It's just a few hours before Mick Jagger and company take the stage in Los Angeles, and Rolling Stones problem-fixer Dale Skjerseth is as relaxed as Jimmy Buffett.
"Today I just have to check a few things," said the Stones' longtime production manager, who got his start in the Twin Cities with such performers as Daisy Dillman and Mojo Buford. "We got here at about 9 this morning. You keep your eye on the weather."
No need to worry about the weather at U.S. Bank Stadium. But as the Stones travel the globe, it's Skjerseth's responsibility to see that things run smoothly — like all 23 semitrucks worth of equipment. Stuff happens: A glitch in an electronic keyboard, an inoperative digital panel on the massive video wall, gear getting delayed on a shipping vessel, you name it.
He said Jagger, Keith Richards and others will come to him with questions, but he seldom approaches them with issues.
"You never bring the problem to them unless you have a solution," he said. "With a lot of the bands I work with, they don't need to know. I talk to the accountants, and they know how much we are spending. Problem solved."
Skjerseth — nicknamed Opie because his red hair resembled Ron Howard's character on "The Andy Griffith Show" — relies on common sense, politeness and a can-do attitude.
"Opie is very level-headed," said Minneapolis promoter Gene Hollister, who worked with Skjerseth on Ozzfests.
For Hugo-reared Skjerseth, 59, it's been on-the-job training since he hung out at a White Bear Lake instrument shop in high school, learning to tune guitars. "I couldn't play an instrument so I saw [being a roadie] as a way to get into the business."
