Touring Vs. Television

Maybe it's just this tour, but I don't think it is.

Aside from missing my family, I've decided that for many reasons, touring sucks compared to working at home in television, or corporate.

The first time I noticed that touring was going to suck more now than staying at home, was when I was getting ready to go out on the Beastie Boys. As you know, that never happened because of the one Beastie Boys getting sick. In the process of getting hired for BB, I sent out what I call my "salary agreement" which more or less lays out what I expect to get paid, and how (i.e. daily, weekly, bi-weekly), plus travel and sometimes design fees.

Normally, when managers receive the salary agreement, they flip out about the fact that I ask for business class on international flights. This time, they flipped out at my salary requirements. Not that the money was too much, but rather that I specified my hours of work per day and per week, before overtime kicks in.

They didn't like that. As far as they were concerned, once I left on tour, I was working 24/7. At anytime and for any amount of time, I could be working. They did promise me that they were reasonable people and that I wasn't going to be killed working 48 hours straight. Nor would I work more than 5 days a week.

The common belief is that in the end, it all balances out in terms of worked hours and time off. I'm sure that would be the case with BB, but it's not a guarantee. I was asking for a guarantee.

Strangely, they did agree, without hesitation, to business class.

Here's a little breakdown of what I used to think was great about touring, and now how it sucks compared to television and corporate.

On tour, I used to think that the pay was better. I used the old formula of, "it all balances out in the end", but after the flip out on BB and the fact that on this tour, everyone works from 14 to 20 hours in a day it doesn't really balance out. In all fairness, I'm closer to the 14 hour mark with maybe 7 of those hours being intense work, yet it still doesn't balance out in comparison. In TV and corporate, I'm paid pretty much for every hour I work. It's not a "salaried" position, and I have a minimum guarantee of hours paid, and overtime. Plus one for TV and corporate.

I get per diem on tour, extra money in my pocket. Even with the extra money per week, I'm still making less on tour on a rate per hour basis, than I would working in TV or corporate. I actually figured it out a couple of days ago... Making the assumption that I'm on tour 24/7, then the money I get, divided over that time, works out to a little bit over the current minimum wage. Plus two for TV and corporate.

On tour, you have catering for every meal plus after-show food. TV usually involves a walk away for lunch, meaning I need to go find food myself, and a catered dinner, which often isn't great. There is a craft services table all day, but that just means I'm snacking on candy and donuts all day. Plus one for touring.

We have a bus on tour, that means there's a bunk I can crawl into at the end of the workday or if I have downtime, a TV I can watch. For TV, I have to drive my own truck to the gig, which can be far from home, and drive myself back. If there's down time, I'm usually standing around or surfing the internet on my cell phone. I think this is a plus two for touring.

When working in TV or corporate, I'm usually the designer or just the programmer. I've come to decide that I like either role. As the designer, I get to make all the decisions when it comes to the design. As the programmer, I'm just the button pusher, and I take all direction.

When working on tour, I'm more often than not, the lighting director, which is sort of the step between designer and programmer. I'm not the designer, so all the decisions are made by someone else. But I'm also not just a button pusher and am forced to make design decisions on a daily basis. And when you are working with an unmanageable monster (like this tour) the decisions you make have to be chosen between keeping the artistic vision of the designer, and keeping the crew happy. I don't like being in that position. Yes, I have been the designer on tour before, but I make it a point to create a design that is both manageable for the expected venues, and artistic enough to make a unique statement for the musical artist. Probably why I don't get many calls for design gigs, I don't dream big enough.

I think that all panned out to a plus three for TV and corporate.

And finally I miss my family too much when I'm on the road. I can do TV and corporate away from home as well, but it's not a tour, and I'm in one place for a period of time. So if it's an extended TV show, I can always fly my family out to join me. Plus four for TV and corporate.

4 to 2, TV and corporate wins. That's not to say, I won't ever tour again, but the offer really has to be right.

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9 Times Outta 10, It's Not My Fault.

St. Louis show update-

6:30 PM, the doors are supposed to open to the house for the audience to come and sit.

6:25PM, my radio crackles with the voice of the video director wanting me to bring up a song look that they were having trouble with at the last show. My first instinct is, "Why didn't you ask me about this earlier?" And my second, was to go to the lighting console and bring the look up (Did I mention that on this show I control video and lighting? Another blog...)

6:29PM, problem not solved, the debate ensues, "There's something wrong with the lighting console," To which I respond, "There's nothing wrong with the console, I haven't changed a thing." This goes back and forth until...

6:50PM, doors have been held because of other reasons, not our back and forth about who's changed something or who's computer is wrong, but now it's time to open doors.

6:51PM, doors have opened and I walk away from the console. I get downstairs to the video area where I'm told they figured out what the problem is. A few days ago, they changed the video card in the camera that they were having trouble with, but they didn't change the system settings to recognize the new card.

Once again, proving that it's not my fault. A lighting console is a smart piece of equipment, if I tell it do something, it will do it, even if I tell it the wrong thing. The console has no opinion of it's own or it's own mind to change, "No Dan, I think bringing up fixtures 203 through 205 is a bad choice, therefore, I'm bringing up different fixtures." The console will bring up 203 through 205.

So if the show has been working for while now, without me changing anything, how can we think the console changed it?

Not my/our fault. I didn't change anything. What did you change? A video card?

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Maxwell - St. Louis.

Another crazy load in. We're only playing half an arena, so it's been a stressful day for most because we've only got half the room for our 12 semi's full of gear.

There's not even any floor space for me, so I've had to set my console up in the seating area in an ADA section. Which means, I had to drag all my gear into an elevator up to the concourse level, through the entry tunnel and then set it up in the seats. Not a big deal really, probably should have taken a picture of that. Instead, I took pictures of things I saw on the way to setting up.

Check this out.The last time I saw anything like this was on Luther Vandross. What is it you ask? Why it's airbrushed backgrounds that you can stand in front of and take a picture with your date. Just like Senior Prom!

The Maxwell show has a certain amount of similarities to a Luther show. Namely, a greater percentage of the audience is female, and if there are any men in the audience, they're on a date, or married. Both are love song singers, but I think Maxwell is a little dirtier in his songs.

And finally, when you walk down the tunnel into the arena bowl, you see this sign:Of course, I had to put my own spin on it.I apologize for the picture quality, but I only had my camera phone with me...

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Tour Mascot

I have mixed feelings about this one. While it's nice to have an animal around, and that truck driving can be a lonely business, I think it's not good for an animal designed to travel on it's feet, to be locked in a truck cab for most of the day.

That being said, here's a cutie that's been hanging out in the production office with our production coordinator. I can't remember what her real name is, but I've been calling her, "Pikake".I think she's a dachshund because she's got those big floppy ears and is teeny tiny. Use the wall plug behind her to gauge her size. She's adorable.

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Day Off Atlanta?

As I said in my last post, long drive to a day off in Atlanta. So how did I spend my day off? Here's a video of it.

Yep, a long straight road. Bouncing along for 14 hours. It was supposed to be 12, but we did this once. Truck stop. Not so bad because this one had a McDonalds attached for food, ANDCrunch ice! I'm thinking all Pilot Truck Stops have this magic. Something to look forward to on our haul to Chicago. But here's something to not look forward too on the haul to Chicago. There are three crew buses, and it's not that our driver goes fast, on the contrary, he goes the speed limit, which is a little irritating, it's more that the other two buses stop a lot. So we got chastised and the truck stop and were asked to wait for the other buses. We didn't.

Finally into Atlanta, stayed at the Ritz-Carlton. Wish we had gotten in at a decent hour, but after the truck stop and two traffic jams caused by accidents, we got in at 7:30PM. Again, for the third time on this tour, I got a corner room. Here's a video for Nicole of my hotel room.


Not bad. Never understood the concept of a raised sink in the bathroom. It's cool and all, but I find that I splash more water on the counter, and smack my hand on the side of the bowl when I try to grab my toothbrush. And check out that shower head. Like soaping up in a rain storm.

They had a gym, which was okay. Room service prices were outrageous, so I walked a block to the Hard Rock and had a caesar salad and nachos. Not the healthiest of choices, but nothing else called me. Hard Rock is not known for their food.

Show day, then a short haul into a second day in North Carolina. Then another day off in Chicago. My last day off before Sean Patrick's birthday, for which I will be flying home for.

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D.C. Yo.

Here come the last of the short drives into real days off. After D.C., we hit Philadelphia, then haul it down to Atlanta (12 hours drive). After shows in Atlanta and North Carolina, we haul it cross country to Chicago (another 12 hour drive). With load out usually ending between 4 and 5 in the morning, we aren't getting in to the next city until 5 or 6 in the evening. Day off, shot.

In the mean time, here's some of the fun stuff from the real day off we had Washington D.C. We came in from Richmond VA, only 2 hours away, which put us in the hotel in the morning.

There was a hotel change at the last minute. Instead of staying at the Four Seasons, they were putting us up at some hotel called The Madison. I was a little skeptical at first. Who wouldn't want to stay at the Four Seasons? But when I stepped into my room, I was fine.Looks like your standard hotel room. Bed, desk, TV. But wait, what's that in the corner?Is that a massage chair? Four Seasons what?

After a couple of sessions getting my back, shoulders and calves kneaded and percussed, I thought I'd step out and check out the National Geographic Museum which was around the corner from the hotel. There was an advertisement in the hotel room that the museum had an exhibit of Terra Cotta soldiers from Xian China. But if I had read closer, I would have noticed that the exhibit wouldn't be up until November.

What they did have, was a really amazing photographic exhibit of Lions and Leopards. Lots of pictures and movies, even one amazing clip of a young leopard, that killed a baboon, only to discover that it had a baby. So the leopard took the baby gently into the trees so it was away from other predators and every time it fell out of the tree, it would carry it back up. It was really amazing and touching, that I couldn't watch it anymore. I couldn't see a good ending for the baby baboon, so I walked away. I didn't take any pictures of the pictures, because frankly, that wouldn't do it any justice, the exhibit itself, from the walls to the light were just as important for the experience. But I did snap a photo of a quote that I like.You can apply that to sharks too.

And finally, I ended my evening having a couple of pints with a buddy.That's Brian. He's a high school classmate of my younger brother. He went to D.C. for school, and like myself and L.A., got a job and just ended up staying. We had late drinks because he had to play volleyball that evening, and his team won, so I guess, I can't really be mad at him for not taking me out for the steak dinner he owed me.

And that, was D.C..

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The Opposite of Toronto.

3 weeks in Toronto. Back on U.S. soil. Our third show was, or should be, the most important show on the tour. We played Madison Square Garden. Maxwell is from New York so this show was a dream come true for him. To play the Garden...

We did have an evening off in New York. I'd love to say I had a day off in New York, but we had a submarine ride from Detroit to the Big Apple, which put us at the hotel at 5PM. Here's the view from my hotel window. Right across the street from MSG. Made for a late call time, since all I had to do was walk across the street to get to work.

My hotel room was the opposite of the one I had for three weeks in Toronto. It was a decent size room with a kitchenette. Which can be unusual for NYC, since most hotel rooms are really small. In a previous post, I showed you the magic of my shower. Well NYC gave me the complete reverse as you can see here.

That shower is so small, that I had to open the curtain just to bend over to wash my legs and feet. Which also pushed my butt into the cold tile. An unexpected shock to the system.

It's fine though, we got there so late, that all I really did in the hotel room was rearrange my luggage, take a shower and sleep. I got to have dinner with some good friends and great food.

My good friend Jon Forsberg made reservations for us at Angelo and Maxi's, a steakhouse that a friend recommended. I arrived early and had a drink at the bar and waited for Jon, and my other friend, Rachel and her boyfriend Justin. Here's the view from my table.

L-R Justin, Rachel, Jon, and a fat guy.

All in all it was a good night.

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Into Enemy Territory

Hockey season is starting up soon. I had the draft for my fantasy hockey league a few days ago. I was stuck on a bus so I wasn't able to participate, but overall, I think I did quite well.

Our second show on this tour, was at one of the most hallowed hockey arenas in the country, the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. The "Joe" as it is fondly referred to has been around for years, and as you can see from all the banners hanging from the rafters, the Detroit Red Wings are one of the most successful hockey franchises in the sport. Which also makes them one of the most hated.

I can't say that I hate the Red Wings, I'm just not a fan. For me, they have the same feel as the Yankees do for baseball. Too much of a storied past, that it's fun to see them loose. My hockey saying, "I root for two teams, the Ottawa Senators, and who ever is playing the Red Wings." I'm sure most people feel the same way, except for the Senators part.

So playing the "Joe" was like walking into enemy territory, I wanted to say something nasty about the Red Wings, but I also wanted to do the show and get out with all my appendages attached. Red Wing fans are the worst. I should know, I sat with the enemy during a game last season.

At least now I can add the "Joe" to the arena's I've played in. I think it's the only one on this leg that I've never been in before.

I've toured too much.

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My Cell Phone Nemesis

I remember getting my first cell phone in 1997. It was a decent phone, made by Motorola. But more importantly, the cell service was from a fledgling company called Nextel. They really wanted business so when I called for a phone, the immediately sent a salesperson to my house to show me the phones, teach me how to us it, and set up my account. I liked that.

I took that phone on the road with me for a few years, until I noticed everyone else on tour had smaller Nokia phones from AT&T. So I checked them out at an AT&T store in some mall, some where in the U.S.. The phone plans were much better than my Nextel plan, no long distance or roaming charges. What really impressed me, I could get a new phone, turned on today, in an area code of my choosing. So somewhere, in the middle of America, I got my current cell phone number, with the area code for Los Angeles/Hollywood, the 323.

And there I remained, happily, for many years, buying many different cell phones from many different AT&T stores across the U.S.. Until... AT&T merged with Cingular. At first, it wasn't bad, I had a working cell phone that I liked. But when that phone slowly made it's way into oblivion, I went to AT&T/Cingular to once again, get a new phone. I walked into the store, chose my new phone and started the process of turning it on. At that point I was informed that because of the merger with Cingular, my current cell phone plan was no longer accepted. It was "grandfathered" as long as I had my current phone, but the moment I got a new phone, I had to get a new plan, and a new contract. The new plans they offered couldn't hold a candle to my old plan, and they were more expensive.

I was not happy.

So I went out in search of a new cell phone company and found my new current home of T-Mobile. To this day, I've been very happy with T-Mobile. Granted, they don't really have the coverage area that Cingular (now back to AT&T), and Verizon have in the U.S.. But what they do have is friendly, helpful, customer service. That's important to me. I vowed, never to use AT&T again.

When the new Apple iPhone came out, tied to AT&T, I was adamant about not getting one. I wasn't going to jump on the bandwagon with probably the best cell phone on the market today. I hate AT&T that much that I won't get an iPhone, even though it is truly the easiest phone to interface with my Macintosh computer (imagine that).

Until I dropped my Palm smart phone one too many times. It was finally time to invest in a new phone. I went round and round with my disgust of AT&T and the desire to own the iPhone. Do I give in? Bite the bullet and get the phone I want with the service I hate?

Thankfully, T-Mobile swooped in again and saved the day, by putting out the myTouch phone. It's like an iPhone except made my HTC. It's currently locked to the T-Mobile network, but if I call that friendly customer service, I can have it unlocked so I can put in a different SIM card if I ever go to Europe again. Once again saving me money. Try doing that with an iPhone. I smell international charges.

So today, I have a phone I'm happy with, and a service, that I'm very happy with.

And one last thing that is wrong with AT&T, they don't sponsor a cycling team. My first phone, made by Motorola, sponsored a cycling team. T-Mobile sponsored a very powerful cycling team, and now HTC, sponsors a cycling team.

Take that AT&T.

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