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Have you always dreamed of going on tour with your favorite band? Would you like to be involved in helping to set the stage, tune the instruments, or offer backstage passes to the really hot girls? Well, if you’re prepared to work your ass off, be away from family and friends for months at a time, and forget the name of the city that you are currently in, then being a roadie might be the right profession for you.
What does being a roadie mean? Does it mean that you lug around heavy stage equipment, hit on hot groupies, and then breakdown the stage and load it into the truck once the band is done? Well, that’s one particular section of roadies. There are other road hands that handle everything from lighting, to sound, to managing the entire stage and where the band will stand during their performance. Being a roadie is definitely not your typical 9 to 5 job, which is what makes it so appealing for many people.
The first thing that has to be made clear is that the life of a roadie is not a glamorous one. Karl Kuenning clearly communicates this in his book Roadie – A True Story (At Least The Parts I Remember), a great read for those wanting to get into the technical side of the business. Kuenning tells it like it is from his personal experience and the book is an eye opener about the true roadie experience.
If you are really serious about pursuing this life for a living, there are some great sites you can visit to find work. Roadie Jobs (http://www.roadiejobs.com/) is one such site. Other job sites (like Career Builder, Indeed, and Simply Hired) have roadie jobs listed, but you have to be a little more specific. When you search, you will need to type in guitar tech, or stage manager. Typing in roadie may not yield many results.
Not every assignment is going to be a glorious one, and that is something to keep in mind. You may want to work for Kiss, Buckcherry, or The Rolling Stones, but the only available gig may be for Justin Bieber. What do you do then? If you have thrust yourself into the position of a full time road hand, then you need to take the job, even if you can’t stand Justin Bieber. In other words, you need to put your personal biases aside at times and take the gig.
Pressure is another big aspect of the job. Roadies are always up against the clock. The show must go on, and in most instances, the show must go on time. As a roadie, you will be given specific tasks that need to be completed in a timely manner. If you are not well organized and able to multitask, this may not be the best profession for you.
Exceptional communication skills and teamwork are also required to make it in this business. There are several people that a roadie has to interact with on a daily basis in order to put the show together. One wrong communication could cost the entire team a lot of time and in the concert industry, time is the most valuable commodity.
At the risk of sounding age-biased, this profession is not for older people. The constant life on the road, heavy lifting, awkward sleeping schedule, and time away from the family may be a huge factor for them. This is a business that it’s best to break into when you are young. The pressure and crazy lifestyle can wear a person down very quickly.
Yes, but how do I break in? How do I actually get a gig as a roadie? Well, like any other job, experience matters. Concerts are a business just like anything else and businesses are always looking for experience first. And how can you gain valuable experience without having a roadie job? Volunteering is the most effective way. Check your local community theater to see if they need any help. You may start off by sweeping floors, but it’s a great way to break into the industry. Once you learn the ropes, you can move up from there. Starting out is not glamorous, but it’s a way to gain experience.
If there is a local band in the area, ask to go on the road with them. In most cases, it will be pro bono, or for very minimum wages, but again, experience is being gained. Local acts are barely making money to pay the band members and most bands don’t have roadies because they can’t afford to pay them. If you approach a local band and agree to help for nothing, the likelihood of them saying no is slim to none. After a year of helping out locally, you will most likely have enough experience to begin your search for a paid gig.
Roadies Have A Union? It appears that everyone these days has a union, and that includes the roadies. IATSE The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, is the union for all stage hands, which boiled down to its basic elements, is exactly what a roadie is. You don’t need to be a member of the union to get a gig in the industry, but as with most things union related, membership does have its rewards. You can visit the IATSE website to learn more about becoming a member. (http://www.iatse-intl.org/home.html).
Like anything else in life, it’s important to remember that you will only get as far as you take yourself. Yes, sometimes you need the right contacts and you need to talk to the right people, but remember, these people are not seeking you out. You need to seek them out. With the right amount of dedication, passion, and desire, becoming a road hand could be in your future. If you’re serious about choosing this career, then search for employment relentlessly. Tell everyone you know, check the internet ads, and volunteer to help the locals. The more you get your name out there, the more people will know you, and perhaps one day you will land the ultimate gig with Kiss. Stranger things have happened.
Comments are open, feel free to post some.
What does being a roadie mean? Does it mean that you lug around heavy stage equipment, hit on hot groupies, and then breakdown the stage and load it into the truck once the band is done? Well, that’s one particular section of roadies. There are other road hands that handle everything from lighting, to sound, to managing the entire stage and where the band will stand during their performance. Being a roadie is definitely not your typical 9 to 5 job, which is what makes it so appealing for many people.
The first thing that has to be made clear is that the life of a roadie is not a glamorous one. Karl Kuenning clearly communicates this in his book Roadie – A True Story (At Least The Parts I Remember), a great read for those wanting to get into the technical side of the business. Kuenning tells it like it is from his personal experience and the book is an eye opener about the true roadie experience.
If you are really serious about pursuing this life for a living, there are some great sites you can visit to find work. Roadie Jobs (http://www.roadiejobs.com/) is one such site. Other job sites (like Career Builder, Indeed, and Simply Hired) have roadie jobs listed, but you have to be a little more specific. When you search, you will need to type in guitar tech, or stage manager. Typing in roadie may not yield many results.
Not every assignment is going to be a glorious one, and that is something to keep in mind. You may want to work for Kiss, Buckcherry, or The Rolling Stones, but the only available gig may be for Justin Bieber. What do you do then? If you have thrust yourself into the position of a full time road hand, then you need to take the job, even if you can’t stand Justin Bieber. In other words, you need to put your personal biases aside at times and take the gig.
Pressure is another big aspect of the job. Roadies are always up against the clock. The show must go on, and in most instances, the show must go on time. As a roadie, you will be given specific tasks that need to be completed in a timely manner. If you are not well organized and able to multitask, this may not be the best profession for you.
Exceptional communication skills and teamwork are also required to make it in this business. There are several people that a roadie has to interact with on a daily basis in order to put the show together. One wrong communication could cost the entire team a lot of time and in the concert industry, time is the most valuable commodity.
At the risk of sounding age-biased, this profession is not for older people. The constant life on the road, heavy lifting, awkward sleeping schedule, and time away from the family may be a huge factor for them. This is a business that it’s best to break into when you are young. The pressure and crazy lifestyle can wear a person down very quickly.
Yes, but how do I break in? How do I actually get a gig as a roadie? Well, like any other job, experience matters. Concerts are a business just like anything else and businesses are always looking for experience first. And how can you gain valuable experience without having a roadie job? Volunteering is the most effective way. Check your local community theater to see if they need any help. You may start off by sweeping floors, but it’s a great way to break into the industry. Once you learn the ropes, you can move up from there. Starting out is not glamorous, but it’s a way to gain experience.
If there is a local band in the area, ask to go on the road with them. In most cases, it will be pro bono, or for very minimum wages, but again, experience is being gained. Local acts are barely making money to pay the band members and most bands don’t have roadies because they can’t afford to pay them. If you approach a local band and agree to help for nothing, the likelihood of them saying no is slim to none. After a year of helping out locally, you will most likely have enough experience to begin your search for a paid gig.
Roadies Have A Union? It appears that everyone these days has a union, and that includes the roadies. IATSE The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, is the union for all stage hands, which boiled down to its basic elements, is exactly what a roadie is. You don’t need to be a member of the union to get a gig in the industry, but as with most things union related, membership does have its rewards. You can visit the IATSE website to learn more about becoming a member. (http://www.iatse-intl.org/home.html).
Like anything else in life, it’s important to remember that you will only get as far as you take yourself. Yes, sometimes you need the right contacts and you need to talk to the right people, but remember, these people are not seeking you out. You need to seek them out. With the right amount of dedication, passion, and desire, becoming a road hand could be in your future. If you’re serious about choosing this career, then search for employment relentlessly. Tell everyone you know, check the internet ads, and volunteer to help the locals. The more you get your name out there, the more people will know you, and perhaps one day you will land the ultimate gig with Kiss. Stranger things have happened.
Comments are open, feel free to post some.
5 comments:
I've wanted to be a roadie for a long time. To me it's the perfect job. I have instrument repair under my belt and I want to work as a bass and/or guitar technician for a big band. Is there a person i contact for an application process? Is there a direct way of getting the job?s the perfect job. I have instrument repair under my belt and I want to work as a bass and/or guitar technician for a big band. Is there a person i contact for an application process? Is there a direct way of getting the job?
I went to the motley crue and kiss concert just the other day and I have to say it was just as fun watching them set up and tear down... I help a local band in my town I just need.to know more and better things because I would love to be a roadie. Even if its running pyro, lights, or equipment technician or even security detail. A roadie is a job I would be more than willing to do.
I've been with a mobile entertainment company for a couple years setting up lighting and sound equipment. How do i move from that to something like on tour with the Mayhem Festival ?
I am a curent roadie. At the moment I am doing a Broadway Tour, but I have worn the belt of a Rock and Roll Dimmer Tech before.
Like the article says, the life is not always glamorous. I have the opportunity to be FOH and be one of the few faces the public actually sees running a show, so that is nice but there are 10x more crew working backstage making all the show systems work.
Getting into the business involved me getting my 4 year BFA in Lighting. Did I have to get this? No. Did it help? Heck yes. Everyone on my current tour crew has a BFA in some sort of technical theater.
Talk to as many people as your can, get your IATSE Road Card, and don't ever burn bridges.
I have been a roadie for about 6 years now and one thing that wasn't mentioned heavily in this article is knowing people. Do not burn bridges, keep those you hate closer because they could be the ones getting you your next tour. Always listen to those older or higher up and do not dispute it. This is an industry where your career can be ended with one screwup such as a mix stand in the wrong place and Aerosmith runs into it. It is a large industry but a small one when your name has been marked for bad work.
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