BEHIND THE SCENES OF AFT - #2

Doing shows with Anthem For Today is more fun that I should be allowed to have. The show itself is always awesome. And you wouldn't think it would be since it's the same set list each night. That's right - we don't change the set list once it's established. We rock it out for nearly a year.

SMALL STUFF

Bobby in green, setting up lighting scenes
for each song. Charles on the right,
soundchecking two hours before show time.

I know this is probably considered grunt work, but I love (love love love) taping the set list to stage for each of the guys. I also love taping down the cables. As "the stage tech" or roadie, that's my job. It's probably not what you might expect me to enjoy, since my day-job is managing a radio station, which focuses on formulating budgets and marketing and hiring and problem-solving. I love doing that for LIFE. But taping down set lists and cables takes no thinking and I still see the fruit of my work.

Ah...but there's a technique to taping stuff to the stage. Pay close attention. You don't just rip off a piece of duct tape and slap it down. Oh no.  Our guitarist G.I. has five cables - don't ask me what they all do. And G.I. tutored me as to how he wanted them taped. "You gotta line them up 1-2-3-4-5 - all side by side, in a straight line, not overtop of each other." It actually looks quite tidy when it's done.

Ok - enough about the cables. I don't want to give away my trade secrets.


THE TRAVEL AGENDA


The Travel Agenda for the North Bay
show on June 13.

This is probably my favourite part of being a manager because it's critical to having a smooth day.

The Travel Agenda is emailed to each musician and crew member a week in advance. It's one sheet that tells them the details of the gig - location, address, distance. It's also a "minute by minute" schedule of events starting with our rendezvous in Barrie, departure time, lunch location on the way, arrival time, soundcheck time, dinner time, show time, devotions and return home time.

Google maps has become my best friend. From that, I can plot out the distance to the show and choose specific stops along the way where we can stretch and eat. It's all timed out, step by step, with allowance for traffic issues, re-fuelling and soundcheck problems.

WHY I THINK LIKE THIS

The best book I read in Geography
class!

Here's the back story. The band doesn't even know this. When I was in Grade 13, in a boring Geography class, taught by an alcoholic teacher who was rarely on time, I read a book called "Billion Dollar Babies" written by Bob Greene. He was a columnist with the Chicago Sun Times and he wrote this book as his journal of a Spring tour with Alice Cooper in 1973. I was quickly enthralled in the behind-the-scenes detail of what it took to organize a concert tour. It wasn't just about rock stars and a stage show - there was a whole other unexpected story about marketing, and hiring a road crew, and signing contracts, and making contacts with media, and planning out the day for the musicians and problem-solving.

Dare I say, that book changed my life.

Aside from learning the backstory of touring, it also grew me from being a very shy, 18 year old, introverted student to becoming selectively extroverted and somewhat of a visionary for planning.

I think the book affected my thinking from that point on, and for Anthem For Today, it was the seed of becoming a manager.