THE MAN BEHIND THE SCENES

As the guy who runs the Waikiki Shell and Blaisdell Center, John Fuhrmann has seen more concerts and shows than anybody.

Wednesday - April 09, 2008
By Chad Pata
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ed the community by not having to spend their tax money on the hall, and by being able to see something that they want to see. People in real time vote with their money. If they were willing to pay for a ticket, then that’s what they wanted to see.”

The success of big-time shows and keeping the hall, arena, exhibition hall and Shell full of entertainment allows these facilities to help underwrite the cost of less profitable yet important institutions such as the Hawaii Opera Theatre and Honolulu Symphony.

As Fuhrmann sees it, the success of The Lion King only means greater things for local artists and performers, which is the purpose of a government-run entertainment venue.

“You don’t book on first-come, first-served basis or you would only have one kind of show,” says Fuhrmann, who believes that if the Blaisdell were not city-run, the city would have to build new facilities to accommodate all the arts.

“To get all the shows in here that you want and to develop a market for everybody, you have to program and plan your events and go after things that you want. That’s what’s great about having a mayor who allows you to be aggressive; it allows us to do not just more shows, but more types of shows.”

So the work continues as Fuhrmann plans his next trip to Denver to scout shows for the Islands.

He is very noncommittal when it comes to which big shows are coming next, only announcing the shows already being promoted, such as Heart.

As for the unspoken benefits of his job - namely getting to see all these big acts up-close for free - it is not all one might think it would be.

“I’m probably one of the worst people to watch a show with because I am looking at everything else except for the stage,” says Fuhrmann.

“So if I want to really relax, I go deep-sea fishing, I don’t watch a show.”

Asked if he has photos of the literally hundreds of stars who’ve performed at his various venues, the no-nonsense Fuhrmann just shakes his head and says, “I’m not into that stuff.”

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