A Man, A Jeep, No Real Plan

Amazing Stories and Adventures

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2022, The Year that’s best told in Pictures

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Some stories are best told in pictures. 2022 is one of them.

January 1st, 2022. The truck breaks down 125 miles from home on a 1000 mile drive. Sometimes the Universe speaks loudly.
In 2022, I still climbed on things that I shouldn’t have. Gravity is only a theory.
We also got a dog… the Cats did not approve this.
OK, 3 of the 4 cats don’t approve… Tubby is keeping an open mind.
Grant however found a partner in crime. If one goes to time out, the other does in solidarity.
Unfortunately only one of the criminals could be pressed into hard labor for their crimes.
Grant also got to enjoy some live entertainment this year. Jurassic World Live and Blippi The Musical!
Oh yeah, Grant also started Kindergarten. Here is the obligatory first day of school photo!
DRS started the year by running an 8 week long online course for USITT
We also were one of the Largest sponsors of their 2022 Annual Conference.
Instead of getting a booth at the conference, I opted to walk around with a bag of swag.
I also was featured on USITT’s Technically Speaking
DRS also was a minor sponsor of the New World Rigging Symposium
I also was featured by Technicians for Change during their Rig Safe Day
Things picked up in the summer and travel day Bloody Marias became a thing.
The first adventure was Eric Church for a week with Dad. His ability to sleep any where any time is impressive.
Then Dad got DRS sucked into Rolling Loud Miami. 3 days, 5 stages, 200ish acts, and 120,000 party goers. It was a thing…
After Rolling Loud I got to slow down a bit. DRS was the largest sponsor of the Midwest Rigging Intensive, and I did a 4 hour long seminar on rigging inspections, twice.
I also spent a couple of days as an instructor for the Jay O. Glerum Intro to Rigging Class.
My last big travel for the year was moonlighting for Post Malone. I was their Pre-rig Rigger from September to November. It was honestly the perfect schedule, DRS Monday through lunch on Friday and then fly out to Post Malone for the weekend.
Caitlyn continues to be hard to get photos of. She is killing it at work, and when her boss was out, she ran her branch for 6 weeks and they met all of the branch goals under her reign… something they don’t usually do.

OK folks, some of the things that aren’t pictured include:

  • DRS’s Gross raised 400% from 2021
  • DRS has added two new full time team members, Chris Berg and Bob Brown
  • Lots of weekends spent working as a local for 4 different IA Locals (no one has enough riggers)
  • Lots of training sessions for private groups
  • Lots of rigging inspections
  • Lots of Rigging Repairs
  • More than twice 2022’s gross already approved for 2023
  • Progress was made on the house, still not even close to done
  • A massive garden that got abandoned midsummer due to being too busy

I keep telling people I have all the right problems!

Put out the cat!

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We live in interesting times my friends. Yesterday I, along with the vast majority of my company was terminated due to the impact of the Coronavirus on the entertainment industry. When I tell people that things are bad, they don’t quite understand how bad. The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) estimates that 2.1 million people work in live entertainment. Of all my friends from a decade of touring, I was the last one to have a job.

I want you to spend a few moments looking at this photo. I didn’t take it, but it was taken by someone on one of our shows. This crew, was told that their tour was getting cancelled. They then spent hours loading everything onto trucks. Every task was done with care, despite the fact that they would cease to have jobs when the truck door closed. Despite the fact that their entire industry died in the blink of an eye and there literally were no jobs to even apply for, they took the opportunity to make art on their way out the door. These boots show the scars of the hard life their owners led. The rips, the exposed steel where the toe is worn, the splashes of mud from loading trucks in 30 degree rain, the stains from the paint and chemicals we use on a daily basis… these boots and their owners have had a hard life. But when all hope is lost, there they sit, on an empty stage, in an empty house, lined up with care, and waiting for the next tour.

Fast forward a week, and you get to yesterday. I, along with every person in this photo spent the week after everyone else in the industry got canned still working, trying to hold on to hope that our shows would not get canceled, that in a few weeks we’d be able to tour again. Yesterday, we, along with the majority of our company got fired. Some of us effective immediately, some people are getting one last week of work first, but we are all dead men walking in this photo. So we had a cookout in the hotel parking lot last night. There was food, there was booze, there was cursing, there was crying, there was laughing, and there were some philosophical conversations.

One of the topics was weird theatre phrases and traditions. I mean everyone knows about “break a leg”, but very few know about “Toi Toi Toi”. Lots of people know about ghost lights, but very few people have heard the phrase “put out the cat”.

Put out the cat, means we’re done, nothing is moving, you’re the last one on the stage, so let the cat out of its cage and get the hell out of there. So you’d release the cat and do your best to not trip over it as you stumble out of the dark theatre. Well ladies and gentlemen, we were among the last ones in the industry to still be working, but don’t worry, we put out the cat, so hopefully the mice won’t ruin our shit.

So, I am still A Man, I still have A Jeep, and as of right now, I have No Real Plan. So expect to see a facelift around here and for this project to officially be revived!

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Kansas, more adventures than expected.

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My travels have brought me to Kansas friends. Kansas is not a state that you expect much excitement from, but then again the journey is always interesting if I’m on it.

Salina was our first stop. I won’t lie, I did not do much outside of work, but work did keep me on my toes. Between the Holiday and the blizzard the local was unable to fill our call. What that means is that we had 8 less local hands than what we requested. My crew handled it with all the grace and professionalism that I could hope for. There was the initial “well f#%k” but they quickly adapted and started sharing. Riggers jumped in to help props, Carpenters jumped in to help electricians and we managed to load the show in in 6.5 hours. I know they think I am just saying it because I have to, but I am genuinely proud of this team.

The other different thing I did in this city is that I chose to separate my office from the rest of the road staff in this city. I did it for a lot of reasons. I wanted to be close to the stage because of the labor issue, but honestly I did it for some space as well. I love working with the rest of the staff, but I needed some me time to crank the tunes, knock things off my list without distractions, and to just be me for a few days.

Our next stop was Wichita. We arrived in the wee hours of Thursday morning and checked into the hotel. I was lazy most of the day, but Thursday night I decided to live a little. My partners in crime (the bus drivers) and I found this kick ass bar called Barleycorn’s and had a few beverages and then headed to the main event for the evening.

We went to a Lindsey Stirling concert. None of us realized it was her holiday tour. We all thought she was still touring with Everessence. That being said we were not disappointed. Lindsey is a showman and she knows exactly how to engage an audience. It was an hour and a half long geek out that I will not soon forget. I mean honestly I can remember when she was still doing the comic-con circuit. I have not had the opportunity to see her perform live since the days when she dressed up like a video game character and played the tunes of my beloved video games live.

After the concert I parted ways with the bus drivers and headed back to Barleycorn’s. I was not fully prepared for the adventure that ensued. I ended up meeting a social worker and a property manager who decided that I needed to see all the bars that Wichita had to offer. I can not tell you the names of any of the establishments I visited, but there were more than a few. The conversations included stories from the road, a critique of EDM, and one weird tangent on beanie babies.

Friday I awoke feeling every last ounce of alcohol I had consumed the night before. I spent the daylight hours struggling to be an adult and answering work emails.

So of course I went back to Barleycorn’s that evening. It was Salsa Night and no I didn’t dance, but the energy in the room was palpable. A good time was definitely had by all.

Saturday morning I contemplated quitting drinking for good. I am not a college kid anymore and drinking double digits two nights in a row is not something I should even consider these days… Thank god for V8 juice and aspirin.

After surviving my two day long recovery period we moved to Tulsa, OK. We had a bit of a rough start during load in, the stage was in the wrong location… but we were able to fix it and the rest of the load in went smoothly… That being said I definitely spent the rest of the day watching everything like a hawk.

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Adventures in Miami

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Somedays you roll into a city and someone says something random like, “Hey, want to go to a haunted carnival? They have a bar…” and a few hours later you’re taking a “before” photo.

Eight of us decided to venture into the land of questionable rides, poorly designed haunted houses, and booths that sold shots of Jack Daniels.

I think the highlight had to be the above death trap. That “roller coaster” was held together with R-Clips, crosby clamps, and prayer… To quote Mark Twain, “with Ignorance and confidence, success is sure!” Well against my better judgment I was coerced into riding it with Hugo… halfway through I decided to turn on my camera… I think this video speaks for its self.

https://youtu.be/TV-5sSzlcHY

That was before the real drinking began. Soon after getting off this ride I took a few shots cowboy style and decided to pose for a photo.

That being said we all had a few drinks as our night progressed. There were more poor choices that resulted in getting on more of those death traps. One of which I may have bruised a fellow riders thigh as I drunkenly white knuckles my way through a contraption called “the screamer”.

We ended the night 2 hours and a few dozen shots between us later. On our way out the gate we stopped for an after photo. I’d say it was a successful night.

Tuesday was not much of an adventure… my emails and phone calls started at 7am and I didn’t start ignoring them until around 9pm.

Wednesday was load in, nothing too special about it. Some day I will document one for you so you’ll understand how truly impressive, yet boring it is to load a show into a venue.

Thursday was a typical day at work. Typical being anything but. I started my day on a scavenger hunt at 6am. You see we have made some modifications to part of our set, but it turns out we didn’t have the hardware to finish the job. So I left the hotel at 6am to start looking for 120 wide mouth 5/16 quick links. 9 uber rides, 2 Home Depot’s, 1 Lowe’s, several “mom and pop” shops, and the next city over (Ft. Lauderdale for those of you wondering) and I had exactly 1 wide mouth 5/16 quick link… it was the example I started with.

So I made it to work about an hour after my crew and we found a way to make things work till I can get the right hardware ordered. Not my proudest moment, but at the end of the day everything worked, the kids loved the show, and I did not have to explain locally sourcing hardware from multiple stores on my expense report. Haha

Thursday evening I had a friend who I’ve known for decades (yes Cole we are old enough that we can say that) pick me up after the show. We went on an adventure trying to find a bar close to the venue. It was just as fruitful as my earlier hardware run. So we ended up in my old stomping grounds from my Odysseo days. There is an outdoor mall a few blocks from my old apartment that has several sidewalk bars to choose from. We of course went tot he Hard Rock Cafe at the end of the pier. We sat down, started chatting, and after a half hour our drinks still hadn’t materialized. So we walked out and found quiet bar that was having a slow evening.

The drinks were fair, the alligator bits were tasty and the stories we traded were top notch. You see Cole is one of those individuals who is so freaking smart that you need a basic understanding of engineering, physics, and budgets so large you can’t comprehend. Luckily I am versed enough in both that we carried on an hours long conversation about the projects we both are working on that I am sure the bar tender thought we were speaking in code. Cole works for a company called Magic Leap that develops augmented reality systems. This thing is seriously cutting edge and worthy of the geek out you are about to witness…

After leaving the bar we went back to my hotel and he produced the developers demo. As you’ll see in the video, it is a set of goggles, but it’s so much more! It does real time 3D mapping of the room and then seamlessly projects images in the room. It senses where you are as you move, it lets your hands interact with the objects, it continuously creates worlds. Last night I legit had a laser battle with a robot that started by jumping out a portal in my wall. It landed on my couch, bobbed and weaved it’s way to my bath room and barricaded it’s self behind my toilet… Despite my best efforts, I did not win that round.

The next game I played was this weird immersive world simulation. Things grew out of the floors, walls, and ceiling. Strange blobs floated through the air. Tiny blue dots that acted like schools of fish swarmed the room… all while the sound track changed according to what you were close to or interacting with. You also look like an idiot to anyone who is watching…

https://youtu.be/uFgf7J_DNug

Well friends, the adventures are always around us, and down here in Miami, I am loving life.

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Day 19: Adult Supervision Wouldn’t Have Hurt

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Despite only have 2 hours of sleep I checked out of the Golden Nugget around 7am and dropped Jeff at the mechanic by 7:30.

I then immediately grabbed an Uber back to the nugget and got some breakfast. As I was sitting there I got a phone call from my friend Zach, he didn’t have a lot of time, but he swung by, we chatted for a few minutes and he offered to give me a ride anywhere in Vegas I want.

So I did what any sleep deprived individual who is avoiding adult responsibilities would do. I went to a casino and spent most of my day hopping up and down the strip loosing an embarrassing amount of money (spoiler for day 20, I get it back plus some).

Once Jeff had his front bearings replaced I picked him up and then checked into The Luxor. About the time I got settled in Zach sent me a text and asked if I wanted to grab some coffee and catch up properly.

We went to this local coffee shop he loves and spent a decent chunk of time catching up. Since we last saw each other he has gotten married, he now has 2 step daughters, AND a baby on the way. I wish I could have met the woman who domesticated the man who I used to literally travel the world with. That being said there was something about him that I never saw in my 2ish years of touring with him. He was smiling, and I don’t mean just as he chuckled at our jokes. He mentioned that he had had some offers to return to the touring world, gigs that the Zach I knew would have killed for, but he is genuinely happy sitting in one place and doing the family thing. It’s great to see an old friend not only doing well, but proving there is life after touring!

Speaking of old friends, I couldn’t help myself… I went to Blue Man and I used all of my inside knowledge of the show to hide in plain sight, get the blue dudes to take a selfie with my phone (wasn’t one of the performers I know), I got them them to repeat part of Tequila on the PVCs by yelling tequila at the right time and of course I tested if the lighting guy was paying attention and I clapped when the desk lamp was on the table to get him to turn it on and off. It was a blast, and the blue man I toured with never made me.

That is until I showed up to the meet and greet for a selfie. Haha

Post show Ethan and I met up at one of the bars in the casino for “a beverage”. That was around 11ish. By 11:15 we had introduced ourselves to a pair of ladies. Alice is from Sweden and Theresa is from Austria. They are in the states as part of an ESL emersion program for adults. The 4 of us sat at that bar until around 5:30 in the morning discussing everything from different American accents, to drug issues in Sweden. We also spent a lot of time figuring out that Theresa basically lives on a mountain in the middle of nowhere.

I crawled into my bed at 6:05 and set the alarm for 9am. The drive to Pheonix is gonna require caffeine in the morning, but today’s adventures were some of the best to date. In fact I think I’m counting this as my wild card score for the trip!

Daily Score: 7

– 1 point for visiting with Zach

– 1 point for visiting with Ethan

– 5 points for such a crazy “wild card” day

Total score to date: 36

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