ORANGE PEEL
was going to happen, McAdams
said. When the band arrived, set up
went smoothly and the audience en
joyed a great show.
McAdams bounces between all
areas of the venue. One minute he
is delivering pizza to other crew
members, the next he can be found
in the box office sorting out ticket
sales.
“What my job entails is getting
here before the band does, unlock
ing the doors, making sure every
thing is ready to go. Basically mak
ing sure the venue is ready for the
band to arrive,” McAdams said, his
voice difficult to hear over the static
emitting from the speakers.
Employees walk around the ven
ue wearing matching black T-shirts
with the venue logo on front and
“Krewe” printed across the back.
Most have on black or khaki pants
with black shoes. Some employees
sport different facial piercings or
hair styles.
Crew members interact with each
other in a way that appears seam
less. Sunset Appleton, an A1 engi
neer at The Orange Peel, said this
effortless atmosphere is important.
“Anyone who doesn’t vibe with
it doesn’t last very long,” Apple-
ton said. “I’ve been working here
3 years and change and I’ve seen a
THERAPY DOGS
Every month the Health and
Counseling Center of UNC Ashe
ville sponsors therapy sessions,
but they are not with your ordinary
therapists. The positive atmosphere
and friendship dog therapy offers
can reduce anxiety, reports the Al
liance of Therapy Dogs.
‘“Oh, I need this. Oh, I’m in
the middle of exams and I miss the
dogs. Oh, give me a kiss,”’ Noel
Thumer said, repeating the com
ments she hears as owner and han
dler of therapy dogs Sapphire and
Parker. “A lot of people come in
feeling stressed and they need that
distraction.”
Sapphire, a three-year-old dog,
has been doing pet therapy for two
years and is completely at home in
the library lobby. Bryanna White,
couple people come and go. Eor the
most part I think it is pretty agree
able.”
The main area of the venue, dim
ly lit with the main lights direct
ed toward the stage, echoes with
laughter from employees. Crew
members gather at the well-lit bar
as they eat pizza before getting
back to work. Some crew members
choose to bring their food back to
their work stations.
Each wall, painted differently,
reflects the venue's main colors, or
ange and black. The wall next to the
merchandise stand is matte black
with the venue's name painted in
bright orange hues, giving a 3-D ef
fect. Next to the bar area, the wall
displays signs promoting upcoming
shows at the venue.
Music blasts from the large
speakers hanging on either side of
the stage for crew members to en
joy while performing whatever task
•may be at hand.
A man works behind the bright
ly lit merchandise stand ensuring it
gets hung up for guests to see. Price
tags are attached to each display
item while items for sale are placed
behind the stand.
The sound of shoes hitting the
light-brown hardwood floors create
a sense of urgency as crew mem
bers run around adjusting last min
ute details.
a sophomore accounting student,
reaches out to pet him.
“I come here every time. I used
to have a dog at home. I love ani
mals, especially dogs,” White said.
“They really just make me happy. I
like being around them.”
Claire and Jim Waller, owners
of Brodie, are stationed a few feet
away to greet the constant ebb and
flow of visitors seeking contact.
“We hear them say things
like, ‘I just had a calculus exam.
I need to pet something,”’ Waller
said.
Brodie, a four-year-old
beagle mix who was rescued from
Brother Wolf at eight weeks old,
sits calmly waiting for the liext
hand to reach out to him.
“Within a year, we knew Brodie
would make a good therapy dog,”
Claire Waller said. “He doesn’t
A crew member scales a tall lad
der and begins adjusting individual
lights so they shine perfectly onto
the stage.
Set changes appear simple to the
naked eye. Crew members moving
large instruments or pieces of set
decorations seem to know exactly
where everything goes. What the
audience cannot see are little pieces
of tape on the stage.
Before a show, crew members
outline the matte black stage with
neon tape, identifying where each
step begins or ends, as well as
to mark the stage to aid with set
changes.
In front of the sound booth,
found on the opposite side of the
venue, bar stools line a half wall,
providing seating for concert-goers.
On the other side of the half wall
are hundreds of buttons and dials
which emit rainbow colored light
from underneath.
What a guest hears in the audi
ence may not be what the band ac
tually sounds like. Tech engineers
work all through the show mixing
what the audience hears during the
performance, adjusting the vol
ume of each individual instrument.
Drums may be amped up during a
particular portion of a song while
the guitar may dominate another.
A sense of urgency begins to fill
bark. He stays right with you.”
Therapy dogs need good man
ners around both people and other
dogs, said Thumer.
“They can’t be reactive with oth
er dogs,” Thumer said. “They have
to be able to tolerate a lot of noises,
distractions and have a real solid
foundation and temperament.”
All therapy dogs must first pass
obedience class and then take train
ing with a certified organization,
such as PAWS for People or the Al
liance of Therapy Dogs.
Since his graduation, Brodie
went on to achieve a sort of super-
star status in his job, visiting hos
pices about 16 times per month in
addition to the child development
center at Mission Hospital.
“He has different empathy lev
els. With the children at the devel
opment center, he’s really active.
the empty venue as show time ap
proaches. Last minute adjusting
needs to happen and the stage lights
are not quite right. Each and every
employee works to help prepare the
venue for the upcoming show.
Making a show happen requires
a large team of individuals who can
quickly adapt to whatever the par
ticular tour requires. When every
thing is ready, security lines up at
the doors preparing for the crowd to
msh in.
When guests enter the venue,
they must provide a form of identi
fication and go through security.
“Security at the door are always
very friendly and welcoming,” said
Elizabeth Berkley, a management
student at UNC Asheville.
Guests pile in the venue racing
to get against the barricade. Most of
the venue has standing room only.
Right until the show starts, music
plays through the speakers, reflect
ing the genre of music the band will
be playing.
“The crowd always feels very
happy, even when waiting for the
concerts to begin. The music played
while waiting creates great vibes,”
Berkley said. “The atmosphere is
fun with bright lights on the stage
and smoke machines.”
He can sense the kids aren’t sick
and can play,” Claire Waller said.
“But at the hospice, he can sense
when he is with someone close
to death and he’ll snuggle up real
close.”
At under 50 pounds, Brodie is
allowed up on hospital beds and
shows an awareness of what a pa
tient needs, Jim Waller said.
Nurses reported that pa
tients tested their blood pressure at
home with results as high as 180,
but after petting Brodie, it can come
down to 140.
“There really is a therapeu
tic element to it. We come through
the door and everyone rushes to see
Brodie. It’s like a wheel chair der
by,” Claire Waller said.
The Wallers said they also see
children with autism really come
alive with Brodie.