23rd Annual Parnelli Awards a Gala to Remember

“Everybody, up on stage!”

There was a laugh, and then some looks when Parnelli Audio Innovator honoree Dave Rat called that out from the stage. But he insisted and then more and more people stepped up into the spotlight.

Parnelli Awards Chairman Marshall Bissett hosted. Photo: Jen Gray

It was just one of the many memorable moments from the 23^rd Annual Parnelli Awards held Friday, January 24 during NAMM 2025 in Anaheim, CA.

“Audience feedback was fantastic,” said Parnelli Chairman of the Board and the show’s emcee Marshall Bissett. “The show was punchy, funny, and a proper tribute to an industry we all love.”

You already know the big tours new to 2024: Foo Fighters, Phish at Sphere, Jelly Roll, Megan Thee Stallion – well, now you’ll know the creatives behind those and all the amazing shows as their creatives and crew members took home Parnelli Awards from the ceremony at the Hilton Anaheim Hotel.

Bissett kicked off the event accurately pegging the evening as one where attendees were there to “schmooze, gossip, seek employment, wine, dine, and honor” all nominees, winners, and the three honorees for career achievement. As one who started his career in live events in the early 70s, he observed that “it’s worth taking time to look at what [the audience] has achieved in the 50 years it has taken the concert industry to become an industry.” Noting the price and technological changes, and the $5 billion Taylor Swift pumped into the U.S. economy, there’s been a lot of changes. “So instead of wrecking hotel rooms, we are now designing lighting for hotel lobbies and parents have stopped asking when we would get a real job.”

Then with a “let’s start handing out some awards,” that’s exactly what happened next.

NAMM CEO John Mlynczak welcomed the audience to NAMM and handed out a few awards. Photo: Jen Gray

NAMM’s CEO John Mlynczak, the first presenter, noted that this was our 7^th Parnelli Awards with NAMM. “If we haven’t got the ‘7^th Year Itch’ yet, I think we are now in this marriage for life!” he quipped, before calling Cosmo Wilson up to the stage for the Parnelli for Lighting Director of the Year.

Mlynczak then presented Parnellis for Lighting Company of the Year (Bandit Lites) and Hometown Hero Sound Company of the Year (Brown Note Productions).

Parnelli Visionary Award

Next up was Michael Bess, Live Nation’s Vice President of Concert Production who was there to hand out the Parnelli Visionary Award to Roy Bickel. He spoke of how the legendary rigger has been doing live events for more than five decades and “was instrumental in developing the safety protocols we use today.”

Bickel took to the stage dressed as Elvis and gave speech full of jokes, stories, and observations. His decades as one of the original rock ‘n’ roll riggers certainly filled him with insights. “In the early touring days, the production riggers did all the climbing and hanging points. Including me. I didn’t have a safety harness or safety gear. Who wants to climb with all that extra weight? Not me!”

Presenter Amanda Davis hands out Best Coach to Beat the Street. Photo: Jen Gray

Audio engineer, educator, and 2018 NextGen honoree, Amanda Davis handed out the transportation awards including Coach Company of the Year (Beat The Street Band and Crew Bussing), Trucking Company of the Year (Upstaging) and Freight Forwarding Company of the Year (Rock-it Cargo) followed by Sound Company of the Year (Clair Global) and Monitor Engineer of the Year (Ian Beveridge) before turning to the “Class of ’24” NextGens. She had all seven stand for applause and then said, “Know that you are all winners,” before handing it out to merch handler turned tour manager Sarah Kufel.

PLSN and FOH founder and Parnelli Awards Executive Producer Terry Lowe stepped up next for a speech to the audience saying, “all of you bring a lot of happiness to this world. The joy people receive from going to a concert and hearing the music they enjoy played through the equipment you provide, on the stages you build, and the imagery you produce to enhance that performance makes the world a better place to live.” He ended his speech announcing a planned expansion in the Parnelli scholarship program, which currently supports UNLV students with some of the proceeds from the Parnelli Awards during NAMM and the Parnelli Golf Tournament, which takes place in the Las Vegas area in early December.

Cosmo Wilson won for Lighting Director of the Year for his work with AC/DC. Photo: Jen Gray

Last year’s winner of the Nook Schoenfeld Lighting Designer of the Year Award, Rob Koenig handed out the Indispensable Technology product awards for Lighting (Robe iFORTE LTX), Video (Tyler Truss GTV Video Truss), Staging & Effects (Mountain Productions MTN Weather Module), and Audio (DiGiCo Quantum 326 Digital Console) and announced Adam Smith (Foo Fighters) as Audio System Tech of the Year. He then called St. Louis-based TPI co-owners Michael and Elizabeth O’Keefe up to the stage to receive their well-deserved Parnelli Award for Hometown Hero Lighting Company of the Year.

Parnelli Audio Innovator

Dave Rat of Rat Sound, a pioneer in live sound, received the Parnelli Audio Innovator Award from his old friend and speaker-building mate Tom Hodder, a longtime member of IATSE Local 33. Hodder noted that “Dave’s two wonderful daughters Sammy and Maddie are also passionate about sound,” adding that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. And Rat’s daughters have attained a bit of Parnelli history as their mother, Karrie Keyes, received this same honor in 2020.

Lighting Designer/Director/Programmer Emily Bornt presented next, but first spoke of Women in Lighting. “I’m proud to be recognized and in the company of many other amazing women who promote our passion and achievements, narrating our career paths, and providing an example for the next generation,” she said. “While the live event industry has made solid strides promoting, welcoming, and mentoring women in all our disciplines, I think we can agree we still have far to go. To all the women in this room working in this business, let’s have a round of applause.”

The first award Bornt announced was to Video Director of the Year Colleen Wittenberg for her work on Hozier. Wittenberg was on the East Coast working a show, but she sent in an acceptance video. “I was humbled to be nominated but this – I am humbled. And thank you to my crew you guys are amazing,” Wittenberg said. Next, Bornt presented the Parnelli for Video Production Company of the Year (Solotech).

That was followed by Parnellis for Media Content Creator of the Year (Moment Factory), Rigging Company of the Year (ARS Entertainment Rigging), Staging Company of the Year (TAIT), and FOH Mixer of the Year (Dave Natale, accepted by Danny Abelson, who had interviewed Natale for FOH’s July 2024 cover story on the Rolling Stones’ Hackney Diamonds tour).

Marshall Bissett then returned to the stage along with Emmy award-winning singer/songwriter Tim Brickley, who provided soulful accompaniment to the evening’s In Memoriam remembrances of those we lost in 2024.

Tour Manager of the Year went to Laura Strayer. Photo: Jen Gray.

Ed Wannebo, Production Manager and a Parnelli Lifetime honoree himself, came up to announce awards for the Nook Schoenfeld Lighting Designer of the Year (John Featherstone, who accepted via video), Set Construction Company of the Year (TAIT), and Pyro/Special Effects Company of the Year (Strictly FX).

Wannebo then announced Abigail Rosen Holmes as the Parnelli winner for Production Designer of the Year for her work with Phish at Sphere followed by the winners of the two Parnellis named in Patrick Stansfield’s honor. These included Production Manager of the Year (accepted by Zito for Green Day via video) and Tour Manager of the Year (Laura Strayer, who accepted in person for her work with Alanis Morissette).

Lifetime Achievement Award

The evening ended on an emotional note when, after a video tribute from fellow Parnelli Lifetime Achievement award winner Jake Berry, longtime tour manager Marty Hom introduced Lifetime Achievement honoree Malcolm Weldon, whom he mentored in the 1990s. Weldon, one of the most respected and loved professionals in our industry, made it to the stage amid a standing ovation. Then true to his reputation as a man of few words, he thanks the Parnelli Board and all in the audience, saying how truly grateful he was to be in this business.

The full list:

23^rd Annual Parnelli Awards

• Lifetime Achievement Award: Malcolm Weldon
• Visionary Award: Roy Bickel
• Audio Innovator Award: Dave Rat
• NextGen Award: Sarah Kufel
• Lighting Company of the Year: Bandit Lites (Creed)
• Hometown Hero Lighting Company of the Year: Technical Productions, Inc.
• The Nook Schoenfeld Lighting Designer of the Year: John Featherstone  (Hans Zimmer)
• Lighting Director of the Year:  Cosmo Wilson (AC/DC)
• Production Designer of the Year: Abigail Rosen Holmes (Phish at Sphere)
• Sound Company of the Year: Clair Global (Morgan Wallen)
• Hometown Hero Sound Company of the Year: Brown Note Productions
• FOH Mixer of the Year: Dave Natale (The Rolling Stones)
• Monitor Mixer of the Year: Ian Beveridge (Foo Fighters)
• Audio System Tech of the Year: Adam Smith (Foo Fighters)
• Video Production Company of the Year: Solotech (Adele in Munich)
• Video Director of the Year: Colleen Wittenberg (Hozier)
• Media Content Creator of the Year: Moment Factory (Phish at Sphere)
• Staging Company of the Year: TAIT (Megan Thee Stallion)
• Rigging Company of the Year: ARS Entertainment Rigging (WWE)
• Set Construction Company of the Year: TAIT (Bad Bunny)
• Pyro/Special Effects Company of the Year: Strictly FX (Jelly Roll)
• The Patrick Stansfield Production Manager of the Year: Zito (Green Day)
• The Patrick Stansfield Tour Manager of the Year: Laura Strayer (Alanis Morissette)
• Coach Company of the Year: Beat The Street Band & Crew Bussing
• Trucking Company of the Year: Upstaging
• Freight Forwarding Company of the Year: Rock-It Global
• Indispensable Technology – Lighting: Robe iFORTE LTX
• Indispensable Technology – Audio: DiGiCo Quantum 326 Digital Console
• Indispensable Technology – Video: Tyler Truss GTV Video Truss
• Indispensable Technology – Staging & Effects: Mountain Productions MTN Weather Module

Audio Innovator Honoree invites audience on the stage