Local bands join the entertainers at Salt Lake venues
A few local faces will be entertaining athletes, dignitaries, spectators and the world during the next two weeks.
Along with big names like Sting, the Dixie Chicks and the Dave Matthew’s Band, a few local bands will help celebrate during the Salt Lake 2002 Winter Olympics.
Colors, Eclipse and Sand have each been scheduled to take part in a different aspect of the Games, and each got their spot in the lineup in a different way.
Paul Hanson, a member of the vocal band Eclipse, said the opportunity to sing in the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics is the chance of a lifetime for all of them. They will also be opening for a few of the bands at the Olympic Medals Plaza.
The band found out about their participation in the program in October and had to keep it quiet for a while.
“When they announced it officially in the press release, my sister called from Milwaukee and yelled, ‘You are in our newspaper,'” Hanson said. “We were floored when we found out.”
The band tried out to perform for Olympic Venues and Live Sites (OVAL), and the officials there took them to perform for Kenny Ortega, the producer of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. Ortega also produced Newsies, Dirty Dancing and other Olympics’ Ceremonies, he said.
Eclipse attended the ceremony rehearsals this week with a cast of more than 5,000 people. They feel this will be the best production they have ever participated in and a great way to top off an extraordinary year of concerts, Hanson said.
“We are excited to be involved and doing something we love so much,” he said.
Over the years, Eclipse has had a good relationship with another Logan-grown band, Colors. Hanson said he is excited to see them participating as well.
“Colors really gave us a boost in the beginning,” he said. “Whenever we have had a question about the business, we go to them.”
Colors was invited to participate in the Olympics after officials attended one of the band’s shows.
“They came to a show and found out we could fit into their program,” said Colors’ percussionist Ryan Merrill, a senior in marketing.
The group was invited to open for bands playing at the Olympic Medals Plaza and provide entertainment for the Governor’s Gala, a celebration for dignitaries and public officials from around the world. People attending this party will include the king of Sweden, royalty from other countries and maybe President George W. Bush, Merrill said.
After attending the rehearsal for Opening Ceremonies, Merrill was astounded by how large an event the Olympics are going to be.
“If you are going to any part of the Olympics, you will see when you get there that there is such an incredible feeling of ‘big’,” he said. “It is really incredible.”
Russ Dixon, another member of Colors studying public relations, agrees with Merrill that being part of the Olympics is unbelievable.
“When we were first told we were going to play at the Olympics Medals Plaza we really didn’t know what that meant. But after seeing it this week, we were blown away by the size of this event,” he said.
Another band member related playing at the Olympic Medals Plaza, a stadium built to seat 20,000 people, like the time they played at the Stadium of Fire in Provo.
“The bigger the crowd, the easier it is sometimes. It’s less-personal and kind of like setting up in an office and singing for the wall,” said Brian Tibbets, a senior public relations major.
He said it is a chance of a lifetime to play for a crowd this size and the best part is hearing the crowd sing along with the songs.
In their own way, Colors is doing its part to make the Games a great experience for everyone, Merrill said.
“Whether they mention Colors or not won’t matter to us because it is simply an overwhelming experience being a part of something bigger than yourself,” he said. “If you are taking tickets, helping people off buses or wearing some sort of costume, it is just amazing to be a part of it all.”
Another local band making it big during the Olympics is Sand.
Sand recently won the Budweiser Battle of the Bands in Salt Lake City, and as a part of the reward will get a chance to play at the Gallivan Center during the festivities.
“We were really excited to win the competition and are amazed to be a part of the Olympics this year,” Chris Bashaw, a member of Sand, said.
Dixon said, “I think it is great how they have involved so many local people in the events. They really could have pulled talent from anywhere.”