A Tour Manager's Experience at Blue Ridge Rock Fest
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- Опубліковано 11 вер 2023
- The entire internet is talking about Blue Ridge Rock Fest and why it was cancelled. In this video I'm going to give you my first hand experience of what it looked like as a Tour Manager for one of the bands that was there.
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I was the stage 4 operator, tried my best. My crew ended up striking for inhumane living conditions and left them before load out
up
We support their decision. I hope the promoters get sued
Totally understandable and justified!
As a project manager from a different industry that's worked both in conference hospitality and performed on stage I can't even begin to imagine the nightmare this would have been for you and your crew. Communication is so vital to function in a situation like that and to go in blind sounds like one of my worst nightmares. I'm sure that everyone present did 150% of their jobs to just get as far as you did and I'm so glad that people have chosen to speak out about it. Best of luck in the future for both you and the people who were on your crew!
Giga fucking based. Good on you. I feel terrible this happened to all of you folk working on this festival. Glad you all stood up for yourselves.
The reason you had no stagehands is because we LEFT. They refused to give the stagehands showers, porta-potties, and we were lucky if we got fed once a day. And those conditions were from the very beginning, through the steel build to the time we walked. The company we were there with reached out to the festival multiple times, the demands weren’t even remotely met. Or listened to, it seems. We were just so done with being gross with little to no access to showers, hungry, and dehydrated for the last almost 2 weeks before we finally walked, and so done watching everyone get treated essentially the same way. So, we just walked.
I am surprised no bands left.
Pretty sure thats grounds for a nice class action suit. Did anything come of it?
You have, in this one video, just done more for Electric Callboy's reputation than an entire PR firm. Whether ya like the band or not, you've exposed them as absolute professionals. Which means you've also leveled up the reputation of tour managers, or at least set a higher bar. Here's to your, and their, continued success! Safe journeys.
It's that bad ?
(I Just discovered them throught babymetal, i don't know the band that well).
@@Arthur_Rodri I would re-read the original comment again...
@@Arthur_RodriDid you read a different comment than me?
@@Arthur_RodriEC is awesome
@flavioarthur4726 do you not know how to read?
My brother worked security and did his best getting the crowds out back to the parking areas. He slept 4 hours in 3 days and ate 3 granola bars so that meals could go to other staff members. He told me it was one of the most screwed up things he’s ever been a part of. No food, no bathrooms, no shelter, not only for the festival goers but for the staff who were working it. Shameful.
No matter how hard you work you can't make a silk purse from a sows ear. Sounds like those working the festival were handed a pigs ear and management expected them to make silk from it.
Wait until his check bounces. 😂
I felt terrible for the workers there. No amount of money could make what they had to go through worth it
Electric Sun music festival irl
Your brother had sex five times in two days, btw
I really hope you see this - the festival blamed YOU guys for the shit with the meet & greet. My husband and I spent $800 on meet & greet tix specifically so he could meet Electric Callboy. That was it, the ONE band he wanted to meet. We showed up at 5pm for the M&G, and the staff there told us “oh they showed up early, they were here at 3. Sorry, we can’t do anything about it, wasn’t our fault.”
I was furious, because at 4pm the festival posted the m&g schedule on IG that STILL said EC at 5:30.
But THANK YOU FOR TALKING ABOUT THIS! I’m in the film industry so I get the culture of not rocking the boat or burning bridges, but this entire festival was so unacceptable. The bands need to speak out *for* their fans.
We spent around $6500 on our tix, camping, flights, rental car, etc and we got 1 day of bands. We were glamping and the showers/bathrooms almost never had water, the toilets were overflowing more often than not - same with the portapotties in the festival grounds. Everything was so unsanitary, unsafe, and just absolutely unacceptable. Literally the only saving grace was that my husband finally got to see EC live.
Again, thank you for speaking out. We’re currently trying to get our money for the tickets/camping back via our credit card companies, and this video will help.
It doesn't surprise me that they're blaming us, but that's complete and utter horse shit. I have text message proof that they changed our times and also said that THEY would announce it to the fans and change the times of everything. I'm truly sorry that you missed that opportunity and that this was so unorganized.
@@TankTheTech honestly I didn't believe them on the day, and your video only confirmed my suspicions. Please tell the band and your crew thank you for putting on such a great show despite all the bullshit you guys were dealing with.
@TankTheTech would be cool if you could get the band to send her some message to her husband
@@S1ck0f1tA11 I was thinking the same thing.
@@S1ck0f1tA11or send her screen grabs if those texts. That's real money to lose.
Was fun to see how many people in Pittsburgh recognized Tank when he went to do some work on stage. Dude got a huge loud cheer when he came out.
Same at BRRF. I was watching for him and the first time he walked out, a noticeable number of people started hollering
It's still weird for me, if I'm being honest. I'm not used to being the one that's recognized. Haha
Is there a video of this moment?
Wasn't there a year at Download when Metallica tried to play a secret show on one of the smaller stages but everybody knew it was them because they recognised the crew? :)
Was just coming to post “But how did the Pittsburgh show go?” because we like to keep our hospitable reputation up. Apparently it went good if Tank got some love!
I was part of the group that accidentally met ECB when we thought it would be the other band. And I can definitely tell you that we ALL felt how awkward it was. Everyone was confused.
Who was the other band?
Tank, haven't commented awhile. I appreciate you looking out for the truckers. As a fellow truck driver, bless you sir. We are always forgotten.
Anyone with half a brain should know how important truck drivers are, in ANY industry. You deserve much respect.
I was a driver's assistant aka "lumper" for many years. I worked for a distributor and rode with a driver delivering millions of dollars worth of cigarettes in Brooklyn and Queens, NY and New Jersey City. I know the logistical problems (cops, DOT, garbage paperwork, etc.). I was paid very well for a lumper because the drivers I worked with (who were excellent guys and phenomenal drivers) were hopeless when filling out their log book (which I had to get creative with in order to keep us rolling) or dealing with cops who wanted to sniff around the truck when they saw the many boxes of Newports and Marlboros.
@lobotomyscam1051 the 3 places I have driven for in the last 10 years have electronic logs which makes life a little easier. But these cdl schools now are ripping their students off and not teaching them anything
Paper logs for life (elogs are great for a driver that doesn't have any issues of working past their HOS tho!)
Taylor Swift didn’t forget you guys. We need more like her.
Hey Tank, I was a stagehand there at Blue Ridge and I want to personally thank you for understanding that we ALL tried. This one sucked for a lot of different departments. Maybe I’ll run into you at some point eventually and actually be able to talk to you face to face. I was on Stage 1 the whole time so seeing what it was like from 4, helps me understand this more. Especially from a tour managers prospective. Again, thank you for sharing your experience. Safe travels!
I'm sorry you went through all that. I hope they compensate you because that's unjust.
We know y'all tried. And the majority of us are glad y'all stood up and walked out. We don't want to see people treated like that. Thanks for doing what you could
Somebody cashed a big check and was already on a cruise headed to the Bahamas.
@@Msbreana13 find him and bring hot tar. If we bought back tar and feathering it would teach these folks
Dude quit crying like a little girl.........No A/C and no water bottles for your little band members? Well boo effing hoo.....Just curious if you have ever heard of WOODSTOCK? You know the REAL Woodstock in Aug of 1969? The conditions at that show were 1000X worse than you experienced and it lasted for 4 days.......On top of that those were the BIGGEST bands in the WORLD including Hendrix, THE WHO, Ten Years After, Crosby Stills and Nash and Santana not a bunch of no-name scrubs like the bands at this place. They all did their JOB and performed great sets although Alvin Lee was worried about getting ELECTROCUTED while playing in a thunderstorm He said "Well if I DIE we'll sell more albums next week!" I love all the entitled little kids these days whining and crying about every little thing.
As a European who goes to festivals and concerts a lot, this sounds absolutely terrifying. Thank you for speaking out. I'm glad to hear you're having fun with EC and their crew outside of this one festival.
Can you imagine if download, wacken and hellfest pulled this shit?
@@pineappletree50 People would probably go to jail.
@@TankTheTech most definitely. Don’t get me wrong, our festivals have problems, but nothing on this scale. We have health and safety laws that are enforced
Totally, this would've never happened over here! Even in bad weather everything is at least organised, and information is provided for everyone. Especially when it comes to safety.
Fact is that us Europeans are spoilt when it comes to festivals yet we moan all the time.
Man I’d want you as a tour manager. Very admirable how much you advocate for the bands you’re managing as well as the crews and venue staff.
Honestly since fan side made it obvious everyone was flying blind already my biggest takeaway from this video was how good tank is at his job
As a stagehand (that knows some of the hands that were there) - I’m so angry for everyone that had to deal with the mess that was BRRF. No water for how hot and humid it was that day?! No food, no ac, no cleaning toilets?? Our local is fantastic, I’m glad they walked out because they did not deserve to be treated this way and I wish you’d had the chance to work with them under better conditions. Thanks for speaking out. The clowns that made this happen the way it did have to be held to account.
Dude quit crying like a little girl.........No A/C and no water bottles for your little band members? Well boo effing hoo.....Just curious if you have ever heard of WOODSTOCK? You know the REAL Woodstock in Aug of 1969? The conditions at that show were 1000X worse than you experienced and it lasted for 4 days.......On top of that those were the BIGGEST bands in the WORLD including Hendrix, THE WHO, Ten Years After, Crosby Stills and Nash and Santana not a bunch of no-name scrubs like the bands at this place. They all did their JOB and performed great sets although Alvin Lee was worried about getting ELECTROCUTED while playing in a thunderstorm He said "Well if I DIE we'll sell more albums next week!" I love all the entitled little kids these days whining and crying about every little thing.
"You don't talk to them, you talk to me" is an example of a good Tour Manager, you have to take care of your guys and be their shield if something happens. The representative for the other band sounds incredibly unprofessional even approaching another band like that instead of their crew, you just don't do that to a performer who is working.
I bet every manager was all kinds of heated! This must be a PG recap
@MxMoondoggie Please tell me you get your name from the movie Airborne? It's the only time I've ever heard Moondoggie. Lol. That was over 30yrs ago and never forgot that line.
All I can say is your demeanor while reliving the shitshow is ridiculously calm and I'd want you on my team during a crisis.
Fully agree, I have a feeling it is thanks to this being recorded a few days after the festival.
I worked crowd surfer catching Friday, security Saturday & Sunday. I had empty beercans and full water bottles thrown at me by drunken rightfully pissed off concertgoers after Saturday nights popup Papa Roach show. It was absolutely dangerous for all involved. Your message of sobriety tested - you werent the only one - thank you sir
As someone that was there as a concertgoerand, musician in private life, and a crowd surfer that did in fact surf multiple times at Blue Ridge I just want to apologize for that. All of us being screwed over doesn't justify that kind of behavior. I remember last year I had to wait like four hours after 1 am just to get a bus back to the car I rode in. Despite that I never in my whole life would have thought of throwing something at a security guard or employee. I also heard you guys got it rough that whole weekend so I'm sorry you got just as screwed over as we did. Thanks for catching our fat asses.
I know I'm late, but my sobriety was HEAVILY tested come Saturday when it was announced that the rest of the festival was being cancelled. I'm a recovering alcoholic and I was able to distract myself from all the drinking and partying around me by watching the bands. When that was taken away, all I could focus on was the partying and drinking around me and it was very distressing for me because I was so angry about missing the rest of my favorite bands that I wanted to partake in drinking myself. But I knew that wasn't going to solve anything and I've worked too fucking hard for my sobriety.
When my friends and I were sitting in the traffic of cars that decided to leave also after the news of the cancellation, I had one guy put a bottle of Crown Royal to my face and asked my friend and I if we wanted a sip. I politely declined, but my anxiety was through the roof passing by everyone getting fucked up.
Anyways, I'm sorry you had to deal with assholes throwing things at you. That wasn't right at all and the anger should've been aimed at the owner of that shit fest!
Sorry that people threw stuff at you that is awful. Shinedown got Papa Roach and Oliver Anthony to do the pop up show trying to give fans something but I know they would never condone behavior like that.
This was my son's first festival. Thursday, the wait in line to get into the grounds was 7 hrs and his buddy's car started having issues. Their campsite was about 3 miles from the stages. During the really bad storm, including hail, my son had to run back to their tent and canopy and held down both, during the tremendous wind, rain, and hail. All his buddy's packed clothes got drenched, as well as many other people's belongings. A lot of people's tents, canopies, & belongings got swept away in the strong winds. He said: the porta-potties were full, overflowing trash, water ran out half way through Thursday, nobody knew anything. They spent hours just going from one section to another trying to find out info, only to be redirected somewhere else. He "lost" his $400 phone. Thank God he and his buddy took food, MREs, and their own bottled water. It took multiple hours to "evacuate" the grounds, once it was canceled, because there wasn't enough exit ways. Phone service was next to nil. People ran out of gas and had vehicle trouble, due to the long evacuation. The main complaint is the same as you describe...nobody working there knew anything.
Making memories that'll last a lifetime
it sounds like he is fortunate to have made it out with his body intact
im sorry it haened to be his 1st but dont let him loose his head and think they are all like that...they defiantly are not
I went in 2022 and there were some big issues but my group completely avoided it all by some miracle. We had a BLAST the whole time. We almost went this year but it sounds like we dodged a bullet. Scary stuff.
Wow.
I’m glad your son is safe. 🙏🏻 you raised a smart, resourceful child. 👍 . Terrifying circumstances.
I was one of the hands that went on strike ( and walked off sunday morning ) Thank you SO MUCH for sharing your experience. We as a community have to band together to keep shit like this from happening to workers in our trade. The stagehands were all at a camp on site btw.
I’m an upset fan. But I know what y’all went through and we know it’s wasn’t the people doing the work, but the organizers and the money hungry promoters
I support all the hands that went on strike 100%. While it sucked that it got cancelled (and we drove the 8 hours back a day early), you guys are the backbones of the festival and you were treated horribly and deserve respect and recompense.
You did the right thing. Thank you for standing up to bullshit.
I tech for born of Osiris and was there on Thursday. The lack of preparation, safety and communication was insane. They also had us riding in that sketchy flat bed with all of our gear while it was raining and all I could think about was how easily we could’ve been crushed. Never again lol
Saw them in Huntington WV at The Loud 2 weeks ago. Fucking killed!
@@allmight415 super sweaty show lol
Oh man, thats rough.
@e_riffs Erick i still feel bad we forgot to grill you that veggie burger. Miss you homie!!!
@@slipknotmaggot777 lmao!!! Miss you guys too Bruv
Accountability is SORELY lacking anymore. Thank you for putting this out there and making everybody aware!!
So true, and across most industries, people want the rewards, they want their input used but won’t take ANY accountability for something when it goes astray.
Thank you for using your platform and voice to speak on this. As someone who has attended shows and festivals for 15+ years… this was horrific. My dad and I had been at BRRF before and never had it went smooth - but this year was dangerous. We won’t be back and appreciate you speaking about this.
It was@@idontcare2851
@@idontcare2851 fuck off troll - those who were there know the extent that health and safety was disregarded. I, nor any one else owes you an explanation ✌🏻
@@idontcare2851 Uh, yeah? On a few levels. Sanitary (port-o-potties overflowing, trash overflowing for instance), dehydration (the lack of water) is also nothing to sneeze at.
With as many festivals like this happening regularly and the third world conditions that often come with them I'm really surprised we haven't had another Altamont these last few years.
@@DanknDerpyGameryeah, not to mention the complete lack of a proper evacuation plan during the first day of the fest when the lightning/thunder/harsh wind/downpour/HAILSTORM happened… there have been leaks of communication amongst the production that they KNEW about the storm in advance and yet didn’t evacuate us and we got stuck in an aluminum tent in the middle of a field while a nearby stage got hit by lightning… we could have died and we were genuinely scared for our lives in addition to being freezing cold (which is especially terrible right after a heat wave, your body doesn’t know what to do with itself with that drastic a shift in temp and being soaked by the rain on the way to the tent) and having to hold the tent down that we were in so the little bit of shelter we had wouldn’t blow away… it was horrifying. We made good friends in that tent, though, being stuck there for well over and hour hoping and praying we’d all make it out safe and watching 5 people squish themselves into a nearby handicap porta-potty and just hoping it wouldn’t tip over bc we KNEW that thing hadn’t been emptied out at all and even on the first day was already pretty gross (not only were the toilets not emptied, trash was being stuffed into the urinals and thrown on the floor within the porta-potties bc there was no more room in the trash receptacles)… as someone who was there, I can confirm how much of an absolute shit-show and dangerous situation this fest was… I’ve never been to a med tent at a fest before and ended up in the med tent twice, and my mom did three times, due to both injuries (security was severely lacking in training- they straight up admitted to having been hired THE DAY BEFORE THE FEST) and heat exhaustion bc there were NO cool down stations to be found and water was scarce to say the least. Not even just the drinking water, but like the water in the sinks outside the porta-potties even ran out, which only increased how unsanitary everything was… the whole thing was a terrible mess and I will go to other fests that I’ve been to that have been run correctly, including another four-day fest called Welcome to Rockville, which I also went to this year and which DID evacuate us properly before a storm AND even rescheduled most of the bands that were supposed to play during the time we were evacuated), but I will NEVER go back to BRRF, despite enjoying the few bands I did get to see in the day 1/2 that we got out of the 4 days we paid for… can confirm that there was minimal bad weather on that Saturday and NO bad weather at ALL on Sunday- it was actually perfect weather, not storming and not even as hot as the other days- and this fest was absolutely shut down due to MUCH more than just “weather issues”. 1000% agree with Tank on that.
P.S. a big shout out to the FANS that carried me to the med tent when I got injured and the EMS who took care of me, as well as the FANS that carried out the girl who had a seizure right in front of my mom, when security took way too long to respond to my mom and other people screaming for help and when they finally got there said, “I don’t know what you want us to do about it” 🤦♀️
As one who worked in the industry for thirty eight years, you nailed it in one sentence. "You cant just write a check at something and expect it to work". I likely would have called it when I discovered the band outside of a janky ass dressing room. I absolutely would have told my guys to start loading out once I discovered that none of the advance had ever been communicated. Good on you for managing to get the job done.
Not to mention having the crew involved in a situation where a medic actually had to be called. I've known several people who are in the industry and most of them would have called the show multiple times based on what Tank says here. As you say, good on him for managing to keep his band and crew safe and being able to actually get a show done.
TBH you can, but that money needs to fall in the right places and it sounded like the money here got stuck in places where it shouldn't have.
Middle management gets a lot of flak from everywhere, and most of the time it's true. This festival sounds like an example of middle management gone wrong, and a lot of bridges being burned once the fallout gets sorted through. The one flatbed for the festival not even having tiedowns shows that _someone_ was cutting corners. Middle management is about making sure communication _happens_ , and none of that was happening here.
Edit: From looking at other videos about the whole thing popping up, I stand by my statements but it looks like it's not a middle management problem, it's an upper management problem, where that's where the cutting corners start.
@@leadpaintchips9461 Replace "middle management" with "people at the top" and it is accurate.
Dude quit crying like a little girl.........No A/C and no water bottles for your little band members? Well boo effing hoo.....Just curious if you have ever heard of WOODSTOCK? You know the REAL Woodstock in Aug of 1969? The conditions at that show were 1000X worse than you experienced and it lasted for 4 days.......On top of that those were the BIGGEST bands in the WORLD including Hendrix, THE WHO, Ten Years After, Crosby Stills and Nash and Santana not a bunch of no-name scrubs like the bands at this place. They all did their JOB and performed great sets although Alvin Lee was worried about getting ELECTROCUTED while playing in a thunderstorm He said "Well if I DIE we'll sell more albums next week!" I love all the entitled little kids these days whining and crying about every little thing.
I got my popcorn 🫢🍿
Edit: Wow. This was way worse than what you told me in Toronto... but you're absolutely right. People need to be held accountable! I feel so sorry for everyone at this festival 🙏🖤 way to speak out man, nothing but respect. Top tier tour manager here 🏆 Enjoy the rest of the tour dude! Be safe out there.
The more I watch and listen, the more it sounds like the whole thing was run by amateurs.
I'm glad to hear he's telling others about it. Please, spread it around especially to those in the industry so that noone will work with this schyster again!
Black heart...because we're dark 😂
@@Biglmpact it honestly sounds like one guy wanted a cash grab for a festival, and did the least to set it up, and then just disappeared when things got heated. I think there's a good chance that production was none existent, and it was all this one guy who couldn't be bothered to hire ppl.
I also think he is probably gonna get a few hefty charges. I could see a lot of negligence, violation of health and safety with knowledge and maybe even IIED but idk about that one. Either way, if they can prove maliciousness, some of those charges could get really spicy.
@@RebouzMe too and I want nothing to do with Leo's and the IegaI system. My son & his gf were there, they drove from 2 hours north of the PA border, aII the way there in his not gas friendly jeep, so they could sIeep in the back at night. His gf got the tickets as a 30th birthday present for my son who was born the same day & month Dave Mustaine was 9/13.
I'm gIad I didn't seriousIy consider going, since my back is bad and I'm oIder than I wish I was 😂.
I wouId have been so pissed.
He said they soId way more tickets than they couId safeIy even accommodate that many peopIe, and that Corey TayIor from Slipknot ended up paying a caterer so the bands & their crews couId eat. And that it was a totaI shit show.
We've been seeing metaI shows for a while and I've been going since I was in my teens. l have never heard of so many peopIe complaining how unsafe it was. The promoter is super Iucky no one was seriousIy harmed or kiIIed.
I feeI Iike he should be charged because it couId have had a reaIIy bad outcome when you have tens of thousands of pissed off fans, and rightfully pissed.
There's absoIuteIy no excuse for that IeveI of incompetence and greed.
Electric Callboy brought some much needed fun to a terrible experience. Thank you so much for being there and bringing the horrible circumstances to light!
❤❤❤
Completely agree, their set is really the only good memory of the entire trip.
As a fan of Electric Callboy that was there, I want to thank you for this video. I was a camper and everything you said was accurate. After driving 9 hrs we hit the "line" through Milton at 3p est Wednesday. We did not get into the grounds and to a campsite until 530a Thursday. It took 14.5 hrs to go 6 miles. Many cars ran out of gas and overheated. We had to find roadside woodlines to use the restrooom while waiting. So after 24 hrs in our truck, we got camp setup in time for the sun to come up. I tried to go into the festival but it was so hot, they said we could only bring empty open plastic water bottles/camel packs - or 1 sealed clear plastic water bottle- and there was only 1 water station for most of the 50k+ people in the festival. The other one was for the VIPs that ran out of water day 1. I got overheated early trying to find the water station. After meeting up w my son, who was watching exodus, we were going to return back to our camp. He had almost passed out waiting in line for water, 30 mins in near 100 degree Temps. We were at camp when the massive storm hit.. tried our best but lost our only pop-up for shade. 3 of the 4 bands I wanted to see were canceled Thursday night after the storm. Friday we did what we could to make shade. Then we took our own water into the festival. I was excited I got to see this band because it was the 1 of the four I came to see. I DIDN'T even know there was a signing for the band!!! There was nothing on the festival app, no communication. I would have loved to get my stuff signed. 😢 This was absolutely the worst experience of my life and I only went to be supportive of my family as most of that music isn't my thing. So of course wasted tons of money, wasted time off from work, long travel times, gas, etc. But the other than spending time with my family, the ONLY good thing of the festival itself was getting to watch Electric Callboy live! Thank you again for this!
Thank you for speaking out. It was my first and last time ever going to BRRF. It was absolutely awful.
A friend and his wife went last year and said the same thing. Sounds like this is in ongoing problem
This was my 3rd year and this was the worst by far! They oversold for sure, the camping area was wild!
Honestly should have done some research into what happened last year.
The owner and a lot of attendants got blasted BIG TIME on social media in the area because of everything surrounding it.
The staff were generally unhelpful and completely ignorant to basic logistics. The people that went there literally trashed up the site and then just left it for everyone else to pick up.
We don’t do that shit around here and a lot of the Festival scene around here does NOT appreciate the type of shit that they do there and they allow to HAPPEN there.
It’s completely unacceptable from a staffing and attendant POV.
@@edwardweaver6869 I think I was trying to give it the benefit of the doubt… but 100% should’ve listened. Waste of $
@@miketobin7576 it was a shit show!!!!!
I cannot express how much respect I have for Tank not only as a UA-camr, but as a manager and just a person. Tank handled this as well and responsible as he could. This whole situation is just really shitty and I'm sorry for anyone who was involved or attended the festival. And about that douchy manager of the other band, I honestly don't blame him for how he acted because he was probably under extreme stress just like everyone else. Still probably could have been a bit nicer to the lovely guys at EC. Whoever planned this festival definitely bit off more than they could chew and it sucks that valuable time and money was wasted because of it. The whole thing was just a complete and utter shit show. I'm so glad that we have people like Tank who can actually clarify what happened for those who couldn't go or just don't know. Anyways sorry for that long rant to anyone who actually read it 🤣
If I'm a band watching this video, I'm thinking Tank is someone I want on my team. His willingness to call out unprofessionalism despite possible repercussions is impressive.
As for the festival, well I'm glad I couldn't get time off from work to attend.
You choosing to remain sober despite all of that, is amazing. Kudos to you
As the child of an alcoholic who would frequently give into their addiction, seeing you stay strong in such a stressful time, it helped calm me in a way. I have since lost that parent, and alcohol was a big part of their passing, and seeing you have the self control and respect to resist that urge, is extremely inspiring and helps restore my faith. Thank you tank, really.
@simsonchin, you keep your chin up. Good for you! We can all wash away the stains of our pasts. ❤🤘
I'll crack a cold one for you bud
I've been off booze about 5 years and cigarettes for 2 and a half years, this experience would have made me at least cave and bum a cigarette. Funny he said it was nasty, I often wonder if I'd be disgusted if I picked one up again. I don't wanna find out.
I fell off the wagon/caved once this year for the first time in 15 years. My first thought was “I liked feeling like this?!?” It was a one and done.
@@drengillespie hell yeah man, I'm happy to hear. it's hard to relapse when you hate the result.
Thank you for the insight tank. To everyone involved watching this, SHARE THIS EVERYWHERE! The only way the cover story of "weather" gets pulled away is if more people come forward and talk about it. For all the pain, suffering, and injuries caused during this dumpster fire, a handful of people are laughing their way to the bank. If they are not held accountable here, this will just happen again somewhere else.
Sad thing is they are already selling tickets for 2024. Whether or not it happens again I've no idea but I've read they only have 1 contractual year left with Virginia international raceway (VIR) so we'll see what happens. Reports say this started 10 days prior to the event opening with staff already having issues with sanitation, food and drink
Fire Fest pt 2
@@cpfdkolich
The only reason the Fyre promoter went to prison is because he grited rich people. Slye won't see the same fate.
@@cpfdkolich You do realize the actual Fyre Festival really announced a reboot, right? ;)
MetaI fans taIk and I hope everyone soon knows the truth. My son was there so I know what happened. They had a bad haiI storm earIy in the festivaI and didn't canceI because of it, so it had nothing to do with the weather. It was a totaI disaster. They soId more tickets than the raceway ground couId safeIy accommodate. They put people's Iives in danger. My son did 4 yrs in the Army and he never says anything about safety, he's strong and capabIe, he wouId never want me as his mother to worry about him.
But he said he never feIt so unsafe with tens of thousands of pissed off peopIe, and rightfully angry.
Corey TayIor from SIipknot himself paid for a caterer so the bands & their crews couId eat.
It was criminaIIy negligent and l hope peopIe keep speaking up so there is no next time with the same a$$hoIe promoter.
I'm gIad l didn't go, I'm oIder and couId have been seriouIy harmed, one way or another. I Iove metaI and we cannot aIIow this unsafe, unethicaI buIIshit to ruin what we Iove. We see Iive shows as often as we can, a handfuI of them every summer. We just were at Apocalypse Fest in Scranton this past Saturday. It was exceIIent.
That dude the promoter should be thanking his Iucky stars no one was seriousIy harmed or kiIIed.
I have personaIIy been to hundreds of hard rock & metaI shows and aII day festivals and I have never once feIt unsafe.
This promoter needs to pay for his greed and incompetence, period. There's NO excuse for that IeveI of failure.
After finally watching this now I want to see a series on what a tour manager does, like a "day in the life of" but starting with your first meeting with the band about their vision & gear.
Spot on. Most people have no clue about what we do behind the scenes to make this happen. As a tech and crew chief, I respect your effort for shedding light on these issues. I see management struggling with communication, talent waiting for some answers, hands being pulled when they are required, production running behind and an entire world of problems. Promotors need to step it up and relay the information to the rest of the staff. Unsafe working conditions is the fastest way to get your event cancelled because leads like me will not allow my hands to put themselves in danger.
Dude quit crying like a little girl.........No A/C and no water bottles for your little band members? Well boo effing hoo.....Just curious if you have ever heard of WOODSTOCK? You know the REAL Woodstock in Aug of 1969? The conditions at that show were 1000X worse than you experienced and it lasted for 4 days.......On top of that those were the BIGGEST bands in the WORLD including Hendrix, THE WHO, Ten Years After, Crosby Stills and Nash and Santana not a bunch of no-name scrubs like the bands at this place. They all did their JOB and performed great sets although Alvin Lee was worried about getting ELECTROCUTED while playing in a thunderstorm He said "Well if I DIE we'll sell more albums next week!" I love all the entitled little kids these days whining and crying about every little thing.
There should be more managers like you who has the balls to stand up for the bands and fans!
SAY IT AGAIN FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK! I thought the same thing as I listened to @TanktheTech speak out about this. I commend him as a true gentleman for showing so much authentic empathy and compassion for the people who suffered at Blue Ridge. This brought me to tears to hear about, and Tank has gained a new follower today. Much respect! 🤘❤️🤘💯
i would agree
how do you know other managers don’t? They just don’t have the platform of UA-cam 🤷🏻♂️
I can attest to how rare a stage manager like Tank is. As stagehands, we almost always have to speak up ourselves if something feels unsafe because the stage manager/road crew wants it done their way
@@shaneeroh2213 because most stage managers and most people in bands are just going to push on to the next show and never speak out and one reason is they feel if they do speak out about something it's going to blackball them or their band from another venue Festival so they don't say much
I was at blue ridge. After the festival was cancelled one of the security members had to screenshot my phone to inform his coworkers that the festival was done. It really was like that.
Ahh, security. Always an afterthought. Any big event I've worked past the local level - festivals, tournaments, you name it - it's like we're the last to know anything and always kept five degrees of seperation away from anyone with any sort of authority to do anything about anything.
To be fair, most problems often come from OTHER security companies hired for an event - like having to man a stage with a skeleton crew because half your people got pulled to clean up someone else's mess or having to act as ersatz medics during emergencies because not enough were brought in and the event's main security over twice our size "don't handle that sort of thing".
I’m pretty sure you ran a tour a few years back that came to the venue I used to run FoH at, you were extremely kind and knowledgeable, and I remembered the green hands all liking you a lot. I’m so sorry this happened, it’s so heartbreaking, but thank you for speaking up for production. Hope you’re doing well
Thank you for your honest and balanced clarification of what happened. As a booker for a German Festival I was horrified hearing about this nightmare. Good on you for keeping it classy and professional.
Hey Tank. I was there and just wanted to say thank you for helping Electric Callboy put on one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. While the festival may have turned into a 💩 show. You guys were definitely an amazing thing to come out of it, so thank you for all you do!🤘🤘🤘
I was there with a group of 4 with VIP tickets, basically $2,300 for the weekend. I am 40 years old and have been going to live music fests for decades. I will say the bands were fucking amazing and you wouldn't have known that it was nearly that bad. That being said, IT WAS THE WORST put together fest that I have been to in well over 20 years. Electric Callboy put on a hell of a show! You and all the other production managers somehow pulled off a fucking miracle. I WILL NEVER go to the BRRF again. I have so much respect for your crew and the amount of work they had to put in, as well as the fans that were literally shit on the entire weekend. Thanks for this insight.
As a tech and a old stagehand I bursted out a huge WHAT?!!!! when you told about them not having a strap for the truck and telling the stagehands to hold on to it. Its fucking unbelievable. And then what happened to the poor stagehand. And because its the US and this festival, I guess he didnt get his healthcare when being ceushed payed so had to pay it fully himself, on a shitty a minimum wage pay.
As an old stagehand, knowing how we think and operate. Usually this kind of festival takes (just a quick estimate, taking the amount of stages and bands into account) normally about 30-100 stagehands to build, and then 20-50 to operate just the change overs etc. Hearing they had 5-10 is horrendous.
My guess why there where so few stagehands was striking (officially or just walking out) due to everything, but especially when it comes to safety or food. We deal with alot of risks, hazards, unfomfort and in too many cases, non existant pay and basic workers rights. But we wont work when the risks are stacked and theres no food.
I actually shed tears listening to this, this is truly a nightmare for anybody in this business.
Dude quit crying like a little girl.........No A/C and no water bottles for your little band members? Well boo effing hoo.....Just curious if you have ever heard of WOODSTOCK? You know the REAL Woodstock in Aug of 1969? The conditions at that show were 1000X worse than you experienced and it lasted for 4 days.......On top of that those were the BIGGEST bands in the WORLD including Hendrix, THE WHO, Ten Years After, Crosby Stills and Nash and Santana not a bunch of no-name scrubs like the bands at this place. They all did their JOB and performed great sets although Alvin Lee was worried about getting ELECTROCUTED while playing in a thunderstorm He said "Well if I DIE we'll sell more albums next week!" I love all the entitled little kids these days whining and crying about every little thing.
If he has minimum wage, he would qualify for Medicare. If he doesn’t want to work for minimum wage, he should find some skills that pay more than minimum wage.
This isn’t a U.S. issue, as you make it out to be.
Sounds like a sh*t show. I’m only ever an audience member, but I want everyone behind the scenes to be safe and professional.
Ha. My metal bubble and scam fighter bubble overlapping. Fun times.
Hey, what's up Karl Rock
I’m friends with one of the stage hands that was working. They weren’t given meals as promised, only 6 porta potties for the entire crew that were barely cleaned out, non working showers, over flowing trash everywhere, they were basically living in their own filth. They eventually went on strike bc how awful it was. Thank you for calling out the CEO on your platform, this fest is a shit show year after year and he never takes accountability
Edit: for those that are on fb that attended and wanna know more there’s a page called stagehandswalked all one word!
Who puts this show on?
G-day from Australia, my daughter & I have been discussing about what’s happened at this event & I was wondering how long this show has been running, has this kind of thing happened before? So you have confirmed my suspicions ty, how could someone be allowed to continue a yearly event like this? It’s appalling, for band, crew & the fans. Thank you for sharing.
@@kennethosburn2962 his name is Jonathan Slye
@@patriciacarter1007 He says each time it’ll be better next year but it’s lies!
@@Intruderpink Who is he?
I drove 9.5 hours (FL to VA) to wait in line for 5.5 in an attempt to board the buses. The delay was so long that I missed Electric Callboy, the REASON I bought tickets in the first place. I am devastated to have missed their set. Thank you so much for speaking on this.
LOL
That's so shitty, I'm sorry you missed it.
Yep I wanted to see them more than basically anyone that day and I spent an hour driving around while they refused to let people into the parking lot. Finally got in and just missed EC.
If they had let us in to park, even with the delay from buses and lines, we would have made it in with plenty of time to see them.
@@SoulDevoured too damn bad
@@threefreemonths6181 yeah it was a big shame. Still enjoyed who I did see though. I didn't just give up and leave like alot of people did.
So wild. I was at Woodstock 99... and all of this sounds very similar. It's like we have learned nothing. I considered going to this and I'm glad I didn't. Sorry for what everyone involved had to go through.
As a 54 year old rock and metal fan I have come across your channel by complete accident. I have binged watch your channel and have enjoyed the behind the curtain access. Keep up the great work and you have a new subscriber....
The way my stomach dropped at "We're stopping this truck and I need a medic" I can barely imagine what you guys must've gone through. I hope this video will be one of many. I hope people will speak out and that the ones in charge will be held accountable, as you've said. Maybe this could be a spark for actual change but first and foremost I am incredibly grateful that you guys all made it out and I hope everyone's okay, without any lasting injuries. 😢❤
I just knew when he said there were no straps that it was going to end with someone getting hurt.
I’ve been called a cunt on a union page …. For posting the list from the crew #stagehandswalked. Support and respect 🙌🏼🏴☠
Yeah. I've done work on major productions on the corporate audio side. I can't even imagine moving an inch with cases like that not strapped down. That's fucking scary as hell.
I heard countless screams for MEDIC as we waited for 6hours to be bused away from the evacuation, there was no path or way for ambulances or the EMTs on ATVs to get through the crowd, it was insane. The saddest part was people becoming more desperate yelling it knowing that we were trapped with ~10min before emergency services could get to the person who needed help.
@@jessicaj7510 Oh God, I am so sorry you had to go through that. I cannot imagine the distress that must've caused even for everyone around who was okay themselves. This is literally a recipe for way, way worse scenarios to happen and I'm so glad the crowd seemed to look out for one another. I can tell you that people would've gone to jail for sth. like this happening at "their" event if it had been Europe. Safety always needs to be a priority. I hope you and your loved ones came out okay as well. And I sure f-cking hope you'll get your money back and will never have to face sth. like this again.
This makes you appreciate the Wacken people even more. They had such bad weather beforehand that they had to use tractors to pull cars onto the camp grounds and organized temporary camp sites in nearby towns before they were finally forced to close the gates. And although it was muddy as hell and communication could have been better, I have no doubt that behind the scenes and on the grounds everything was still perfectly organized. Also super impressive that - looking at the show at Blue Ridge only through the lense of social media - I would have never guessed that anything about it was less than perfect. Heads off to the EC band and crew!
The people at Wacken probably also have decades of experience and know all the people in the region. They seem to be tight with them.
My guess (only a guess, not anything certain) would be: decades of experiences, but even more so really strict rules and regulations (plus inspections by government people).
A few weeks ago some kind of German techno festival was almost cancelled because the organizers could not provide certain details (mainly not enough medics).
Good on your for being a professional, and following up to call this out. Used to be in the business as an audio engineer and having worked so many festivals like this, without them being canceled artist, crews, festival/venue staff, and fans have to start calling this out more to make the industry better. Can't tell you how many times i was promised in contract with access to stage bathrooms/dressing rooms, catering, and water to find nothing for me and the crew or artist. I've also been a third party contracted audio crew member and some of the sound providers in the business are terrible employers and unsafe to work for, and if you bring up unsafe practice's and poor management, you are called a P***Y, and you should just deal with it. Hope the rest of your tour goes smoothly.
As someone who saved over a year, traveled with a friend over 14 hrs by car to sit in that awful heat for several hours in an a/c-less vehicle trying to get into the festival. To getting breezed in by "security" then being lost af to check in for glamping. Having to drink tons of water n passing out from heat exhaustion causing us to miss Wednesday's "pre-party" because there was no access to showers during mid-day to attempt to cool of, (showers are inaccessible during 12pm-8pm everyday) A/C's were essentially useless due to the extreme heat, most glamp tents were not in shade and even the power generators overheated/shut down multiple times everyday. This is all from the first day (wednesday) if i were to go on as far as saturday morning there'd be too much to read. This was not my first festival, my previous experience is '12 GotJ at Cave In Rock IL, and I'd rather go do that again a hundred times over attempting this festival ever again. The things that went wrong for this festival are very basic needs that should never be an severe issue as it was. (like how they said there was 8 water stations throughout the festival grounds when there was only 2, one vip one ga which is NOT ENOUGH) Layout of the map for stations and things on the grounds wasn't accurate, nothing stated about the festival until a few days prior or during the festival on socials which you cant access due to the high volume of people in the area. There is so much more to it all even with sanitation services and vendors. I hope this doesn't deter the band from touring in the U.S. cause this ain't the way it normally is.
Hey Tank and Electric Callboy. I'm a festival guy but I was never into metal and rock except maybe in my younger years, I went to brrf mainly for my girlfriend and to experience a community that I've never been around. I got into Electric Callboy because they really had a sound that I could identify with as I'm a big EDM fan, so naturally I loved their hard dance blend with metal. I was trying to get up close because I wanted to be near the energy. In the super long wait before the show I managed to get up near the sound tent where I ran into a guy that said, "oh, you trying to get into the pit?", and to me the "pit" has always just been the place near the stage so I said "oh yeah!". But then it dawned on me what he meant by the pit was and I was worried, I'd never been in a moshpit before. I had prepared before the festival by watching a video, and I already said yes so I can't back down now and look like a weenie. The other guys in front of us turned around and said they were trying to get into the pit too. So together a group of random dudes bonded as the setup dragged on, prepared to make a dash for the pit. The music finally comes on, I don't even remember the song because the next thing I know I'm following these guys and suddenly I'm in an hole in the crowd being pushed around. "OK", I said "this is what my training was for" and I start moshing, it felt right. I got tired, I got hit, I got shoved, but the energy of that pit and the crowd was unlike anything I've felt before. That pit changed me. We were engaged with the moment, we were engaged with each other, and the band was engaged with us hyping us up all hypa hypa. It was one of the best crowds I've been in and it made the whole trip worth it. I know you guys didn't walk away with the best memories of their first US show, but I hope that you read this and know that your efforts weren't in vain. Peace and love.
Bro I respect the hell out of you for being open minded to their music even though it wasn’t really your thing and committing to the mosh pit, I tell people all the time even if you HATE metal you HAVE to go to at least one show and mosh, everyone that has taken my advice comes out the other end seeing things just like you, it’s such a unique experience
I love that despite all the other shit going on you had this moment! So glad you got to see them and that the pit was glorious!!! 🤩🤘⚡
Even the biggest shit show can have great moments like this. I'm certain their are people, maybe like you, that had their lives changed for the better. Maybe met some people who bonded over the BS going on and maybe life long friends or life long relationships...
Taboos be damned. Not speaking out sends a message that this kind of thing is acceptable. Good job Tank and my sympathies. I hope the rest of the tour goes better.
So many industries prey on peoples reputations to cloak their reputation. We need more of this. Thank you for taking the risk and sharing.
I went with my friend and it was my first festival. All of what you said and heard from people is true. Another issue me and my friend had was we camped offsite, but the camp site was 2.5 miles away and you had to turn down the road to get to the venue to get there. They had people there directing traffic and had that road blocked off. Multiple times when we were trying to get back to camp, they would wave us to keep going and we would try to tell them we were camping down that road and they didn’t care and were super rude. We had to go to the check in office and the OWNER of the camp ground would have to go down there and force them to let us down there and had to move the cones. He was rightfully pissed and said that he was suing them since this will make people not want to stay there for future festivals. He also said that people live down that road and they were doing the same thing to them!
I went to the Blue Ridge Rock Festival to see Electric Callboy. We got to the parking area at 3pm and to the .5 mi line for the shuttle at 330pm. We were told pretty quickly that the busses weren’t running due to a possible storm (there wasn’t one). They didn’t stop the festival, just access to the festival. No communication with the crowds waiting. I had friends who got to the lot at 4pm and were turned away and not even allowed to park. We waited until 730pm and still weren’t allowed on the bus to get to the festival. At that point, we missed Electric Callboy, so we went home. Never got into the festival. Shit show.
Man, that is utter Shite!!!
How far away were you parked?
@@JordanEmede_376 5+ miles. We were going to walk it, but we were told we would not be allowed in and would be turned away.
@@DanTheMan619xx, you have my condolences. Hope you'll be able to attend a future Callboy show. Much love from Indonesia.
Sounds like a class action lawsuit that likely will bankrupt this event. Hopefully.
You can't charge admission to something then tell people they can't come in. You can't overfill a venue. So many things wrong.
Safe travels brother!
Miss you guys! Hope you're all doing well!
We saw you in Washington! A new set of fans! My kids have been playing you non-stop!
Thanks for getting the boys through this and up to Toronto on Sunday! Show was sick, thanks for all your hard work dude!
I was there. Electric Callboy’s set was fantastic. There were a ton of issues. They were clearing trash and cleaning porta potties, but they severely underestimated the staff needed to manage it correctly.
Halfway through the video but thank you, thank you, thank you for speaking out about this. So many people, including myself, are just defeated after traveling a long way for this fest, spending a ton of money and getting treated like garbage.
The higher ups at BRRF continue to push the “Weather” narrative when there was clearly so much more happening behind the scenes and videos like this are almost therapeutic in helping us know we went through this crap together. EC was the highlight of the weekend, thanks to you and your crew for doing the impossible and making it happen.
The balls on this man for releasing this. I love you tank. I was there both days and I didn't even get the worst of it and it was the worst experience of my life and a waste of my vacation
Much respect for this. This is the most clear and straightforward explanation I've heard about what happened. Best of luck on the rest of the tour. You just gained a subscriber.
THANK YOU FOR COMING FORWARD AND TALKING! YOU ARE THE VOICE FOR SO MANY.
As a former roadie and now someone that occasionally works as festival staff, I have mad respect for you on calling Blue Ridge out. I am seeing so much from both the staff and the festival goers about how bad it was. Honestly to often promoters get away with pulling shady crap anymore especially on festival staff. Thank for being the little man's voice!
I took my son to this festival for his first rock concert and it was the worst experience we've ever had. Thursday after standing in line for 7 hours we finely made it into the venue. 3 hours later they evacuated us for our safety to a little road in the woods in the dark rain and hell. Then Friday we waited in line for 4 hours and the parking lot security told us to leave because the busses were only running to evacuate the people inside the venue. Then Saturday we stood in line for 5 hours to get told the concert was cancelled. This was the worst experience I've ever had and I will not be back. Piss poor planning from the get go.
Tank we loved seeing you in Chicago! It was a surprise to me seeing you, but gave me such joy seeing someone I've shared so many of Electric Callboy songs with at the venue. Genuinely made this already amazing experience even better. Glad you're apart of it and keep on grinding my man. Much love
Silver lining.... Before this came up on my feed, I've never heard of Electric Callboy before. I just watched a full show and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Nice!
@@TankTheTech Alright... enough is enough... they're my new favorite band now. Come out to Phoenix.
@@jrew7010no, no. It’s “Come to Brazil”
@@Ericsaidful After Arizona haha.
Tank,
I wanted to watch the full video prior to comment. I don’t have much so I’ll keep it short to the point. You showed a newer side and solid character with this video. Fought through and gave it all you had, and some you maybe didn’t know you had, to make sure your guys could do what they love; and that’s playing for their fans.
We get tested every day, mostly by small challenges but some larger than thought possible. You truly took hold of the courage to change what you could, and it showed for the set. It has to be difficult on the road, not being able to vent to those you typically would, and the community you have built is here to listen and support. I have never personally worked behind the scenes with music, so the insight was very much appreciated. Although you want to forget that day, you nailed it sir, and it ultimately has made you better at what you are already great at.
I’ll end with this. Before your departure from the tour; hit Kevin with a rock, then scissors. Works every time.
As a former tech and now artist onstage; this was a NIGHTMARE and i applaud ALL band crews working together and not killing each other! Bravo!
Thanks for putting this video out there so people know what happened.
Thank you for speaking up and holding folks accountable. It’s incredibly sad to see that you guys had this experience, hoping the rest of the tour is better for you and the crew 🤙🏻
As a fellow alcoholic/addict….I deeply admire your ability to maintain your mental state in this situation. I’ve used far less stressful experiences as an excuse to relapse. Not proud of it, but I have around 18 months clean now and I’m just incredibly impressed at your ability to maintain professionalism, mental clarity, and sobriety through a situation like this 👍. It doesn’t go unnoticed my friend!
Hang in there, you can do it !! I did, clean for approximately 10 years now. ( former pain pill addict & alcoholic )
You got this, homie. I’ve been clean for over twenty years, but it is no more important than your 18 months. You’re doing great and I’m proud of you.
Coming up on 3 years 9.27.2020
Congratulations........that is a some stressful shit. I'm a waitress and it's really hard some days in sobriety. The kitchen leaves and gets wasted every night. I don't have that option cuz my whole life can fit in a shot glass and I'm sure yours can too.
I went to Woodstock for my 21st birthday and this sounds eerily similar, except we had music! I broke my festival cherry and havent been back to one that big since!! Not without and RV !
Hey friend, it's this type of self honesty and reflection that improves the human race. Keep it up for all the things that are worth it in your life.
Really fricken nice to see the amount of people in this thread who are on that path. I was a heavy drinker for 10 years. Stopped cold turkey on Jan 28th this year. For me, it was very easy and that's my first thought when I get start to think about having a drink. It probably won't be easy doing it a second time. Stay sober!
The lines to get water were unbelievable. The last thing anyone wanted to do when it was already hot and they were thirsty was to stand in line for 20+ minutes to refill on water. By the way, according to the FAQ for the Festival we were only allowed to bring in ONE bottle of water per person that we could refill. My friend and I drank our first bottle waiting in line to get a shuttle to the Festival. We got there around noon and it must have taken over 90 mins to get into the actual Festival because we missed the beginning of Conquer Divide's show. So we were already sweating like nothing else before we even got the chance to be where the refill stations were. Most of the day was spent trying to cram into a partially shaded spot near EC's stage and not wanting to get water because we would have to stand directly under the sun in those lines to refill. By the time we left right after EC's set my friend was getting sick from heat exhaustion. It was crazy hot all summer. The temperatures should not have been a surprise. Water should've been treated more like a need than a luxury. (I read afterward that the other water station was vip only. Imagine needing to pay extra for basic necessities at a concert.)
Between heat and long waits it seems like there should've been way more water stations in the festival and also a couple outside in parking or near the shuttle stations etc.
Born and raised in the traveling entertainment industry. I give you and your peeps kudos for not just bailing out. ❤
Yeah, I without a contract i wouldn't have even been thee.
Tank, really enjoy your perspectives! Thank you!
As someone who was there, THANK YOU for being a voice for us fans, and the poor employees and volunteers that were treated so bad. I'm sorry to the bands and their crews who also suffered. Bands and fans were phenomenal, but that's it.
I've noticed there's been a push in recent years for constant scope expansion by a lot of festivals, and it's lowering the quality of the experience at a lot of these events. Bigger doesn't always mean better.
Also I personally didn't hear great things about the SNW side stages, lot of artists got shafted there afaik, especially smaller ones.
This was great insight thank you!! I was gonna go to Blue Ridge because of the awesome lineup and it hurts my heart to say that I’m HAPPY I didn’t go. It sucks more than missing out because these are people (the artists) that we all care about. It seems like festivals have gotten more and more (on a management level) chaotic and it’s so disheartening. I’m happy y’all got out safe and thank you for sticking it out the best you could
Metalhead that just discovered your channel, good on you for being honest about your experiences, all labor benefits from openly discussing working conditions. & that's metal asf 🤘 keep up the good work!
After watching and listening to the stories it is very apparent to me that the cancellation for “weather” helps them avoid refunding fans as it’s written in their refund policy. So sad for all the bands and fans that attended.
Yes it seems like it was just a money dump.. It was expensive especially for new people.. Canopies, and tents, and even a car window was busted up..
Yea, that's outrageous. I was one of the people who didn't get into Wacken Open Air this year, because they ordered a travel stop due the weather conditions. (We stopped our travels about an hour away from Hamburg and spent a few days on a random small camp site enjoying the German country side instead lol) But they did refund all tickets and tokens within days of the festival ending and offered to sell everyone who didn't get in tickets for 2024 Wacken at the 2023 prices (which seeing as they went up a whopping 10% is not nothing.)
Force majeur clauses are like get out of jail free.
They still have to pay the bands I bet they will try to not too and then good luck getting any more bands to come to the show
@@JanneBernardsThis festival was in the country side. Most of American is countryside, actually. That’s why the lines were so long. 50,000 people trying to go several miles down two lane roads in one direction.
We were two ships passing in the night! First Phoenix then Blue Ridge haha. Damn dude it was such a chaotic situation. 100% not a big deal at all about the interview, the situation was wild and I'm just glad y'all are safe and healthy. Watching this video man, its crazy how much y'all had to work through.
Kudos to you for speaking out, man! 🤘🏻 The only way things in this industry could change for the better is through artists, crew members and industry professionals discussing the issues and solutions. There's only so many times one can pretend "it's ok" when it's really not, whether those are merch cuts, poor conditions for artists hospitality, pay to play schemes, etc.
Thank you. I learned a lot, and not just about this event, but about what you all do to make a concert work. I have a new appreciation for the backstage people that’s for sure.
Thank you for posting this and speaking out. Thursday night at BRRF was traumatizing. It was not safe at all. I saw so many medical emergencies from the evacuation and being stuck in the forest for 6hours waiting for buses while we were soaking wet from being hailed and rained on with no shelter. There was a woman who went missing for days after Thursday night.
All of us paid thousands of dollars to attend and get to this event. I've attended many large festivals and this was terrifying because of the lack of security and organization for transportation. Security didn't check any bags getting into the festival.
We were also required to pay for buses that we waited 2hours for in the sun to get into the festival and then 6hours to get out after the evacuation or walk 6miles to get back to the parking lot. I saw two people pass out from heat stroke just waiting to get into the festival. Also, the shuttles (school buses) we paid for slowed down around 2pm because a staff told me they had to pick up kids from school??
I was there, camping for the 3 days until it was all cancelled. I can say with 100% fact that Electric Callboy was the highlight of Friday and the entire festival. Other campers around us after that nasty storm Thursday all banded together to get thru it, set back up, shared food around to those that lost it. The festival itself was a fail but the fans and Friday made it a little bit better. Thanks for putting on a great show with Electric Callboy!!
Wow. Thanks for this video especially in the no editing straight discussion format. What a horrendous experience for literally every person there. It was interesting hearing all this from the perspective of a tour manager.
I love that you consistently put the fans and crew first. Yes, the band was treated pretty poorly, but I feel like most bands would still rather just put on a good show for the people who support them. But if the crew is being treated poorly and if the fans are being treated poorly, then that's unacceptable.
Thanks for sticking up for everyone from the guys on stage to the ones behind it, to the fans out in front.
Love that you made the point that the staff wasn't at fault. They were just casualties of the poor organization and communication. 1 flatbed and 1 forklift to transport gear for the entire event! So many errors. Sucks for everyone who lost their hard earned money and time wasted. It's nice to hear your real life experience. Thank you for taking the time.
Imagine if the truck or forklift quit working? Unbelievable how poorly this was managed.
We attended the Electric Callboy show in Pittsburgh which was absolutely incredible, and you'd never know of the horrible experience you guys had the day prior. Thank you for giving it 100% and delivering one hell of a show.
Good for you for speaking out about those conditions, and to state that you will continue to call out sh*t like this in the future. Let's hope these bands, the staff, fans, everyone involved don't have to deal with those awful conditions at their next festivals. Rock on Tank!!!! Love your channel!
Thank you for talking about this, I've been going to a different festival annually, and it has always been great. I've had a lot of fun every time and I want to do stage hand work now to help/ see the world... you have given me a much greater appreciation for this because of the information. Thank you very much Tank
I spent over $2000 to be at this festival and I am still blown away at how much of a shit show this entire experience was. Ruined my desire to ever go to a festival again and just stick to local shows. Thank you for speaking out!!!
Why would you spend $2000 on a festival that had issues in previous years? 🤔
I'm so sorry you and everyone else went through this! I've been the last 2 years and I enjoyed my time! I was unable to attend this year and I never thought I'd say this, but THANK GOD I'm poor lol. I'm absolutely CRUSHED that this went down. John will be lucky to have another one, let alone, get bands to come. 2021 was ROUGH! Kind of the same, but it was nothing to this level. I feel so bad for the staff and for everybody who has lost money and time. I've met so many amazing people and saw bands I never thought I'd get to see. All I know to say is, RIP BRRF!
don’t be discouraged, there are plenty of much better festivals that are a lot cheaper to attend, just might need to travel further. these crooks are giving festivals a bad name. i hope tank speaking out gets them to take accountability and refund all of these people, at the very least.
Damn 2k? That sucks. Are they going to refund some of it?
I'm really sorry about that, but don't let this experience deter you from festivals altogether. I HIGHLY recommend looking into the Danny Wimmer Presents festivals, as they are actually professionally run
All of this! And something you perhaps were not aware of, people could literally.bring ANYTHING in, because they weren't bothering to check bags. I brought 4 bottles of water in, and 2 cirkul refill bottles because we were told there were 14 refill stations. I let my 2 kids share three of the waters, I had one. I walked ALL over to find the water stations shown on the map I had downloaded beforehand (because also there was zero way of looking at internet or receiving or sending texts with anything substantial other than words) and there were no water stations. I asked a beer vendor who told me that nobody could find the water, and he'd never seen a Festival with this many people that didn't have a literal wall of water refill stations. So we rationed our water, sweated our asses off, sunscreen washed away, paid $6 for each bottle of water from the vendors. I gave my kids more than I got for myself, because that's what you do. But we're on a tight budget, so we couldn't get too crazy you know, HYDRATING ourselves. By the time the sun went down my exposed skin and face was all 2nd degree sunburns. After slipknot the entire festival dumped out to wait on the busses to bring us back to our cars. This was the only option for transportation. Cars were parked some 5 miles away. We waited, I shit you not, 3.5 hours . Entered the line at 11:51, sat in my car finally at 3:25. My house is 1 hour 11 minutes drive from the festival. When I got home I was shivering from the burn and bloody exhausted, dehydrated, hungry, and fucking MAD. This was supposed to be a fun thing I did with my kids before they get to be poopy teenagers, and I feel like the poor management and decision making ruined it. And we got to actually see bands. Granted, we had 4 day passes and only got to see one day of bands, but still. I can't imagine doing anything like this again.
Same here except for the fact that they sent us away Friday and said it was cancelled and might open later after standing in line to catch bus for over 2 hours. Got message around 530 that it was reopened and drove 41 min back just to see Danzig and slipknot then the 3 and half to 4 hour wait. Kids were miserable from waiting in line for so long which made the wait even more aggravating. Not to mention Thursday scared the kids to death and had us so aggravated trying to keep them from getting hurt from the hail, falling limbs from the trees and lightening on top of that. People all over the place not sure which side to be on for the right bus to the lots. Over 10000 people and that was their evacuation plan for an emergency. WOW!! Is all I could say. SMDH it was by far not the good time we had planned at all. Miserable is an understatement for sure. All the hell and didn’t get to see but 4 bands well 3 because they evacuated Thursday. Seems like their brain was missing when they sold the tickets without a logical stopping point. They even charged 215 to be transported when that could had been solved by putting campers that far away and transporting them back and forth since there was less of them vs daily Parker’s. My 9 year old could had planned that out way better for sure.
I get mad as hell as a father when McDonald's forgets an item in my order. I would have been beyond livid if I made the effort and paid the amount you did
Man, that SUCKS! Hopefully the kids will still enjoy going to shows when they’re teenagers…I took my oldest to see Gojira when he was 16 and it was life changing for both of us! We took my 14 yr old to see fit for a king and converted him into a metal head🤘 and next month I’m taking all 4 boys (18,14,11 and 9) AND my husband to the Metalcore Dropouts tour w FFAK, The Devil Wears Prada, Landmarks and Counterparts. I’m super excited but also nervous that something is going to ruin it. With that many people, somebody is bound to be sick or get a headache or my husband may not like how loud it is. I hate that all that happened to your family at Blue Ridge. I’d be pissed off too.
And thank you for coming forward. I hope everyone comes forward and tell all
Good for you for speaking out. Hope to see you on the road.
The staff at the festival wound up going on strike due to working conditions. The Podcast that Rocked/ Rocked channel on UA-cam was there on a media pass and he goes into great detail about what a disaster it was. And congrats on holding on to your sobriety! Proud of you brother!!!
Dude thank you so much for saying something. They are behind the scenes trying their hardest to change the narrative but a lot of us know what it felt like there. To spend our hard earned money, time off from work, to feel in danger multiple times is rough. Thank you and EC for a great set though, it is a highlight and a memory I can use to block out the rest!
Edit: I’m new to the channel and didnt know about your sobriety, I’m proud of you for going through that and staying strong. :Original start: This pisses me off, my whole life I’ve wanted to be in a band and tour, but if I had something like this happen to me I’d probably lose my shit. Accidents happen, but this was a money hungry corporation not giving a fuck about the music, the people, or anything and I’m sorry to everyone who had to go through that living hell. I hope everyone who was injured ends up being fine
Hey man i gotta say massive shout out to you for how much you seemed to have held together the best you could man. It sounds like a very crucial person some where in the chain failed to do their job. Not matter who's fault at the end of the day no Band, Fan nor Employee should ever have to deal with a nightmare like that. It's enough when a few things go wrong but let alone the ENTIRE Festival, So once again shout out to you for making people aware and keeping everything together the best you could Tank.
Mind you i have never toured and to be honest i'm questioning even going that route after this story.
“amateurs talk about tactics, but professionals study logistics.” USMC -- this is the hard stuff that makes or breaks armies. Don't feel bad Tank!
My dad was security at the festival and he said it overall just sucked. They treated the employees like crap, they would come up and just start screaming at them that they needed to go to this area, they'd go then they'd tell them they where at the wrong place and needed to go to another place and that happened all day long. Security had to help every where because they where under staffed they just where screaming at them. They promised 12 water stations for the whole festival and there where 3, 1 was VIP only 1 was shut down for half of the days so there was like 1 water place for everyone. It was terrible and the security and all employees went through a lot.
Also when the storms got really bad there where no safety shelters, most of the security didn't have tents where they where so it sucked for everyone.
Massively impressed by how you were able to tell this so concisely and chronologically without any notes 👍
Wow Tank, thank you for sharing. As a fan I wouldn't understand what goes on behind the scenes. Thank you for what you do!!