Way back in my starving student days, summer didn’t mean three months of beach parties, but pouring on any additional work I could muster to self-finance my education. As an IATSE Journeyman, I could snag projectionist work, either running theatrical films or events ranging from closed-circuit, big-screen TV sports (mostly boxing matches) or corporate/convention gigs, for clients ranging from Mary Kay cosmetics to traveling spectacles designed to persuade car dealers to order more new Lincoln Continental models in the fall. And there was plenty of drive-in theater work, in case I wanted to do the 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. shift. There was also an additional hour’s pay each day to walk around the field with a cart full of parts to fix the clip-on 4-inch door speakers that customers liked to abuse in every conceivable manner.
In between those came an unending stream of audio-only assignments — running sound for athletic games, school graduations, street fairs, shopping center openings and even a period of doing reinforcement for Black Panther Party rallies in Oakland. Hey, they were cool, paid on time and, although I could never be a “brother,” they always referred to me as “cousin.” Ah… the excitement (meaning uncertainty) of the freelance life.
Summer — Grab It While You Can
The bottom line? For anyone in the audio industry, summer means WORK. So when the work is there, you grab what you can and prepare for the days ahead when the sheds, amphitheaters, state fairs, rodeos, art/wine festivals, theme parks, festivals and mega tours start cutting back.
With this busy season in mind, we decided to do a summer-themed issue, starting with the hugely successful Twenty One Pilots world tour, which we caught up with at the (outdoor) Greek Theater on the U.C. Berkeley campus. From a fan perspective, it’s a great place to see a show, but like so many other such venues (Red Rocks, Hollywood Bowl, etc.), serious SPL limitations are in force — something that arena shows rarely deal with. Check out the solution on page 22.
The Amazing Disappearing Console
Summer also means an unending string of festival gigs. I may shock many of you with this revelation, but equipment riders are sometimes ignored or, in some cases, impossible to accommodate. This often occurs on the festival circuit, particularly with the smaller events, but sometimes even on the large scale shows. In fact, any time a half dozen to a dozen acts are on a single day’s slate, chances are that changeover times may be very tight, sound checks non-existent and the console you are expecting at FOH may be there — or perhaps not.
Our own Steve La Cerra — no stranger to such occurrences, as the tour manager and front of house mixer for Blue Öyster Cult — examines this very situation on page 33. In this column, he offers advice for dealing with a console you are unfamiliar with, especially when presented with the situation minutes before showtime, as well as the sound check that didn’t materialize, either. It’s good reading, not only during this busy summer festival season, but all year long, for anyone who doesn’t carry production.
Word to the Wise
In recent months, we’ve presented a number of must-read articles in our “Safety Factor” series presented by the Event Safety Alliance (eventsafetyalliance.org). Past entries included dealing with severe weather conditions and active shooter situations. This month, the topic turns to event lightning safety, which — given that July and August exhibit the highest incidences of lightning strikes in North America — is an important read for all event professionals — audio, lighting, projection, rigging and management alike. Although these conditions are more prevalent in the Southern and Midwest states, lightning is unpredictable and can occur anywhere — even in the absence of rain.
Meanwhile, structures such as rigging, tents, awnings, scaffolds, light/speaker poles, stages and miles of cabling — can all serve as deadly conduits for electrocution. The danger to crew, performers, vendors and spectators is very real, and advance planning in terms of having a chain of command responsible for cancelling/postponing an event and evacuating the venue before danger strikes is paramount. Check out the article on page 27.
Parnelli Nominations Under Way!
August also marks the month to nominate deserving candidates — whether they be individuals, companies or products — for a Parnelli Award. You can nominate new technologies (IT Awards) as well as your picks for Sound Company of the Year, FOH Mixer of the Year, Monitor Mixer of the Year and Audio System Tech of the Year. Just follow the link at www.parnelliawards.com. There are also awards for companies involved in Lighting, Staging, Set Construction, Video, Rigging, Pyro, Trucking and Freight Forwarding and more. Voting begins next month. See you at the 2016 Parnelli Awards!
For FOH editor George Petersen’s introduction to the August 2016 issue, CLICK HERE
