TOUR MANAGERS

What is a tour manager?

When the booking agent and promoter have done their bit the tour manager enters the picture. Only established, better-known bands/artists have the luxury of one of these. A tour manager is a bit like a teacher on a school trip, only instead of a class of rowdy nine-year-olds they’re dealing with musicians – who can be every bit as rowdy. They are hired by either an artist’s manager (see Chapter 6) or a record company as soon as the decision is taken to go on tour.

What does a tour manager do?

A lot. A tour manager ushers and mothers artists from venue to venue, from town to town, or from country to country and makes sure everything that needs to be in place for a gig is in place – i.e. booking crews of roadies (see below); organising transport, work permits if necessary and hotels; and being on hand 24 hours a day during a tour. They are given a budget, out of which must come the wages of everyone hired for the tour plus hotels, flights, trucks for the gear, food and drink. They write up the itinerary and distribute it to everyone who’ll need it. They’ll sort out everyone’s per diems (i.e. daily pocket money), obtain foreign currency, deal with homesickness and inter-band squabbling, liaise with promoters and report back to the artists’ manager with accounts at the end of the tour. They also liaise with the record company and ensure their charges fulfil any promotional duties such as radio interviews in the town where they’re playing. Oh, and – readers of a delicate nature should away now – they fend off or usher in groupies. (Groupies aren’t covered in this book. Read I’m With The Band by Pamela Des Barres instead.)

Getting in the door

You’ll need to be a tough cookie with an authoritative approach and the ability to motivate. Many of the same skills associating with teaching or working with children, come to think of it.

You’ll also need to be happy with the prospect of spending most of your time away from loved ones and calling a bunk in a malodorous tour bus ‘home’. Most tour managers are ex-roadies (see below) or managers (see Chapter 6). If you have experience of this sort contact record companies and managers.

See also Chapter 2, Getting a Job.

ROADIES

What is a roadie?

Know what a ‘C’ wrench is? Like the look of those snazzy t-shirts with ‘CREW’ emblazoned across the back? Roadie is the affectionate name for road crew or backline technicians. They are basically techies providing services for touring bands/artists, ranging from truck drivers to piano tuners.

They may be hired for tours or one-off gigs by artists’ managers (see Chapter 6) or tour managers (see above). Alternatively, in the town of the gig, local roadies may be to help out by the promoter (see above) as local crew.

(NB: Roadies are not to be confused with groupies.)

What do roadies do?

The rather outdated stereotypical view of a roadie is of a surly, monosyllabic, overweight, mullet-sporting hod-carrier straight out of the film Spinal Tap. In fact they are highly skilled technical experts without whom the show simply would not go on. Nowadays roadies tend to be specialists in one discipline or another.

They assist from the rehearsal stage onwards, up to and beyond the final gig of the tour. Some work on the sound, others the lighting, others the stage design, or instruments or rigging (the wires everything hangs from at large concerts), security or transportation (a.k.a. van drivers and bus drivers). On larger shows there can also be costume, make-up, catering and more. On full-blown live music extravaganzas (e.g. Robbie Williams at Kneb-worth) there will be video technicians, plus pyrotechnics and laser experts. Accordingly, the work can range from an evening’s lugging amps around a small venue for a one-off gig, to years on the road, setting stages up for gigs as early as 8 am.

What you need to know

Most roadies are self-employed, which means there’s not much job security and incomes fluctuate. Many lifelong roadies with decent incomes still find it hard to get mortgages and other forms of credit. However, in 2003 star Billy Bragg and the band Coldplay launched a trade union for roadies: the Roadcrew Provident Syndicate is a branch of the GMB, one of the country’s biggest trade unions.

Getting in the door

Many roadies are keen musicians themselves, but chose not to follow the performance route, either because they realised they didn’t have what it takes or never found the right band members to make up a hit band with. They do, however, have excellent musical knowledge and technical skills. Being a roadie allows them to perform and be a player, but in a different way. Others got into the field because they once helped out a friend in a band and it grew into a hobby that grew into a career.

The basic requirements are that, because of licensing laws, you will need to be at least 18 years old, and due to the long hours and tough, physical work you’ll also need to be fit and strong. It helps enormously if you are a people person - no one wants to spend weeks or months or even years on the road with someone they can’t stand. And anybody not punctual, sober and fully committed to the job won’t last long. A clean driving licence is also a huge advantage.

It’s much harder nowadays to get taken on as a roadie with no experience. So grab relevant experience wherever you can:

• At school or college, join the stage crew of the drama club. Working backstage, working a spotlight, keeping mic from feeding back, sweeping floors, winding cables and getting shows ready are all ways of determining if a roadie’s life is for you, and a great learning experience and place to make contacts.

• Failing that, volunteer to help with ALL kinds of live events round your way. Yes, that means your little brother’s school play, the village panto, fashion shows, anything. Or try to get some work experience at a theatre or large concert hall or an events management company.
• Talk to roadies at gigs (pick your moment, i.e. not when the singer’s mic has just snapped).

This will make you a much more reliable proposition when you then:

• Meet local bands at school, college, bars, clubs, festivals, etc. and offer to help them out for nothing -this is where most roadies get into the business. Who knows . . . maybe that nu-metal band you just helped carry all their gear out of their mum’s Freelander will remember you when they sign to BMG and go stellar. Or perhaps they’ll just tell someone else you’re pretty handy, who’ll tell someone else who’ll give you a proper paid job one night.
• Ask your local venue if they need any help on the crew front. With a bit of luck you’ll end up doing bits and pieces of lifting and carrying for them and they’ll hire you as ‘local crew’ next time a band swings into town.
• Consider a college theatre course in stage lighting, sound production or stage management. Lists of these available from the BPI and the Production Services Association (PSA). Find your area of interest (sound, lights, etc.) and concentrate on it.

• Read the NMEs‘musician wanted’ ads. Sometimes bands will advertise for crew.