ROADIES
BEHIND THE SCENES
The life of a roadie isn’t a
glamorous one, but without their
hard work and dedication, many
concerts would never happen.
You and Your Crew
The word “roadie” comes from the term “road
crew,” the name given to the people behind
the scenes who do all the physical work at
concerts. There is no set position description
for every roadie to follow, and the term is
often loosely used to describe anyone who
works on a tour and isn’t a band member.
Many Duties
First and foremost, roadies are responsible for
all of the equipment a band needs to perform.
That means they load and unload instruments,
amplifiers
, and other heavy equipment from
vans and trucks, take it to the stage, and set
it up. When the performance is done, they go
through the same process in reverse, making
sure all the equipment is packed up and
loaded back into the vans and trucks.
Different Roles
Not all roadies haul equipment, set up lights,
and build the stage. They may be in charge of
selling merchandise such as
T-shirts and CDs to fans, or
cooking food for the band and
other tour staff to eat. Others
may act as personal assistants
to the tour manager or band
members. Depending on the
size and scale of the tour, the
tasks a roadie might have to
perform are wide and varied.
The work of the roadies is almost
endless. Sometimes, they even have
to build a stage from scratch!
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