No stagehand job was ever too big for Servio Thomas Perri. Affectionately known by many as “Sy,” Perri at 19 had forged a career that would take many in the industry potentially decades to develop. Having grown up in tandem with his parents’ events production company, he quickly — and seemingly innately — gravitated toward the family trade.
According to parents Tari and John Perri, Sy was so serious about his career that he even opted to graduate early from Foothill High School in Henderson in 2023 and became the youngest card-carrying member of the Stagehands Local 720. A natural-born athlete with a humble attitude, Sy could handle difficult stagehand maneuvers others simply couldn’t, paving the way to what could have been a long and prosperous career, John Perri said.
And whether it was a show at the Sphere, a concert at Allegiant Stadium, or anything in between, you could always count on Sy to get the job done.
“I’m not saying this because he’s my son, but he was literally one of the best,” said Sy’s father, who is also a rigging instructor with Local 720. “He never thought he knew everything, and always had open ears. … he was always happy to be working.”
But Sy Perri’s budding life and career were cut short late last month when he was killed in a crash along Interstate 11 near Boulder City. Preliminary reports from state police indicate his motorcycle collided with a semitractor-trailer just before 12:45 p.m. April 29, on northbound I-11 near Railroad Pass Casino Road.
Further details have not yet been released and the matter remains under investigation, a spokesperson told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Monday. Sy’s death was ruled an accident by the Clark County coroner’s office.
Sy is survived by parents Tari and John, sisters Sophia and Gianna and longtime girlfriend Leyla Marcella. A private funeral service will be held for Sy the morning of May 13, followed by an open house. Those who knew Sy are encouraged to attend the open house, Tari Perri said.
“We’re just crushed,” she told the Review-Journal in a phone interview with other relatives Monday. ‘Incredibly successful in the industry’ Not even a year removed from graduating high school, Sy had already established himself as an accomplished stagehand and rigger, John Perri said.
By the time Sy was 4, John and Tari Perri would bring him along for gigs at her stage light and production startup, Right Brain Entertainment. A “naturally curious” boy, it became clear early on that Sy would eventually gravitate toward the family trade, even when juggling things such as schoolwork or his rigorous youth travel baseball schedule, Tari Perri said.
“My husband had him out rigging and climbing basically ever since he could walk,” Tari Perri said. “At 19, you’d think that he would just be on the road to starting his life, but he already established himself. But he was constantly working to be better.”
As Sy grew older, so did his convictions to work in stagehand production. Even though Sy spent much of his time working for the family company, he also worked under other production companies in town to experience different roles in an effort to become more well-rounded.
“He had great career opportunities,” Phil Jaynes, Stagehands Local 720 president, said of Sy. “It’s just very sad.”
Sy received his rigging certification at 17 and soon after became certified in rope access — becoming one of the youngest in the history of Local 720 to earn the designations, Jaynes said. Sy’s portfolio included production work for country superstar Morgen Wallen’s 2024 Allegiant Stadium stop, numerous shows for residencies at the Sphere, and he was even personally requested by operators of the Electric Daisy Carnival music festival to work the popular multiday event, John Perri added.
“He was incredibly successful in the industry, because even though he was so young he still had six years of experience with his family, on the road, and I used to have to make him turn down calls for jobs elsewhere because I needed him,” John Perri said. “He pushed himself to the limit, and he enjoyed his work.” Riding in Sy’s honor Those who knew Sy said that one of the few hobbies he enjoyed when he wasn’t working was riding something — anything — that had wheels.
From his bike, to his dad’s beat-up Ford pickup truck, Sy would want to drive it if it had wheels. Which is why friends and family are organizing a so-called “flag run” scheduled for May 17, in which as many cars, trucks, motorcycles and everything in between will don a flag in Sy’s honor while cruising up and down the Strip. A GoFundMe online fundraiser is seeking to cover funeral expenses and as of Monday had raised nearly $4,000 of its $10,000 goal.
Those interested in participating are being asked to meet at 7400 Las Vegas Blvd. South at 6:15 p.m. If you don’t have a flag to adorn your vehicle, come anyway, the family said. And although friends and family are devastated, they believe Sy lived his life exactly the way he wanted.
“He lived every day like it was his last,” Sy’s sister Sophia Perri said. “He would have had no regrets if he was standing there right now.” Even days after the crash that took Sy’s life, friends, colleagues and even strangers have reached out to Sy’s closest loved ones to extend their condolences.
“I’ve learned so much more about him and other peoples’ relationships with him, and that he was such a good friend,” Marcella said.
Above all else, Tari Perri said she hopes her son’s death can result in changes to Nevada traffic laws, such as making it more difficult for younger, less-experienced riders to obtain bikes that require a higher level of expertise to ride. Or at the very least, she’d like to educate more young riders of the dangers of the road.
Sy’s death was one of at least 10 motorcyclist fatalities recorded across Nevada in April. Motorcyclist deaths are up this year compared with the number of deaths in 2024, which was one of the deadliest years on record, according to state officials.
“I just want to help prevent as much as we can so we can help these kids and make sure they are protected,” Tari Perri said. Contact Casey Harrison at charrison@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Casey_Harrison1 on X or @casey-harrison.bsky.social on Bluesky.
