Iggs showed this video to me the other day and I almost died laughing. I looked around and there are quite a few others like it, take a look at a select few:
Thanks to StSanders for all his hard working making these HILARIOUS videos…
If you’re a guitar player then you probably know who Steve Vai is. If not, maybe you heard of his role in the 1980’s guitar movie “Crossroads”? Check out this YouTube clip to get all caught up, Steve Vai is the guy in the leather pants:
Anyway, Iggs and I worked for Steve Vai’s latest tour recently and it was a gig to remember. Mr. Vai travels with two tour buses, each pulling a trailer full of gear. These trailers were packed haphazardly and the ramp/door for each were on their last legs. I can’t stand unloading a trailer or a truck with a broken ramp, it adds a lot of frustration to my day. We got through it, loaded the band in and set up the stage.
One of the first things we notice is that Mr. Vai tours with a gorgeous young Asian violin player (never a bad idea, I highly recommend hiring one if you can afford it). She was easily the focal point of attention throughout the day. Iggs and I were drooling over her skills as much as her curves. Her husband obviously knew how attractive she was, he never let her out of his sight. Oh well…
After we set up the fans for Mr. Vai’s hair (he likes his feathered locks to fly in the wind as he wails on his axe) we ate lunch and took a break in the spotlight booth. Time for the meet and greet.
Steve Vai is worshiped as a true virtuoso. His fans demand that he make himself available for technical questions, demos of his techniques and autographs. Mr. Vai tries to accommodate his fans by offering a meet and greet session before each show (for a substantial entry fee, of course). The fans love it, and get to bring in a guitar for Mr. Vai to sign. Iggs and I couldn’t believe why someone would pay several hundred dollars to get a guitar signed by someone who never played it, but I digress…
Showtime! Iggs and I ran spotlight, a pretty serious job on this particular evening. We were told to add 6 colored gels to the spotlight and often had to change them on cue with the live music. Pretty fun, but can be nerve wracking if you aren’t confident with that particular spotlight. I had a few issues with pan and tilt adjustments, but It went pretty smooth. Mr. Vai Was hit with two spotlights most of the evening, just enough to show of his feathered locks blowing in the artificial wind. He put on quite a show, jumped round, played his ass off and had several costume changes. At one point Mr. Vai stopped the show for 10minutes while his crew adjusted his guitar rig. He informed the audience that he wouldn’t let them pay for a ticket to a show that wasn’t perfect, then came back on a started the song over again. What a pro…
About an hour and a half in I had to pee. I knew there wasn’t going to be an intermission so I figured the show would be over soon. No way Mr. Vai can play that fast for too long, right? Just then a voice came over the headset: “Ok guys, we’re just about to the halfway pint of the show”. We were stunned, to say the least. Mr. Vai played for about 2 hours and 45 minutes, including his 3-song encore. What a marathon performance. I ran to the bathroom and relieved myself… FINALLY.
At the end of the day the band and crew were really nice, the fans were thrilled and everyone got paid. Steve Vai was the last one out of the building after taking an incredibly long shower. It was a great day, incredibly long but filled with entertaining people and music. I love my job!
Sadly, it’s been a slow year for us here. It’s quite depressing actually. And it doesn’t look like it’s gonna get better any time soon. Bummer. More musicians need to go on tour. PLEASE!!!
Ok, I’m done with the negativity. On to the gigs…
On 9/13 we welcomed Paula Cole and guest Mandy Moore. As I mentioned in my last post, it was an easy day because the tour showed up with NOTHING. All the gear was rented from Bauder Audio which means everything was set up and ready by the time the tour arrived. The crew was friendly and the day went by quickly. Not really much to report from this show.
MANDY MOORE & PAULA COLE
The following night we hosted Genesis tribute “Turn It On Again.” These guys had a bit of bad luck before the gig. The truck carrying all of their lighting equipment and vintage instruments was not allowed out of Canada because of a paperwork snafu. TIOA prides themselves on sounding and looking just like a Phil Collins-era Genesis show (3 Sides Live to be exact). The band, though, was already in town and decided the show must go on. Great attitude guys! We rented a bunch of gear from Bauder, our lighting director Chris Keegan worked his magic, and the band rearranged and tweaked their set a bit. The bass player actually taped a popsicle stick to his foot to work his pedals. Wacky! The fans didn’t seem to mind as TIOA put on one hell of a good show. If you happen to catch them, you will be shocked that the lead singer/drummer is NOT Phil Collins. Trust me on that. The crew and band guys were totally cool and were easy to work with, despite the equipment problem. I definitely respect guys who are willing to work around the problems that sometimes arise in this profession. We’ll have them back here soon with their complete rig, and, although I’m not really a Genesis fan, I’m looking forward to working with them again.
GENESIS TRIBUTE, “TURN IT ON AGAIN”
After that, we welcomed Judy Collins with guests Nanci Griffith and Sonya Kitchell. I was too busy working the spotlight to take photos. But I have a pic of me at the spot. Wanna see? Nah…
For the final show of the weekend, we rocked out with legends Rick Derringer and Johnny and Edgar Winter. It sure is good to see rock icons like these guys still bringing it. The stage set-up was kinda weird, though. Rick Derringer and Johnny Winter use pretty much the same setup, but Edgar Winters’ setup is different. And for some reason, he goes on second. So we had to do 2 stage change-overs instead of one. Oh well, I’m not that lazy.
RICK DERRINGER, JOHNNY WINTER, EDGAR WINTER
It’s 6pm on 9/13 and as I type, Mandy Moore is onstage doing soundcheck. I’m not really sure why she’s famous, but my friends and the neighborhood kids are very excited. If you need more info about her, ask Rand. He seems to know everything there is to know. FYI, she is here on a co-bill with Paula Cole. I’m hoping the audience will be mostly young broads. Their crew seems nice, but we did all the work! Everything was rented, even the guitars. That sounds like a nice tour to be on. More later!!!
Hey folks!
I know you’ve been dying to hear about mine and Rand’s wacky adventures in the music world this summer. So, here goes…
It has been one hell of an eclectic summer. In just over one week, we worked with John Hiatt, Pat Benetar, Weird Al Yankovic, and Peter Frampton. Kooky, huh?
The John Hiatt/Shawn Colvin show was one of those gigs we really look forward to. In a word…EASY! Both artists performed solo acoustic, which means a reasonable call time, easy set up, and quick load out. Not to mention a very enjoyable show.
Weird Al returned for his second gig this summer at the Keswick on August 15th. Damn, that guy puts on one hell of a show. He is a true entertainer. One cool part of his show is the video segments that play while he is doing a wardrobe change backstage. He takes existing interviews with celebrities like Jessica Simpson, Madonna, Eminem, Kevin Federline, and others, and edits himself in as the interviewer. FUCKING HILARIOUS! If you hate these talentless (not you, Madonna) and brainless airheads as much as I do, you’ll really enjoy Al’s treatment of them.
Pat Benetar can still sing her ass off. Damn…her voice is AWESOME!!! Her husband/guitarist Neil Geraldo is trying hard to become a household name like her, but he doesn’t stand a chance. He plays guitar and piano and percussion and he sings and he demands double billing, but he needs to realize that everyone who was at the show told their friends the next day, “I saw Pat Benetar last night.” Sorry Neil.
On a personal note, you guys won’t believe how quickly and easily I pissed off her monitor engineer/stage manager. I think he was in a bad mood to begin with, but as soon as I talked to him…KABOOM!!!
I have a real talent, you know.
One of the cooler aspects of this job is checking out vintage gear the bands bring with them. We rocked a Doors tribute called Soft Parade on 8/17. The keyboardist brought a Fender Rhodes bass module made in 1963 that is one of only five of its kind in existence. Pretty friggin’ cool.
1963 FENDER RHODES BASS MODULE
On 8/23 we rocked out with Peter Frampton once again. I truly believe that man LOVES playing live. Whether you dig his music or not, you gotta admire a guy who works so hard to please his fans.
FRAMPTON COMES ALIVE AT THE KESWICK
Stay tuned folks. Lots of cool gigs coming up including Edgar AND Johnny Winter (with Rick Derringer), Steve Vai, Henry Rollins, REO Speedwagon, Sinead O’Connor and the one I’m REALLY looking forward to… 12 Girls Band. If you’re in the Philly area, stop by and see us!
Rand and I had an interesting gig the other night. We were working with Manhattan Transfer. If you don’t know or remember them, don’t worry. I doubt most of their fans own a computer, let alone read blogs like this. They are four vocalists who sing lyrics they’ve written for jazz instrumental standards. In a word, YUCK! It is the WHITEST music you’ve ever heard. They actually required four spotlights for the show; one for each of them. I could understand if they were playing an arena, but they stand right next to each other onstage. It was pretty silly. Halfway through their set, and just when I couldn’t stay awake any longer, the rock gods intervened. The entire block lost power. The theatre went dark and silent. AWESOME! Our emergency lighting kicked on, and then a very cool thing happened. After calming the crowd, the singers and pianist continued, truly “unplugged,” for another 4 or 5 songs.
I can’t stand their music, but I have a new respect for them because they continued performing and didn’t bitch at us. They showed a level of professionalism that some of today’s younger “artists” could learn from.
Check back soon. We have lots of cool gigs coming up.
Rand and I worked with Zeppelin tribute “Get The Led Out” again recently. If you are a Zep fan like me, you might want to check these guys out. Now, I know that the true purist fans would never go see a Zeppelin tribute for fear of angering the rock gods. But there is something to be said for the work these guys put into their show. With 6 guys in the band, they are able to perform the “studio sound” of Zeppelin, rather than the “live sound.” So when you’re in the audience, you’ve got a rockin’ band onstage and they sound just like the Zeppelin albums. Plus, they don’t try to look or act like Led Zeppelin. They just play the music…well. It’s a really fun show. The band members and crew are really cool guys and they play in the PA, NJ, NY area often.
