March 03--Before a recent Bulls game, Emily Livacari leaned forward in her chair at the scorer's table and uttered the words that set the show into motion.
"Three, 2, 1, lights out," Livacari said calmly into a headset microphone.
The United Center plunged into darkness and the familiar notes of the Bulls' introduction song "Sirius" began. The crowd roared.
Livacari then signaled to send out the team's starting five on her cues: "Go Taj ... go Nikola ... go Pau ... go Jimmy ... go Derrick." Gibson, Mirotic, Gasol, Butler and Rose each rose from the bench and trotted onto the court as public address announcer Tommy Edwards bellowed their names.
And thus began another game night at the United Center, a thrill ride of movement, music, novelty acts and video high jinks.
It all began hours earlier.
Morning meetings
The entertainment staff gathers in an office on the United Center's second level at 11 a.m. Under the direction of Livacari, manager of game presentation, the crew reviews a preliminary script for that night's show, detailing the dozens of songs, videos, stunts, games and acts for that night on and off the court.
"There are some fans who come to a game and this might be their very first NBA game and ... our goal is to make sure that when they're here they're experiencing the top entertainment the whole time," Livacari said. "We don't want anyone coming and being disappointed."
Meanwhile, Dan Hardina, coordinator of game presentation, is booking future halftime acts as well as national anthem singers.
Recently, Hardina has shifted the focus for halftime acts, moving away from circus performers and toward more musical acts. Young MC, the Village People, C+C Music Factory, the Original Wailers and All-4-One have all hit the court this season. Hardina scours tour schedules for potential acts that will be in the area and often works in conjunction with other NBA teams to coordinate appearances.
But it certainly isn't all music. Some of the most popular performers include Red Panda, a woman who flips bowls on her head while riding a 7-foot-high unicycle, The Amazing Sladek, billed as America's Oldest Daredevil Acrobatic Hand-balancer, and mountain biker Kenny Belaey.
Rehearsal
Livacari takes her position at the scorer's table and rehearsals begin. The Luvabulls, who have been a staple during Bulls games for decades, work on their routines.
Meanwhile, Derrick Rose calmly drains jump shots not far from the action, as other players slowly make their way onto the court to warm up
When the Luvabulls finish practice, the halftime entertainment, ranging from musical acts to illusionists, takes the floor for practice. Everything is timed to the second.
Fans arrive
The United Center doors open and fans trickle in. Immediately, music begins pumping throughout the arena and the show is on.
Mike Vigan, coordinator of game presentation for the Bulls, walks the 100 level to oversee the acts he has booked, ranging from local bands (six to eight acts rotate) and DJs, to a magician and a balloon artist.
"The goal is to have something for fans to encounter every time they turn a corner," Vigan said.
Meanwhile, in a room called "The Benny Cave," Benny the Bull, who made his debut in 1969, prepares for a night of high jinks.
Benny's room holds his many costumes -- as well as a range of Benny heads suitable for different occasions.
Not far away, entertainment assistant Tom Sargent loads the mother of all T-shirt guns, which holds 72 T-shirts on the outer rings and 48 more on the inner ring. It uses CO2 to fire the souvenirs into the crowd in under a minute.
More T-shirts are attached to parachutes and will be dropped from the rafters via eight distribution machines and four employees who will toss them manually.
"Everybody wants a T-shirt," Sargent said.
Introductions
In 1977, the Bulls say they became the first team to bring down the lights during player introductions and have been doing that every game since the start of the 1985-86 season. "Sirius" by the Alan Parsons Project has become synonymous with this sequence, and it became legendary in the 1990s, when the public address announcer would declare: "From North Carolina ... at guard ... 6-6 ... Michael Jordan!"
"You hear the intro song and the anthem and that brings back a lot of memories of watching the Jordan Bulls teams," Warriors guard Stephen Currysaid. "It's something that just gives you a little goosebump kind of feeling."
Game time
While Livacari directs from the scorer's table, Harris oversees the operation from the press box. Also listening in on a headset is Sergio Lozano, senior director of scoreboard/video operations.
The video control room is the heart of the operation and Lozano is head of the staff that features five full-time and 20 part-time employees. Eight are on duty for each game and control everything that is seen on the center-hung scoreboard, four main video boards inside the arena as well as eight auxiliary boards, three levels of ribbon boards, boards on the scorer's table, baskets and the UC's outside walls.
"The doors open at 5:30 and the game ends at about 10, so it's four-and-a-half hours and the game is only 48 minutes," Michelle Harris, a director of entertainment for the Bulls said. "There are ebbs and flows and it kind of builds slowly and then in the fourth quarter everybody is up and dancing."
ckuc@tribpub.com
