Kevin McNevins

From Accounting to the Open Road

Kevin McNevins’ path into the live entertainment industry was anything but conventional. A 1967 graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Kevin served two years at Fort Hood before returning to his hometown of Dallas and beginning a career in public accounting with Touche Ross.

When industry cutbacks unexpectedly left him searching for a new direction in 1970, a high school friend offered him an opportunity that would change his life. Kevin had previously helped his friend assemble sound equipment in a garage. Now that small company was providing professional touring sound for some of the biggest acts in rock music—and Led Zeppelin was preparing to go on tour.

Kevin traded his business attire for jeans, harness boots and life on the road.

Returning for Led Zeppelin’s 1971 Tour

Kevin rejoined the crew for Led Zeppelin’s 1971 tour, during the period when the band was introducing “Stairway to Heaven” to live audiences and establishing itself as one of the world’s most important touring acts.

Among Kevin’s treasured keepsakes from the experience is a British pound note signed by the members of Led Zeppelin.

The tour confirmed that Kevin had found something special in the emerging concert-production business. What had begun as a temporary adventure was rapidly becoming a career.

Alice Cooper and the Killer Tour

After the Cat Stevens tour concluded, Kevin changed rigs and joined engineer Chuck Webster for Alice Cooper’s December 1971 tour supporting the Killer album.

The production featured Alice Cooper’s increasingly theatrical stage presentation, including elaborate lighting and sound effects and the now-famous gallows sequence. Kevin remembered the members of the band as friendly and hardworking away from the stage, despite the intensity of their performances.

The winter itinerary carried the crew through Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, Michigan, New York and Canada. Kevin worked shows featuring acts including Arlo Guthrie, Ry Cooder, REO Speedwagon, the J. Geils Band and Sha Na Na.

One of the tour’s greatest challenges came during the Christmas break. To help another crew member return home to his family, Kevin volunteered to move the equipment truck to Philadelphia himself. His own Christmas ultimately included a quick trip to Dallas, a meal at Denny’s and a return flight to rejoin the tour.

The run ended with snowbound Canadian dates in Ottawa and a six-band New Year’s Eve concert in Toronto.

Learning the Road with Led Zeppelin

Kevin’s first major tour was with Led Zeppelin in 1970. He learned to set up the sound equipment, manage the crowds gathering around the stage and drive a Chevrolet C50 five-ton truck affectionately named “Loretta.”

Equipped with a sleeper, Loretta carried Kevin, the crew and the sound system from one engagement to the next. The nights were long, the work was physical and the learning curve was steep—but Kevin quickly discovered the satisfaction of helping deliver a great show.

After approximately a month on the road, he returned to Dallas and briefly pursued a career in real estate. It would not be long, however, before touring called him back.

James Taylor and Cat Stevens

Following Led Zeppelin, Kevin joined James Taylor’s college tour, organized by Peter Asher. The itinerary carried the production from Williamsburg, Virginia, to San Diego in approximately one month.

Kevin remembers the tour for its remarkable music and the countless experiences shared while traveling across the country. His fondness for James Taylor’s music remained with him long after the tour ended—especially during overnight drives with Taylor playing through Loretta’s tape deck.

Peter Asher next organized a tour for Cat Stevens. Beginning in Syracuse in the fall of 1971, the tour followed another demanding schedule of performances and overnight drives.

On November 5, the production arrived at the University of Notre Dame. Kevin drove Loretta onto the campus he had left four years earlier—returning not in the limousine he had once jokingly imagined, but in work gloves and boots as part of a professional concert crew.

Although Kevin initially kept his alumni status quiet, the occasion became one of his most memorable returns to Notre Dame. After the concert, the crew hurriedly loaded the equipment and began a nine-hour overnight drive to Washington, D.C., for the following day’s performance at the Kennedy Center.

Jesus Christ Superstar in Europe

In January 1972, Kevin began another chapter of his touring career with Kirby Wyatt’s National Rock Opera production of Jesus Christ Superstar.

The tour carried Kevin and the production equipment through Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden. The crew packed voltage transformers along with the sound system to accommodate the European venues, completing the engagement on Good Friday.

When Kevin returned to the United States, he moved from the road into the business side of Showco.

Building Showco

Kevin took charge of the accounting department at Showco, Inc., then a relatively small Dallas company beginning an extraordinary period of growth.

His combination of accounting experience and firsthand knowledge of touring made him especially valuable. Kevin understood not only the numbers behind the company, but also the trucks, equipment, crews, long drives and practical demands involved in putting a major concert onstage night after night.

During the following years, Showco grew into one of the largest and most respected touring sound and lighting companies in the live entertainment industry. Its clients included many of the era’s most important artists, among them the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and Wings, Eric Clapton and David Bowie.

Kevin ultimately served as Showco’s Treasurer before concluding his time with the company in 1977. He remained close to Showco and continued to value the people, experiences and friendships formed during those formative years.

A Lasting Connection to Notre Dame

Kevin returned to Notre Dame many times after his unforgettable 1971 visit. He served as president of the Notre Dame Club of Dallas, received its Award of the Year and attended numerous university events and reunions.

Looking back, Kevin remembers the early touring years as a period when a small group of people, trucks and handmade sound systems helped build something that would become far larger than any of them could have imagined.

For Kevin, some of the most enduring memories remain the simplest: the warm glow of Loretta’s clearance lights, the muted roar of its V-8 engine, James Taylor playing on the tape deck and the feeling that followed another job well done—

A good show.

Career Highlights

• University of Notre Dame graduate, Class of 1967

• Served two years at Fort Hood, Texas

• Began his professional career with Touche Ross in Dallas

• Joined the Led Zeppelin touring crew in 1970

• Returned for Led Zeppelin’s 1971 tour

• Toured with James Taylor and Cat Stevens

• Worked on Alice Cooper’s 1971 Killer tour

• Toured Europe with Jesus Christ Superstar

• Managed Showco’s accounting department

• Served as Treasurer of Showco through 1977

• Former president of the Notre Dame Club of Dallas

• Recipient of the club’s Award of the Year

Kevin McNevins’ story has been adapted from his personal written recollections.