PITTSBURGH, PA (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) – Veteran concert promoter Rich Engler has penned a book recounting his experiences as both a musician and a concert promoter.
"Behind the Stage Door" recounts anecdotes from Engler's career, which spans more than 40 years as a drummer with bands such as the Royals, which later became The Grains of Sand; and as a concert promoter in the competitive Pittsburgh market.
Over the course of his career, Engler has worked with a who's who of major touring artists, promoting shows by luminaries such as Paul McCartney at the Civic Arena in 1990, which almost didn't happen.
In a recent conversation with CBS affiliate KDKA, Engler recounts the story:
“[McCartney] starts playing ‘Hey Jude,’” Engler said. “The hair on the back of my neck goes up. I’m like right off stage, nobody was in the arena at this point. He’s there himself.”
But then McCartney's agent approached Engler and told him McCartney wasn't feeling up to snuff.
“Rich, I don’t think he can play,” the agent told Endler. “I go wait a minute, I just heard one of the greatest things I ever heard – the sound check. He said, ‘it may be to you, but Paul, his voice is not what he really wants it to be.’”
McCartney did go on to perform that night, but only after Engler managed to find not one, but three doctors to tend to McCartney's sore throat.
The book, which has just been released, is available on Engler's website. – Staff Writers
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