Poem: Dante Lucked Out
A poem by David Lehman
When I worked for Warner Bros. Records, I spent a good deal of my time trying to calibrate, coordinate and prognosticate the exact moment the headlining artist would take the stage. This involved calls to the manager, the road manager, the box office, the artist and spiritual mediums. In four years there, I never once saw an opening act.
It was a postcard-perfect Pasadena day on the beautiful grounds of the Huntington Library when Ronald E. Steen led 16 women on a descent into Hell.