Posted on 03/25/2021 7:54:50 PM PDT by DoodleBob
LONDON — William Frostman, a lighting supervisor who has toured with the Rolling Stones and Queen, has just spent a whole year at home, the longest time in his decades-long career.
“I just want to wake up on a bus,” Frostman, 60, told dozens of his fellow roadies...Nostalgic as he was for life on the road, there were a few fears at the back of his mind, he said: Would anyone employ him? How would a vaccine passport work?
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But for many roadies — who often rely on monthslong world tours to make a living — a return to full-time work feels a long way off.
“My fear is being disappointed again,” said Suzi Green, a veteran tour manager who set up the group, adding that she was concerned restrictions would be reimposed.
Other members had their own worries. Some were scared that they wouldn’t get work when concerts returned. One said she feared if she did find work, she’d go back to unhealthy on-the-road habits, like surviving solely on pizza.
The mental health impact of the pandemic on touring crew members has been widespread. Last November, the Production Services Association and other British organizations representing live events workers surveyed its membership on the issue. Half the 1,700 respondents said they had suffered depression, and nearly 15 percent said they had experienced suicidal thoughts.
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Some of the roadies said they feared that the music industry had moved on without them or that their contacts had moved into new lines of work. “The fear of being left behind is very real,” said Debbie Taylor, who manages the crew for Guns N’ Roses world tours. “It’s something I have nightmares about,” she added.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
However, I know people in these sectors (lighting, sound, and musicians who aren't household names) who are NOT at all happy with the shutdowns etc. I bet many of the support personnel do not have the financial resources that their entertainer bosses have to sustain their stupid political decisions.
I suspect some of them who were leftists are having buyer's remorse. To wit: why didn't the Times find ONE ANTI TRUMP COMMENT to print?
IMHO, they have very real concerns. In some areas it will likely be 2+ years before any concerts resume. Think of a concert in postponed March 2020, cancelled in 21 and maybe even in 22. That is 2 years of people who used to attend getting older, finding other activities, etc.
With the “new normal” of paranoid Karen’s what will a 2022 concert look like and how many will say screw it if it is not a normal concert.
Correct. One of my friends is the drum tech for the drummer of a major artist. When I spoke to him last summer (when he would normally be on the road), he said he was going through his savings.
Live music is going the way of the Dodo Bird, sad to say.
Roadies hit the hardest.
Roadies hit hard and put up wet.
I really feel for these folks...if AB5 wasn't going to kill the ones in CA, the extended pandemic will. And they aren't on anyone's payroll so they wouldn't get PPP money. I suspect they'd GLADLY risk getting the bug if it meant working again.
“Live music is going the way of the Dodo Bird, sad to say.”
I wonder. My hunch is that people are bursting at the seams to back to crowded concerts. My punk rock friends in So Cal are eager to hit the road and their fans are eager for them to show up nationwide.
Cruise ships probably have a huge demand now and sad they cannot get going full steam ahead.
I suspect these bands aren’t going anywhere without new material.
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