Musicians On Tour

179

A DAY IN THE LIFE

Much of Williams' job begins long before the artist goes on tour. "The real job for

me is conceiving the show, designing it, having it built, and most importantly, getting

it through rehearsals. When you install the show, normally it's in the first venue that

you're going to be playing. You'll go in a week early and put the show together. You

put the set up for the first time and the band will come in and rehearse. That's when I

make my money, when I've really got to perform, because quite often I'm the only

person that understands the big picture of what is supposed to happen. That is the

hardest part and in some ways, it's the most exhilarating too." Throughout the

process, Williams confers with the artist and oversees the installation of the stage,

lighting, and other effects. "I can't tell you the amount of time I've sat in darkened

buildings, staring at stages, programming lighting and effects, and just running

through things. That's a very big part of the job."

On a show day, the crew begins loading in around 7

a.m. and Williams arrives

around noon to ensure everything is running smoothly. At 3

p.m., the band does a

sound check. Afterward, unless some effect or equipment needs attention, there is

downtime until the opening act is finished. "During the show, I'm usually on the

intercom system talking to the follow spot operators and the lighting operators,

giving cues and instructions throughout the show. If there are video cues, I might

cover those, and often I'll operate one of the lighting consoles, too." After the perfor-

mance, the crew tears down the stage and lighting, stores it on trucks, and the group

travels through the night to the next venue.

"The worst technicians are people who really want to be designers. If you

have a choice of being a technician on a big tour, or designing a show on

a much smaller scale, it's much more important to be doing what you

want to do."

"You have a real relationship with the road, when you're doing this job.

It's the nearest you can come these days to running away and joining the

circus."

Classes in theatrical set design and lighting are an asset.

CAREER

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Musicians On Tour - Page 4