Posts
Back from Download site work on the 18th June. missing Billy Bragg, as I couldn't be arsed to leave the house and just wanted to shower, eat and drink. I'd agreed to work UFO on Friday, but realised I'd be battered from Download so got covered for that job.
20th of June was 'The Saturdays' and a long day with a difficult load out, as it was a seated gig. Sunday and Monday off. I can't remember what I did, just sat at home going Engghhh I think.
Tuesday the 23rd Was an Evening with Joe Calzaghe Plus Sir Henry Cooper. Sport isn't my thing, especially not boxing, so i just did the load in and load out. Wednesday was 'Blur' who seemed to have all the lights in the world and another tough-ish load out, but a stonking atmosphere for the show and some old pals, working on the lamps and drum tech'ing.
Thursday 25th was 'Fleet Foxes' a nice surprise for me as I didn't know any of their tunes, but seeing part of the show meant I discovered a new band. The lampee was another old pal, but again what seemed like a difficult load out, especially considering that there was bugger all gear. I'm not sure if it was because I was tired, or the colleagues I was working with were being especially dense.
Friday 26th was Jimmy Carr upstairs and 'Pendulum' downstairs. I couldn't be bothered to sit through a comedians set and only wanted to have a neb at 'Pendulum' as I'm getting bored of hearing their tunes at the clubnights. I was impressed with the sound during the sound check and they had a top light show.
Saturday 27th Was 'Lenny Kravitz'. What a pile of arse, but I was up-rigging for the show, which I always enjoy, and a good pal had come down to ground rig for us. So it was a good day, we had a pint at dinner time, then went to see another pal who used to work for us, just to chew the fat and watch a bit of Glastonbury on his TV, before it was time to head back for the Load out.
Sunday 28th was another day sitting at home going Engghhh.
That brings us to Monday 29th, and 'The Dave Matthews Band'. Another day up-Rigging, with my pal grounding for us. For a mostly American touring crew, everyone I had to deal with were really nice. Though I heard that the runners had a bit of a 'mare with one of the production people. Sweated like a bastard dicking around putting the points in, then did dribs and drabs, 'til it was time to put the safeties on the PA. 31C in the roof. My head started leaking as soon as I got up there. More sweating and dripping on my specs'. That was around 14:00 and we were done 'til load out. So off to the nearest pub, for a cold Cider to replace essential bodily fluids, then off to 'The Bell' at Tong. One of the pubs they send us to eat at when we're working on the 'V Festival before catering has arrived, or after it's gone off site. They do proper full on meals that make you feel you've had your moneys worth, rather than something expensive, with a fancy description on the menu, but that ultimately leaves you wishing you'd ordered two meals. A mixed grill for me.
After that we headed off to the Cosford RAF Museum to kill more time, we only had time to look at the 'planes in one of the buildings. I had Airfix models of some of them and seeing the real thing was great. You'd be surprised, how big some aircraft are, and also how small others are when you get to stand right next to them. By the time we'd bimbled about the one building, we didn't have time to look at the Cold war exhibition, which is housed in another spectacular, modern, asymmetric/weird shaped building. Something for another day then.
When we left, thunder was rumbling and the sky towards Wolves was that Purple heading to black colour of a proper thunderstorm. We didn't see any of it, but the road was wet and we passed through a couple of flooded sections, with popped man-hole covers and the smell of sewage.
We still had the evening to kill so popped back to the same pal from the other day to chew some more fat, until it was time to head back to work, via the chippy.
Caught a bit of DMB and the bits I heard were Jazzy/Santana-esque. I'm not sure I'll go out of my way looking for their music. Load out was sweet, with the temperature in the roof having dropped to only 30C, but with outrageous humidity from all the sweat that had risen off the punters below. More sweating, but a nice efficient load out.
Despite some of the nasty load outs a good week or so that I've enjoyed. Especially Monday, with the visit to the Aircraft Museum. A couple of days off. When I need to get some food in and do laundry stuff. Then it's on to working house tech' for the Methodist Conference on Thursday.
There were two of us and a forklift collecting in the Ped' barrier at 17kg a piece and 50 panels in a pack means a pack weighs 850kg, not a problem for the forklift, but we had to lift and place every panel in a pack. I should've made a note of how many packs we loaded. I moved several tonnes of Steel during the day.
It was a good day though. After the stress of the build, having to think and solves problems. It was great to just relax and stack barrier. To actually see the result of your labours, as the field emptied of barrier and the truck filled up.
Mind you, I do ache a bit today.
...and loaded on the trucks. Has basically been our brief for today. So the anti-climb is down, packed neatly & ready to use in Hyde Park. let's just hope the muppets can work out how to use our brilliant bit of carpentry.
We've started on the Larch Lap fencing that's used to disguise the Heras fencing in the VIP/Guest area & the Dressing room compound. We'll be continuing with that tomorrow.
During the meanwhile it's time for sleep.
...I'm back at home and I feel battered. Worked 'til 22:30 on Thursday night. Then back in at 07:30 Friday morning to be run ragged by the Artists liaison team making sure everything was looking good for the backstage area. Grabbed some dinner about 13:30, but had to eat and run. Messed around some more and finally had chance to stop properly for a break around 16:30 when we went on standby. Broke at 18:00, but catering didn't open for tea until 18:30.
As we weren't working the weekend at Download, my work colleague & bunkabin mate headed home as soon as possible to his Girlfriend and 'The Babby'*. This left me to mooch about, having a shower, putting some half decent clothes on, rather than work clothes and returning the buggy to production.
I then walked out to check the festival. Bumped into another pal who was working the Festival, just as 'Faith No More' came on stage. As I was watching from an oblique angle off Stage Right**. I could hear fine, but couldn't really see the stage properly, but I could see the video screens. As it looked like they'd got some good lights I said I was going to watch properly from the front. All I'd meant was moving round so I was more front on to the stage, but my pal said we could watch from the FOH*** position if I had the right pass. I had a better pass than her**** Mwahahaha.
The show looked and sounded great, but I find it difficult to watch a whole set and I wanted to have a look at 'Motley Crue' (I don't know how to add the superfluous Umlauts). They were terrible. So I headed over to the Jagermeister VIP viewing platform. As I'd bumped into an old mate earlier in the day and found out that he was working there. So I got to watch the end of 'Faith No More' drinking free Jagermeister and standing on a platform above the Hoi Palloi. I felt like some sort of Roman Emperor.
The main stage finished and I was thinking about heading to the VIP guest area, knowing it would be more disappointing than it sounds. As I'd been working 'site' I knew the best way to get there (because of the crowds at the entrance from the Arena) would be to go through the 'Tuborg Stage', which just happened to be the stage that the rest of our Company were working on and our friendly neighbourhood PA company were doing the sound on. They'd just finished, so I bimbled back to the ranch with them. For a few tasty beverages on their bus.
A bit later, the guys from our company finished on their stage and texted to say they were up for a drink, so it was over to their Van for a couple more.
I didn't have anything to do early, so I was up for another drink, but was aware they had to go to work, so left not long afterwards. Back to Bunkabin world and kip.
It was great not having to set an alarm.
I woke about 12:00 and felt really really bad. Worse than I should've felt from the amount I had to drink. I think the 12 hour days had caught up with me. By the time I'd dropped off the key for the bunkabin to the lads who were going to use it whilst I was away for the night it was 16:30.
I thought I was going to read some of my book on the shuttle bus to Derby***** and then the train back to Wolves. I couldn't summon up the mental energy to concentrate though. So just enjoyed the view. It was a great day and the journey from Derby to Birmingham goes through some superb looking countryside, until it gets near Birmingham.
Arrived back in Wolves and headed to work to dump my bags and make sure the club night was fired up. Then off to MuckDonalds as it's nearer than my favourite filthy kebab shop. Swift libation in a Pub, then into the clubnight until 03:00 in the morning.
I'm heading back to site tomorrow, well later today now. I'll hook up with a pal who's attending the festival, but they'll be no Rock and Roll excess. I've got to be firing on all cylinders at 08:00 Monday morning to start taking the nonsense out. We should be off site for Wednesday.
*A Wolverhampton term for small child.
**That's the Left of the Stage as you look at it. Stage directions are always given from the point of view of the person on the stage looking out at the audience.
***FOH = Front Of House. The mixing and lighting desk position.
****Remind me to explain why one pass can be better than another one some time.
*****The chippy opposite the Train Station in Derby is great. The greasy spoon next door to it is also good, though it was shut, but I've used it before.
Been putting up flags today in a spectacular location. Every 20 minutes or so a 'plane flew over. It was an awesome sight. I dunno how many tonnes of aircraft flying right overhead and coming into land. You just had to stop and watch.
Why is this post titled Whicker's World? I remember watching a TV programme called that and I seem to remember the title sequence had a shot similar to the video above. It was indicitive of the world he portrayed. Jetting off to give us mere mortals a glimpse of the lifestyles of the rich & famous. Jet travel was still something only Rich people did.
There's also a kind of pride in the human race. We made tonnes of aircraft fly through the air...
...having said that. The other day I spent 5 minutes of my dinner break watching a bird of prey hover over a hedge row 50 metres away. Then drop on something.
Kind of difficult to decide which mode of flight was more impressive.
...at work today. One of the down sides of working outside. On the plus side we achieved a lot, unlike the first day, which was really depressing, as we had to make some shoddy second hand anti-climb* work. Second day was better as we had to build the stuff from scratch. I'm not a great carpenter, but good enough for Rock 'n' Roll. At least my joints fitted together. Unlike the crap we had to deal with.
Today was part of the 'festivalisation' process. Sorting out the erection of some flags that are meant to make the, designed to extract as much money from the punter as possible, totally comercial venture that is a modern music festival seem more... Like... you know... maaan.
Ah well, why should I complain? I'm being paid to make things so.
*Anti-climb is the stuff that's put around the King Poles of the big tents to... Well the name say's it all really.
Main Stage is going up, but it's all a bit grey & wet here.
I don't know if it's obvious from this pic', but if you look underneath the Landrover a couple of fork points have been fitted I assume so it can be loaded onto a curtain sider. Cool eh?
That's an aeroplane landing, as viewed from my dwelling in bunkabinopolis. You could say the neighbours are kind of noisy. No worries as my superhero special power is sleep anywhere.
You know when you go and see a band and the lights in the auditorium go out just before they come on stage and you start to get excited because you know that the band you've gone to see and really really like are just about to come on stage and play all those tunes that you really really like and the really fit lead singer/guitarist/drummer/bass player whoever are about to sound really really awesome because they spent loads of time learning to play their instruments and how to craft tunes that you want to hear and it's all very well hearing their awesomeness and skill with their instruments but when that first guitar chord kicks in and all the stage lights turn on and start changing colour and moving because it's the 21st century and you expect that sort of thing and the colours change and the lights move and make the band you've come to see more awesome and your knickers damper but you don't notice especially but you would if all that palaver wasn't there.
Well.
Some cunt who's developed work related skills over a number of years and learned new skills as the technology has changed because they're interested in their job and actually quite like learning how to use the technological toys they've been given the chance to play with and have spent the afternoon using these skills to programme a fucking awesome show into the state of the fucking art lighting desk that is controlling some state of the fucking art top of the range moving lights.
Some cunt has done all this so a fucking muppet who is the person who's going to be operating the show and trying to make the band on stage look as ace as can be can be rubbish because he havn't even got half an idea.
Whatever.
I feel I'm justified in my rant.
It might make no sense to the reader, because it's work specific.
I do feel better though.
How was your work day?
