London-based Events and Operations Manager, photographer, and creative marketing consultant with 15 years of experience in high-stakes creative environments. Trilingual and originally from Belgium, Pauline built her career on the road...
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1,000 Drones Over the Bay: Pyrotecnico’s 49ers Spectacle
FUTURETECH Featuring Pyrotecnico EPISODE 71 Pyrotecnico takes the San Francisco 49ers’ 80th anniversary to the waterfront with a 1,000-drone show over the bay. We explore how large drone fleets create animated 3D storytelling, the challenges of flying over open water, and how Pyrotecnico manages...
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George Gruel - DWD
Geezers Of Gear Podcast: Legend Series - George Gruel | Dining With Dinosaurs at LDI George Gruel is an entertainment industry veteran whose behind-the-scenes adventures span decades of rock ’n’ roll history. Over a multifaceted career, Gruel has worn nearly every hat imaginable: roadie, road...
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Marshall Bissett - DWD
Geezers Of Gear Podcast: Legend Series - Marshall Bissett | Dining With Dinosaurs at LDI Marshall Bissett was born in Perth, Scotland and studied English at St Andrews University where he did not play golf. He worked in the British repertory theatre system and in London’s West End as a production...
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Adapting to changes in the live music scene over decades with Jerry Lopez
EPISODE 368 Jerry Lopez—a senior live sound engineer, production manager, and founder of Los Angeles–based Jerry Rig Audio & Creative Solutions. With over two decades in the live touring industry, Jerry has managed FOH, monitors, and production for artists like Carla Morrison, Natalia Lafourcade,...
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Steve Terry - DWD
Geezers Of Gear Podcast: Legend Series - Steve Terry | Dining With Dinosaurs at LDI Steve Terry is currently the Director of Standards and Industry Relations at ETC. From 2001 to 2004 he was VP of Professional Services, and from 2004-2017, he was VP of Research & Development and led the team...
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Learning and mastering lighting consoles with Madi Adams
LEADING LADIES EPISODE 30 Madi Adams, a touring lighting designer, programmer, and grandMA3 instructor whose work spans the biggest arenas, stages, and broadcasts in the world. With an incredible resume that ranges from serving as Lighting Director for David Byrne's World Tour and Radio City…
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Roy Bickel - DWD
Geezers Of Gear Podcast: Legend Series - Roy Bickel | Dining With Dinosaurs at LDI Roy was a circus rigger and performer prior to being hired as the head rigger for the first “Disney on Parade” show in 1969. He continued until 1974 when he left for Broadway to work for Pete Feller. After some…
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Mark Fetto - DWD
Geezers Of Gear Podcast: Legend Series - Mark Fetto | Dining With Dinosaurs at LDI Mark Fetto started working as a lighting technician in the late 1970s, working his way through the ranks at the Obie Company and Vari-Lite. He then became a lighting designer and senior programmer. In 1989 Mark...
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Nancy May - DWD
Geezers Of Gear Podcast: Legend Series - Nancy May | Dining With Dinosaurs at LDI Nancy May is a seasoned administrative project manager and production executive with more than three decades of experience overseeing large-scale live events, venue operations, and broadcast productions. Her career...
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Hog OS 5 3 Visual Shutters and More Control
FUTURETECH Featuring ETC EPISODE 70 ETC’s Hog OS v5.3 adds a graphical framing shutter tool, touch-based window resizing, six-part screen layouts, more U Keys, and recording and masking updates. We also cover OSC over local WiFi on new consoles, support for two Tour Wing playback wings, and what...
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Bud Horowitz -DWD
Geezers Of Gear Podcast: Legend Series - Bud Horowitz | Dining With Dinosaurs at LDI Born and raised in New York, Bud Horowitz fell in love with theatre while in high school. After graduating from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a BA in Theatre, Bud has spent the last 45 years...
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Jay Robert (Bob) Harmon - DWD
Geezers Of Gear Podcast: Legend Series - Jay Robert (Bob) Harmon | Dining With Dinosaurs at LDI It was 1974, when 16-year-old Jay Robert (Bob) Harmon was enjoying life in growing up in Kailua, Oahu, when, while showing old 16mm films at a pizza parlor, a customer asked if he had ever worked…
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The importance of humility and continuous learning with Tal Kochav
EPISODE 367 Tal Kochav is a Lighting Designer, Director and Programmer working across concerts, television, theatre and major live events. With a strong technical background and extensive experience with grandMA3, Tal brings together creative design, programming and a deep understanding of every...
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Anne Militello - DWD
Geezers Of Gear Podcast: Legend Series - Anne Militello | Dining With Dinosaurs at LDI Starting out as a teen as one the first girl roadies for small touring companies in the San Francisco Bay area in the late 1970’s, she learned the ropes from some of the best - climbing trusses and coiling…
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Peter Morse - DWD
Geezers Of Gear Podcast: Legend Series - Peter Morse | Dining With Dinosaurs at LDI With a career that spans over 50 years, Emmy Winner Peter Morse has worked with some of the world’s best performers and their astonishing productions. He has collaborated with Michael Jackson, Madonna, Barbara...
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Everything Is Connected to Light with Sophya Acosta
LEADING LADIES PODCAST #30 Sophya Acosta - Lighting Designer / Light Artist / Educator / Founder at Sophya Acosta Lighting Design Studio An Argentine lighting designer, researcher, and international professor based in Barcelona. She is the founder and director of Sophya Acosta Lighting Design...
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Chris Musgrave - DWD
Geezers Of Gear Podcast: Legend Series - Chris Musgrave | Dining With Dinosaurs at LDI Chris Musgrave has spent more than thirty years within the global live event and entertainment industry — as a tour / production manager, producer, executive, and connector who moves as comfortably in the...
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Cosmo Wilson - DWD
Geezers Of Gear Podcast: Legend Series - Cosmo Wilson | Dining With Dinosaurs at LDI Cosmo is an industry-defining concert lighting designer and director widely considered a living legend in rock-and-roll production. Over a career spanning more than four decades, Cosmo has shaped the visual...
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Robert Roth - DWD
Geezers Of Gear Podcast: Legend Series - Robert Roth | Dining With Dinosaurs at LDI Robert A. Roth, Vice President of Live Events at 4Wall Entertainment and Founder of Eccentric Design, continues to shape live event production with the inventive streak that launched his career nearly six decades...
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Lasers and Confetti with Justin Perry
FUTURETECH Featuring Pangolin and Artistry In Motion EPISODE 69 We break down Justin Perry's official appointment as President of both Pangolin Laser Systems and Artistry in Motion Group following their merger. Discover how this formal leadership shift unites the worlds of high-tech laser systems...
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Seth Jackson - DWD
Geezers Of Gear Podcast: Legend Series - Seth Jackson | Dining With Dinosaurs at LDI Seth Jackson has twice won the Parnelli Award for Set Design of the Year, the Redden Award for Lighting Design of the Year, the Broadway World Los Angeles Award for Lighting Design of the Year, and the LIT Award...
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Jeff Alder - DWD
Geezers Of Gear Podcast: Legend Series - Jeff Alder | Dining With Dinosaurs at LDI Jeff Alder Lighting Designer | Author | Rock & Roll Pioneer Jeff is a survivor of the “Pirate Years” of rock and roll, a wild, lawless era when concert lighting was invented in real time. From the psychedelic…
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Evolution of pyro technology with Kevin Hughes
EPISODE 366 Kevin Hughes, Senior Product Specialist and Project Manager at Pyrotek Special Effects. Operating out of Pyrotek’s Toronto office, Kevin is a licensed Special Effects Technician who has spent over 15 years designing and executing massive pyrotechnics, custom propane flame effects, and...
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John Featherstone - DWD
Geezers Of Gear Podcast: Legend Series - John Featherstone | Dining With Dinosaurs at LDI John FeatherstonePrincipal | Lightswitch Inc. John is a visionary in the world of visual design, known for bridging the gap between high-energy spectacle and architectural elegance. As a Principal at...
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Scott DeVos - DWD
Dining With Dinosaurs with LDI Special Podcast In 1971, while attending college in Denver, Scott De Vos helped load gear for a Nitty Gritty Dirt Band concert in exchange for free entry. That single night launched a lifelong career in live music production.He quickly joined a local sound company…
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No Shackle, No Show: The High-Stakes World of Touring Rigging with Joanna Benauer
LEADING LADIES PODCAST - EPISODE #29 Spotlight: Joanna Benauer | Founder & Owner, NSNS Entertainment SolutionsFrom local New England venues to arena grids across 40+ countries, Joanna Benauer has built a 16-year career at the intersection of creative production design and structural…
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Streamlining Live Production News with EventWire
FUTURETECH PODCAST Featuring Event Wire EPISODE 68Discover how EventWire uses smart aggregation to filter hundreds of live production stories down to essential five-minute daily briefs. Learn how features like keyword watchlists, brand pages, and dedicated audio updates help production pros cut...
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No Shortcuts. No Bull. Just Touring with Steven "Creech" Anderson
EPISODE #635 Steven "Creech" Anderson is a key figure in the live music production industry and a core member of the team at Premier Global Production (PGP), a lighting and staging company based in Nashville, Tennessee. Known across the industry simply as "Creech," he has spent years supporting...
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Illuminating the Journey of Anne Militello
LEADING LADIES EPISODE 28 Anne Militello shares her incredible journey through the lighting industry, from underground clubs to Broadway and international projects. Discover her insights on the science of light, her creative process, and advice for aspiring designers. This episode is sponsored by...
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Ultimate guide to LDI 2026
EPISODE: 364 Welcome to our ultimate guide to LDI 2026.Today, we're unlocking the best-kept secrets of the LDI website, from booking hands-on control network training to scoring a ticket to the exclusive Dining with Dinosaurs dinner, where the industry's living legends pass down fifty years of...
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Pangolin Unity Elite PRO: Lighter, Leaner, Brighter
EPISODE 67 We break down Pangolin’s redesigned Unity Elite PRO series, from the Elite 60 PRO’s major weight and power reductions to its impressive red output, tight beam divergence, and integrated FB4 control. Plus, we cover the practical upgrades crew members will appreciate, including yoke…
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Inside the Drone and Fireworks Spectacle on the Ohio River with Pyrotecnico
EPISODE 67 We break down how a historic riverfront festival pulled off a jaw-dropping spectacle: fireworks launched from barges and a bridge, synced to live radio, and timed with hundreds of drones over the Ohio River. From GPS anchoring and SMPTE timecode to FAA clearances and safety zones, it’s…
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ETC’s Hog HPU Plus Brings 64 Universes to 2U
EPISODE 66 ETC’s latest Hog HPU Plus packs full console power into a 2U rack unit, delivering headless operation, DMX processing, and support for 64 universes. The episode also covers its ruggedized rear-panel IO, legacy support for original HPU units, and ETC’s five-year warranty commitment.
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Lighting the Legends with Robert A. Roth
Robert A. Roth, Vice President of Live Events at 4Wall Entertainment and Founder of Eccentric Design, continues to shape live event production with the inventive streak that launched his career nearly six decades ago. A rare triple threat, Roth seamlessly bridges business, design, and technology…
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The Human Element of Live Music: Decades on the Road with Tee-Cee Bailey
EPISODE 27LEADING LADIES PodcastTee-Cee Bailey shares her extensive experience in the music touring industry, her journey with Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, and insights into the evolving nature of touring, work-life balance, and mental health support.Tee-Cee shares her extensive experience…
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Electronic Theatre Controls - The GigaPix on a stroll in the streets of Paris!
EPISODE 65On the occasion of the Nuit Blanche, our GigaPix boats boarded the famous float of the Pari Roller & Mobilités Association to accompany this great night hike in the heart of the capital.Two GigaPix and two Lonestar Prime cars punctuated the route and accompanied the participants through...
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Making the Magic: Passion, Persistence, and Special FX with Vince Camerano founder and CEO of Master FX
Episode 361 From selling homemade fog fluid out of the trunk of a 1993 Buick LeSabre at just 18 years old to building one of the live entertainment industry’s leading atmospheric effects companies, Vince Camerano’s story is anything but ordinary.As founder and CEO of **Master FX**, Vince has…
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Pangolin - Behind every great laser show is a workflow built for creativity.
EPISODE 64Pangolin are excited to feature at madz.fxs and their incredible laser design, programming, and live operation for Verknipt Malaysia 2026. Using Pangolin BEYOND and FB4, they transformed the energy of hard techno into an immersive laser experience.Explore how Madz.fxs transformed a hard...
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Pyrotecnico and Freedom 250 have earned the Guinness World Records title for the largest fireworks
EPISODE 63It is now official: Pyrotecnico and Freedom 250 have earned the Guinness World Records title for the largest fireworks display, with 840,537 fireworks illuminating Washington, D.C., in celebration of America’s 250th birthday.The record measures the display's scale. What it cannot fully...
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Behind the Mic with Marcel Fairbairn and Sarah Birnie
Episode #360 In this episode, we explore the innovative world of industry media, sponsorships, and the future of event technology. Marcel and Sarah discuss their projects like EventWire, Dining with Dinosaurs, and the importance of authentic partnerships in the live events industry. In this...
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From HD to AI: Lessons from 40 Years in TV with Bert Delgado
Episode 359 Bert Delgado is the Senior Vice President of Production & Technical Operations at TelevisaUnivision, where he leads production, broadcast operations, and technical infrastructure across the company's news, sports, entertainment, and streaming platforms. With more than 40 years in the...
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From Classroom Lasers to 300 Watt Sky Beams
EPISODE 62FUTURETECH Featuring Pangolin This episode traces Kvant’s rise from classroom laser demos and clunky gas-laser rigs to a world-class brand built on proprietary diode modules, smarter show control, and the Beam Brush. It also explores how partnerships with MA Lighting and Pangolin helped...
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The Power of Kindness in Industry Transitions with Patti Thurston
Episode 358 In this episode, Patti Thurston shares her journey from a lighting designer and marketing executive to her thoughts on industry changes, the importance of networking, and the value of kindness. We explore how technology, AI, and industry shifts impact careers and community in the live...
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The Human Timecode Behind Weird Al’s Live Show
EPISODE 61FUTURETECH - Featuring ETCWe dig into the high-pressure artistry of running a major comedy tour completely live, from manually firing 111-cue sequences to keeping split-second jokes locked in without timecode. The episode also explores creative preprogramming at home, lighting against...
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Building a Community for Women in Live Music with Malle Kaas
EPISODE 26LEADING LADIES PODCASTIn this episode, Malle, CEO of Women in Live Music (WILM), shares her inspiring journey from sound engineer to founder of a global community supporting women and underrepresented groups in the music industry. She discusses industry challenges, the importance of...
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Inside the 850,000 Firework D C Spectacle with Pyrotecnico
EPISODE 60FUTURETECH Featuring PyrotecnicoWe break down the jaw-dropping logistics behind a massive Washington, D.C. pyrotechnics display, from hazmat transport and federal oversight to the split-second control it takes to launch a historic show.Then we explore how fireworks power the sports...
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ETC Reshapes Global Leadership for European and APAC Expansion
EPISODE 59Futuretech Featuring ETCETC is making a major leadership shift with Darren Beckley stepping into a new European operations role while David Lincecum refocuses on automated lighting growth and APAC oversight. The episode also highlights ETC’s new community support through Geezers of Gear...
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When Confetti Meets Lasers - The AIM & Pangolin Merger
FUTURETECH Featuring Artistry In Motion and Pangolin Laser Systems. This week on Geezers Of Gear - FutureTech, Chris and Lacy dive into the massive news shaking up the special effects world: Artistry In Motion (AIM) is merging with Pangolin Laser Systems. We break down what this means for live...
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Inside D.C.’s Record-Breaking 860,000-Firework Show Planned for 4th July
FUTURETECH Featuring Pyrotecnico We explore the massive logistics behind Washington, D.C.’s planned Fourth of July spectacle, from ten launch sites and barges on the Potomac to hand-packed shells and a laptop that couldn’t handle the programming load. The episode also looks at how Pyrotecnico and...
About this show
Music Industry veteran talking about anything and everything with incredible people - behind the scenes creating live events, concert and entertainment. Over 300 episodes, with memorable conversations and stories from many pioneers of the event and concert touring world, including hot new up and comers. Geezers Of Gear is never boring, offering great surprises as well. Plus, check out the NEW "Leading Ladies" episodes - that celebrate the incredible women of the concert business, with host (and Geezers Of Gear Producer) Sarah Birnie and our fully Ai FutureTech podcast for industry releases.
Hosted by
Marcel Fairbairn
Categories