Montgomery Gentry was headlining the Throwdown festival. A talented veteran by the name of Michael Shucher has been their lighting designer for 10 years. He and I hit it off right away…I was short a little cash for a crew guy. I asked Mike if he ever did any of the physical work erecting his own lighting rig. "You gotta be kidding me," he says. "I work straight from load-in ‘til load-out every day. That's how we roll out here." I instantly found myself a working LD. Not only that, but Jamie, a guy on the MG crew, worked his tail off helping with rigging and all the rag trusses. We developed camaraderie between all departments that is rare these days, and it worked out great. Due to some long overnight drives and bus failures, our production bus found us a few hours late to a couple of gigs. But by the time we arrived, Mike and Jamey had tipped the trucks, bolted the truss, set up the dimmers with power and were rigging points with the locals. This was all without being asked. They just did it. The camaraderie out there didn't stop. Traveling with us was the now infamous "Barbecue Band." This group of guys didn't get paid, but were allowed to play on the B stage as well as interact with everyone on the tour. Every evening after the show, they would set up a barbecue station in the parking lot of the venue and put up a small PA with some mics. They cooked after show barbecue for over 100 people while all the musicians from the 10 different bands took turns jamming with each other. These after parties went on long after load-out was finished, and we all drank lots of beer (and Jim Beam of course) while dining on lots of roasted pig and assorted barbecue.
From "LD-at-Large" by Nook Schoenfeld, PLSN, August 2010
