6th December 1988 - Goodbye Big O

I walked out onto the stage of the Alexandria Theatre Birmingham. It was dress rehearsal day and the band-call was due to start at 9.30. 'Snow White' was my first professional engagement as Lighting Designer.
We had plotted the show and had spent a couple of days doing technical rehearsals so I was confident that the lighting looked good. To be honest, Terry Parson's set was so sumptuous, you only needed to turn on the working lights to make it sparkle.
Several members of the band were setting up their gear in the pit. We had all woken up to the news that Roy Orbison had died in the early hours of the morning at the age of 52. Back on top thanks to his involvement in the Travelling Willburys it was a tragically young age to pass.

The MD arrived at the rail clutching the band-parts "Did you hear about the Big O?". A few responses of "Yeah. What a shame" "He was one of a kind". I was walking upstage checking that none of my cross lights had been trashed during the scene changes the previous night when I heard the bass player start to play 'gada gada gang...gada gada gang'. It was the unmistakable opening riff from 'Pretty Woman'. He rested for a couple of beats and then picked up the lick again and was joined by the lead guitar and drums. The three musicians played their way through the song and along the way they were joined by the MD on keys and the trumpeter. They played the entire song with love and gusto. Nice one lads.

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