Touring

[AndyJones]

Right.

 

I'm sick of where I am at the moment.sick of my boring life. I want to get out on the road touring!

 

None of my local hire company's do tours. So I'm going to some how get in with a company who I can get out on the road with (if any one needs a lighting guy or rigger pm for a CV). I know its going to take a while but I have LD'd and rigged loads of one off events. I have always wanted to get in with one band/show. I do both lighting and rigging

(Not at the same time!) so I will settle for anything

 

 

But what I want to know from you guys. What tips do you have?! just general travel and living tips?

 

cheers

 

Andy Jones

[Guest lightnix]

From my own, somewhat modest experience of touring with bands, I would say...

 

Preparation...

• ... is everything ;)
  
• Prebuild as much as possible in the warehouse: make up and label tripes, pre-colour 6 lamp bars, set DMX addresses.
  
• LABEL EVERYTHING! Use colour codes to identify cables runs to different trusses, etc., Label cases with their on-site destination e.g. SR, SL, FOH, Dimmer City, etc.
  
• Try to build and test the whole system in the warehouse, if possible.
  
• When triping multis and other cables for a truss system, it's usual to have a "break point" at the end of the truss. This allows the tripes from the racks to be brought onto the stage only when needed and to be cleared away as soon as the truss is down. Tripes are generally coiled directly into and out of their cases on site.
  

On The Bus...

• Sleep with your feet to the front (in case the driver has to suddenly brake hard)
  
• Sleep on the same side as the driver.
  
• Try to get a top bunk.
  
• Bunks next to the stairs are the noisest, but offer the quickest escape in emergencies (I'm a heavy sleeper, so I usually bag the top bunk, by the stairs)
  
• DO NOT do anything other than wee in the toilet - the driver already has enough work to do. If you need to do anything else, ask the driver to stop and he will do his best to do so ASAP, but only if there is time (if the gig came down late and you're rushing for a ferry he may not be able to stop and you'll just have to hang on).
  
• Offer the driver tea / coffee at regular intervals or every time you are making one for yourselves. Always ask if there's anything else he'd like.
  
• Remember: there is always someone asleep on the bus somewhere. Keep conversation and stereo levels to a reasonable level.
  
• The bus is not a taxi for your friends and family, neither is it an unofficial VIP lounge or a childrens' playroom. Please check in advance with your colleagues that it's OK to bring visitors on board.
  
• It is your responsibility to be at the pick up point at the correct time. Do not expect the bus to wait for you if you are late. If you are late and the bus has left then that is your problem and yours alone, to be solved entirely at your expense.
  

Health, Personal Welfare & Hygiene

• Shower after every gig - we don't want your sweaty armpits wafting by our faces on the bus, thank you.
  
• Eat sensibly. Rock 'n' Roll caterers daily produce some of the most delicious and nutritious fare known to man (often out of thin air) and a tour offers the perfect opportunity to get into a balanced diet and some healthy eating.
  
• Get enough sleep. It may not be possible to sleep a whole 8 hours at once, but it is often possible to get enough sleep over the day. Most shows are ready for soundcheck at around 2pm, with doors maybe five hours later. If your system is humming sweetly and all your spares are working, there is no reason why you shouldn't crash out down by the racks, or on the bus; just let the LD / op / crew know where you are. If there's more than one of you on the crew, then maybe organise a shift system.
  

On Site...

• Your gig is your responsibility and your No.1 priority, but bear in mind that getting it done quickly and efficiently will require you to work around the other disciplines.
  
• When using local crew, try to act like a leader and not a boss; this is especially true in Latin countries.
  
• Local crew are there to take the physical weight of the gig off your hands, however they are not your slaves. Do your best to ensure that they get a chance to pause for a breather every now and then.
  
• 
  
• DO NOT go jumping into your crew swag the very moment you are handed it, saying things like, "Oh yeh, wow, this is great, now I look / feel like a real roadie", it's very uncool. A polite, "Thank you. I'll save that for later, when I'm less filthy", or something like that, will do.
  

Elsewhere...

• DO NOT openly display your crew pass / lanyard outside the venue.
  
• Carry your ID / passport at all times.
  
• The ability to play backgammon is a very valuable social skill.
  

Getting paid...

• Some productions expect the crew to do the rehearsals for free (I'm not sure how common this is now).
  
• Some productions will expect to pay a half day for travel / off days (again, I'm not sure if this is the norm).
  
• Some productions still pay per diems, but most don't.
  
• Having agreed your fee (usually based on a weekly rate), issue the invoice for the total in advance specifying the amount of the installments to be paid and the dates on which to pay them (usually fortnightly).
  

And finally...

• People will take the p*ss out of you for being young / new. British crews can be the worst for this sometimes.
  
• If someone comes up to you and says, "There's a 'phone call for you in the production office", it usually means you are about to get the sack :(
  

There's probably loads more, if I think of them I'll add them sometime ;)

[Dmills]

Lots of pairs of socks are good...

 

Ear plugs can be a real win, get good ones, the custom molds are really worth the money.

 

Carry some emerency cash in a secure (hidden) location at all times.

 

Don't forget the E111 form (this has recently changed, you need the new one) for health care in Europe.

 

Drugs (recreational) are a big NO, yes some bands do them, so what, touring is stressful enough without coke thrown into the mix.

 

If you tour into the states, be aware of the local union scene, some places have very different expectations of what is allowable for tour crew to do then is common over here.

 

Finally, Have fun & stay safe.

[jude]

Sleep on the same side as the driver.

 

Why?

 

sorry if this is pointless...

I'm curious

mods, feel free to delete if you need to.

[gareth]

Sleep on the same side as the driver.

Why?

Not sure, but my guess would be that in an 'incident' of any sort the instincts of the driver are going to be those of self-preservation - i.e. to get him/herself as far away from any oncoming impact as possible. Therefore getting yourself onto the same side of the bus as the driver would perhaps give you that extra little chance of coming out of it unscathed ...

 

Could be wrong, though!!

[Guest lightnix]

No, that's quite right. The theory is that if faced with a head-on collision situation, the driver's first instinct will be to get himself out of the way. This is not a slander against bus drivers, self-preservation is the No. 1 human instinct.

[gareth]

No, that's quite right. The theory is that if faced with a head-on collision situation, the driver's first instinct will be to get himself out of the way. This is not a slander against bus drivers, self-preservation is the No. 1 human instinct.

That's pretty much what I meant - I guess I didn't explain it too well! i.e. impending head-on collision scenario - driver's instinct will be to swing to the right to put his side of the vehicle away from the collision - therefore self-preservation through getting themselves as far away from the point of collision as possible. Well, I know what I meant even if no-one else does! ;)

[mac.calder]

To add to the "Get Enough Sleep" point - if you cannot find the time to take a proper sleep, and you are bushed, try to at least have a power nap (15 minutes). That little bit of extra awareness may mean the difference between a healthy crew and greivous bodily harm.

 

Also, learn to sleep whilst in a moving vehicle - some people just can't do it.

 

Jocks and Socks. 1 day a pair is fine. 2 is not.

 

And if you snore, either find a way to prevent/control it, or face the lynch-mob (a lot of people naturally lie on their sides whilst they sleep, however when on their back, they snore. The design of sleeping bags is such that lying on your side is often 'unnatural' and uncomfortable, which can result in 'non snorers' becoming snorers. You may wish to look into that if it is a problem.)

[Guest lightnix]

Drugs (recreational) are a big NO, yes some bands do them, so what, touring is stressful enough without coke thrown into the mix...

It isn't just the bands and it isn't just coke, but well pointed out :(

 

The following advice is not an endorsement of drug taking, just something that is possibly valid in the context of this thread...

 

If you are one of those people who cannot get through the working day / week without some kind of "chemical assistance" then maybe you should go and see a doc and you haven't had a chance to sit down and talk about it with someone just yet, then at least do your colleagues a very big favour by carrying it about your person.

 

DO NOT CARRY IT IN YOUR LUGGAGE

 

The reason for this is: If a Crew Bus gets pulled over by the local Police (as they sometimes do) and searched (as they sometimes are) and "certain things" are found (as occasionally happens), if those things are found about your person, then they have only been found on you and (hopefully) only you will be strip / cavity searched. Meanwhile the bus and crew can (hopefully) continue on its merry way and you can get a taxi 300km to the next venue (that'll teach you). If those things are found in your luggage, then they have been found On The Bus and in that case it is the entire bus, along with it's occupants and their personal belongings, which will be slowly dismantled. Expect a "Telephone Call In The Production Office" the following day.

 

Controversial? Maybe, but in the end it's all a part of taking responsibility for your own actions IMO and, as the saying goes: "If You Can't Do The Time, Don't Do The Crime".

 

Similarly...

 

DO NOT ask the Truck Driver (that's the one driving your equipment) whether "it's OK to" or "if he minds if you" chuck a 5tun gun, Ç$ gas / p3pp3r 5pr4y, b4li50ng, nunch4k4s, bit of p0rnogr4phy or whatever in your spares rack for the run Back Home. As far as the Truck Driver is concerned, all that is in the back of his (that's his, not your) truck is your equipment and nothing else.

 

However, if you really think it's worth running the gauntlet of Customs and risking the whole production schedule (not to mention you entire career) in doing so, for the sake of a few bucks worth of dodgy tat, that you'll probably never use anyway and get into terrible trouble if you do... then please DO make sure you clearly label said items with your full name, contact details and a note accepting sole responsibility, guilty of whatever charges, etc., etc...

 

That way (hopefully), nobody else will have too much of their valuable time wasted on account of your foolishness. Expect a "Telephone Call In The Production Office" the following day.

 

I'll sign this post off with a true story of drugs in the entertainment world... ;)

 

 

On the way back from a very large gig in Hannover, I bumped into a friend who (unknown to me) had been working on the same event at the other end of the Messe. We were on the same filght home and started swapping recent stories. I was doing a lot of work in Germany at the time and he asked me if I had encountered a certain sound engineer (I hadn't). He told me how this guy (we'll call him "Fritz") had been a right pain and the source of much stress on the fit-up and how everybody had breathed a huge sigh of relief, when he had had to depart for the US, in order to fulfil a prior booking. Apparently Fritz had built up a few well-paying American clients over the years and did about a third of his work out there.

 

A few days later, the story started circulating, "Hey, did you hear about Fritz...?"

 

Fritz had been pulled over and searched when entering the States. Somewhere about his person / belongings was found 0.3g of h45h15h - maybe about enough for 1-2 jo1nt5. He got...

• A US$5000 on-the-spot fine.
  
• Put on the next available flight back to the Fatherland.
  
• Banned from re-entering the USA for the next five years.
  

So... that was one third of his work instantly gone and his reputation at home severely damaged.

 

And for what? ;)

[Baldrick]

Slightly off topic, but still an amusing read....

 

 

http://www.hackwriters.com/RockNRoll1.htm

 

 

B.