Behind-the-scenes Coliseum tour previews days and nights on the job for music industry students

Of the tidbits learned during a recent Memorial Coliseum visit, two incredulous items stood out for students from Jason Lundgren’s concert and events production class. A comedian wanted only orange M&Ms for his dressing room, and a rock musician asked for a dozen tube socks.

“I think they put a lot of that stuff in the requests just to make sure we are reading it,” said Nathan Dennison, the Coliseum’s vice president of sales.

That might have been behind the M&Ms, but the tube socks were a real need because of the musician’s sweaty feet, and he used all 12 pairs by the end of his appearance in Fort Wayne.

Exposing his students to such behind-the-scenes details is why Lundgren, a clinical assistant professor of music recording and technology, annually takes his Purdue University Fort Wayne students to Fort Wayne’s largest venue. He wants them to get a full picture of what’s expected during such a career—and after 18 years, Dennison is a pro at giving the 90-minute informational tours.

“The fun stories about the artists helped us realize how interesting and crazy music events can get,” said Renée Liu, a senior majoring in hospitality and tourism management who also minors in business studies and music industry. “Getting to hear from a professional who does the big-scale events was really insightful. It is so important to have all the details, even the little ones, in order to make such large events happen.”

Over its 1 million square feet, the Coliseum including its expo and conference centers host up to 1,600 “use days” every year, including meetings, sporting events, concerts, trade shows, and family entertainment. There’s always something going on in the building, sometimes requiring hundreds of workers to staff.

Dennison described the need to “turn over” the main arena sometimes from a hockey rink into a basketball court or a concert venue in as little as eight hours, meaning it’s all hands on deck in the middle of the night. Dennison described how it takes 10-12 employees about two hours to place more than 1,000 chairs on the floor for events such as PFW’s 2025 Commencement on May 14. Some concerts require 1,700 floor seats.

After doing that type of work for so long, Dennison said the placement relies mostly on muscle memory.

PFW’s commencement takes place just a few days after comedian Nate Bargatze will draw more than 20,000 people for two shows over six hours on Mother’s Day. With numerous high school and college graduations, hockey playoffs, the Vera Bradley Outlet Sale, the Disabilities Expo, and the annual Memorial Day parade and ceremony, spring is incredibly busy.

“Hearing about the amount of people required to come in every day and the turnaround was amazing, especially the little amount of time it takes, because you would expect it to take a lot more,” said Justin Croomes, a senior majoring in music industry. “I totally would do the type of job that he does, but I also see that he probably got there by doing all the little jobs along the way.”

Dennison told how hosting a concert works, with multiple artists’ buses and trucks arriving by 5 a.m. for a 6:30 a.m. production meeting. The stage, lighting, sound systems, video productions, and every piece of equipment are in place for a 4 p.m. sound check before the doors open around two hours later.

Because the building is 73 years old, it doesn’t offer the flexibility of newer venues. When Paul McCartney played in Fort Wayne on June 19, 2019, a structural engineer was called in for laser measurements to see if McCartney’s stage would fit. It did, but by less than 2 inches.

Different types of events on consecutive days are when a coordinated effort is most needed. As the crowd exits for a concert ending between 10:30 to 11 p.m., workers are already hustling to tear down and pack everything back onto the trucks, which leave by about 2 a.m. If there’s a hockey game the next day, all the flooring comes up, the ice gets patched and resurfaced, and the Plexiglass is placed around the rink in time for a 10 a.m. pregame skate.

There are employees dedicated to shopping to fill requests for the artists’ dressing rooms and even to restock their buses with things like salsa and chips, peanut butter, bread, and snacks—whatever is asked for. While rock stars and comedians may project the wild, party lifestyle, Dennison said many ask for healthy options such as organic fruit smoothies.

“We had the Doobie Brothers here a couple of years ago,” Dennison said. “Obviously, they are all getting up there in age, so it was about a lot of healthy products, because a lot of these groups are touring four or five days a week, and that is hard on their bodies.”

And hosting can be hard on the venue staff.

“It’s great to know just how much care the Coliseum puts into providing for their guests and putting on great events,” Liu said.