The Parnelli Awards: The 'Academy Awards' of the Live Concert Industry

ORLANDO, FL (Timeless Communications, Inc.) - Acknowledging the artistry and talent that is now required for concerts, events which are increasingly becoming the primary source of income for today's music stars, the most sought-after professionals in lighting, staging and sound gathered here to award the live event's highest award, the Parnelli. Hundreds who work behind the scenes of this year's most successful tours gathered to honor those receiving this highly sought-after prize in the prestigious Rosen Center Ballroom on November 11th.

The Lighting Designer of the Year Award went to Marilyn Lowey for her long partnership with and work for Neil Diamond. Green Day's lighting company, Ed and Ted's Excellent Lighting, received the Lighting Company of the Year Award.

The outrageous set of the Rolling Stones' "A Bigger Bang" tour was honored when Mark Fisher received the Set/Scenic Designer of the Year Award for his work on the show. U2 was honored twice: Jake Berry received the prestigious Production Manager of the Year Award for his work with the group, and Monitor Mixer of the Year went to Dave Skaff.

Dave "Rat" Levine of Rat Sound received the Front of House (FOH) Mixer of the Year honor for his work with the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Country giant Toby Keith was honored when David Milam received the Tour Manager of the Year Award for his work on the "Big Throwdown" tour.

Bruce Jackson was presented with the 2005 Parnelli Innovator Award. Jackson has mixed the sound for such notorious perfectionists as Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand, Johnny Cash, and Elvis Presley. Streisand has called him "the greatest sound engineer in the world." An eloquent and humbled Patrick Stansfield received the highest honor, the Parnelli Lifetime Achievement Award, for his four decades in the business working with such greats as the Rolling Stones, Santana, Bob Dylan, Barbra Streisand, and Neil Diamond.

Other Parnelli winners include: Theatrical Lighting Systems (Regional Lighting Company of the Year); All Access Staging and Tait Towers (Tie - Set Construction Company of the Year); Mountain Productions (Staging Company of the Year); Atlanta Rigging Systems (Rigging Company of the Year); Clair Brothers (Sound Company of the Year); Mid-America Sound (Regional Sound Company of the Year); Ziggy's Custom Coaches (Coach Company of the Year); Upstaging (Trucking Company of the Year); Rock-It Cargo (Freight Forwarding Company of the Year); XL Video (Video Rental Company of the Year); and Pyrotek Special Effects (Pyro Company of the Year).

The Parnelli Awards were produced by Timeless Communications, Inc., publishers of Projection, Lights & Staging News and Front of House (FOH) magazines. For more information, go to https://www.parnelliawards.com or contact Kevin Mitchell at 314.962.6292 or [email protected].