Behind the Show.

[Teacher Mark 53]

My glamorous job makes the news (sort of).

By Joan Tupponce

Drivers transporting concert tours and touring Broadway shows are as tightlipped as CIA agents about what they see and hear on the job. Their mantra: What happens on the road stays on the road.

“It’s really a glorified circus life,” observes Dan Chajkowski, who drives for Janco Ltd. in Wayne, N.J. “You have to go from city to city and you have a whole cast of characters.”

The entertainment touring industry is unlike any other type of trucking. On the surface it appears to be glamorous. But don’t be fooled by the glitz and glitter. “Life is different than what people think,” explains Janco driver Bill Taylor. “They think you are partying with rock stars all the time but you aren’t. You get to the venue in the morning and they don’t show up until the afternoon when you are in bed. You get up that night when the show is over and they are on the bus.”

Christopher Darling, Janco’s sales and marketing director, remembers seeing the rock band Green Day before the group made the big time and started hiring Janco. “I saw them at a house party in the 1990s at Berkeley,” he recalls. “Two years ago I stood on a football field in East Rutherford, N.J., and saw them play for 60,000 fans.”

Janco is a music industry specialist, moving everything from Broadway shows and dance troupes to car shows and concert tours. “We do a lot of diverse projects,” Darling says. “We are large enough to handle any size tour and small enough to give personal attention. Our drivers are the face of Janco.” The company’s client list includes the Allman Brothers, Black Eyed Peas, Linkin Park, Michael Bolton, Green Day, The Warped Tour and Alison Krauss and Union Station.

The number of trucks used during a tour differs according to the size and type of act. For example, Broadway tours average four trucks while concert tours can run from one to 18 trucks. “With music we see things at every level,” Darling says.

Tom Kooistra, fleet and safety manager for Stage Call Corp. in Apache Junction, Ariz., works with all musical genres. The company specializes in entertainment transportation and touring. One of the company’s main goals is to maintain continuity throughout the tour. “Our drivers have the same load for the length of the tour,” Kooistra explains. “They know what it weighs, how it’s supposed to act and how to tie it off.”

In his current position, Kooistra has worked with a myriad of tours, including Taylor Swift and Toby Keith, Willie Nelson, Rascal Flatts, Donna Summer, Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood. In addition, he has served as driver for the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Harry Belafonte and Phil Collins.

Many of the tours that work with Stage Call average three to five trucks, however, some can have all the way up to 20 or so. “For example, Chicago has two trucks, Keith Urban has 14 and Rascal Flatts has 18,” Kooistra says. “They have bigger sets as well as three video trucks and three rigging trucks. They require more sound and lights.” Pink Floyd gets the award for the largest tour at 23 trucks.

Tour drivers average 1,300 to 1,500 miles a week. Drivers at Stage Call deliver the load only. “We deliver the load, we’re on time and it’s done,” Kooistra says.

Drivers at Janco are also responsible for calling the pack of the truck. “We tell the local people where it’s all going,” Darling says. “Our drivers are onsite at the loading dock. It’s part of our requirement. They have a presence in the morning and the evening. It’s not just point to point.”

Of course there are times when things don’t go as planned. Just ask Darling about a tour with the Soup Dragons, an alternative rock band from Scotland that found fame in the late 1980s. One night after a show, the trailer was packed and the driver was headed to the next city. When he arrived, the local crew began unloading the truck. He waited, but no one from the band or its management showed up. “When we finally reached the tour manager he told us the band had skipped ahead to the next city,” Darling recalls. “We had to get the local crew to pack it all back in and then head to that city.”

While he’s leery of providing any insider information, Darling will recount the times he’s played quick pickup games of basketball before a show with members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Beastie Boys and Pearl Jam. “I even got to play against [basketball Hall of Famer] Bill Walton and one of his sons backstage at a Grateful Dead concert,” he says. “I normally have a rule about not approaching artists but when you are involved with the tour, they often seek you out eventually.”

Driver Bill Taylor of Janco also steers away from socializing with entertainers. “I find it easier. It causes fewer headaches,” he explains. “As a habit, I don’t interact with the bands. Sometimes, however, they will talk with you while you’re at catering.”

Taylor started his music career with the Janet Jackson tour. “That was 10 years ago. Before I began this, I used to haul tankers and reefers. With music, you are treated better than you are as a freight hauler that goes from point A to point B and waits for his name to be called.” Tours often provide catering and medical attention, if necessary. Some venues will also allow drivers to use their showers and amenities.

Chajkowski, who has worked with groups Staind and Whitesnake as well as Grammy Award-winning singer k.d. lang, finds it advantageous to develop relationships with tour managers. “People get to know you and they count on you,” he says. “They will ask for you to come back.”

Even though he enjoys the work, Chajkowski doesn’t discount the demands that go with the position. “You really have to be disciplined. You have to make sure your logs are right. Most drivers that haul music tours drive all night long, from city to city. You have to know where you are going to fuel up. The big thing is you have to get the show there. You have to keep your wits about you [even in treacherous weather].”

One of the biggest drawbacks is the time that drivers spend away from home. Some seldom see family and friends. “Your family is the people you are with on the road,” Kooistra says. “Everybody thinks they can do this type of driving until they do it.”

On the plus side, many entertainers bring their drivers into their inner circle. That’s exactly what Leon Page has experienced on the Jack Johnson tour. Page, who has been leasing his vehicles to Janco for 10 years, is currently driving for Johnson, a popular singer/songwriter who hails from Hawaii. “These people are my family. They treat me like family. I’m just a burned-out steel-guitar player and Jack will sit down with me and talk about guitars. They are super nice but not all of the groups are like that. There are a lot of music people that are snobs. They don’t want to see anybody.”

Singer/songwriter Phil Vassar likes to interact with his crew and drivers. “I’m not a separatist,” he says. “I don’t need my space. These guys are like my brothers. We’re all very close. Our drivers are so important. They’re involved in everything.”

During his driving days, Kooistra has had multiple conversations with Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones and Harry Belafonte. He’s also been on the receiving end of their kindness. “I’ve had artists get me really upscale hotel rooms so that I can sleep while they are performing,” he says. “That was just a way for that artist to thank you.”

Often artists will reward their crews and drivers with trips to destinations such as Hawaii or special perks. They may rent out a bowling alley for a day or a movie theater so they can show the crew a soon-to-be-released film. They may plan a day of deep-sea fishing or a day of white-water rafting or snowboarding.

It’s the travel as well as the interesting venues that drew Chajkowski to the business, he says. “Some of the best times I’ve had were when I was out with the band and would end up at a lot of big music festivals.”

Darling believes that “drivers shouldn’t be the unsung heroes” on the tour. He always seeks out production managers and crews that are good to the drivers, he says. “It’s not always about the act; it’s about the production manager and the environment his staff creates.”

Above all, a driver can’t be awed by celebrities. “I have a new guy that’s coming in and he’s so amazed and star-struck,’ Page says. “You have to remember the rules: What happens out here stays out here. You know your place and you stay there.”

For information on driving for Janco Ltd., call Derrick Haywood at 973-696-7700 or e-mail him

at dhaywood@jancoltd.com.

For information on driving for Stage Call, call 800-499-4898.

http://ptcchallenge.com/october08/oct08_roadies.html

Edited October 12, 2008 by Joe Six-Pack

[Krikit 1,164]

WideAwake! Where have you been, man?!! I've been wondering where you were.

[Teacher Mark 53]

WideAwake! Where have you been, man?!! I've been wondering where you were.

I've been partying like a Rock Star (not really)!

[Stinky Monkey 1]

I here ya!!!!!!!

I am on the promoting side and I always try to treat the crew and drivers just as well as the bands and in some cases better ha ha

what goes on tour stays on tour!!!!!!! haha

[Teacher Mark 53]

I here ya!!!!!!!

I am on the promoting side and I always try to treat the crew and drivers just as well as the bands and in some cases better ha ha

what goes on tour stays on tour!!!!!!! haha

I've never actually seen anything worth talking about! Pretty boring actually. I do keep a very low profile though.

Edited October 12, 2008 by Joe Six-Pack

[Stinky Monkey 1]

and I have seen a lot of bands that are not worth talking about

oh the glam life of rock and roll

can be very boring at times hahahaha

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

10-4 good buddy

[Teacher Mark 53]

10-4 good buddy

Whoa! Them thars' fighting words now. Sometime over the past few decades the term "Good Buddy" has come to signify a friend who would go into town, get 2 BJ's, and bring one back to you!

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

10-4 good buddy

Whoa! Them thars' fighting words now. Sometime over the past few decades the term "Good Buddy" has come to signify a friend who would go into town, get 2 BJ's, and bring one back to you!

I call that a good friend.