[Interview] SIDEPIECE’s Administration Breaks Down What It Took To Convey Survivor Out For Lollapalooza

There have been no less than 4 main festivals throughout North America this previous weekend, not together with Tomorrowland wrapping up its third weekend in Belgium, considered one of which being Lollapalooza in Chicago. The competition would have been celebrating its twentieth anniversary final yr if not for COVID-19 forcing the 2020 and 2021 editions to postpone, so this yr was particularly vital in its first full occasion again.

With Metallica, Dua Lipa, Machine Gun Kelly, J. Cole, Kygo, Kaskade, Inexperienced Day, The Child Laroi, and extra representing the highest line, there was loads to get pleasure from from this yr’s lineup. In the meantime, over on Perry’s Stage on Saturday, one thing legendary was occurring: SIDEPIECE was amassing an unbelievable crowd for his or her first time taking part in Lollapalooza.

Those that made the clever choice to remain for your entire set have been witness to an unimaginable sight, as nicely. Jim Peterik from Survivor got here out on stage and Nitti Gritti moved again to the drums as they performed a dwell rendition of “Eye of the Tiger.” Surprisingly, the Chicago-native band has by no means, not as soon as, performed Lollapalooza (which, if you happen to missed it, is in Chicago), so this was a really historic second for the Windy Metropolis.

After we heard of what occurred, we needed to attain out to Jason Rosenbaum, a part of the administration group for SIDEPIECE (on the Celebration Favor aspect for House Camp Administration), who additionally manages Wuki, Rossy, and Hex Cougar, to search out out simply what it took to make this second occur.

How or when did the concept materialize to get Jim Peterik from Survivor to seem for the Lollapalooza set?

Jason: So this may truly be the craziest a part of the story, funnily sufficient. This concept solely got here up again in February, a mere 5 months earlier than the present. I used to be talking with a writer simply throwing concepts on the wall for some cool samples that my shoppers may have the ability to use, and “Eye Of The Tiger” got here up – we had dozens of concepts, however that one caught with me instantly. I've a pair shoppers who love sampling, however my thoughts jumped straight away to SIDEPIECE since they’ve already accomplished a few of their very own bootlegs/edits of some unconventional tracks like this. Gave the stems to Celebration Favor who began the monitor, he completed it with Nitti a few week later, and every week after that it was already getting performed on their Kiss And Inform tour! The minute I heard the ultimate product and noticed the insane reactions on the exhibits, I knew I needed to make one thing huge occur with it and my thoughts began racing. I considered each huge present we had developing this yr, after which I remembered…Survivor is a Chicago-native band, and we have been booked for Lolla. I set to work on it proper then and there. To assume that we went from a pure thought throughout a telephone name to THAT dwell efficiency in 5 months is mind-boggling, and I truly didn’t fairly understand that till I typed this reply out.

What, if any, have been among the challenges confronted when making the second occur?

J: One thing I believe lots of people don’t totally understand is simply how a lot work it takes to placed on an epic dwell present, even for DJs. The tour managers, the media individuals, the visuals/manufacturing crew, the SFX, the DJ gear, so many items need to completely align earlier than the DJ even steps on stage to present followers the expertise they’re hoping for. The second you begin introducing dwell components or deliberate moments, it will get 10 occasions extra difficult.

Jim is the unique guitarist from Survivor and unique author of Eye Of The Tiger, so step 1 was getting in contact with him and seeing if he even preferred the music! As soon as we performed it for him he beloved it although (shoutout to rock legends with open minds haha) and began speaking about dwell efficiency concepts, and everybody agreed straight away that Lolla was the place to do it. After that, we began sourcing native guitar amps for Jim, Nitti can be a mega-talented musician and determined to play drums dwell with Jim for even additional impact so reserving his drum set, the three guys labored collectively for a number of weeks on the precise dwell model of the music they might play so they may rehearse and put together timings and the on-stage moments, we labored with our manufacturing group to create and program the visuals to accompany the music (naturally we had to make use of a Rocky montage, layered with a few of our different customized content material), I’d say there have been about 30 hours of telephone calls and lots of of emails to create this one second. We spent a full 2 hours at Lolla soundchecking the drums, guitar, our visuals, working towards the second, every part to verify it was flawless. Really an insane quantity of coordinating, planning, getting ready, and rehearsing to create a 3 minute expertise for our followers, however one which they’ll hopefully bear in mind for a very long time to return.

Completely couldn't have accomplished this with out the mixed efforts of our complete prolonged group, so deeply heartfelt gratitude for Ryan, Corynne, Paul, Cheryl, Kleos, Mike, Nate, Ivan, Tyler, Jim, Joe, and most of all, to Dylan and Ricky for trusting me and the group with their careers and believing in us to make it occur for them. I bear in mind being at Miami Music Week, not even a month after the music was made, and asking the group to let me run with my concepts – I can’t thank them sufficient for trusting me, and I’m so glad I used to be capable of ship for them.

Now the subsequent problem is lining up the official launch, extra information quickly 😉

Why Survivor? Why ‘Eye of the Tiger’?

J: One of many mottos we've on group SIDEPIECE is that every part we do must be a second. Whether or not that’s a giant music that hits simply the best method, or a loopy present, or perhaps a easy press look, we try to make every part the blokes do one thing value speaking about. Once I initially stumbled on this particular thought, I knew just about straight away that it match completely into the SIDEPIECE ethos. It was sudden, it was legendary, it joined disparate worlds, it was one thing nobody had ever accomplished earlier than, and I needed to make it occur. “Eye Of The Tiger” is a music that just about everybody from each era is aware of and has SOME type of connection to, a music that even somebody listening to it for the primary time would resonate with, and I knew how impactful it might be in a dwell setting. Hell, even standing there on stage, understanding what was about to occur, I nonetheless had probably the most nervous power and pleasure I’ve ever had in my life, and when Jim walked out and hit that first guitar chord I felt it coming again to us from the group instantly. Fairly certain I used to be simply as hyped as anybody within the crowd, if not much more so, regardless of understanding it was coming.

Would you rank this as considered one of your proudest or largest moments as an artist supervisor?

J: Palms down, far and above the best second of my profession up to now. I’d be mendacity if I stated didn’t get extremely emotional on stage watching the fruits of our labor unfold earlier than my eyes. I set to work with considered one of my rock idols since I used to be a child, I obtained to assist my shoppers obtain an unforgettable and career-defining present, I obtained to create a particular second for our followers, and I obtained to assist put collectively an entire banger of a music. That’s what this job is all about for me, and that present was every part I really like about music coalesced into the reminiscence of a lifetime.

We noticed the pictures from the set and it seemed like SIDEPIECE had the stage just about as packed because it could possibly be. Whenever you seemed out, and noticed what you, your group, and your artists had achieved, what was going by means of your thoughts?

J: To be completely trustworthy, the one factor going by means of my thoughts was “holy shit holy shit holy shit.” Utter disbelief that we’d managed to tug off such an enormous endeavor, sheer elation that it was occurring simply how I’d envisioned it, I merely couldn’t course of that my loopy concepts have been coming to life in entrance of me. Issues hardly ever go the way in which they’re deliberate, particularly on this enterprise, however to see it come collectively like that, simply…wow. The music business places us all by means of the ringer, however moments like which might be why I do it, and experiencing them is my reminder to maintain on pushing ahead.

I’ve heard you personally have a singular connection to Lollapalooza. Are you able to inform us a bit extra about that?

J: The primary competition I ever went to exterior of my hometown (LA) was Lollapalooza 2009 – I traveled there as a fresh-faced 16-year-old with my greatest pal, and was capable of see legends like Simian Cell Disco, MSTRKRFT, Bloody Beetroots, Crookers, I even noticed The Glitch Mob play a 3pm set on a folding desk to a crowd of MAYBE 500 individuals. Really the early days of the dance music growth, when all of it nonetheless felt underground and chaotic and new – I used to be already a giant dance fan, however that single occasion cemented my love of festivals, dance music tradition, and every part that went with it. I went again in 2010 and 2011, and all 3 years are nonetheless to this present day a few of my favourite music competition recollections. Lolla remains to be my favourite competition on the planet even now. I then graduated highschool and went to varsity, however I already knew by that time that I wished to work in music in some capability and be concerned within the magic I’d begun to witness at occasions like Lolla. I didn’t have the chance to attend Lolla throughout faculty, however as soon as I began my profession, and noticed how this aspect of the enterprise works, I made up my thoughts that I wouldn’t attend once more till I had an artist acting on the lineup.

This yr marked 11 years since I’d final attended, and it was extra fulfilling than I ever may have imagined to see the purpose I’d set for myself come to go, and in SUCH a wild method. I’m so blessed to get to work with such proficient individuals, and serving to make their goals come true is my dream come true.

I’m unsure if this second was a selected purpose you’d set out for the challenge, however wanting again I’m certain it’s going to be a proud second total. What would you hope to perform subsequent with SIDEPIECE?

J: I definitely by no means helped launch SIDEPIECE with the thought that we’d sometime be working with Survivor, that’s for certain haha. What a whirlwind (not even) 3 years it’s been!

I believe it’s going to be fairly onerous to high what we simply pulled off, however that’s the enjoyable and the problem in administration – now it’s time to provide you with even crazier concepts and make these occur, too. Certainly one of my largest private objectives with the challenge is to search out inventive and distinctive methods to bridge the hole between the underground/tech home/home scene and the extra mainstream music sphere, one thing I really feel the blokes already excel at with their songwriting and manufacturing, in an genuine and impactful method that every one sorts of followers can resonate with not directly.

We’re at all times in search of methods to assume exterior the field, accomplish issues nobody ever anticipated from us, and make each music and present greater and higher than the final. I’m already engaged on that subsequent huge second for subsequent yr, it’s nonetheless below wraps so that you’ll simply have to attend and see, however Lollapalooza 2022 has given me the arrogance that we will accomplish something we set our minds to and I can’t wait for everybody to see what else is in retailer! All people wants a SIDEPIECE in any case…

All pictures through Tyler Fuhrmeister