Backline Operations Manager

Every day in the live event industry is unique; you never know what the day may bring!

As the operations manager, I had many responsibilities: ordering equipment and parts, quoting various events, coordinating backline equipment and technicians for shows, helping design the warehouse and building layout, designing modular audio systems for concerts and events, shipping equipment and supplies across the U.S., and setting up computer workstations and performing IT tasks.

Instead of a few photos of concerts and festivals, I will share the many valuable lessons I learned and observations I made.

Lessons & Advice

Every job is essential for a successful event, and you learn to appreciate all of them.

"You guys killed it again" is awesome to hear after a major festival, but honest feedback, advice, or negative comments are what makes you and your team work harder. Be open and ask for feedback from stage hands, stage manager, production manager, and other vendors.

Dedication, resilience, and a good work ethic are contagious and it only takes one person demonstrating this for the rest of your team to follow.

Learning skills that seem meaningless, like soldering the drawbars on an old Hammond B3 organ, can open doors to opportunities that you never imagined.

Building on the saying, "you never get a second chance to make a first impression," remember that the person you disregard today could become your boss tomorrow.

You never know who you're going to work for and what that may lead to. Like a stage manager turned production manager who hires you for dozens of festivals (true story).

Egos are useless, unless you want to be surrounded by other egos.

There is always someone with more experience than you and there is always someone as inexperienced as you were when you started.

A positive attitude improves your chances of gaining experience.

How to get another gig and make lasting friendships. Learn everyone's name, help them out if you get a chance, and let them help you if they offer.

If your role requires help from stage hands or others, learn their names and get to know them. You'll likely need their help later on during changeovers and at load out. They want to go home when the show is over and getting you out of there is a step towards that for them.

Bring several copies of the stage plot, give them to the stage hands and anyone else who needs it.

Talk enough to not be invisible but avoid talking to much to be annoying.

Ask questions (when appropriate). The industry is full of brilliant, technically minded people who like to share useful information about the skills they are passionate about.

Learn to diffuse intense situations, give second chances, and never hold grudges.

Maintain a PMA, positive mental attitude. While sensory overload, bad days, and shitty gigs are inevitable, they don't need to ruin your mental state.

Look for patterns, learn them, improve on them. Advancing shows, pulling equipment, scheduling anything, load in, changeovers, load out, post-event followups, and reset. Useful innovative ways to solve old problems become new industry standards.

Memorize or write down meal times. Offer to bring meals to event staff who can't go get food. Ask about allergies or preferences.

Snacks! Bring healthy snacks in a cooler. Fruit and granola bars are the fuel people need after working for 10+ hours. Have fresh fruit every day of multi-day events. You'll likely make friends and get help with load out.

Loaders are the best, treat them well.

It's all about load out. Be ready for it with your cases, vehicles, staff, and any help you need.

Don't wear front-of-house shoes. If you know, you know.

How to get a spot working the main stage. Learn the role, skills, and equipment until you know them without thinking about it.

Advance everything, don't assume anything about how equipment or the stage is going to be used.

Use email as a database. Reference the last conversation you had with people before you talk with them again. Remember what they're up to and what makes them tick.

Keep emails short and to the point. Tour managers and stage managers are busy people, make their life easier with simple and concise emails. No fancy signatures either.

Organize your digital files in secure cloud storage. A simple way to handle this is to store event files in directories by year. Then also make a copy of the riders and store them in a single Artists directory.

Make extensive notes on a copy of the rider and stage plot when advancing a show.

How to make good decisions as a manager. Remember that a manager is a role not a level of expertise. Listen and learn from your team, they see and hear things that are useful for your role. Consult with them before making decisions that impact them.

Your timeliness, attitude, and rapport is how the client will see your entire team, not just you.

Technical Advice

Sweep the stage when you're not busy.

Bring a package of common fuses with you to gigs (it may get you a free lunch or another gig).

If you are supplying backline, bring spare sets of power tubes and a couple of preamp tubes for the tube amps.

Be the guy/girl with gaff tape (it's the ultimate networking tool).

Tape down cable runs with gaff tape.

Use bright spike tape to highlight steps, paths, and outline the edges of risers.

If you have changeovers, spike tape positions of key places and equipment.

If the rectifier tube blew on an amp, it was likely caused by a bad power tube. If the problem still persists after replacing the power tubes and fuse, then the power section has a problem that requires repair by an electronic tech.

Carry an A/C outlet tester, you'll know when you have power. Bring a multi-meter to check the voltage, you'll know the voltage is correct before you plug in your equipment.

If you are supplying backline, don't wait for the musician to arrive, bring an instrument to test the amps and a pair of drum sticks to test the drums.

Never carry anything remotely heavy by yourself. If two people can carry it, get someone to help.

If a Hammond B3 isn't running correctly, try restarting it and let it "wind up" longer in the start position before switching on the run.

Always connect a speaker to a tube amp before powering on the tube amp. Be sure to use a speaker cable.

Carry packs of ear plugs.

Bring spare equipment. Bass amps, guitar amps, keyboards, Leslie speakers, snare drums, kick pedals, hi-hats... are notorious for failing mid show.

Run bass guitars first into a direct box, then run the 1/4" output jack into the amp. Bass amps will fail but the audio engineers can save you.

Bring headphones. Use them to check that keyboards work and the sustain pedal is the correct polarity, don't wait for the audio crew to have the monitors working.

How to be a great live show tech. Put together a production box and fill it with essential tools and supplies that work for your skills and responsibilities at events. The box can be a case, backpack, or electricians tool bag. Invest in the tools and supplies immediately.

Clean off anything the artists are going to be handling. Keyboards, drums, guitar amps, instruments, cables, and microphones.

Put fresh towels and water bottles out before the artist arrives. Extremely useful at outdoor concerts.