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The Arcade Fire at Bowery Ballroom

This Show Must Go Off Episode 8

The Arcade Fire recently wrapped an intimate 4-night residency at the Bowery Ballroom to benefit the people of Ukraine, and the production was spectacular. Every detail was memory-making. From the scavenger hunt for tickets in New York City’s parks to giant inflatable eyeballs, to surprise special guests and street parades that spilled down into the subway, this was an unforgettable weekend.

Pre-production

A phone call came in roughly 6 weeks before the show date. A production manager of an unknown artist would be flying into New York and needed to arrange a walkthrough of the venue. On the day of our initial meeting, the stage was set with a 5-piece rock band, and minimal production. A leisurely concert, compared to what was to come. I was greeted with hugs and genuine warmth as if he sensed my racing thoughts of inadequacy. “This is too small” “it will never fit” “Whatever you do, don’t make the shoebox joke” [the venue used to be an old shoe store]. When we got right to it, he said something to the effect of “This isn’t bad”, a small sigh, and then came talk of all of the logistics.

Chris Roberts is a brilliant Production Manager. How someone can take a band’s wildest dreams, entirely impractical, borderline impossible, and potentially illegal in some states, and say “yes, we will figure it out” is still mystifying to me. We were there in person to talk through the reality of fitting a stadium production, into a rock club one-tenth of the capacity. The crux of these shows would include a giant inflatable eyeball that must be rigged from the venue ceiling. It was important to do so in a way that would not impede sightlines, use of the PA system, or use of the venue HVAC and sprinkler system. If inflated using a noisy air compressor or fan, it would require constant power, as well as data lines for lighting. If inflated using gas, it could violate local laws and OSHA regulations.  Production would include building a stage extension of 6 feet and closing off our rear stairwell access for patrons.  This would allow for backline tech accommodation. Backline, audio, and “The Eye” would arrive in a tractor-trailer. Staging, lighting, drape, and barricade would be sourced locally. For production alone, the house was looking at a 20-person crew [up from our usual 4] and the Artist directly employs at least another 16.

A similar style of show would be carried out in New Orleans before arriving here. It was my hope that a trial run would help to alleviate some of the shock on both of our crews.

By the week of the show, we had settled on The Eye being rigged from our PA I-beams. It would impede just 1 of the 6 boxes of our main PA hang. Audio and Lighting control would all be housed in the balcony. Our upstairs bar would double as catering for a majority of the afternoons.

 

 

Eve of Show

There was one final walk-through the day prior to the show. The PM asked what time the band that night was loading in. “4 pm.” I said, “Remember those days?” To which he responded. “No. God. No, I don’t…. Actually, those were the days I was playing in a band, and showing up to a pub with the backline.” We laughed in a knowing way. What was to come would be new in a lot of ways for all of us.

Their crew was set to load in at 7 am the following morning. Attached is my draft of a day sheet for staff.

Show Days

The following days followed a more manageable schedule for the venue, and I was able to scale back to my usual production staffing. My A1/FOH directly assisted the system tech with the D&B system calibration and EQ and would monitor the amps during the performance. My A2 ensured the stage had power each day and worked closest with the Artists’ stage manager to ensure everything was safe and prepped for doors.  My LD worked directly with the Artists’ LD to make sure the lighting rig functioned well each day and supervised the use of atmospherics. We maintained control of the house lights for pre and post-performance.

I tried to keep busy, and our hands dirty to avoid boredom and exhaustion. The hardest part of working with a self-contained event is to pivot from work that is so mentally and physically stimulating, to strictly supervisory. To challenge ourselves, we did attempt to rig and clean a 2nd giant inflatable eyeball on the venue’s roof, but ultimately the weather and insufficient anchor points kept it from gaining any real traction.

 

A fun challenge for my A1 was to reconfigure our PA system to run via analog drivelines, rather than the AES we currently use. Many of our guest consoles are still accustomed to analog drive lines, which makes sense for uniformity and flexibility. Every PA will have analog inputs, and it grants you pass-through in places where multiple consoles are present. I have come to revere their engineer Jim Warren and system tech Mat over the years of concert touring and was beyond excited to hear his mix, so I extended the courtesy of driving the PA directly [meaning our console would not pass his drive lines through to the PA]. Our old cable infrastructure remained from our analog Midas Heritage console. We followed the schematics from our initial D&B install and then reverted the processor data and amp settings. The inflatable eye completely blocked our center upper point source box, which we turned off, and the room was tuned with the eye inflated.

My job roles and responsibilities began to blur. I had a heavier role in financial reporting than I typically do during our shows. I was also meant to supervise and support 3 runners, merchandise sellers, lift operators, and loading staff. Even our Talent Buyer got involved in a new way, distributing passes directly to fans during the afternoons. Of the many to aid us from the artists’ side were Tessa Greiman, Josh Smith, and Chris Roberts. Tessa is an extraordinary manager for artist production. She interacted with the venue staff in the most respectful and unifying way. Jobs needed to get done, and quickly, but Tessa never let anyone feel unappreciated or unsupported. Josh was the stage manager whose impeccable attention to detail and planning I leaned on heavily. By the end of our 4 days, he caught on to the Bowery magic, where things happen in a strange New York rhythm you cannot put your finger on, but is noticeably different than most cities. He worked in complete sync with his techs and made the days easy for my department heads. The key part of this wild adventure was Chris, and his ability to really see 10+ Arcade Fire members and guests on [and off] our stage. Seeing him making it all happen, one surprise after another deserves my deepest appreciation and trust.

The Show must go on and on and on

One common theme that kept coming up as the 4 days went on, is health and wellness. I think many of us can agree– it is nice to return to work after a pandemic industry-wide shutdown, but we can improve upon the conditions so that when we ask someone to work a 16 hour day it is met with a mutual level of support and compensation for the task.

I thought of our respective crews. The way their team cares for one another, and what I could be doing better. I couldn’t help but envy the hotel accommodations that cut your commute time out completely. It is a privilege to be able to have a walking commute to work, and one that supports mental health.  Some of my staff do not live in New York City, and those who do can spend upwards of 90 minutes commuting to the venue via public transportation.

Meal breaks and healthy food options are critical to maintaining focus and a positive attitude throughout the day. Where a majority of our staff meals are walk away, their team had regular meals together, creating makeshift kitchens from our bars. Adding healthy non-perishable snacks that are easy to store is something I have incorporated as a result of these shows.

One final important factor is a private place to take a break. In our venue, a private corner to shut off your brain is very hard to come by. When you operate in a public space, there is this assumption of always being on the clock, and worse- being thought of as lazy by sitting around and not doing anything. It is an industry issue that needs to change, and a hospitality concern that requires a deeper look and solution.

The Load Out

Each night the band surprised everyone by taking to the crowd for encores that spilled out into the streets. The last night I let out an audible laugh as my crew stood next to the tractor-trailer, cases emptied and along the sidewalk, as the band lead hundreds of fans through our path of travel. It felt inclusive and exciting, and all just a bit silly.

While the band was finishing their last performance on our stage, we had started to empty cases onto the street and sidewalk, separated into departments [Lighting, Audio, Backline, and personal]. When we were able to get into the venue to work, we started breaking down backline and lighting. The stage extension came down as tech worlds were packed up in the wings. Next, we were able to get the scissor lift back into the building to undo the rigging of the eye, and crews were then split between audio, and truck pack. Audio consoles with their racks needed to be carried down the flight of narrow, carpeted steps as backline was loaded into the truck. Lighting and staging would leave on the vendor truck, and a few pieces of equipment would get picked up the following day. We all surprised ourselves by completing loadout in 2 hours’ time. Without much more than a moment to catch our breath, we were back into another show production 12 hours later. If I did not say it enough in person, I extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped make these shows happen and their incredibly hard work.

I would like to end this on a more personal note regarding the venue. This spring, the Bowery Ballroom will be welcoming Stef Schwartz back into our family as the club’s General Manager. I could not be more excited to work alongside such a talented and valued person in the concert community. I am very much looking forward to an incredible feeling of equity and respect, and how this will positively shape all of the shows. It feels incredible to do this job with a peer and someone whose compassionate drive can be felt at every venue they have been a part of. At a venue of our size, our two positions work more closely than most. Our working relationship should mirror what I saw with Chris and Tessa from the Arcade Fire team. Synchronicity and support even in the really hard moments.

I held onto the secret of The Arcade Fire Coachella surprise performance for a whole month and was excited to see it was received with the same awe and amazement as I saw here in New York. I cannot wait for the band’s year ahead, and I wish the artist and crew many memorable adventures.

The 8 Nights of Hanukah with Yo La Tengo

A holiday tradition at the Bowery Ballroom has returned once again. Signaling that maybe, just maybe, we have returned to normal.

It was 2017 when I found out Yo La Tengo would be reinstating their holiday tradition at the Bowery Ballroom, after a 5-year hiatus due to the closing of the original venue host, Maxwells. I was beyond excited to have them, but I was green in knowing what it would take to host an 8-night residency when most of my job involved turning the club over each night.  Over the 4 years that followed, fond friendships grew to give me deep, nostalgic feelings of the tour, and the joy and pride that comes with seeing an artist grow, and seeing your skills grow in the process.

When the 2021 holiday residency was announced, a warm smile fell over everyone at the venue. If Yo La Tengo believes we can do this safely, maybe live music can finally return to normal. All 8 nights follow a similar format. Doors open to a playlist made by someone near and dear to the band, a supporting artist takes the stage, followed by a comedian, and finally Yo La Tengo- with a 2-hour set featuring many special guests.

Load In always happens on the night before the first show. Then the production schedule always follows something similar to the following:

3:00 pm- Crew Arrives, preps gear

4:00 pm- Band arrives, rehearsals start

6:00 pm- Support Soundcheck

7:00 pm- Doors

8:00 pm- Support

9:00 pm- Comedian

10:00 pm- Yo La Tengo

The band comes with a Tour Manager, Backline Tech, Monitor Engineer, and FOH Engineer. And I always staff a Stage Manager, Monitor tech, FOH Tech, and Lighting Designer. Ideally, I keep the same crew for all 8 nights, strangely easier said than done.

The bands’ engineers use our house consoles and their mic package (mostly all Electrovoice). Our lighting designer lights the whole show. The band is all on wedges. With all of the special guests, we quickly use up all our 10 d&b M6 wedges. Most nights also use up all 48 of our inputs from stage, and I found myself grateful for our new digital console at Front Of House, and the importance of snapshots. The stage always starts exceptionally organized with every XLR being labeled, every sub snake box labeled and color-coded, and maintaining proper cable lengths. Stage speaker management is equally detailed, and the use of Layouts and console views on the Avid desk really helps FOH to stay on top of any last-minute surprises. Additional house equipment is stored off-stage, but still accessible, to create as much performance space as possible

Organizing FOH as a newly appointed Avid console tech, was a challenge for me. We loaded a show file that had passed from a Profile to another S6L, before coming to our desk. While Avid does boast a unified platform and ease of show file transfers, it does take a careful engineer a bit of time to prep the file for each new desk. Currently, I am taking the winter season to learn and understand session structures and system preferences. This has helped me achieve the workflow I was always used to on the Avid desk, and now I have the understanding as to why it behaves that way. I am also coming to understand that sometimes, the things engineers enjoy about their files/workflow, are things that might be better reproduced as a snapshot or User Preset, rather than a whole Session file. It is humbling, gratifying, challenging, and fun to poke through this new desk in a room I know and love, and with a band, I know and love.  By the end of Hanukah, I felt like I could speak the desks’ language much better than when we started.

Unlike the 300 other shows I advance with throughout the year, the support band, comedian, and special guests are kept top secret. Over the years, I have gone from feeling extreme anxiety over the anticipation to feeling excited and actually enjoying the unknown. I have arrived to work greeted with hugs from artists I used to tour with, had my jaw drop when seeing my idols take the stage, and of course, had my “grey hair moments” when figuring out how to fit all 14 members of the Sun Ra Arkestra on our stage. This year we were lucky to see their return, along with personal favorites Low, whose FOH engineer patched some analog effect pedals into the desk, including a real Moogerfooger that sounded heavenly.

Yo La Tengo has always been an important band for me. Having found them on a mixtape from a friend over a decade before I knew I even wanted to pursue live sound as a career.  I never could have thought I’d come to love and appreciate their crew as much as I do. It is a joy to hear Marks’ mixes, and how authentically he reproduces the bands’ sound.  It is inspiring to absorb Dutch’s patience and organization of wedge mixes on such a small stage. And always, always a joy to see the way Kevin works with Ira’s army of guitars. Magically fitting and tuning more guitars than nights of Hanukah to mate with the tube amps that defined such a genre of music. Joe, their TM holds them together, keeping everyone well fed, well caffeinated, and as prepared as possible.

With all on their crew, it always feels like genuine work together, rather than house vs. tour. What makes this, and any crew so great and effective is their ability to work together towards the whole. To understand that FOH is not just sitting in front of a desk. That mixing monitors is also balancing the stage volume. It is understanding volume and tone, and how the space is affecting what you are doing, as well as who you have on stage with you. I was always taught and always appreciated that FOH is something you work up towards, not simply something that you are trained for in books or videos. It comes when you can understand all of the parts of the stage, and when you understand your artist, and how they make their sound. To date, the most successful mixes I have heard are from engineers that understand those concepts completely.

These shows wrapped just as we learned of Omicron. All on the house staff, artist, and crew remained healthy, and each show was a success. Just a week later, we were shook with increased case numbers, and NYC saw its nightlife begin to dim once more. Broadway canceled shows, New Year’s Eve got a little more intimate, and Artists’ postponed their tours. January had 2-weeks worth of shows canceled, leaving only 4 dates with 3 artists, and a tightening of our protocols. In the strange, and all too common downtime, I have taken to education and practical training in our space. I cannot help but feel sad and exhausted. We have wasted years that could have been spent really understanding the needs of the industry in order to tour in a healthy manner. I feel safe and proud of the protocols we as a venue have put in place, which now feels somewhat fraught. If improved health, safety, production equipment, and training are not the reasons why an artist would choose to play your room over another, what are they? Is it possible to see something more than a guarantee?

I should leave it here by saying that all the Hanukah shows are put on in support of a different charity every night, and not only speak to organizations I feel proud to support, but also a sign of the times. I found this tradition the most heartwarming and meaningful of all. In a year when the band, [and the whole industry] performed a small fraction of the shows we thought we would when many artists suffered and put that aside for a moment, with the understanding that there is so much more out there, and so much to continue to fight for.

If you get lucky enough, I encourage everyone to check out one of these celebratory nights, and please come back to Bowery soon. We miss ya!

 

The Backseat Lovers at Bowery Ballroom

This Show Must Go Off Episode 5

What a sigh of relief, we finally have our first full-capacity concert event under our belts. Like many venues, we got excited when the pandemic infection numbers were taking a turn for the better, and we finally felt as though it was safe for us to reopen.

Mid-July the Delta variant shook all of that up, and our first two shows of the season were postponed once again.

Our venue decided to take a proactive approach and made the decision to allow only vaccinated patrons, staff, and performers into our events. New York City rolled out a similar mandate a few days later and we pushed ahead. Many artists and tours welcomed the news, including The Backseat Lovers. A few decided it is currently too risky to tour, and a smaller percentage was unwilling to support the new guidance. In those instances, the performances were either canceled or postponed.

The tour manager for the Backseat Lovers sent out their Advance email about 3 weeks ahead of their performance. * For more information about what an Advance is, and how to create a Rider, check out this great post: How to Make An Awesome Audio Rider

The band’s rider had everything I needed to know about the tour. It was professional, concise, researched, and well written. I got a great sense of the band’s personality and what to expect.

 

 

Audio would be self-contained, and the headliner would be mixed on an M32 desk. House would provide a floor wedge as a backup, drivelines to the PA, a drum riser, and power for the artist’s backline.

Artist would use our LD and our house light rig.

There would be a Meet & Greet experience that would take place 1 hour before doors.

Everything about this advance read like a classic Bowery show, and I began to feel excited.

On the day of show we coned off parking and the band pulled up with their van and trailer. Everything was professionally packed into road cases on caster wheels, which made load-in a breeze.

I needed to sort out PA drivelines through the Avid desk. Several factors made an external console management system like XTA an inappropriate solution for our needs and budget. Guests would need to pass through our console and I wanted to make sure they could do so as transparently as possible.

Avid’s “Input Direct” turns a normal Input or Output into a line-level pass through, bypassing any channel processing like EQ or compression, and routes the signal from the Top of Channel pickoff directly to the fader. The 5 channels of our PA and the Matrix Outputs were set Input Direct. The Artists’ engineer was satisfied with that solution and fed us the drivelines through his stage box into our split snake.   Our stage manager and monitor engineer assisted putting the artists’ mics on stands and running cables. All of the bands’ 4 members were using in-ear monitors that the tour carries. Right on schedule, 60 minutes after load-in the engineer tuned the room, and the band ran through a few songs.

The house crew managed the opening band. No stage plot was given, but we did have an instrument list in the advance.

Their vocal mics would pass through guitar amplifiers and that would be mic’d to achieve their desired effect. The vocal amps and the vocal mics needed to be carefully positioned around the stage to avoid bleed from the other instruments. It was an acoustic challenge, to say the least. Speakers in guitar amplifiers tend to be less directional than a stage monitor or PA speaker and have limited frequency response. Depending on the overdrive or tonal characteristics of the amp, you could have a greater potential for feedback. Everything was close mic’d as much as possible and the decision was made to aux feed the subs and front fills of the PA for the greatest control.

With soundcheck complete, the Meet and Greet experience took place in front of the stage and was completely unplugged. It consisted of acoustic performances of songs with a Q&A segment for about 50 fans, vaccinated, masked, and distanced. The fans were allowed to remain in the room while we opened doors to the rest of the ticket holders.

I feel confident that the opener sounded as good as we could make them, and I resonated with Samantha Potter’s thoughts in her interview where she mentions “sometimes functioning is better than beautiful.”

Once the Backseat Lovers hit I was able to breathe a long-held sigh of relief. We had done it. We made a show happen, with a completely new FOH desk, new lights and rigging, and a whole new set of rules due to Covid. I felt incredibly proud of all of my staff, and impressed by the artists’ FOH engineer Greg Downs, whose mix sounded energetic, balanced, and reinforced the talented band on stage.

A sign of any professional production, the band and crew started breaking down their gear shortly after their set, in favor of a quick and easy load out.

The whole night felt so organic and happy, and all the wonderful quirky parts of putting together concert events.

I look forward to the season to come and hope that our industry can offer a sustainable way to tour that values personal wellness, and that we can all support each other to continue to have conversations around vaccination and how important it is to our industry.

 

This Show Must Go Off-Bowery Goes Digital 

 

In this episode, I am excited to share that Bowery Ballroom is now offering the Avid S6L 24D as our new front-of-house audio console. For over a decade we maintained a legendary sound and reputation with our analog Midas Heritage H3000 and racks and stacks of outboard gear. I will talk you through why we made the change, how we chose a desk to lead us into the next era of shows, and how we managed the installation.

When Bowery opened in 1998, then Production manager Matthew Kasha utilized a Yamaha PM3000 and came to define the room with great ears and trusted gear.  At that time the Midas Heritage series had just launched and was quick to become the industry standard for concert touring. Acts like Bon Jovi, AC/DC, Metallica, Alicia Keys, Pearl Jam, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers all utilized the Heritage series desks. It won over our hearts and ears, and in 2010 Kenny Leinhardt swapped it into our front-of-house position. Another decade later and we reflected on how the industry continues to change. Audio engineers are faced with incredibly detailed and competitive choices for gear. Loudspeaker technology allows for pristine sound control and headroom, and wireless systems have revolutionized personal monitoring on stage.

Our sister venue The Teragram Ballroom in LA would also be upgrading their desk, so the console decision was a partnership. For me it needed to sound as good or better than the Heritage; offer more in terms of mixing and processing; tick all the boxes on the artist riders; impress the showcase shows, underplays, and the private events; excite my engineers, and have incredible user support. Ultimately, while I love analog, and love the Midas, I found myself racing to keep up with maintenance, and feeling never quite sure that everything would work as it is intended. The amount of use and abuse the desk took, outweighed the amount of time I had for its upkeep, and trusted touring engineers were getting to the point of needing more signal processing than an analog desk is capable of.

The engineers in LA and myself were on the same page. The top two contenders were DigiCo or Avid. Ultimately, Avid won out for their ease of session formatting, years in the business and engineer familiarity with ProTools recording/Profile consoles, plug-in capabilities, and most important- It would be something new for my engineers. We are lucky enough to have a DiGiCo as a monitor console, and complementing that with an Avid desk allows me to hire and retain amazing engineers that are willing to trade their skill for a little time building show files and getting comfortable with industry-standard desks.

This past month was equal parts fun and terrifying, as I disassembled the Heritage, and reconfigured front of house for a new desk, as well as a new lighting setup, and video control.

With the console weighing 500 lbs, and being over 7ft long, each module of the console needed to be removed, to reduce weight, so the desk could slide onto a forklift. 44 channel strips and 6 banks of faders were removed, and placed into cardboard boxes. From there, my partner and I rotated the desk onto a hand-crank forklift, me pushing off the balcony, and he guiding while standing on a ladder on the other side.

The next day we dismantled the patch bays. 25 years of cabling, 2 desks, and 3 managers’ worth of modifications, there were plenty of rats’ nests to dig through, and cables to cut out. Once organized, the cables added about another 100 pounds of weight. With the console gone, we moved to take apart lighting control. The whole booth would be reconfigured to create more space and improved workflow. The racks that housed all of the outboard gear needed to be physically cut out of the space and the table platform was sawed down to add depth inside the booth. The prized pieces of outboard gear will be kept and patched in as hardware inserts

A week later, the Avid desk was brought up to our balcony booth in sections. The engine, stage box, and waves server could be managed by a couple of engineers and were all racked at front of house. Both the stage box and the engine needed to be modified with additional cards. The control surface used 3 of us to tip it, move it upstairs and get down into our recessed booth.

Cabling and activation were another day’s project. Avid’s redundant ring system of shielded Cat6e cable made that part relatively painless. Avid rep Robert Miller was brought in to check all components were properly registered, working as they should, and give my staff an overview of the desk. Throughout the process, Avid has been a great ally. Making sure we have everything we need to get going, and talking us through their support channels, should we ever have a need to contact them during a show. Our vendor was a long-time friend, and an important part of Bowery’s history Jeff DelBello of dbAudio. FOH friends Harley Zinker and Scott Adamson also provided much-needed support and guidance through the whole process. Harley worked hand in hand with Robert to show practical knowledge and provided a session file we could all talk through. Session playback through ProTools really highlighted the desks’ features and was a nice treat for our room which was used to system adjustments using 2-track recorded media.

From here on out we will be working to build a house start show file, and template to share with visiting engineers. We will be moving to drive our speaker amplifiers via AES, rather than analog, and working with D&B on any room tuning adjustments.

My engineers are encouraged to come in and build their own files and get comfortable with the desk, and I am sure I will be doing the same.

The response has been positive from staff, engineers, artists, and managers alike, and I am excited for the opportunity to mix a show on our new setup.

Tune in for the next episode for a look at our rigging upgrades. We will dive into adding a motorized truss in the ballroom and redesigning our lighting plot.

 

This Show Must Go Off – Episode 3

 

Backstage On Broadway at The Bowery Ballroom

The event I want to talk you through today is another private rental. This was the venue’s first video live stream since the pandemic began. Generally, events like these are pretty rare for us. All systems are set up to enjoy a great experience in the moment. Looking ahead to the future of events, live streaming is going to be a great tool to reach a large and diverse audience, and promote accessibility to more patrons. We look forward to the future of these events and are excited to share all that we have learned from this broadcast.

To achieve the video broadcast our client was after, hi-speed Internet service is required. In our case, a separate and dedicated Internet hardline was put in by a service provider, which could be used exclusively for live streaming. The goal of this event was to broadcast approximately 60 minutes of a well-rehearsed “backstage on Broadway” experience involving show tunes sung by loveable Broadway stars. The streaming host was Chase Private Client, and this was a way for the company to give back to their customers, in lieu of the Broadway and live events shutdown.

Chase hired a team of producers to achieve their vision. The producers then work within a set budget and hire in the talent, subcontract the video, audio, and lighting, and scout the location (which is where we came in). The job of the venue was to provide a covid-safe location to film, assist with security, and supplement production needs. After the completion of the initial advance, it was determined that the house would provide power, use of our lighting rig (with a supervising LD), use of atmospherics (including our in house haze machine), use of our monitoring systems (including an engineer) and use of our front of house desk for a broadcast mix. House was also in charge of fabricating a staircase for the stage. It was clear from the start that I would be stretched thin on this event, so I put a network of systems in place to ensure all departments, including myself, could have necessary support if things were not running on time, or if any issues arose. 

The producers of the event were fairly new to the world of Broadway and concert production. The more advances you go through, and the more time you spend on the job, the more you can catch the nuance, and know what questions to ask, to give you a clue as to what to expect. It was much easier for me to deal with each department and their needs separately, rather than having the producers act as a middleman. Each event is different in this way, and can also apply to tours and Tour/Production management. You do not need to know every detail of every aspect of the production/tour, but know what you need to make your job easy. PMs- have your designers/department heads type up riders, plots, and inputs/instrument lists that speak the language directly to those that need it. TMs- same thing, have all of your riders and show needs together before you hit the road. If questions come up, do not hesitate to ask the person the question is intended for. It is less important for you to know all the answers, than it is for you to know who to get the answers from. 

The Covid Compliance team on-site was incredible. The testing process, a little less so. This client had our team schedule virtual testing, with testing kits that were mailed to us, and needed to be mailed back. For me, this was an easy process, but I recognized it is also problematic and prohibitive. First, all those being tested needed to have access to a personal electronic device capable of handling video conferencing, they needed to be fluent in English, have a permanent home address where they can receive mail, and needed to be able to access a UPS mailing point. I would not recommend this system unless you have pre-screened all employees and they feel comfortable to test in this way. In-person testing at a fixed location near the venue or area of work is preferred, with language assistance available. Our venue is currently working closely with Spotlight Medical to ensure fair, effective, and accessible testing for all of our staff, once we begin our own events.

The audio team was a broadcast engineer, (incredibly talented, extremely intelligent, and long lover of analog who I greatly enjoyed working with) and an RF provider with tech for all 3 days, who doubled as an A2. He was another great talent, who gave me a laugh as I watched 16 Shure RF mics go into foil containers typically used for leftovers. All in the name of Covid Compliance. House supplemented staff with a monitor engineer. In hindsight, a backline tech/stagehand would have been extremely helpful. 

The lighting team was fantastic and old pals. They consisted of a designer/programmer, grip, and lighting vendor with tech for all 3 days. House supplemented with our LD, doubling as an electrical supervisor.  One fixture would be hung, and the rest were ground supported on pipe and base in the balcony wings. The designer chose to use intelligent fixtures for all of his design, and stay away from our incandescent/conventional lighting. This allowed the designer to color and flicker or pulse width modulation correctly using the console.  

Day One

The event slated two days of load-in, setup, and rehearsal, and 1 day for last touchups and broadcast. My biggest concern was the analog desk and outboard. I feared after 12 months of lying dormant, things would not work. At this point, my brain has forgotten about the funny little nuance of the desk. The channel with the scratchy fader I needed to replace, the auxiliary buss that behaves funny, the gate that does not gate, etc. There is such a joy of analog, of touching buttons and faders and mixing with your hands, but they require a dedicated and consistent level of maintenance and care, which you can imagine becomes difficult when you are a sweaty, smoky, packed rock club that sees a different show every night, and your responsibilities encompass more than audio. On our first day with the broadcast engineer, I was immediately put at ease. He saw the joy that I see in the desk and had the immense level of experience and knowledge to not only make it sound great but even open up and clean some faders. Prior to load in, I had managed to clean all 1800 of the knobs on the desk but ran out of time for the faders. I welcomed the assist. 

Lighting and video loaded in first, audio and backline followed after that. The first day ended with setting the backline, pinning the stage, and getting the bulk of the lighting programming complete. The video team was able to get set up and a majority of their cabling was completed.

Day Two

Consisted of even more programming and our first run-through of the performance. We were given start and stop rehearsal, and a direct cue to cue which was about 75% of show ready.

Day Three

Started off with a bit of a hiccup from our end. I do my best to make sure our venue staff has all that they need to succeed at their job- resources, time, support, etc. Even still, I can forget that we have been out of practice for a year, and we are navigating new waters from the usual rock show. Our Monitor engineer, unused to theatre cue to cue style mixing and speaking on coms, found himself in the weeds. Unprepared for how to quickly and effectively use snapshots, he lost his work from the day before. The A2 and I quickly rallied in support of the monitor engineer to go through the program ahead of talent, and make sure the wedges were all dialed in, cue to cue. I am sure by the end of it our engineer became a pro at snapshots.  Unfortunately, it only reinforced his lack of interest in theatrical mixing. 

This was another note to myself to hire effectively and hire people who are excited by the event itself, not just the mixing aspect, or the need for a paycheck. We spoke at length about his experience afterward, and throughout it all, he handled the situation calmly and with a great attitude. The last rehearsal before the broadcast was rock solid.

Come the broadcast, I was huddled with the A1 watching a display monitor, hoping there were no streaming hiccups or issues on our end. Sure enough, the show looked beautiful and I only wish I could have heard the mix! It has been 14+ months since I listened to a mix from an engineer I love, on the Midas desk. Nonetheless, it was extremely nice to work together and talk shop, as well as share our love of motorcycles. 

Loadout happened in record time, unfortunate for our dinner break which we worked right past but grateful for a sigh of relief that everyone made it out of the building safe and sound, after a great few days of work. We started on stage-  breaking down backline, audio, and lighting, before moving to the balcony and front of house. This schedule gave the video and communications team a chance to organize and break down and left space for us to finish our loadout without interruption or breaking compliance. 

As of now, we are still taking it easy at Bowery, and remaining cautious to reopen. It is not yet beneficial to us, or to the health of our patrons to open just yet. We are going to continue to focus on some important upgrades, study the data, and figure out a way to make artists, staff and patrons safe and excited to come back to music again.  I cannot wait to share all of our new projects with you, so keep tuning in, and stay safe! 

More Resources

My Take on Line-By-Line Mixing for Theatre

 

This Show Must Go Off – Episode Two

Younger Season 7 at Bowery Ballroom

We’ve made it! I cannot believe I am writing this, but here we are, exactly one year from the last ticketed concert at The Bowery Ballroom. What a wild ride. We have been keeping moderately busy with important structural and safety upgrades, new video and lighting install, NIVA involvement and the good graces of Save Our Stages, and event rentals.  What I plan to take you through today is how a venue, typically very adept in a specific industry, can transform into something new and different, while still staying safe, and authentic.

TV Production

TV production is a new world for some independent concert producers. There is extensive union presence, budgets I could only dream of, and precious time to get it all right. If you still cannot manage to get it right, edit it in post.

During the advance process I spoke with Lighting Designers, Rigging Gaffers, Set Decorators, Assistant Unit Production Managers, Production Managers, and last and most relevant, a Covid Compliance Officer. It all makes my head spin, but I was also a little envious of clear, defined manageable job roles.

Contrary to what you might think, a larger staff and bigger funding do not always mean increased preparedness. In fact, it tends to isolate departments from each other and can make advancing a bit difficult, having to tackle each component of the advance with a different person. I was aware supplemental lighting would be brought in and the room would be decorated. We had sorted out power needs, and I was given a rough art direction and light plot, and that is all.

The event contract and a certificate of insurance are the biggest differences on paper. The renter takes out insurance for the space occupied, the people in charge of their care, and any incidents that will occur. During a concert, that is my responsibility and it helps to know there are multiple sets of eyes ensuring a safe work environment.  Other striking differences include time, labor, and money.  A shoot day began at 9 am and wrapped at 5 am (yes, 20 hours). We had two days of build and one full strike day. This schedule, coupled with our dark stage, made our normal house policies flex a bit. The lighting designers asked that our fixtures be removed from the stage ceiling, so others could be used. The stage curtains would be changed to a deep red fabric, and our PA system would be partially removed. I felt confident approving these alterations knowing the necessary equipment was brought in, (genie lifts, ladders, span sets, etc) the structural weight distribution did not significantly change, and on a personal note, it had been a very long time since our lights were cleaned. This afforded the perfect opportunity. Additional changes included wallpapering or draping our walls, adding furniture, and extending our stage 4 feet. (My dream!)

I had to remain confident that the show hires would effectively make this all happen, and trust our contract agreement that our venue goes back to normal at the end of the rental. Other than that, I took some educated guesses on the production staff needed and hired an A2, and LD for shoot day, and an L2 for prep and strike days. Security was kept to 3-4 on shoot day and 2 on prep and wrap days. I acted as PM and compliance officer for the venue and had relief and support from our incredible manager Amanda, and owner Michael.

COVID Compliance

My first time working with a Covid Compliance Officer was a great experience. It is my goal to ensure the house staff comes to work healthy and stays that way. The CCO on-site ensures all working personnel are healthy, provided with adequate PPE, and can safely and securely provide testing and store health records. She and I were the only two staff members on-site from load-in through load-out each day. We discussed which areas of the venue would be deep cleaned prior to entry, which areas would be spot cleaned throughout the day, records for active house staff, Covid testing procedures, meal and rest break areas, and what to do in the event of an outbreak. I cannot stress how important this job is for the future of our industry. Lean on them for PPE, and make sure you feel safe to complete your workday. I would highly recommend taking any of the free/low-cost covid compliance classes and list that as a valuable skillset on your resume.

Some important takeaways from this shoot at Bowery were feelings of gratitude and pride for my staff that can so easily adapt, assist the TV crew with their needs, and ensure everyone enjoys what they are doing. It was a feeling I sorely missed.  Another note is that the CDC guidelines really do work! Masks are effective when worn correctly, and even more so when you double mask. Regular Hand washing and sanitizing works, and avoid touching your face in between washing. Socially distance where you can as much as you can, and test regularly when that is not possible.

It can be safe for us to return back to work, but we need to trust each other to be responsible, and those in power to provide adequate PPE, testing, and transparency. If you were to ask me five years ago, as a freelance touring engineer, when I would be returning to work, I would have already changed careers by now. I would not have wanted to be the first to work a concert event. Drunk sweaty crowds, long hours, dirty clubs, are you kidding?!? Years later, and with more agency, I feel optimistic that Bowery can and will do it right.  We are investing in equipment and education to keep people safe, and live music is not something to fear.

There was very little that could be called music during this film shoot. In fact, the first audio through the PA in the past six months was a click track. Talk about my worst nightmare!  I do hope that my next blog, and our next event, have a little more music involved.

Look out for the last season of Younger, out on Paramount + later this year.

Free Online COVID  Pandemic Response Training

 

 

This Show Must Go Off

 

Episode One: The Sudan Archives at Bowery Ballroom. March 12th, 2020.

I had started this blog with the intention that small venues would be re-open by this point in the United States. I remember early March, deciding to close our doors, knowing that the city-wide shutdown was imminent. Thinking it would last a month, at most. “Get some needed rest, file for unemployment, we will all get back to it before you know it,” I remember welcoming the little break. Having worked through all of the holidays, and truly needing some R&R. Weeks turned into months, and we approach one year without a definite reopen date. Thanks to the incredibly smart, dedicated work of N.I.V.A (the National Independent Venue Association), and the heart and soul of everyone that works at The Bowery Ballroom, we stand a great chance at coming back from this thing better and brighter. It is my hope that we continue to be a positive experience for all artists, crew, staff and patrons that come through our doors.

I want to take you through a show at our venue step by step, pre-Co-Vid. In hopes that giving you this inside look will help you grow in whatever path you decide to pursue.

We barely debated rescheduling the Sudan Archives performance on March 12th. They were coming to Bowery from a fairly long tour. On our side, we had seen admission steadily and noticeably decline since the beginning of March, but nothing to call a deal-breaker. When asked if they would like to go ahead with the show, there was no question in their mind, this was their New York play, and like so many other bands, they wanted to make it special. Plus there was a videographer from German Public TV looking to document the performance.

As with most advancing, I let the artist take the lead. At our capacity, most artists are traveling with a Tour Manager, or someone fairly experienced in management, and can properly organize their tour, and translate it to the house. This was no exception. The TM/FOH was professional in every sense of the word; nice, extremely easy to work with, talented, and familiar. Our paths had crossed when I was traveling in Atlanta a few years prior.

As is industry standard, this advance email came in one month before the show date, and had everything I was looking for:

–Point of contacts and multiple ways to reach them

-Travel vehicle/Parking needs

-Load in needs and Questions

-Proposed Production Schedule/Run of Show (*Though important note, the door/show timings are usually somewhat planned in the booking/contracting/ticketing phase.) 

-Plot/Input List

-Hospitality Requests, number of people for dinner (buyouts) and Questions

– Merch info and the request for a house seller 

-Settlement info

See the consolidated and annotated version of the tech rider:

This show took all of a few hours, and a follow-up phone call to sort.  There would be a Front of House engineer, Monitor engineer, Lighting Designer and myself as Production Manager, and load-in would begin three hours before doors. Then, as can be expected for New York, the special requests come trickling in.

About a week before the show, I was given word of this German film crew looking to document the night. Typically this is one that the House Manager and I tackle together. Our venue is one of many that charges an origination fee to film the façade, or inside of our space. We also require prior written approval from our promoter, as well as the artist, to ensure everyone is on the same page with permissions.

*Learning moment for any new TM’s out there, always get any photo/video information to the venue as soon as possible, and make the artist/film crew aware that there could be fees associated before they lock anything in. Smart artists/crew work with the film team to make sure they handle all necessary fees. Others are often surprised and disappointed by the price sticker at the end and wish they could have invested that money differently.

In this same vein, the artist management put in a request about three days before the show for a barricaded photo pit. At our venue, in particular, we do not own a barricade, nor do we usually barricade the front of the stage. To me as a concertgoer at the venue, it is part of what made seeing my favorite artists so special. To others, it could prove a headache. I had to decline this request and offer substitutions of balcony space for the photographers. To bring in a barricade (this point at Artist Cost) would be over $1,000, and cut sellable capacity significantly for the venue. The second point was the real deal-breaker. This was a sold-out show, and we simply did not have space. Even with attendance dwindling because of coronavirus, it is our responsibility to assume that all will come, and have a safe space to stand.

The final string to tie up was with support. About a week before the show they provided their stage plot/input list, and tax form for settlement.

Simple, and undeniably clear. Pro tip: Always make sure your stage plot has your band name and contact information listed on the document, and that the file is labeled accordingly. PDFs are everyone’s friend. They had asked about visuals for the performance, which is fairly easy to get sorted here. 6,000-lumen projector exists as part of house equipment for artists use. We do advance that the artist provides the media server, which is typically a laptop or some sort of computer, with the content, and that it is able to connect via a VGA cable (which the house provides). The support artist was on tour with Sudan Archives, and it all made for a very seamless and transparent advance.

There was one final check-in the day before the show, to make sure no other higher powers had canceled. I told the T.M. we were trucking along with business as usual, and looking forward to it.

The crew always gets the abridged version over a calendar invite looking something like the following:

When hearing of the addition of the film crew, as well as the imminent shutdown, I had hired a lighting designer more comfortable with film and focused my attention on advancing this shut down information with the remainder of our March shows.

Day of Show:

I arrived sometime between eleven and noon to start my day at the club. Checking everything over, answering emails, ordering the hospitality, and sorting any last-minute needs for the event.  Once load-in begins, I shift my responsibilities to whatever tech role is needed for the day. Though it can be demanding, being able to regularly mix for a venue where I manage, is incredibly rewarding, and often makes all of the mundane computer work worth it. I am sure many other TM/FOH engineers can agree.

The green room was set up by 3:00 pm, and the house crew started to arrive at 4:00 pm. PA, consoles, Monitors, and lights are all tested before the artist arrives. If the stage was not cleared of decking from the night before, now would be the time to clear it. I shared any last-minute notes I received from the show, made sure the crew had printouts of the riders and stage plots and I’m sure casually, and ignorantly joked about the coronavirus.

Load-in was very smooth and as expected. Merchandise took up the majority of the space in the van, followed by wardrobe, then production. Lewis quickly tackled the artists’ key needs of the day within the first hour and was getting soundcheck underway as scheduled. There was a last-minute addition of the use of atmospherics, to add to the light show. I secured the permits, notified the LD, and as is standard for us, our LD has a conversation with the artist representation about the look of the show, and how to execute something effective.

Support was on stage to soundcheck by 7:15, just after our Merch Seller arrived, and we were ready to open doors at our scheduled 8:00 pm. Typically if a house seller is requested to sell the artists’ merchandise, a flat fee is paid to the seller and must be approved by the artist as well as the house.

About half of the patrons who purchased tickets actually attended the show. It made the worry of the photo pit seem trivial, but it also made us very uneasy about the state of music, and live events. Especially with someone as talented as Sudan Archives, a show we all enjoyed, more so knowing it would be the last for a little while.  Loadout was as smooth as when the show came in, but a little more somber, as we all worried about getting home on various forms of mass transit, late at night.

The artist and crew were staying local, only having a short ride to Philly the next day. Unsure if anything ever came from the taping of the performance, but like so many who were on the road during this time, they packed up and headed home shortly after this night.

Still having some tech work planned at the venue, I did not advise the crew on any special shut down procedure, and it was about a month before I could get back in to do any real work.

Over these next few months, I plan to talk you through not only what it takes to build a great venue production advance, and what you should be looking for, and what types of events we will see as we transition back into a new normal. This includes: what added responsibilities a Production Manager has to take on, what new safety concerns security and porters must deal with, and how we can build a stronger community for everyone when we re-emerge.

Learn more about tour managing and advancing shows in our 3-Part Series on Tour Managing on our YouTube Channel

Tour Managing/FOH Part One

Tour Managing/FOH Part Two

Tour Managing/FOH Part Three

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