location and soon became the region's hottest
country nightspot. Now attracting top
name acts, Toolies played host to everyone from
Clint Black and Garth Brooks to
Vince Gill and the Dixie Chicks. The success of
Toolies brought opportunities to
book the entertainment for the Arizona State
Fair and promote a few festivals in the
area. In 1994, Toolies won the Academy of
Country Music (ACM) award for Best
Nightclub of the Year, and Bachand won the
first ever ACM award for Talent
Buyer/Promoter of the Year.
That same year, Bachand began looking for the
next challenge. He bought the
ailing Celebrity Theater in 1995 and spent more
than $1 million renovating and
improving the facility. It took a year just to
overcome the former owner's bad reputa-
tion with both artist management and the
public, but by 1998 the theater was suc-
cessfully hosting concerts for major national
acts. Bachand sold Toolies the following
year to concentrate on his other ventures. One
of those ventures, Mr. Bill Presents,
opened in 1991 as an outside talent buying and
production company. Through it,
THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT THIS
JOB:
"My heart lies in the promotion and booking,
but I find myself having
to spend more time on the administration and
paperwork involved in
running a large venue, than what I did in a
club atmosphere."--BB
"I don't like the fact that there is so much
stress and tension, and so
many people are insecure in this business today
because of a lack of
ethics. I don't like the fact that the numbers
[cost to book an artist] are
so out of sight, that the new entrepreneurs in
this world are limited in
the concert business."--JS
THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS JOB:
"First, the variety of acts. Second, the fact
that in a theater setting, the
show is over by 11:00, so rather than getting
home at 2 or 3 a.m., like I
did at the club, I'm now getting home at
midnight. Third, I love the
progress we've made at this venue compared with
three or five years
ago. I love the reaction from people who come
to the theater and see
the difference we've made in it. I love seeing
people smile and having a
good time."--BB
"I love the music and I like learning. I like
the fact that I discover new
artists. I still like putting on shows and
feeling the rush when the show
starts and seeing new
artists."--JS
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