I originally wrote this post May 14th, 2020, when a lot of us still had hope that Autumn and Winter of 2020 would go on as planned.
A couple of days later, the rest of my 2020 shows were canceled.
They have since all been rebooked for 2021.
On Tuesday, October 6th, 2020, I had some very real conversations with some booking agents and local promoters across Europe.
We discussed the reality that what we rebooked for 2021, would quite likely need to be moved to 2022.
This is soul crushing for everyone involved on multiple levels.
And it’s happening every day, all over the world, to your favorite live events.
Listen folks, the sad reality, is that things can not go back to any sense of normalcy until we can FULLY open. Anything else is simply not sustainable for anyone involved. Not the artist, management, promoter, agent, crew, venues, technical suppliers, etc.
We at C.R.E.W Coalition are working on empowering solutions for YOU, the individual, who has dedicated your life to some aspect of working in live events, and have chosen this as a CAREER. This is not a hobby. This is our livelihood. It is our passion. It is what have dedicated our lives to.
WE ARE ESSENTIAL!
Please, if you haven’t already, fill in the survey on the homepage by clicking here, and please hit the subscribe button, confirm your subscription via email, and follow us on socials. We are listening. Please, help us help you.
And spread this to your non-industry friends who simply love watching live music, going to a beer festival, an art exhibition, a Broadway show, the circus, a trade show, a Sci-fi Convention…
We need their input too.
Not sure who “we” are and “who” we are listening to?
Original post entitled “We are the Road Crew” taken from Venting Post 16. Feel free to head over there and read some posts from real people affected by what this virus has meant for the live events, entertainment and arts industries
Hear Us…
We are the touring crew: Production managers, tour managers, merchandise managers, accountants, lighting designers, pyro technicians, videographers, FOH engineers, monitor engineers, guitar techs, drum techs, keyboard techs, carpenters, riggers, props managers, wardrobe managers, truck drivers, bus drivers, caterers, head of security, body guards, musicians, athletes, wrestlers, actors, etc.
We are the local crew: Production managers, promoters, accountants, stage hands, riggers, caterers, backstage managers, steel workers, forklift drivers, specialty techs that you need there by law to run your fire, lasers and cannons, house technicians, local provider technicians, venue managers, venue staff, runners, security, the tent providers, food trucks, etc.
We are the organization crew: Managers, booking agents, festival owners and operators, bus companies, backline companies, sound companies, lighting companies, trucking companies, shipping companies, travel agencies, ticketing agents, etc.
We are the people who need all of you because you need us: Screen and merchandise printing companies, backdrop providers, artists, graphics designers, live music journalists, photographers, venue owners, etc.
We are the people you wouldn’t think are affected by the loss of live events, but are: Restaurants, taxi drivers, bars, airlines, trains, buses, hotels, hosting cities, food and beverage suppliers, shipping companies, etc. and the hundreds of thousands of staff members involved in all of these things.
From the head honcho local promoter, to the venue cleaning staff, to the band themselves, and to the person who sold you that sweet t-shirt.
We all have an important role to play.
Without us, there is no show.
WE ARE THE CREW
And this just barely touched the surface of the dozens of key roles involved for the hundreds of thousands of people whose lives just flipped upside down.
We are some of the people who play a key role in making your dream show come true, and you never even knew we were there.
You are the people who need us to bring you the experience of a lifetime. Whether it’s a live show, theater, Comic Con, a convention for people who love unicorns (that needs to be a thing separate to Comic Con…just expressing dreams here), wrestling, football (American and European), your favorite festival (no matter the size), traveling carnivals, the opera, drag shows… if it’s live and you are going to be entertained, we are behind it.
We need you as much as you need us.
And right now, those of us behind bringing you the shows, are hurting.
We were the first to close.
We will be the last to open.
We need help, and we need you to use your voices to let the world know about it.
Share this far and wide.