Monday, August 6, 2012

Unsung Heroes - People Who Make it Happen

We are pretty much aware about the tasks of music bands and the extreme sports athletes at the Vans Warped Tour but have we ever thought about the people who are raison d'ĂȘtre for putting together such a great show?

With over 100 bands performing live each day on the Vans Warped Tour, it takes a colossal task to plan and execute properly, so that things are up and running. Who are the real heroes behind the success of the grand festival.

You will be surprised to know that there are more than 400 people who travel with the tour for the entire duration of the rock festival. These folks toil all times of the day, every day to make it happen. Each day they get up at 6 AM in the morning to set up lighting rigs, stages, sound systems and vendor booths. They meet up well before time to schedule the performances for the day. So, who are these people and what do they do?

1. Bus Drivers: There are more than 17 band buses and 19 productions buses (excluding the extra ones) which run day and night, from one place to another. These buses and trucks cover a distance of approximately 500 miles each night and it requires mettle to drive non-stop with almost no rest.

2. Tour nurse: A typical tour nurse hands out more than 1000 Band-Aids and drains out more than 4 bottles of aspirin in each tour. And of course it has to be; after all they are the only ones accountable for the health of artists, fans, crew and the athletes.

3. Caterer: It is virtually impossible to cook for more than 400 people 5-6 times a day but the tour caterer has done it over and over again. With his very own 18 wheeler mobile kitchen, the caterer is ready to cook almost anything any time of the day.

4. Production engineers: It takes a challenge to organize more than 100 music bands and make them perform their best on 10 different stages on a single tour. Production engineers are the ones responsible for it.

5. Security: To ensure that everyone has fun and yet are safe in the entire tour, Vans Warped Tour employs more than 70 security personnel each day.

6. Merchandise Vendors: Fans often wish to collect a souvenir, a T-shirt or a CD so that they remember the fun they had at the tour. For this purpose, merchandise vendors set up and break down their booths each day of the tour.

7. Road crew: Road crew members are in charge to test and tune musical instruments, setting up and breaking down lighting rigs and arranging things in case of emergencies.

8. First Aid tent Personnel: They are always there to treat minor injuries, bandage cuts and even to rehydrate the drained out folks at the tour.

9. Tour Clean-Up Personnel: Once the show winds up, the tour clean-up personnel begin with their work. They collect garbage in large poly-bags and sometimes, the trash weighs up to four thousand kilograms. The personnel work all through the night so that the next morning when the fans return, they find a clean place to hang around.

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