This one if probably overdue. But as I lounge around on tour struggling to think of topics that I feel the urge to write about, I looked at the metrics. All the articles with the most consistent views; “Guide to Packing For Tour“, “Roadie Dictionary“, “How To Make Your Bunk Feel Like Home“. They all follow a similar theme. What dafuq am I even supposed to do?
So here it is… the story of My First Rodeo and The Ultimate guide for your first day on tour.
I love a good category. Let’s break it down with a story, then a go-to guide on what to actually do.
- My First Rodeo – For Real
- What You Actually Need To Know
- Mental And Emotional Prep
My First Rodeo
As I’ve talked about in previous articles, I was rescued from a small bar in my home town in 2008. I was the house sound guy and linked up with a local band. I met them on Saturday, they texted me on Monday. Quit my job on Tuesday and left with them on tour on Wednesday. Although it wasn’t all up from there, that was the beginning. It was fast and chaotic.
I spent that Tuesday pacing around my mom’s house, shitting my pants for what was about to come. The ultimate unknown. My First Gig. Imposter syndrome had set in and I was out of my league. But anything was better than rotting in that dirty bar in my hometown. It was a 2 hour drive to the first city. I had checked the band’s website to find out which bar we were playing at to try and get some info. Google wasn’t what it is now. There was only Facebook for socials, and it never had any substantial info.
Like a complete bozo, I called the bar to find out what kind of gear they had so I could try and learn it in the next 24 hours. Obviously met with an “I dunno, what did you advance?” Shit. Classic line. We were support for a mid-level artist. Venue was roughly 2k capacity. A large jump from my normal 300 cap club. Again, I was out of my league.
I remember walking in that club as if it was yesterday. I can remember the wood paneling on the walls, the neon lights, and the walking up to the sound board to introduce myself to the house audio team. Like I say, I was a house guy in my small club, I had very minimal interactions with touring FOH engineers, but I at least knew that I was supposed to go to the sound booth, (not knowing it’s called FOH). I was met with my first obstacle “Can I get your input list?” Pretty basic question, But I was stumped. Shaken to my core, I mumble out a “I’ll just use whatever you guys think“. Then excused myself to the bathroom to throw up with embarrassment.
A Little Bit Of Luck
I was lucky. The house audio tech was actually with a local production company. They had brought in the PA and lights since the venue had nothing in house. Learning the hard way that was the real answer to my question when I called the bar the night before. I mean this when I say it… I don’t know if I would have stuck around if it wasn’t for this FOH tech. He coulda told me I was an idiot, He coulda told me that I didn’t belong, he could have even gently dismissed me for being a 21 year old kid and let me fend for myself. “All good, I got you”. Man, I’m grateful for him.
From then on it was all W’s. He showed me everything he could in the next 2-3 gigs to set me up for success for the rest of the summer (and my career at FOH). He told me how to be a guest engineer, how to stay out of trouble, and most importantly, he got me through the first couple of shows. I absorbed it all like a sponge.
It’s amazing the impact each interaction can have on young touring folks. Luckily for me, I met 3 or 4 audio techs like this throughout that first summer in ’08. Learning more and more with each tour stop.
Funny side story… It was deep in the summer of 2012. I had been touring for 4 years and I started touring with a country artist. You guessed it… We did a gig at a Rodeo. The onsite PM was giving me the rundown. “Alright, when there’s a break from the horses, we’re gonna wheel out this flatbed truck with FOH on it, do a quick line check, then you’re live. But I’m sure I don’t have to explain this to you, I bet it’s not your first rodeo“. Me (the smartass I am): “Actually, this is my very first rodeo“. More yuk yuk funny than laugh out loud but THATS WHAT YOU GET WHEN YOU TAKE ME TO THE RODEO. Shitty jokes and even shittier boots. Literally.
I made an exclusive Backstage Culture shirt to commemorate the event. Message me if you want one. Contact@BackstageCulture.com
Anyways… No more messing around with stories. Lets get to the good stuff.
What You Actually Need To Know
There’s 2 schools of thought here. First thought being that the cure to gig anxiety is confidence and preparation. But what TF am I supposed to do when I don’t have any experience, therefore no confidence, and not knowing what to prep?
Control What You Can Control
First thing’s first, take a breath and enjoy it. Although it was stressful at the time, It’s small potatoes in comparison to what I’m capable of now. Those are the good ol’ days. I promise you. From a more practical standpoint, start each gig with prepping anything you can that’s in your control. Being on time is one of those things.
Find out if there are tools/a kit already there for you to use. If you’re doing audio and there isn’t anything, maybe borrow a pelican 1510 case from a friend with a spare SM58, a DI and some adapters to get you out of trouble. If you’re doing backline, Bring a tuner, capo, and some extra cables.
Come Clean
10 times out of 10, I would prefer someone to tell me they don’t know what they’re doing than to try and fake it and miss something that inevitably makes my life harder. If you haven’t done gig’s before, just say that. I think you’ll be surprised at how many people are willing to help or take you under their wing. It’s also very possible that you’ll run into an asshole that makes you feel like shit for being a beginner. Fuck those people. Everyone has to start somewhere. They did as well.
Gathering Intel
If you’re not the TM/PM, get on the phone with them or at least the previous tech and get as much info as you can. If you don’t know what to ask for, again, come clean. Say “I don’t know where to start, tell me everything you can about the gig”. That’s one of the places I went wrong. I didn’t know who to ask which questions to. So instead of digging in, I just waited while my anxiety consumed me.
Also… Sometimes finding out what to do is as important as finding out what not to do. A lot of this unfolds after some very basic digging. My suggestion is to ask about what worked and what didn’t work for the person who previously did the gig. This will be revealing about not only the job, but the people you’re going out with.
Get Your Hands On The Files
If you don’t have the chance to get a full rundown from someone on the team, Here is a small list of some useful docs to glance over before your first gig:
- Technical/Production Rider
- Input List/Stage Plot
- Backline List
- Show Files (depending on your position). If you’re doing audio or lights, open them in the offline editor.
- Hospitality Rider (if you’re in an admin role)
Get your hands on as many stage drawings, plots, or pictures that you can. This will help with any department you’re jumping in on.
Mental And Emotional Prep
Just as valuable as the items listed above, you gotta put in the work with your Mental and Emotional Prep. This means take care of the most important thing, Yourself. I wrote and article about Gig Anxiety and how to deal with it. Lots of stuff in there that I still do to this day.
Polish Up
From a basic level of humanity, make yourself presentable out of the gate. My old football coach used to say “If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play good“. Show up confident, and put together. There’s plenty of time in the future to be a dirty roadie. And also like… Be on time.
Be Grateful
As I mentioned above, try to soak it all up. You’re about to do something awesome. There’s likely a time in your life that you wished for this exact opportunity. Don’t ruin it for yourself by conspiring against yourself.
Keep in mind, even when it feels like the weight of the world is on your shoulders, nothing on your first day of touring is ever as big of a deal as it seems at the time. If an artist is taking a chance on you knowing that it’s your first day, they actually aren’t expecting perfection. They’re expecting a good attitude and they want you to want to do a good job. They want the spirit, they want the drive.
Wrap It Up
If you’ve read this far, you’re already more prepared that I was on my first day. Do as much as you can to prepare and be easy on yourself when you inevitably make mistakes, just for the love of god, be on time for everything.
You’re gonna do great!
If you’re about to start a gig and you’re shitting your pants, as always, hit me up at Contact@BackstageCulture.com
See you out there.
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