Chris Lose turned to Tim Solar, crew chief for such bands as Linkin Park and The Killers, for help in compiling a daily checklist of the best practices for a crew chief. A few excerpts follow:
Paperwork:
Simplify the plot. Many LDs make a drawing to impress the client and get the gig. These drawings can be overly complicated and not necessarily the best to work from. Know CAD — free CAD like SketchUp is fine. Put all the info on one, dimensionally accurate, easy to read, easy-to-open page.
Cable Management:
Be sure of cable lengths. If an upstage truss trims at 35 feet and is 20 feet onstage of dimmers, a 75-foot home run will reach every time. I often see people bump this up 100 or 125 feet “just to be safe.”
On Tour:
Be the go to guy. You want the LD and stage manager to talk to you first, not to run your guys for you.
For the complete daily checklist – along with Chris’ full story – see “Focus on Fundamentals,” PLSN, Oct. 2016 page 115.
