From the front seat of a truck to the front of house, Butch Allen's touring journey has been both varied and unusual: backline tech, lighting director, lighting designer, set designer, and production manager.
A hands-on, takes no prisoners attitude, coupled with an irreverent and sometimes—well, okay, mostly—inappropriate sense of humor has been the signature of his 20+ year career. A smattering of the artists Allen has been associated with over the years include Van Halen, Yes, Def Leppard, Hole, Seal, Ozzy, Black Sabbath, Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, Garbage, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, Gwen Stefani, Eagles, Metallica, Usher, NKOTB, Jennifer Hudson, America’s Got Talent Live, Dancing With The Stars Live, Nickelback, and No Doubt, Black Keys, and Glee.
Nominations for Parnelli awards in 2004 (Metalllica/lighting design) and 2005 (Garbage/set design) are industry nods that make Allen very proud. In 2008, he received the Top Dog award as Lighting Designer Of The Year for his work on Van Halen and New Kids On The Block. Allen lives in Pasadena, California, with his wife, Loree, two cats, 30 different rosebushes, and a 2006 Scion XB affectionately referred to as “The Juicebox.” This year, he received a Redden Award for Excellence in Lighting Design in Concerts.
Interesting facts:
Butch once polished 1017 cymbals on a tour.
Butch has locked himself out of more than one hotel room.
Butch loves what the glow of a computer screen does for his skin.
Butch holds the indoor distance record for throwing with a walkie talkie (better known as The Olympic Radio Toss).
Butch really enjoys a quality cupcake.
Butch and his wife have been married for 24 years.
Butch knows today’s date but doesn’t know what day of the week it is.
Butch feels humbled to be included with the group world class artists populating these classes.
Butch turned 50 this year, but is really looking forward to being 51.
Check out our interview with Butch Allen onsite at Nickelback here.
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