From Hockey Fights to Festival Nights with Troy Vollhoffer

Summary

From Hockey Fights to Festival Nights with Troy Vollhofer

In this compelling episode of "On the Bus with Troy Vollhofer," host Nick Minama engages in an in-depth conversation with Troy Vollhofer, the visionary behind the renowned Country Thunder Music Festival. Released on July 24, 2025, this episode delves into Troy's multifaceted journey from the icy rinks of professional hockey to the vibrant stages of major music festivals.

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Early Life and Roots in Show Business

Troy Vollhofer's immersion into the entertainment world began at a tender age, influenced heavily by his family's deep ties to show business. His maternal grandfather, a projectionist and president of the stagehand union (IATSI Local 295) in Canada, set the foundation for Troy's future endeavors.

Troy Vollhofer [03:45]: "My mother picked up the phone and said, what do you have going on at the theater tomorrow? She said, do you need some help?"

This early exposure provided Troy with firsthand experience in theater productions, fostering a profound understanding and passion for the industry.

A Dual Passion: Hockey and Show Business

Balancing his budding interest in show business, Troy also pursued a fervent passion for hockey. His commitment led him to play in the Western Hockey League for three years and eventually sign with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1986. However, his athletic aspirations were intertwined with his entrepreneurial spirit.

Troy Vollhofer [12:15]: "I signed with them and I took my signing bonus and I plowed it into gear and I thought, build it, they will come."

Despite not making it to the NHL, Troy's stint in professional hockey played a pivotal role in funding and expanding his production business, demonstrating his knack for leveraging opportunities.

Founding Premier Global Productions

In 1990, responding to the evolving needs of the industry, Troy transitioned from his initial venture, Show Sound, Lighting, and Staging, to establish Premier Global Productions. This move marked the beginning of a production powerhouse that would soon attract marquee clients.

Troy Vollhofer [02:17]: "I came up with that name in 1990 and I had a small company called Show Sound, Lighting and Staging. Hence, since we didn't do sound anymore, it didn't really work."

His first significant project involved lighting for Charley Pride in 1987, followed by tours with Dionne Warwick, Def Leppard, and Metallica, the latter of which remains a long-term client to this day.

Venturing into Festival Production: Birth of Country Thunder

Troy's expertise naturally extended to festival production, leading to his involvement with the Big Valley Jamboree in Camrose. By 1992, this collaboration evolved into the inaugural Country Thunder Saskatchewan, later expanding to multiple locations across North America.

Troy Vollhofer [24:13]: "We did the production, we do the lighting on it, we get the lighting contract and that was really, really awesome because now I'm starting to touch and a lot and I'm still playing hockey."

Under Troy's leadership, Country Thunder became synonymous with top-tier country music festivals, featuring legends like Alan Jackson, Reba McEntire, Kenny Chesney, and George Strait. The festival's growth continued despite challenges, including a pivotal acquisition in 2008 that expanded the brand to Wisconsin and Arizona.

Notable Moments and Anecdotes

Throughout his career, Troy has been part of numerous memorable events:

• Encounter with Kenny Rogers: At six years old, Troy met Kenny Rogers during a sound check and received his first autograph, a keepsake he treasures to this day.

  Troy Vollhofer [06:09]: "I remember meeting Kenny Rogers when I was six years old. First autograph I ever got."

• Liberace's Visit: A humorous story about Liberace admiring Troy's father's beat-up Mercury car highlights the camaraderie in show business.

  Troy Vollhofer [11:35]: "Liberace laughed and he loved it and he thought it was the funniest thing ever."

• Hockey Incident: A memorable fight during a Boston Bruins scrimmage solidified Troy's decision to pivot entirely to his production business.

  Troy Vollhofer [17:29]: "I actually won that one. I don't. I didn't win many in my career."

Philosophy and Passion for Show Business

Troy emphasizes the intrinsic rewards of being part of the entertainment industry, beyond mere financial gains.

Troy Vollhofer [00:07]: "There is something to say that still holds true is when that artist walks on stage and you have a venue full of people and they get on their feet... you're part of that."

He believes in the magic of live performances, where both artists and audiences experience a collective uplift, a sentiment that fuels his continuous dedication to the industry.

Rapid Fire Insights

In a light-hearted segment, Troy shares quick snippets about his early career and personal preferences:

• First Paycheck in Show Business: "$100."
• First Song Played on Guitar: "Surrender."
• Favorite Concert Before 21: Van Halen at Regina, Saskatchewan on September 22, 1979.

Reflections on Nashville's Music Heritage

Troy discusses the significance of Nashville's iconic venues like the Ryman Auditorium and the Grand Ole Opry, highlighting the need for younger artists to appreciate and uphold the city's rich musical legacy.

Troy Vollhofer [37:06]: "I think it's a very, very large part of the country music community... more of a tip of the hat to history and to the roots."

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Conclusion

This episode offers a nuanced look into Troy Vollhofer's remarkable journey, illustrating how passion, perseverance, and strategic vision can transform personal interests into industry-leading ventures. From the exhilarating world of professional hockey to orchestrating some of the most celebrated music festivals, Troy's story is a testament to the power of following one's passion and adapting to life's unexpected turns.

For fans and aspiring professionals alike, Troy's insights provide valuable lessons on balancing diverse interests, building enduring relationships, and maintaining a steadfast commitment to one's dreams.

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Connect with Country Thunder: To learn more about upcoming festivals, visit countrythunder.com and follow Country Thunder on all social media platforms. New podcast episodes drop bi-monthly—subscribe to stay updated on the latest conversations with your favorite artists.

Transcript

[Troy Volhofer]

I still truly believe this is the greatest business in the world. There is something to say that still holds true is when that artist walks on stage and you have a venue full of people and they get on their feet, you know, you're part of a team that just gave 18,000 people a total buzz. They get that hour and a half, two hours of performance time to forget all of their problems. And you're part of that. Welcome back to on the Bus with Troy Volhofer. We have a very special show for you. As you can see, we're not on the Bus today. We're actually here at my house in Nashville. Since we started the show, I've been so fortunate to have so many personal conversations with the biggest stars in the music scene. It's been an incredible experience for me to talk to those artists and share their lives with you and all the fans out there. Since you've been doing this show, Country Thunder fans have been reaching out, commenting, coming up to me at festivals, wanting to know more about my story. We kicked off the season of on the Bus talking about the ins and outs of the music industry with three legendary music agents. And today I'm passing on the mic to one of those same gentlemen to close out season two. Please welcome back entrepreneur and founder of AEC Talent Agency, my friend and today's guest host, Nick Minama.

[Nick Minama]

Well, this is a different podcast for you, isn't it?

[Troy Volhofer]

Oh, sure is, Nick.

[Nick Minama]

You get to be on the hot seat.

[Troy Volhofer]

Fabulous.

[Nick Minama]

So, my friend, 30 years in the entertainment business and show business and going to talk about some of your accolades a little bit later on, but I know you love show business. We've talked about it without cameras and, and people listening to it. Premier Global Productions. Where'd that name come from?

[Troy Volhofer]

I was dreaming it up one day and I thought, it's going to be a global company. I really like the name Paramount Productions, but that was already taken, obviously, Paramount Studios, so that wasn't an option. So I thought of something close to that Premier Global kind of, you know, said it all in one, one sentence.

[Nick Minama]

And when did you come up with that name and did you have a company prior to that?

[Troy Volhofer]

I came up with that name in 1990 and I had a small company called Show Sound, Lighting and Staging. Hence, since we didn't do sound anymore, it didn't really work.

[Nick Minama]

You had to drop the sound part.

[Troy Volhofer]

I had to drop everything. So we just started from scratch and it was great. And that was our entree into the U.S. basically, you came from a family.

[Nick Minama]

That was in show business. What was your dad's name?

[Troy Volhofer]

Harold.

[Nick Minama]

And what was your mom's name?

[Troy Volhofer]

Do?

[Nick Minama]

And what did Harold do?

[Troy Volhofer]

So my mother's father was a projectionist and was president of the stagehand union, IATSI Local 295 up in Canada. After the First World War, he. He migrated to Canada and was one of the founding members of this union. And my father's father had a flooring company. So my mother was a career woman. She worked for the government in Saskatchewan. And it was her big night. It was a Christmas party, her first Christmas party. They get all dressed up. My dad puts a suit on. She gets all dolled up. They're going to go to this party. My grandfather from my father's side calls and says, I have a flooring job. I need your help. He got out of his suit, went to the flooring job. My mother picked up the phone, called her father and said, what do you have going on at the theater tomorrow? He goes, well, actually, I got the Rowan and Peg ballet loading. And she said, do you need some help? Oh, absolutely. What time's the call time? The call time was at 7:30 in the morning. He got home at 6. She said, don't take your clothes off.

[Nick Minama]

You're.

[Troy Volhofer]

You're going to the theater. My father needs help today. So he went to do a load in with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. They were so impressed with him. They actually hired him to become the head carpenter, which in theater lingo is the production manager. His first time in the theater. But he had kind of had that thing, whatever that thing was. He had it, obviously. And a gentleman who was the ballet's general manager, his name was Arnold Spore, hired him on the spot. Now, there was a problem. He didn't have his union card and it was a yellow carded show, which meant you couldn't work on it if you weren't an IATSE member. So NEP works. My. My grandfather wires New York City, gets him a union card, and a week later he's in London doing a world tour with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet.

[Nick Minama]

Unbelievable.

[Troy Volhofer]

So that's how I started. And I was born somewhere along the line.

[Nick Minama]

So you weren't born at this.

[Troy Volhofer]

No, I wasn't born at this time.

[Nick Minama]

Let's bring you to five or six years old. What were your parents doing when you were five or six years old that you can remember your first inkling into show business?

[Troy Volhofer]

I remember all of it. My father was on the road at that time. He was a dance guy. So he was. He got a reputation for doing big productions and moving big shows. In those days, six to seven trucks, eight Trucks were big shows, and those ballets were that big. He did the Bullshit Ballet. He did the Ro Winnipeg Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada, and then he got a call from Dean Martin, the Gold Diggers, and he went out and did that. And that was kind of the end of his touring days because I. I was a little kid and I was watching TV in the Prime Minister of Canada. I called him Daddy. And that was the end of touring. So once again, he got. He came back and he got a job as the production manager for a theater in. In Regina and then took my grandfather's spot as head of the union and he took over the stagehands union. And that's when I started hanging out the theaters and the arenas and being able to be part of these. These productions and push cases as a little kid, and I get to get the vibe.

[Nick Minama]

Did you understand what show business was at the time, or was it just what your mom and dad did?

[Troy Volhofer]

I understood what it was because it was pretty intriguing. I mean, there's always a lot of excitement around it. It seemed like it was amplified in those days to me. And I was an amazing time, actually, in the business because there was so. It was a different. A different time and a different place. And I mean, I remember meeting Kenny Rogers when I was six years old. First autograph I ever got.

[Nick Minama]

You were six years old?

[Troy Volhofer]

Six years old. And he was in a. And I was in kindergarten, and I got dropped off from school to the theater, and they were doing a sound check, and he was in a band called Kenny Rogers in the first edition. And I asked him for an autograph, and voila. And I still have that autograph today.

[Nick Minama]

That's incredible. Do you remember your first paid job in show business?

[Troy Volhofer]

Yeah. Well, since I kind of apprenticed from the early, early age, you know, pushing boxes, learning lighting, learning production, learning wardrobe, I got my first job, paid job around 14 years old. 14 years old. I was pushing cases. So.

[Nick Minama]

For the touring shows coming in?

[Troy Volhofer]

Yeah, the touring shows coming in. Yeah. It's a local stagehand. I had this fascination for show business. I was like 11 years old. Van Halen had come through town, and I had been able to stay up late and work the call and push cases to the trucks. And it was three trucks in those days. It was one truck of lights, one truck of sound, and one truck of back line and set. I remember having breakfast the next morning going, I wonder where they are today. They're starting Their load in right now, you know, and that's what I found. Guide the bug. I got bit by it early and I. And I always thought, you know, that was such a cool part of the business was the magic of here one night in another city, the next night entertaining to another 10, 12,000 people.

[Nick Minama]

The one night stand.

[Troy Volhofer]

Yeah, the one night stand.

[Nick Minama]

When you. So when you're 14 years old and you've got that first paycheck, prior to that you were spending summers in Las Vegas, Correct?

[Troy Volhofer]

Correct.

[Nick Minama]

And so what were you doing in Las Vegas in the summertime? It seems like a perfect place to have a young child in the summertime in Las Vegas during that time.

[Troy Volhofer]

It was crazy. I didn't realize it was crazy until I had children of my own. I was like, whoa, I wouldn't have done that. My father would go off to rehearsals and they would put me at the swimming pool. And I met a lot of cool people at the swimming pool. So I'd be at that pool from basically 10 in the morning till 6 o' clock at night. And then my mom would go shopping so I'd hang out by myself. One day, my mom wasn't back yet. It's now 6:30. Sun's starting to go down a little bit. It's August in Las Vegas and I'm sitting at the bar and this gentleman sitting beside me was smoking these cool cigarettes that were about this long, glasses on and a hat. He says to me, son, where are your mom and dad? I go, my dad's working. Who's your dad work for? He works for dmr, the Golders. I know Dean real well. He goes, man, those girls are hot. I said, yeah, they're very nice girls because they always treated me very nicely. Right As a little kid, right? Long haired, little, little dude. And he goes, where's your mom? I go, my mom goes on these shopping sprees, you know, pretty much every afternoon. He said, wow, can I buy you a milkshake? I said, sure. And he goes, my name's Red. And I said, my name's Troy. I said, red, what's your last name? He goes, red Fox. I went, interesting, you're playing here. I said, I want to come see your show. He goes, nah, that's not going to work out because, you know, my, my repertoire is very blue. His jokes are very lewd, I guess. But he said, tomorrow morning, if you're interested, the great White hope is training on the showroom stage. And that was Jerry Quarry, who went on to fight Muhammad Ali. Muhammad Ali Kicked his ass. But Red Fox took me there, watched Jerry. Corey Spar met Jerry Quarry. And we met up a couple more times and hung out. And he'd meet me there around 5, 30, 6 o' clock and he would have a bourbon and I would have a milkshake.

[Nick Minama]

Is this where your Liberace experience come.

[Troy Volhofer]

My Liberace experience was a whole different story. Liberace played the stand at my father's theater. I was probably about, I was a little bit older. I was now about 9. And my parents used to have this Sunday morning breakfast which was like unbelievable. It was amazing. It was champagne and, you know, eggs and bacon and fried tomatoes and fresh toast. And they would invite guests over who was ever playing at the theater. So there was a gentleman named Ray Arnaz who came over, who was Liberace's manager, road manager. And my dad drove this old clunker of a car. He just didn't give a care. I mean, he cared nothing about opulence or anything like that. He was more just engaged in his business. So he's driving my grandfather's beat up Mercury and he would go pick up Ray at the theater. And Liberace was a huge collector of cars, classic cars, like classic cars. That was one of his biggest passions. So Ray says to my father, Harold, we need to wind up Lee and this car is going to be great. He was doing about a four or five night stand at his theater. So he'd pick up Ray, they go, and Liberace, they started laying down the bait, you know, oh, you got to see Harold's car. It's unbelievable. It's an antique. It's this, it's that. Back in those days, it was such camaraderie in show business. You know, the headliner would take his crew guys out, you know, after a stand and take them to the nicest restaurant in town and buy everybody the wardrobe people, everybody, you know, dinner and have a great party. And the theater manager. It was awesome, awesome, awesome time in the theater business. And so he goes, when do I get to see the car? When do I get to see her? Well, Harold will bring the car and we'll drive you to. It was called the WK Kitchen. It was a Chinese joint and we'll drive you over there. While when he got up there, there was a spare tire in the seat. It's a beat up car. It's no antique. Liberace laughed and he loved it and he thought it was the funniest thing ever.

[Nick Minama]

I want to fast forward a little bit you're actually playing hockey. Are you playing junior? Are you playing minor leagues at the time where you start your production company or you start working in this field?

[Troy Volhofer]

I was doing working summer calls. So I would work at the theater in the arena during the summertime. Usually most calls in those days would start around 8am I'd get up at 6, I'd work out and I would go do the call and then. And then training camp would come in and you know, so hockey was my vehicle. I played in the Western Hockey League for three years. I wasn't drafted. I. But I did sign with the Pittsburgh Penguins as a free agent and I got a signing bonus and that gave me.

[Nick Minama]

What year is that, Troy?

[Troy Volhofer]

1986. 86. 86. I signed with them and I took my signing bonus and I plowed it into gear and I built a bottle lighting system and I thought, build it, they will come. And they didn't come. So I signed over my NHL contract to the Royal bank of Canada. I got a loan, bought more gear and voila, we started and I starved to death. So I played.

[Nick Minama]

But when you were out of season.

[Troy Volhofer]

Yeah.

[Nick Minama]

Were you actually going and working and going on the road?

[Troy Volhofer]

Absolutely.

[Nick Minama]

Okay, so what was the first tour that your company did while you were playing hockey?

[Troy Volhofer]

Well, I wasn't part of it. The first tour we ever did was Charley Pride show.

[Nick Minama]

Okay.

[Troy Volhofer]

So we did Charlie Pride and that would have been about 1987. And then just after that we did a Dionne Warwick spin which was fantastic. And that kind of got the wheels rolling a little bit. And then we did all of these bands that were Canadian bands who were at one time arena bands. The Prisms, the Troopers, the Harlequins. We did all that business just regionally and unfortunately they were all playing clubs at the big clubs at that time time, but carried enough gear to warrant a 25 truck full of lights. A 25 foot truck full of lights and sound. And we did a bunch of country bands. And there was that scene starting to come on. That 90s was. The 90s scene was just starting to percolate. Then in the summertime we would do the fair circuit and the festival Circuit. And in 1992 we had a call from CPI Concert Production International to do Rod Stewart Vagabond Hart in Canada. And that was our first big shot. And 93 came Def Leppard and 94 came Metallica. And we're still doing Metallica today.

[Nick Minama]

That's incredible. So at this junction, if you had made it to the NHL, would you have still filtered through and work this production side of things. Did you always have it in the back of your mind, hey, I'm going to do this as an avenue. I'm really good at it. I'm going to do this as an avenue to drive this? Or was it a, hey, this is only taking me so far. I need to pivot?

[Troy Volhofer]

No, hockey was my number one. It was my. I would wake up to breakfast thinking about hockey. It was a really big deal for me. You know, I got called up a few times, never played. Played seven years professional hockey and not one game in the NHL other than exhibition season. I played a ton of exhibition games, which doesn't count. So I had a decent minor league career and I got paid very well. And.

[Nick Minama]

But did you ever think at that time, I'm still going to make it in the NHL side of things?

[Troy Volhofer]

There was a point when you just knew, well, my going into my option here with Pittsburgh, they sent me to Flint. Instead of going to Muskegon, which was a number one farm team, I went to the independent team. A lot of guys ended up in Flint. Like, my roommate was Keith Gretzky, Wayne's brother. He was with Buffalo. Their farm team was in Rochester, New York, the Rochester Americans. He got sent to Flint. So. And Doug Wicken, as was the number one pick overall in the 1980 draft for the Montreal Canadiens. He was at the Rangers at the time. He got sent to Flint. So it was kind of like all the guys who. Their contracts were in their option year and the parent team were not going to resign them. So that was kind of the light bulb that, hey, you know, the dream's over, but I had to keep playing. So I played like another four years after that and sent every dollar I made in hockey back to my business to fund the payroll and to keep the wheels on. On the cart.

[Nick Minama]

Where were you playing at that time? Where were you playing at that time? Where you go, I need to do this to keep on funding this, but I know this isn't going to happen.

[Troy Volhofer]

I was done my contract at Pittsburgh and I got a. My friend Nevin Mark already played for the Boston Bruins. He got me a tryout, and by this time my focus was on my business. I was all right in training camp, you know, the trainers always know what's going to happen to you, you know. So we're coming down to the end of the training camp and Nevin came in. He said, yeah, the trainers just told me that, you know, you're not going to make the team and you need to do something out there. Well, anyways, the next scrimmage where, you know, I get. I'm played left wing, and all of a sudden I get hacked across my wrist. I turn around, drop my gloves and start punching this guy. And I wasn't a tough guy, but I always showed up. But, you know, it was a different game back then. And I got this guy down, I'm punching him, and I look down on the ice and it's Ray Bork, the captain of the Boston Bruce. Not only the captain of Boston Bruce, the franchise. So Mike Milbury was the coach of the Bruins. He calls me and he goes, well, we're going to send you to Phoenix without a contract, but we're going to sign you. And I was like, I'm out. And I went back to the business and I realized that we weren't in the greatest shape at that particular time. So I got a call from a gentleman called Chris McSorley, and he was in the East Coast League, and he got me a deal with the Montreal Canadiens. And I hooked up back up with Keith Gretzky because he was in the same place. So I played two more years there, and I had a really good time doing it and made enough money to be able to make sure that everybody's taken care of in my business, which was the most important thing.

[Nick Minama]

Who won the fight between you and Ray Bork?

[Troy Volhofer]

I actually won that one. I don't. I didn't win many in my career.

[Nick Minama]

But you won that one.

[Troy Volhofer]

I did win that one.

[Nick Minama]

That was a good one. Yeah.

[Troy Volhofer]

The Boston Globe. You can research just said minor league or fights franchise in scrimmage game is in the Boston Globe.

[Nick Minama]

Did you get chewed out afterwards?

[Troy Volhofer]

No, no, no. Everyone was cool. I had to fight Lyndon Byers. That was a little tough the next shift out.

[Nick Minama]

I mean, he came back.

[Troy Volhofer]

Yeah. And he's my buddy, you know.

[Nick Minama]

Did you end your professional playing career in Nashville playing for the Nashville Knights?

[Troy Volhofer]

I did.

[Nick Minama]

And so what year is that?

[Troy Volhofer]

92 or 93. I only played like a handful of games. It was like I. I couldn't take it anymore after playing that many years. And you have great coaches. I had a coach in Nashville who was like a drill sergeant. I mean, he actually had curfew and call for it. First time in my career. Typical day of a professional hockey player in Those days were 9 o', clock, 8 o', clock, you get to the rink, 9 o', clock, we practice 9 to 11, do some dry land stuff. After that noon, you would go have lunch. After lunch, you go home, watch the soap operas, get ready to go out at night. I mean, that's kind of how it went down, right?

[Nick Minama]

You got to tell me the rest of. But what was your soap?

[Troy Volhofer]

General Hospital.

[Nick Minama]

General Hospital.

[Troy Volhofer]

John.

[Nick Minama]

90 days of our Lives, guys.

[Troy Volhofer]

John. Stanley. Awesome. Yeah. So that was.

[Nick Minama]

He's grinding.

[Troy Volhofer]

He's grinding. We're doing. We're doing two practices a day. Yeah. And he came from. He came from Michigan State. And I mean, I'm not sure what his. What his idea was, but anyways, it was just. It was just too much. And I. I actually did get in a fight one of my last games. It was actually my last game. And I missed the guy's head through my shoulder out dislocated it. And you know what? I think it's time. I'm gonna pack it in. That was like seven years you're living.

[Nick Minama]

In Nashville at that time. Do you leave or do you stay?

[Troy Volhofer]

I stayed for a while. Yeah, I stayed for a while.

[Nick Minama]

Post playing hockey. Correct. And so what were you doing during that time?

[Troy Volhofer]

Banging on doors. I used my hockey as to open doors for the business, and I made a lot of relationships at that particular time. And then I had to go back because, I mean, it was a lot of money to move an operation. Already this. It had considerably grown over the course of the seven years. It was doing pretty big business. But, you know, I didn't have the financial wherewithal to move it to America quite yet. And that came about a year later and I laid the tracks down. And in 94 is when we basically opened America.

[Nick Minama]

So you're talking Metallica. These are early clients that are still clients now. Is this around that time? So you're playing minor league hockey and you're running an operation that is mainly based out of Canada and you're doing arguably the biggest band in the world.

[Troy Volhofer]

Correct.

[Nick Minama]

Okay, what was the next step to get you from Canada to moving your operation? Not only your operation, but your life here?

[Troy Volhofer]

Well, in 94, we ended in Miami with Metallica. So we had three staging systems that were out leapfrogging, and we parked them in America. We did all the immigration stuff and I moved to America.

[Nick Minama]

And it was Nashville.

[Troy Volhofer]

It was Nashville, Tennessee.

[Nick Minama]

It was never New York, it was never la. It was never Chicago, it was Nashville.

[Troy Volhofer]

I threw around la. I threw around New York a little bit. I had already made, you know, my way into Nashville and I had contacts here. And, you know, there was a gentleman who gave me office space, but we already had these big accounts that we had brought with us and it was a little easier with big accounts. And then I met John McBride and that. That brought us into the country business and we started doing Martina McBride and John Barry, and all of a sudden we're building a whole other genre of business, which was fantastic.

[Nick Minama]

People see you interview celebrity singers and you've done some industry. But when you say production, what is production?

[Troy Volhofer]

Production is like the lights, the sound, the stage. The live show is production. It's all the things that make it look unbelievable to the audience. They hire designers to come up with the concept. The artist, in most cases has a lot of say in what they want their show to look like, which is a very important part of execution of a live show.

[Nick Minama]

I do want to find this placement in your life. So we love show business, we love hockey, but you also love music. So you've got this thing that if we're just going to just tap back in your childhood for one minute, you love music. When did that come out in you? When did you start playing a guitar? When did you start really having a passion for music? Because these things all come together. Your love of hockey, your parents being show business. And then at some point in time, you fell in love with music. It has to be around that time.

[Troy Volhofer]

I could sing as a kid, and they put me in this choir called the Hetherington Singers. So I used to go to this thing and it was kind of like a pseudo religious thing. I mean, it was like a choir of about 30 people. And I'll. I kind of discovered girls at that point. I went, oh, I think I'll go every Saturday because there's some really nice, nice, nice friends. You know, it was kind of like that age when you're going, all right, I'm in. This isn't a bad thing. And so I did that and I taught myself how to play guitar and had garage bands and. And through hockey, I always played like we'd have team get togethers and they always get me to play and I'd perform for the boys. And did you had a band? I had a band band as a kid. I had a garage band. We had a band called Sniper at a band called the Critics. And that's where that pinnacle kind of meshed. We did the. The Critics were having a really good run. It was New Year's Eve. I was in ninth grade. We were open up for the Queen City Kids, which had two records on Epic and they're. And we were invited to open for them on New Year's Eve in Saskatoon. So I was going to go with my bandmates role in 12th grade. And my parents going, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah. They said, we'll drive you up there. And my parents were super cool because they were show business people and they knew and so they drive us up, we do the gig. Our band was pretty good. On the ride back, my dad goes, okay, now you need to make a decision. You're an all right musician, but you're not great. But you're a great hockey player. So you need to. Right now you need to make your decision what you want to do.

[Nick Minama]

So I want to talk about these festivals. How did you get in the festival business?

[Troy Volhofer]

Well, those were the first accounts that we got as a company providing the.

[Nick Minama]

State production and the lighting. So.

[Troy Volhofer]

So the Saskatchewan was called the Big Valley Jamboree. It was the original Big Valley jam.

[Nick Minama]

Not the one in camera, the one.

[Troy Volhofer]

In started by Father Larry and another name Maria Call that was. That was developed in 1983 and in 1987 I got the lighting contract. It still goes down as the first country music festival in North America and it goes down in the history books as being the longest continuous running festival in North America because there's been a show that's played there every year.

[Nick Minama]

Unbelievable.

[Troy Volhofer]

Yeah, it's pretty cool. I never thought I would own it, never in a million years. So we, we do the production, we do the lighting on it, we get the lighting contract and that was really, really awesome because now I'm starting to touch and a lot and I'm still playing hockey. So like a lot of these people that I met during this time period, you know, Ariba is the biggest artist or coming up as one of the gonna be one of the biggest artists. But, but a headliner at this time.

[Nick Minama]

Sure.

[Troy Volhofer]

George street is a headliner at this time. George Jones that year was, was on that bill.

[Nick Minama]

He was like bigger than George Jones in 1987.

[Troy Volhofer]

Yeah. The next year I get a call from the Priest going, Troy, that stage that we're getting out of the US we have all these tariffs. So funny to say that, but it was. And if you could build a stage of that quality then. And it was this one of the stages that Bruce Springsteen is using at that particular time. Oh yeah, I can. But I'm. I don't have enough money to, to fund it. And the banks don't really like the assets of show business assets. So you know, can you front me? He goes, I'll give you a 10 year contract and I'll pay you up front for the first year and we built the first system. So we continued to build our, our festival repertoire.

[Nick Minama]

And that was in the production side.

[Troy Volhofer]

Yeah. And that was a division on its own accord. Then father Larry came up with this concept, this idea, doing the big Valley Jamboree in Camrose. We did a Bryan Adams thing there in 1992 called Waking up the Nation. And the first year we did extremely well and kind of sat there and we had this, you know, just going to do one festival, that's enough risk, you know, when you're, you know, you're betting a lot of money each year.

[Nick Minama]

Yeah.

[Troy Volhofer]

And it worked. And we were able, because of the connections that I had, we were able to get the biggest artists. Like Tim McGraw was a production client of ours. So, you know, the trust. The first year, Robert Allen calls me up and says, you know, who was Tim McGraw's tour manager at the time? Agents. Rod Essick. Still is agent today. Called me up and said, could you make, can you make the financial decisions? I don't think they understood that I made all the financial decisions. He bumped the offer $50,000 and we got a deal.

[Nick Minama]

It was 2005.

[Troy Volhofer]

2005. And I get the call at like, I think it was like six o'. Clock. And they're like, can you bump the offer? Yes, we've already went through this, but can you get Edmonton to agree to do this? I called the boys in Edmonton. I said, commonwealth Stadium, yes, we can do this. We get the deal done. Voila. I go have this great dinner. I'm celebrating, go to my favorite restaurant with my friend Brian Andrews, and we're having a great dinner. And I talked to Gil and I said, yeah, I just did an interview with the papers. It's going to be a front page exploit and it's going to be amazing. And he goes, did you get permission to announce it? I'm like, what's permission to announce?

[Nick Minama]

What does that mean?

[Troy Volhofer]

What does that mean? Well, you know, they can cancel the date on you, you know, so scrambling around, ruin my dinner. Finally get a hold of Robert Allen. Robert, now, Robert is a brilliant gentleman. He said to me, he goes, troy, when we confirm a date, you have permission to announce. And I said, fantastic. He's British. So that was my British accent. We find we don't have any problems. The next day we announce the show, sell 5,000 tickets, it's off and running. And it turned out to be a great event.

[Nick Minama]

But there's a big difference between taking your hometown festival, which you go, listen, the province does not want it to end. You have a passion for live. You have a passion for show business. You have a passion for making the show happen. Just explain to everybody where your mindset was with. Okay, I've got one and it's not doing that bad actually. But that doesn't mean that six or seven. And I know it started with two and then three and then group. Where does the mindset go to? I think we should do more of these. Or does opportunity show up on a plate?

[Troy Volhofer]

The evolution of it all was totally satisfied with just doing Country Thunder Saskatchewan, which was called the Craven. Yeah, Craven country jamboree. We were totally fine with that and I was totally satisfied. It was, it was doing extremely well. We were able to. I mean the next year I had Alan Jackson, who was on Fire, Reba McIntyre. The next year I had Kenny Chesney at the top of his game. Like, I mean it just kept rolling right somewhere in there.

[Nick Minama]

George Strait returns.

[Troy Volhofer]

Oh, yeah. George Straight 2010.

[Nick Minama]

Yeah.

[Troy Volhofer]

And that was one of the. One of the more magical nights. I mean, just to touch on something that's a little off the topic of just. But. But an interaction. George Straight had played the Calgary Stampede the night before, came to our show and asked permission if he could keep his bus there overnight because he wanted to camp out. And he asked permission and it was the first million dollar check I'd ever written. And it was amazing. The show was like unbelievably as good as. I mean, as good as ever could be. You know, all hits, hit, hit after hit after hit.

[Nick Minama]

I just hadn't seen him there.

[Troy Volhofer]

It was magical, right? We've had a lot of magical moments. Moments. I mean the list goes on and on. Taylor Swift and minus 1 degree weather and she's doing the rain gag and it's raining on her for the encore and they're basically turning to ice cubes. I mean it's that cold out. Great memories of all of those amazing monumental moments at Craven. But one day about 2008, I get a phone call and we had been doing the production on the Country Thunder business and they're like, hey, do you want to buy Country Thunder? Not really. That was kind of extent to my, you know, stick in regards to my risk tolerance. They said, well, you know. And anyways, by the end of the conversation, I bought it. Yeah, we inherited two festivals, Wisconsin and Arizona. So now we have three and went really well. We were able to turn the business around in. In the country Thunder brand. We expanded into Alberta. Calgary became an event. Florida became an event. And then for Covid 2019, I was in Camrose, the Big Valley Jamboree BVJ to renew our production contract. And the lady said, can I talk to you about the festival business? I'm like, sure, you know, and so we had a pretty in depth conversation. I thought I was just, you know, giving her some education to it. And a month later she called me up and said, you know, would you like to buy it? And so we bought the BBJ and we maintained that moniker because I think it's iconic in its own right.

[Nick Minama]

That's the one out of the festivals that is not under the brand Country Thunder.

[Troy Volhofer]

That's correct. It was well known.

[Nick Minama]

It's a different market. Edmonton, Alberta is a different market, 100%. So I got a couple of questions for you regarding the festival business. So first thing, what's your favorite part about being in the festival business? Take the markets away. You're booking talent for wherever one of these seven festivals. How much fun is it putting that together? You start with a white sheet of paper with absolutely nothing on it and you build to a fan experience and that takes a whole team. But also to the quarterback of this thing.

[Troy Volhofer]

Well, it's fun and it's frustrating because if you look close at that, if you look close at that original lineup, there's maybe one or two artists that actually made the cut that actually confirmed. So your original vision of what's going to happen not necessarily always comes to fruition.

[Nick Minama]

So you can't be stubborn.

[Troy Volhofer]

But we've been pretty lucky. You know, we always go after the hottest thing that's out there. And in most cases, we get pretty damn close to putting a lineup together with the people. Want.

[Nick Minama]

I want to kind of tie this up with. You got into the business because of your mom and dad. You've got three kids. I know them really well. They're all in facets of show business, the entertainment business. Was it individual? For each one of them you got three kids. Was it individual or did you support in the same way or deter.

[Troy Volhofer]

I never deterred them because I still truly believe this is the greatest business in the world. And it doesn't have to be from a monetary standpoint. It does revolve around economics. There's no doubt about it. I mean, artist fees, I mean, sure it does. But there is something to say that still holds true is when that artist walks on stage and you have a venue full of people and they get on their feet. You know, you're part of a team that just gave 18,000 people a total Buzz and they go home. They get that hour and a half or two hours of performance time to forget all of their problems. And you're part of that.

[Nick Minama]

It's 80 people in a club, 500 people in the theater. It's 2,000 people in theater. It's opening up. It's all of those things down the line. There is a thing with show business that the work, and that's what we started with here today. The work is so important. And you, as my friend and also somebody who I do business with, you've achieved great levels. I've never heard you hear. I've never heard you say the word retire. Never one time. I've never, in all of your accomplishments, heard you say, yep, I'm going to just park it down in the Bahamas. We've talked a lot about your business and the economics of it, but at the end of the day, the work is what really matters in show business. You got to show up, you got to grind, and sometimes you just fail. I was driving over here with Gavin, my son, who of course loves you, and we're talking about it. And in talking about it, it's just like, there is no end to this journey.

[Troy Volhofer]

I agree. And there is something to be said about getting bitten by the bug. I mean, I've watched it a million times where you have somebody come in, a kid come in, and they're like, just got out of college and it's all good until they get bitten and they get bitten and then they're like, way more productive, way more engaged and, and turn out to be lifers in what we do. I mean, my friend Rod Essick, who.

[Nick Minama]

I did this podcast with, 78 years.

[Troy Volhofer]

Old, just signed a new three year deal with CAA.

[Nick Minama]

Yes, he did.

[Troy Volhofer]

And he lives and breathes show business and he's one of the great ones.

[Nick Minama]

I want to do a rapid question thing with you. I've always wanted to do answer with any more than three words. Okay? Okay. How much did you make on your first paycheck in show business?

[Troy Volhofer]

$100.

[Nick Minama]

What was the first song you ever played on guitar?

[Troy Volhofer]

Surrender.

[Nick Minama]

What was the first record that you bought?

[Troy Volhofer]

Kiss Destroyer.

[Nick Minama]

Before the age of 21. Was your favorite concert you've attended?

[Troy Volhofer]

Van Halen.

[Nick Minama]

Where?

[Troy Volhofer]

September 22, 1979, Regina, Saskatchewan. Agardo.

[Nick Minama]

What did they open with?

[Troy Volhofer]

Runner. With the Devil.

[Nick Minama]

What do they close with?

[Troy Volhofer]

You really got me.

[Nick Minama]

What is your favorite day of the week?

[Troy Volhofer]

Every day.

[Nick Minama]

Favorite drink?

[Troy Volhofer]

Wine.

[Nick Minama]

Favorite band?

[Troy Volhofer]

Cheap Trick.

[Nick Minama]

That's it. Well, we're back, Troy, and we're going to do a little fun segment. All right, so you've said on previous podcasts that Madison Square Gardens is one of your favorite places to see a show.

[Troy Volhofer]

Yes.

[Nick Minama]

Just down the road here we have the Ryman Auditorium. Love the Ryman Historic place that people weren't playing. It's the first show you saw at the Ryman Auditorium.

[Troy Volhofer]

Frankie Valley and the Four Seasons.

[Nick Minama]

When was that?

[Troy Volhofer]

Probably the late 90s, just after it was refurbished.

[Nick Minama]

Now, the crazy thing about the Ryman Auditorium is, as many people do, they called it the Grand Ole Opry. They call the Grand Ole Opry House. The Grand Ole Opry is a radio show. You must have been to it over the years. There's a historic side of Nashville and the Opry and the Ryman and the Opry House that opened in 74. What does that mean to you now living here and having all the great success that you've had in Nashville, the tradition of the Ryman, the Opry House, and the Grand Ole Opry?

[Troy Volhofer]

Well, Marty Stewart's a frontline who is a huge historian in regards to country music and a big supporter of the Opry. I think it's a very, very large part of the country music community. My fear is that the younger artists aren't doing their research enough to understand the importance of it. And the money's getting so big on the road and you get paid nothing to play the Opry. Right. It's more of a tip of the hat to to history and to the roots. And I think Marty Stewart needs to open a university of how to be a country music superstar.

[Nick Minama]

Well, it's been my pleasure to sit with you today. Thank you.

[Troy Volhofer]

Thank you, Nick. Appreciate it. Appreciate it, buddy. I just want to thank Nick for doing this interview with me. It's kind of humbling, but fantastic interviewer and I really appreciate the fact that we've been friends for such a long time. It was such an easy share and I hope you enjoyed the interview. That's it for this episode in this season of on the Bus with Troy Walhoffer. We'll be back on the bus at end the a few weeks with even more conversations with your favorite artists in season three. You can head to countrythunder.com to check out our festivals this summit. Thanks so much for watching and listening. Be sure to follow Country Thunder on all our social platforms. At Country Thunder, we have new episodes dropping bi monthly. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast so you know when the new episodes hit the feedback workout. I was about to take a shower.