Sorry, i must have gone completely the wrong way with my post. It should say that don't expect the local crew to have a complete understanding of everything. I didn't mean to say it in such a way as to expect the local crew to be completely useless.
Sorry about that.
Here is the big thing to remember when it comes to local crews. If your touring through a small
venue and are just getting crew heads, you are getting the people that do the same job you do every day... there is a good chance they have been doing what you do longer and know the industry better then you. Instead of seeing one rig every day for the last 5 years, they have seen hundreds come through. More importantly when your not touring through their
venue they are supporting shows at possibly a higher degree then you are supporting yours.
If your a larger show that needs lets say 10 people to put up, your going to get those same heads plus a few people who get regular work at that
venue. The non-heads should know their way around but might not know everything. They might pull less then 5 calls a month at a given
venue.
Then it comes to the larger shows that go into major venues and arenas that need 50-100 to put up...
Odds are you will get several heads that know their stuff. You will get a few regulars who pull calls at other venues and know their stuff. Then, you will get a friend of a friend who told the BA that they could work because they were breathing and had two arms and two legs. These people are really just straight up box pushers/neck downs. If they are lucky they might get two calls a month. If the union/labor org does not train, then they know what they know by working shows. Turn over is high on these
call lists therefore very little training is done. I have literally worked side by side with a guy who got his start in this industry because the BA picked him up at a half way
house in order to fill a
call.
So, yes, there are local crew people out there that know nothing. There are also colleges that will double fill a
call because they can. You always have to remember where these crews are coming from. Odds are they are not getting much work and training is little to none. Most this is a 3rd job that they do because they like it. They have no desire to make a career of it. They show up at 10am, push a bunch of cases, leave, show back up at 10pm, and push a bunch of cases.
However, each one of these venues have staff that are well trained and do know their stuff. On my first
call list I have about 20 people, all with college degrees in the industry, some with MFAs and 30+ years in the industry. Now, if you ask for 20 people on a Tuesday for an in your going to get some people who might not know everything. However, they are all good workers and can learn. No reason to lump everyone together. No one can maintain a well trained crew of 100 people just to push cases. The guys that know stuff get out of that work quick.