Beyond The Glitz

As a performer, you have to stay connected to the process.

I will arrive today at the venue and the equipment will be set up and ready to go.
The dressing room will be readied for our arrival - food laid out and clothes on hand in the wardrobe case.

For the crew, employment is being on the road - one tour dovetailing into the next, each maybe lasting more than a year in duration.
Early load-ins, late load-outs. driving overnight to the next tour stop, waking in the middle of the night at the next truckstop.

It is spending the major part of each day in a building where there is no natural light filtering in, and the rooms in which the behind-the-scenes work is done usually have no windows either.

When we walk offstage, the work of tearing down what was erected hours ealier, begins.

For anyone in any line of work, recognition, a word of thanks, a blessing, is sometimes all one needs to be infused with the energy to continue.

To know that those you are working for, whomever they may be, have the consciousness of appreciation, will maintain the smooth running of the machine.

Yesterday afternoon Sting, Dom, Josh and I played for music students at the University of Missouri and Sting once again spoke of his writing process, taking questions also.
From there we went to soundcheck at the venue on the lovely campus at Columbia, performed the show, departing quickly after we came offstage for the airport under police escort.

Meanwhile the deconstruction of the stage occurs - as in this moment, a few hours later, the reconstruction of the stage will be happening in preparation for tonight's performance in front of a new, excited crowd.

I am working with the best - both on and offstage.

Never forget that.

Shane.