A day in the life of... a GN'R guitar tech

[One.In.A.Million]

It's cool that Chris has stayed on with GN'R, I know he was Robins guitar tech for the 06/07 tour too. I too think alot of people don't realise just how much work goes into a GN'R show. In my opinion just getting the stage setup with all the lights and gear is a mission in itself. Let alone making sure all the instruments are bang in tune and all the amps are on the right settings.

Well done to the whole crew. 

[The Hinge]

That was awesome Jarmo !! great photos and insight !!

[svdv22]

Very interesting read! Thanks a lot!
It's amazing how much work goes into "just" playing the guitar.

I was surprised to read that dj doesn't hear the other guitars in his mix. You'd say he want's to hear them at least in the background..

PS: Jarmo, I wouldn't mind more "a day in the life of's"

[Voodoochild]

Awesome stuff jarmo, thanks!

I was wondering about the whammy on Shacklers, as I saw DJ playing too far from his mic stand (and his pedals). Now I know its his guitar tech who operates the effect (heard in the riff before the verses and the chorus riff).

Also surprised about the tuning on songs like Scraped (C# drop) and If The World. Cool stuff and awesome read.

[Albert S Miller]

Wow!!  Who would have thought?  Amazing job Chris, appreciate knowing all the details, I found it really interesting, and thanks for sharing this experience with all of us Jarmo

[russtcb]

Very cool of all involved to share stuff like this with the fans!

[jarmo]

I was surprised to read that dj doesn't hear the other guitars in his mix. You'd say he want's to hear them at least in the background..

The mix mentioned in the post is for Chris only, not Dj.




/jarmo

[Lady Ashba]

OK, all the info and the pics are just amazing! Thanks Jarmo!

I found this vid where you can see a looot of the backstage here in Uruguay, is also pretty cool!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMDvuxx0AIo

[LunsJail]

And just think.....every band member has someone behind the scenes putting in this much work. 

[jarmo]

And just think.....every band member has someone behind the scenes putting in this much work. 

Yes, they all have their own techs.

But even before the techs have a stage to put the gear on, members of the crew have been working at the venue to make the show possible.

And this is done show after show, city after city, country after country.




/jarmo

[LunsJail]

Jarmo.....do you know what the crew members do between legs of the tour? Do they have other jobs? I read somewhere that bands have to keep paying crew members during this time. For example, RHCP started touring where they do two weeks on and one week off. This was done to keep everyone sane but cut into the profitability severely.

I ask because I don't think people understand that it's not as easy as just whipping together some shows and making a pile of money for these bands.

[Bazfreak]

And just think.....every band member has someone behind the scenes putting in this much work. 

Yes, they all have their own techs.

But even before the techs have a stage to put the gear on, members of the crew have been working at the venue to make the show possible.

And this is done show after show, city after city, country after country.




/jarmo

Imagine in Rio...all the hardwork, all the logistics...everything in vain!!  It must have been frustrating for the crew...
I had no idea whatsoever of how much work is needed to put on these big concerts...the price we pay for the tickets is really reasonable considering all this structure.

People don't understand why the band does not change the set too much...many people want them to play Estranged, Civil War.. .and other old tunes.
But after this post, we can conclude that a lot of parameters need to be adjusted for each song individually, such as tuning, gear, effects.... it's not just plug and play!
Furthermore, the song has to rehearsed by the band, you can't expect them to know everything by heart and that everything will flow normally...it's complicated!!

[jarmo]

Jarmo.....do you know what the crew members do between legs of the tour? Do they have other jobs? I read somewhere that bands have to keep paying crew members during this time.

Sorry, I don't know.

I guess it all depends on how long the break is.

After each leg ends, some crew members just switch to another artist/tour, others might take a break/holiday etc. and come back when the next leg continues.

Yes, I think some have other jobs they do when they're not on tour.



/jarmo

[Muerto]

Hard Work of just one member of the crew, very interesting, Thanks Jarmo !!!! 

[eragon]

Very interesting read Jarmo. 

[DeN]

yep, thanks to you and Chris, cool initiative, that's always interesting to see how things work.

[wadey]

Hey Jarmo, could you ask Chris how difficult it would be for the band to play Reading/Slane/Leeds back to back 

[Spirit]

Fantastic article Jarmo!

These things are fun to read, and one gets a little perspective on what it takes to make a show happen.

[Nikolis-Godfather]

No comments!

[jarmo]

Hey Jarmo, could you ask Chris how difficult it would be for the band to play Reading/Slane/Leeds back to back 

I can tell you that it's not likely to happen.

Even the "travel day, show day, travel day, show day" routine is rough....




/jarmo