Life in the “good old days” was carefree, loose and exciting. When you were out on the road, the other crewmembers were your family. You spent day in and day out with them. How do I know? I don’t. My career doesn’t span that far back. But I have heard the stories from veterans. Their stories might be old, but hearing them always feels new and exciting. Each time they start a story, it’s like a start of a dream sequence going back in time. Imagine Mike Myers and Dana Carvey in Wayne’s World, doing the wavy-hands thing to start a flashback. “Back on so and so tour…” The stories seem far-fetched and out-of-this-world-unbelievable. Maybe it is the storyteller, or maybe it’s the outlandish and crazy things that happen out on the road… At least, back in the “good old days.”
Seriously, someone toured with a pet monkey?!
What is it like nowadays on the road? That “good old” catch phrase could not more accurately describe the road life of the past compared to what it’s like on the road today. I have spent the summer visiting tours when they come to town. I have spoken with a number of road crews about the road life, then and now. Some are road “scholars” while others are FNGs, working their first or second tours.
Each tour, I hear a recurring theme: “It ain’t like it use to be.” Not that it is a bad thing, in fact, it could be considered better! Something that always comes up is family. Before cell phones, email, Skype and Facebook, keeping in touch with family meant waiting to get back to the hotel. If your room had a phone, you were lucky, if not, you waited in line with the rest of the crew for your five minutes to call home. The smart roadies built blue boxes to get around that whole paying for long distance calls.
These days it is not uncommon to see a crewmember whip out the cell phone and send a quick text in a moment of downtime. I’ve even seen front of house crew log onto Facebook to quickly check their news feeds as the house opens. For many, those couple of hours before the show is time spent on the bus, Skyping or Facetiming with loved ones back home.
Speaking of buses, my jaw drops every time I walk on to a tour bus. The crew’s “home away from home” almost seems nicer than my house! The modern couch is well equipped with internet access, satellite TV, AC/heating, leather seats and so much more. I also found the buses hold the same rule as Vegas: What happens on the bus stays on the bus. Who could beat that?
Yet, the one thing that hasn’t seemed to change over the years is the sleeping quarters: they’re still cramped. Ask anyone out on tour now, they would much rather sleep in their own bed. I don’t blame them!
Creature comforts make living on the road much nicer. Whether it be an Xbox or a wide selection of beverages on the bus, these little things help make being away a bit easier. Good food helps, too. Larger shows out on tour bring staff catering with them. If you thought that the road crew works hard, live a day in the shoes of a chef on tour, they work harder! The chef prepares some of the most amazing food for the crews and bands. Regardless of your dietary needs, they have you covered. On one tour visit, I enjoyed steaks for dinner. We aren’t talking some Waffle House special either. This was a beautifully cooked 16 oz. prime rib steak! If only I could cook a piece of meat like that!
Even comparing the skills needed by today’s crews to those from back in the “good old days” is like comparing the Stone Age to the digital era. Back in the day, if you had a knack for wiring or could push a box and knew someone on the crew, you were hired. While some skills were required, as they are today, most newbies learned on the job. Now, knowing just a little isn’t enough. With more sophisticated and complex systems, sets, and staging, a higher degree of knowledge is needed. Sure, there is still some learning on the job happening, but not like the good old days.
Some might say that the road life is becoming corporate. Gone are the ways of the past and late nights doing the unimaginable. To a degree, I think that is true. The modern day road scholar needs to be on top of their game. Partying and carrying on until the next load-in can cause accidents and make for unsafe work environments. Remembering the tragic stage accidents we’ve seen in these last couple of years, we all can agree that safety is paramount. But will roadies still be roadies? That is for the road to know and you to find out.
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