With my job I tend to do a lot of traveling and I really do love it. Every day is a different day, every town is different, and there is a different way to handle situations. My job, as a promoter rep has good days and its bad days. Today is one of those "It Is What It Is" days. Everything about the show is set up in advance, the stagehands are getting here at 1:30, the band is getting here at 3:00, the sound company is loading in the night before, catering budget is set, everything is totally fine, until you get there.
Today, I hopped off the plane, went to eat at 1:00, and was in the venue by 1:30. I walked into the venue, which is a basic warehouse nightclub big empty room, makeshift bathrooms, a plywood bar, no dressing rooms, no office, no Wifi, no clues.
As usual I set up my office, trying to find a working wall plug with no exposed wiring then sliding a crooked table into that space. Next I have to find and clean a chair, get the computer ready, then plug in the 100 foot internet cable the club offers rather than a WiFi network. Remember when LAN was the "fast" solution over dial-up.
I get my notes out, pull the information for the sound engineer and "CRAP, WHERE THE HELL IS THE SOUND SYSTEM!?!?!" I'm immediately on the phone, calling the sound company. It's 1:40, band loads in at 2:00, Sound is defiantly going to be late today. He finally answers "Yeah, we are running a little late, but we're just down the road." A little late? What happened to last night, loading in the day before, being all set up??? "Uh yeah, I couldn't get in last night, didn't call the owner till it was too late for him to come down." Too late? What time did you call the club owner that it's "too late", it's not like he is getting up super early to mow the lawn. The sound company is late, it's Lubbock, and my options are, to just sit and wait till he gets here.
The Band rolls in around 2:00, the tour manager walks in and asks how the day is going and suddenly gets the same look I just tried to hide. "Where is the PA?" he asks, "It is on the way, should be here shortly." "Ok, is it true we've only sold 8 tickets?" I explain that he is just getting the number of fan club tickets, not total tickets sold, He gets a little more at ease. "Where is the production office?" he asks. I point to my desk in the corner and say,
"Welcome To Lubbock!"







