Outdoor Retailer - July 2017 - 62

Music and Memories

FRANK BLACK AND THE CATHOLICS

It was at this 2001 show that I realized handing a cold beer to a VP of marketing backstage
at a show is a lot cooler than trying to hand
him a media kit in his jam-packed booth.

GRACE POTTER

Brought in by Wolverine, Grace Potter rocked
The Depot in 2011 and kicked off an incredible
run of concerts produced by one of the indus-

try's oldest brands. The Vermont rocker was
loud and left her heart on the stage for the
industry insiders who were lucky enough to
party with her at the first show in this series.

MICHAEL FRANTI

Also brought in by Wolverine, Michael
Franti's positive message (and refusal to wear
shoes) matches the inclusive vibe of our industry, and his energy buzzed through the
Depot at the Winter 2012 show. Culminating
with a trip through the crowd, Franti created a trade show moment that everyone there
will remember for years to come.

SAM BUSH

One of my favorite Teva shows at Club DV8,
which was lost to fire in 2008 (see page 63),
featured Sam Bush who started late and ended
later at this industry concert. His performance
was masterful, a tight and impeccable romp
through his catalog and bluegrass classics.
With a healthy fan
base in the outdoor
industry, Sam was as
fueled by the enthusiasm of the crowd
as the crowd was
by Red Bull and vodka. Maybe that was
just me.

DILATED
PEOPLES

Another classic night
presented by the
good people at Teva,
this concert featured
the high-energy hip
hop group Dilated
Peoples at Club
Elevate at the 2010
Summer Market-
and it was was full
of bumping beanies.
Never one to skimp
on the details, Teva
brought the party
full circle with go-go
dancers in the building, adding a little
flare to an already
raucous event. O.R.

62 OUTDOOR RETAILER

/ 35th Anniversary 2017

GETTING
IN THE DOOR
Before she became a fixture in
the outdoor industry, Liz Ferrin
worked the door at Teva parties at
Club DV8 in Salt Lake. This is how
she fell in with the outdoor tribe.
Written By Liz Ferrin

utdoor Retailer relocated to Salt
Lake in 1996 when I was 20. I was
in college and working nights and
weekends at a Club DV8, which
was across the street from the Salt Palace. Not
old enough to legally bartend, I was hired as a
coat- check girl. A few weeks before the 2000
Winter show, Teva realized our proximity to
the convention center and booked the venue
for a kayaking film premier.
Six months later, they rented the club for
another event, and a few weeks after that, I
moved all my belongings into a storage unit
and went out on the road with Teva in an
Airstream trailer visiting accounts, music and
film festivals, and outdoor events. It never occured to me that what I thought might last at
most a summer, would be my final exit from
the life I knew in Utah.
Fast forward a few years, and I had settled
down in Santa Barbara but was still trying to
find my place in the outdoor industry. It seemed
like everyone around me was a better athlete,
a more active environmentalist, or a talented
product designer. I wore makeup and perfume
on river trips (which I learned the hard way attracts bees) and spent my vacation going to underground punk shows in the UK.
Every six months, DV8 became the bridge

Courtesy Liz Ferrin

have also invested in big-name music acts to
entertain the industry.
But why? In a hectic and competitive environment like Outdoor Retailer, the show floor
can be a serious and intimidating place. There
needs to be a release, a gathering point, a commonality, a place to let your hair down and bask
in the good fortune of working in the outdoor
industry. Enter the trade show concert.
Here are my personal favorites from Outdoor
Retailer shows over the years:

http://lightspeedoutdoors.com http://lightspeedoutdoors.com

Outdoor Retailer - July 2017

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