Touring Questions

[punktech]

i'm thinking of doing concert tour lighting design and i have a few questions. what is the pay like? what is being on the road like? are there unionization options, or benefits (i read in a semi-old book that this is not the case at all but i am hoping for an update if there is any)? how is the job in general (rough, fun, complicated, exciting, etc.)? what are qualities that are beneficial? what are the educational requirements? where can i gain experience? is it a hard feild to break into? for women in the feild: what is it like for a woman (is there sexism?, or it is a good feild for "theatre-gals"?)? would you reccomend this feild to interested young LDs?

finally: give me any advice that seems pertinent. tell any stories that are entertaining or educational.

Thank You.

[Footer]

First, if you want to be an LD for rock, you either are going to be working some very crappy gigs on tour, or working as house LD for smaller clubs. Those are good places to get your start. Very rarely do the actual LD's go out on the road, and if they do they are usually called "lighting directors". If you want to play the production electrician thing, its a rather easy gig to get into, but takes a lot of work to get up to. I'm a theatre guy, which is a totally different ball game. The best way to break into the rock scene (at least this is a way...) is to get a job in a lighting shop that puts together tours. You have pretty good odds of getting on a tour through that shop. You will be a low level electrian, and if your lucky they might stick you up in a truss chair to run a spot. To build up to lighting director or what not takes a lot of time. A degree will help in this, but its not an end all be all. As far as life on the road is concerned, depends on what you are doing. If you are doing shed tours where you carry everything and have 1 night stands everywhere, life could suck. If you are doing arena tours with 4 or 5 night sit downs, then life is pretty sweet. If you are doing club tours with a console and 6 movers, life could suck. Head over to lightnetwork.com and read some post there if you really want to hear some good perrils of the road. As far as being a women goes, you are what you make of it. I hate to say it, but lighting is a very male ran industry. There are plenty of women out there. If you know your stuff, and do what you need to do, I don't think you will have a problem any more then any other women in any other field.

[mattm]

Your best bet is to find a shop that sends out tours, like Footer said. Keep in mind that you will not be a lighting designer, director, production manager, master electrician the moment you walk in the door. Those are positions that must be earned. I have no theater background except for the 1 year of college that I managed to attend. Now I run a dry hire rental shop and I have a couple of smaller tours out right now.

As far as the road is concerned, it doesn't matter if your a women. Do your job, don't complain, and most importantly don't think you know everything. I have sent many of young kids packing because they were more concerned with they thought that they knew instead of doing their job and doing it right.

Education, for the most part, is an after thought in concert touring. You can learn everything you need to know in the shop or on the road. It's all about how well you do your job and who you know.

Life on the road can be the most lonely thing you could ever imagine. Some people like it, others can get burned out in a year. You won't know until you actually get out on the road.

Matt McCormick
www.cablepick.com

[BillESC]

My company started as a touring lighting and staging outfit in 1973. For the next 15 or so years we were out with everyone from Kool & the Gang to Willie Nelson, from Billy Joel to Hot Tuna.

If you're young and healthy it can be exciting and although there is a huge work load it's even fun.

The advise offered above is excellent, I suggest you follow it.

[len]

IMO, a lot has to do with:

a) the advance work. If the rig is well designed with the venues in mind, it can be ok. I've been out a couple times with a bad rig that was way too large for 50% of the venues. So every show we were basically re-designing. BTW, everything still had to come out of the truck because on a one truck tour lighting usually goes on the back end of the truck, sound in the front.

b) the local crews. If they don't know what they're doing, it can be a pain. I've been given security guards as local crew. You know it's going to be a long day when you have to explain which end of the dmx line is male.

c) general accommodations. Sometimes the catering is nothing better than local carryout. After a couple days of McWendyKing you can get sick really fast. Make sure to eat your veggies and take your vitamins. Also, the bus can be really disgusting, so bring a sleeping bag. And don't count on a shower every day, either. If the bus doesn't have one, and the venue doesn't have them ...

Money is up to you, and it varies widely. One guy I know is on retainer for a band and even when he's NOT working he makes $2K a week. But he's a really good designer/programmer and has been with them for years. Typically, a lighting crew chief can make $1,500 - $2,500 for the tour, again depending on experience, size of the rig, etc.

[Footer]

Originally Posted by len

b) the local crews. If they don't know what they're doing, it can be a pain. I've been given security guards as local crew. You know it's going to be a long day when you have to explain which end of the dmx line is male.
c) general accommodations. Sometimes the catering is nothing better than local carryout. After a couple days of McWendyKing you can get sick really fast. Make sure to eat your veggies and take your vitamins. Also, the bus can be really disgusting, so bring a sleeping bag. And don't count on a shower every day, either. If the bus doesn't have one, and the venue doesn't have them ...

2 things len pointed out are very true. I would also suggest gettting on an overhire list for your nearest IA local. This will give you a good guide on what its like to be on a "good tour" and a "bad tour". It will also let you see how these tours come together in a space.

And as far as catering goes... At every wal-mart stop get granola bars and stuff like that that you can keep in your bunk. Your not always guaranteed a decent meal on a tour. For theatre the odds of getting decent food are a bit better because the talent tends to put more about food in their rider.

This gives a good feeling about what life is like on the road...
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive...1iggypop1.html

[punktech]

i'm really worried about how hard it is to get in to the touring industry. i've heard some people talk about it like it's nothing, and others have said i shouldn't hope to ever be an LD for anything above a C-list band (these people said that all the top bands hire from a select pool of people that aren't willing to take in new up-and-comers to often). what is it? can i dream of one day working for a band whose name makes people swoon?

[Footer]

Originally Posted by punktech

i'm really worried about how hard it is to get in to the touring industry. i've heard some people talk about it like it's nothing, and others have said i shouldn't hope to ever be an LD for anything above a C-list band (these people said that all the top bands hire from a select pool of people that aren't willing to take in new up-and-comers to often). what is it? can i dream of one day working for a band whose name makes people swoon?

You can, but its going to take some time to get there. If you want to be an LD, go get a degree. Its there that you can learn about light really does.

[KaR356i]

Do you want to design or do you want to to be responsible for setting up truss and instruments, and run the board for the show? Do you want to supervise a crew of random people at each venue who may or may not have a clue? That would be something to decide on. And the advice you've been given is very good if you want to get your foot in the door! I am more of a theatre electrician, however I work at a roadhouse and we get many large concerts through the building each year. I also work at a large arena as an electrician for the bigger touring concerts, and often at a local music venue. Last year was the lighting director for a music festival. So I've seen my share of just about every size touring concert gig.

About women in the business...When I was first deciding on making this my career, I had the same questions you do about being a woman in this field. So I observed as much as I could! What I have found is there are many female electricians on touring theatre shows, and I've seen a few on small touring concerts. These girls are consistantly EFFICIENT! They generally do their jobs very well, quickly, and quietly. I've worked with a few loud girls who seemed to feel the need to prove they were worthy, but ended up just doing a sloppy job because they were so busy chatting.

I have NEVER seen a female electrician on a large touring concert, but I'm sure they probably exist somewhere

Basically, just do your job well and don't get cocky You can prove yourself better by simply doing it right than talking about how well you do it

Good luck!

[stantonsound]

It takes a great deal of work and a lot of luck. I am working my butt off to work my way up right now, and have been for the past several years. I started working sound and lighting for my college theatre, then on to community theater. I found a club that had national acts play often and enticed them to let me work there for free. I would set up the stage and get everything ready for the shows, and then learn from the sound and lighting techs during the shows. I am now one of their head techs, requested by the larger acts every time they return.

It took a great deal of work, but I have worked for a few acts that just about anyone in the civilized world would recognize. As far as a permanent job with a touring company, I am still working on it.

It is not glamorous, nor will it make you famous. That is not why I do it. I enjoy being a part of the entertainment and I enjoy the idea that I created (or helped create) this show everyday.

My recommendation, work as much as possible. I have gotten great gigs in random ways. When working a $150 lighting gig at a church for a Christmas show, I got hired to be a lighting designer and tech for the trade show booth of an international company with a budget of $18,000. Best of all, I got to keep anything that was purchased (which is how I got my moving head fixtures and LED's).

As far as education, there are many options. I got my degree in Physics, with a concentration in dynamic systems, which makes me a pretty good rigger, along with a minor in theater. I designed for quite a few shows, and am working in community theater to build my design resume.

In short, work hard, build a good knowledge base, make friends with EVERYONE in the industry (don't kiss butt, no one likes this), and be ready when your big break comes in - it may only present itself once.