On a gig, if one of the audio components should fail and thereby cause a loss of sound, the audience doesn't care which part of the system is to blame for the problem – they only know that there is something wrong and it needs to be fixed. As the engineer or system tech, you are the one responsible for finding out if it is a bad cable, amplifier or speaker at the root of the failure and repairing the problem.
Possibly it's a problem that is not even your fault – it could be that a drink has been spilled on the console, the rented generator has died or a patron got too close to the gear and ripped out a cable as they drunkenly stumbled to the bathroom. Regardless of the reason for the equipment breakdown, there is usually no time to explain to anyone the why or how of the crisis, or discuss who should accept the blame. A solution needs to be found and the situation needs to be remedied before a riot ensues and the paying customers start demanding their money back.
No Do-Overs
We, in the live production market, don't have the luxury of a second take or a do-over. What you hear is what you get! Therefore, as a technician, the production preparation is usually more important than the show, but even with the best preparation, there can be failures, missed cues or a lapse in judgment.
Many times, due to lack of information or just plain negligence, we are not even informed as to what might be needed during any given event, such as when the production manager runs up to the front of house engineer, screaming "Beyoncé is singing the next tune and she doesn't have a microphone!" Or, "Eric Clapton wants to sit in with the band, now!"
At that instant, our position is not one of assigning blame or telling the client the burden they are placing upon us due to their last minute request. At that moment, our job is to make it happen. Nobody wants to hear excuses, and while we may be swearing under our breath, no one wants to receive a negative reaction to their musical emergency.
What You're Really Paid to Do
We are in a service business, and while touring acts and concert venues have a well refined idea of our needs and desires, it is unfortunately not the fate of every sound company to just be able to do shows with industry insiders. Many times we find ourselves at the whim of a client who is completely unaware of what we do and what it takes to do our job. They are not necessarily "idiots," they are merely unaware of the requirements and protocol of the live audio business. Even if they may be event planners who hire sound and lights many times a year, they can still only understand the outcome of production and not what it takes to achieve the ensuing result. If it sounds good or the lights work, then it is a job well done, but more importantly, if they had an easy time working with the engineers and production managers, then the company is great, because these "Producers" are depending upon us to be calm, even when their little worlds are falling apart.
A Soothing Mantra
Over the years, I have developed a few mantras to keep me calm when frantic people start losing their composure and directing their tension towards me. One mantra is: "The show will go on, the audience will be happy, everyone will go home and no one will die."
I'm sure that there have been and will be some exceptions to this rule, but while it may sound a bit extreme, please be aware that there are jobs that have a higher risk of this mantra being false. These professions include surgeons, soldiers, bomb experts and test pilots, to name a few. Remember that when drama queens come running toward you with arms flailing and terror in their eyes, they want to encounter the voice of reason such as the Dalai Lama or Buddha. What they do not need is a Scotty, the chief engineer from Star Trek, who tells Captain Kirk, "I canna hold her, Captain, she's going to blow!" These kinds of theatrics might work well to create a tension and move along a story line, but in our section of the universe, it might be better to say "Yes. Thank you."
Even if the solution to the problem at hand is not evident, "Yes" should be the first response. The client doesn't want to hear how you will solve the problem or why it is not your fault that there is a problem at all. What they want to know is if you have a solution. "Yes!" The "thank you" is because in today's economic climate we should all be thankful that we have work, therefore "Yes" and "Thank you" is all the conversation a client needs from their vendor.
Hold That Thought
During New York Fashion Week, I was in charge of overseeing the production in the new S.I.R. event space. We had four separate clients in a week's time, and the equipment was being shared between the four clients. The hours were long, and we had to do many hours of light refocusing as well as set build, strike and rebuild. On a typical day, I had more than one lighting company working at the same time. That made for a bit of tension, but as I said before, "The show will go on, the audience will be happy, everyone will go home and no one will die." As it is, due to the extensive hours and the nature of the fashion temperament, there were times I was ready to adopt the much more satisfying mantra of "Eat shit and die," but I held my tongue, and I must say, it served me well to fall back on "Yes" an "Thank you."
After a long day and an overnight turnaround, we were all pretty much at the end of our collective rope when 15 minutes before showtime I was informed that we needed light behind the stage where the models would need to enter, exit and walk through. Of course, I said, "Yes," and then ran to get my lighting director. After a bit of deliberation, he pulled two LED lights, and we put them in the entrance and exit of the backstage crossover. Shortly after we completed that job, a frantic designer came to me and said that the light was casting shadows and that the models needed better light because they were not just walking behind the stage, but getting dressed there as well.
A Minor Inconvenience
I must admit that while this was of dire importance to the client, it was only a minor inconvenience to us. We ran some extension cable and hung about six clip-on lights across the backstage area that gave the models plenty of light by which to do their quick changes between their catwalk sashays.
Easy, breezy, job is done, and the client is a happy puppy because I said, "Yes" and we made it happen.
The client also asked me to stay backstage for the show just in case there might be any problems, and again, I said, "Yes." By the way, for all of those who may not have ever worked a fashion show, let me tell you that backstage models do not exhibit much modesty, nor do they have the time to be bashful. My "Thank you" took on a whole different meaning.
