Job Type: Annual community event.

Venue: The South Salt Lake Art Factory parking lot.

Load-in: Art Factory events are great, because you can drive a van-o-gear right up to the very spot the stage will be in. I can’t think of any reasonable way that a load-in could be easier.

Load-out: Especially quick because of Patrick Chase, the A2 on the show. He knows the rig, knows how to stay organized, knows the pack order in the van…I’m not opposed to training people and explaining things, but when the hour is late, an audio human wants the process to go fast. That’s what I got! Oh, and just like load-in, being able to pull the vehicle right up to where all the bits and pieces are sitting is fantasteriffic.

What Went Well

• Unexpected FOH: The staging company, J&S Productions, wanted to use the show as an opportunity to demo their custom-built PA. I figured that giving it a try wouldn’t hurt, and thankfully, the J&S guys were very happy to have their system tuned flat. Patrick and I got to work half as hard, leave a bunch of gear in the vehicle, and got paid the same. No complaints there.
• Whistle A Tune: As I mentioned, we got to tune the FOH PA extensively. I also got to tune monitor world to a flat target, which is a rare treat that makes my life much easier when the band is on deck.
• Pixie And The Partygrass Boys: Working with fun bands is the best. Everybody is there to have a good time, from the stage on out.
• Bear Shark Duck Snake: Apparently, the key to getting hilarious songs out of bands is to stick them in a van for five hours while denying them access to the radio.
• Unexpected Job Offers: Jon, the venue manager from OP Rockwell, was on hand to sit in and play some washboard. After load-in, he lays a question on me: Would I want a residency at the very venue that I just mentioned? Well…YEAH! We decide to talk through my scheduling issues to ascertain if all the craziness will be navigable. (Spoiler Alert: I took the job.)
• Weather: It clouded up at one point, but didn’t rain in any real way. Winds were light. That’s a recipe for a very pleasant outdoor gig.

What Could Have Been Better

• Whoops, Wrong Knob: Midway through the show, Jon needs some more of the upright bass for better “groove lock-in.” I get on the gas until Jon gives me an approving look. There’s just one problem: I’m SLEDGEHAMMERING Andy (the guitar player) with bass, because I’m confused about my very own monitor layout. Duh. Hold on, let me fix that…

Conclusion

I love it when a plan comes together. I also love it when the plan gets halfway thrown out, and comes together even better than I expected.