Hello,
Some other tips, advice or just plain bits of info:
If you are looking for a 9-5 job, this isn't it, look for something else. I can't answer for everyone, but, I've had days that actually lasted over 30 hours. Tiring? yes! Sympathy? Not from this industry. There are no specific "weekends" and Holidays? Forget about it. The majority of our work is weekends & holidays.
Imagine loading a truck in the warehouse, possibly driving that truck to it's destination...which could be hours away, and then, after a 15 minute restroom break, snack, and change of shoes...unloading the truck, pushing the gear up ramps, down hallways, or across fields to start the system setup.
The system setup could take many hours, depending on the conditions and access of the facility or venue. But, wait! You still have to optimize the system and ready the stage for the artist(s)...which could be a half dozen or more. Sound Check time... gotta be quick on your feet and fleet with your hands as the instruments need to be mic'd . Sound check is where many great mixers fail.... because the cannot trouble shoot a problem. You have to KNOW the gear and the theory behind the system, it's processing and interconnects.
Then, it's show time... no failures are allowed. Even if you and the rest of the crew had given 100% and had done a spectacular job... someone's going to criticize you. How you handle this criticism is the determining factor of whether you'll last in this business. Sometimes, you get an undeserved beating, sometimes it's apparent that the Artist is the douche... either way... it smarts.
So, if you are interested in long hours, standing and squatting for what seems like days. Able to lift on "3". Having the unexpected and the down-right idiotic thrown at you...and can still claim to want this as a career... Oh! I forgot about the Money!
The money sometimes makes no sense at all. Sometimes, we are paid copious amounts for what seems like little effort, and other times...we REALLY earn our money. (We should have asked for more)
The business seems to be getting easier on the back and load-ins/outs faster... but, there's always those gigs that make up for the easy days. Show promoters generally do not concern themselves with Tech's comfort. They actually tend to avoid us altogether.
The cool/good things about this industry is that when you make a friend...they ARE a friend! The money gets better with higher profile gigs. And...sometimes, we get to meet some amazing performers. Sometimes, we are part of history...as a first-hand observer!
Good Luck!
Hammer
