What It’s Like Working Behind The Scenes As A Roadie
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- Опубліковано 5 лют 2025
- Eric Hillman is a roadie and guitar technician for multiple rock bands that travel across the world.
His responsibilities include running a “bass rig” for P-Nut, the bass player of the band 311, managing the guitar for the band’s lead singer/guitarist Nick Hexum and managing sounds from the side of the stage.
He let CNBC Make It have a look inside his life on the road, which made a stop in Philadelphia - one of more than 20 stops on the summer tour.
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During our day at The Met in Philadelphia, we had an all-access pass before the rock band 311 hit the stage. Hillman does everything from unloading crates to tuning the guitars and making sure each guitar effect is plugged in and working correctly. He’s also responsible for some of the band’s social media, posting pictures and videos of the band while on tour and in their studio.
“I wake up in the morning on a tour bus,” Hillman said. “Sometimes we’ll fly into shows. Wake up in a hotel or something, but get out here to stage and catch cases.”
Life on the road may not be for everyone, but Hillman said he sleeps “great” on the buses.
“It’s small quarters,” he said. “Fifteen years later, we’re best buds. Bus bros even. And it’s a blast.”
Hillman has worked for bands including Dirty Heads, Pepper, Sublime with Rome, Slightly Stoopid and others in their circuit.
″We’ll meet on tour. Their guy can’t make it, they’ll call me,” he said.
But Hillman is loyal to 311 because of how close his relationship is to Hexum and P-Nut, he said.
“I’d had this guitar tech for a few years. And right before the tour, he decides, ‘Ah, I don’t really want to tour anymore. I want to stay home with my girl,’” said lead singer and guitarist of 311, Nick Hexum. “So I was completely in a panic. And our studio manager, Jason, was like, ’You should call Cousin Eric.” He quickly emerged as one of the greatest, probably the best roadie we’ve had.”
“But I never knew this job existed until I had it,” Hillman said. “And then the first show of their 2007 run was when I joined.”
Many of the gigs pay “very well,” Hillman said.
“My first tour I came in at a beginner’s rate and then was given a raise after my first year,” he said. “Making up to $5,000 a week is not unrealistic at all. It’s one gig that you can live wherever you want because as long as there’s an airport nearby, you can fly to your next gig. Or at least to your next tour.”
Of course, the job isn’t without its stresses, he said.
“To name everything that could go wrong in a day, you’d have to be with me for a week,” he said. “Tube could blow on an amplifier, a wireless frequency for a microphone could get interrupted or just completely drop. Or if you’re in a big city or around military bases, their wireless frequencies are totally jammed up. So it’s all about diagnosing it quickly and fixing it so you get back to the show.”
The hardest part of the job, he said, has “nothing to do with the stage.”
“It’s being away from people you love,” Hillman said. ”Being away from family. It never gets easier. It actually gets harder. Man, I send postcards at home all the time. Kind of old school, but people at home appreciate the mailbox love.”
And Hillman has some traits that make him well-suited to the job, the band says.
“There’s the unspoken thing, which is having a good attitude and being a pleasant person to be around,” says Hexum. “If somebody starts to get an attitude, we might call them a ‘white glove roadie.’ Cousin Eric is the opposite of that.”
“Man, I just love being around music and being around rock ’n roll,” Hillman said. “The vibe. It’s definitely a dream job. It’s a job I didn’t know was a real thing. But after living it and experiencing it, yeah, it’s definitely a dream job.”
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What It’s Like Working Behind The Scenes As A Roadie | CNBC Make It.
![Behind The Scenes w/ a Touring Guitar Tech during the Pandemic | [2 Days With A Roadie]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Cj-14afzrUI/mqdefault.jpg)
![Behind The Scenes w/ a Touring Guitar Tech during the Pandemic | [2 Days With A Roadie]](/img/tr.png)
He isn't just a roadie he is also a guitar technician and their social media organizer, he is doing four jobs, which is why he is not payed like a normal roadie.
Right, and being away from Family is a high toll
There are roadies that make far more for doing far less, but most of them are working for the truly top tier touring acts. (no disrespect to an act on this level).
Not to mention... "up to $5k" is not the same as "makes $5k"
@@timf7413 And those guys are people who have been roadies for literally decades.
Been doing it my whole life...5k is attainable for sure but the average is more like 3500...but when the dates end so does the check...average it out with time off and it’s closer to half your touring rate...that said, the lucky tech get retained between tours...and very select few are on a salary...like me :-)
He looks like truly happy person God bless him
Just a side effect of doing what you love. Wish more people could spend their lives doing what they love. The world would be a happier place
Glad to see that we're finally investigating 311
"We'll be right back"
Who killed Hannibal?
311 is so badass live
LOL YESSSSSSSS!
Buzz me melano
This dude works hard, most bands each member has its own tech, this dude is 2 members tech and runs sounds plus does social media too that’s crazy a lot of work
Depends on the band, how big they are, their budget for tour etc. Big bands, sure. Small bands touring clubs may have a drum guy and a guitars guy. Sometimes these guys will double being the tour manager too. Lots of different situations.
Erm…no they don’t actually.
Stop trying to sound clever - it doesn’t suit you.
That man seems more critical than the individual members of the band! He's like the concert doctor.
It's best to call it a team, everyone has roles...?
He is an unsung hero. Props to all roadies and crew who rarely get credit for their hard work.
Love this piece, having seen 311 several times over the years makes it better. True fact just married the girl of my dreams in 1997 and the first show together was in Nashville amphitheater gold finger and 311 and we had third row seats. Amazing!
Because the Roadie, looks a thousand miles with his eyes,
And when the crowd roars, brings a tear drop to the roadie's eyes! Tears of PRIDE!
Because he brought you the show
But you will never know
Thiago Silveira 😂😂😂
The show must go on.
I said YAES
HES CHANGING THE STRIIIINGS
WHILE HIDING IN THE WIIINGS
So thankful for all the hard work cousin Eric does!! 😍 I was at this show & it was incredible!!
Eric is the best!!! Doing what he loves.
I would say he’s got the coolest job! He does it all even fixes the group’s shirt collar before going out on the stage! Nope, he is not a roadie, he is amazing!
I remember being introduced to 311 back in 1997, I was a 7th grader in middle school and it was "Down" that I think I first heard on MTV. That immediately blew me away as it was a whole new sound I'd never heard of. From then on I bought every album that came out after that. Good times.
I like the attitude of the band member as well. Sounds like a down to earth guy who really understands what it's all about.
Telling someone they can make 5k a week being a roadie is like saying most actors make 30 million per film. Uhhhhh no, that's extremely rare...
lol. I tell people that they have better odds of being the rock star on stage than the roadie that makes $5k a week.
@@artmathias9725 Yeah I must admit that figure had me wondering!!!
Not that unusual these days to find a band that will pay that rate if said band is big enough. A lot of veteran techs quit after Covid and that opened up a lot of positions for new guitar techs that are willing to tour. You definitely have to be worth your salt and a good hang. On my 3rd year of touring as a tech and have never looked back, best job I’ve ever had.
@@e_riffs yup
Talented guy and band. 5k a week is definitely not the norm, you'd have a hard time even finding 5k a month as roadie even for some big artists.
He wore a lot of hats for a typical roadie. That’s why he gets paid extra. He’s the tech in charge of 2 guitars & 1 bass. Plus social media manager. That’s 4 jobs done by 1 guy. The band 311 is actually saving a lot by having 1 guy take care of all 3 instruments & amps, plus social media PR on the road.
@@iMadrid11 a lot of bands are needing to have employees multitask a few roles these days on the road to do cost cut as they aren't making what they were back in the day.
He’s also only getting paid when the band is on tour. No tour, no pay. It’s not 5k a week for 52 weeks a year.
@@danpfeifer7618 If it's true Then he's probably one of the highest paid techs in the world. I love 311 but they aren't as big as they were so the numbers seem inflated to me to make a video interesting and sensational .i'm slightly aware of how touring works and to understand he is not on tour all year.
Right he said he “could” make 5k a week but that’s probably not the norm. Of course making it the title gets more clicks 😀.
Dude! He is a guitar tech, bass tech, roadie everything he deserved more. But if the guy's treat him good is okay 👍
No, you had it right to begin with. He should get paid more! The part that isn't mentioned, is that no one talks about ALL the other people that do as much, if not more, for a fraction of what he is already getting. The entirety of the "behind the scenes" world is grossly under compensated.
holy crap... I was amazed he is the guitar AND bass tech... but he also does their social media! This guy"s a Beast :)
He is a Technician not a Roadie.
THANK YOU! At least you and I get it!
Yup. Roadies make maybe &
$500 a week, and they move the equipment so this guy can get the guitars ready for the band. Some musicians on stage, hired hands that actually play the music, get about what a roadie makes.
He moves gear too
I'd watch a full length documentary on him.
Nice to put a face to the behind the scenes guy with cousin Eric and to have Nick Hexum vouch for the guy is awesome! Love 311! 🔥
Wow, this was really entertaining and educational. I respect people that are thankful for what they’ve earned, down to earth
I know you guys work your tails off to get the show on, but the fans of any group sure thank you. You make the stars either look great or sound great. Thanks.
Some quick math: 3,000 seat venue x $50 a ticket = $150,000. I'm gonna lowball and say that the band was guarenteed $80,000 for that evening. Half that money goes to: manager, tour manager, roadies, techs, hotels, bus, gas etc. leaving the band to split $40,000. 40K divided by 5 = $8,000 a gig per band member. My man here in this video is making 1K per show, which is great money, but also take into consideration that he's teching for two members of the band (not a roadie) while also working their social media.
Great mini doc,love to see a lot more,such a great attitude, big 311 fan also,,Thanks for letting us in!!!
Dude works hard. But nothing is more beautiful than loving your job. Unfortunately I can't say that I do.
He also just spent two years sitting at home, working odd jobs to make ends meet while Covid raged on.
This is my cousin Eric!! He LOVES what he does and does an amazing job!!
do what you love,love what you do
Love this guys attitude!! Killing it doing something he loves.
Been touring and living on a bus for 35yrs...and your right, it gets harder and harder to be away from family and on your body too.
That’s my brother tho!!! Super talented amazing human. ❤️🤙🏽
Great piece!! 👍 You're doing it brother. Such a free and creative gig to the max.😀😀
I really loved this! Thanks for the insight!
Awesome someone did this! Nice job
You rock cousin Eric!!
You can learn a lot from this man. He has a great attitude and that goes a long way in any career. If you have ever worked with negative person you know what I mean. If you don't like what you are doing move on and find something you do enjoy. Life is short, don't waste it.
True story thank you I've toured with many of the still famous prehistoric acts . This is one super human He knows he's good and he is worth his weight in gold.
Wow!!! Dream job and as the cherry on the top of the cake….works for 311…..dam!!!! I would trade any job in the world for yours!!!! Congrats!!!
Roadie? Looks to me like he is the entire backstage crew.
What a positive guy! Wish i was more like this :-)
This dude must have a really strong back from carrying the whole band.
thats why he makes $5K a week
Guy is living a dream job I never knew I wanted until I say this! Incredible!!!
He’s not a Roadie, he is a Tech. There’s a difference.
This dude is one of the most responsible roadies I've ever seen. Hope he makes more than 5k a week
a very nice look behind the scenes,seems like he enjoys his gig and is a good person also!
Roadies make the world go round baby! Awesome video
Cousin Eric is the man! Love this guy 💙
2019 summer Unity tour🤘🤟
What an amazing job to have!
Respect ✊🏻
Seen the Dirty Heads a couple of times. They are AWESOME. If you ever get a chance to seen them, you'll be glad you did.
I wasn't a 311 fan until I saw them live in 1999. One of the best shows I've ever seen. The bassist did Kung fu kicks through a whole song and didn't miss a note. Linkin Park would never have existed if 311 hadn't done it all first.
Super cool dude...you earned what you got bro.
Dream job! 🤘😎
Great piece! Love the instagram content this guy gives the fans.
Congratulations brother, hard work does pay off. 🙏🏼🇺🇸
I have NO idea who these bands are, but this was a well done piece.
Much love and mad respect! A+++ Thumbs UP!
Eric is the man!!!
Good for him. Im Happy for him
Just saw Slightly Stoopid and 311 at the Okla Cannabis Cup. Im guessing this dude set it up. It sounded great!
Seems like a super cool guy. The kind you definitely want as your wing man.
That's how a person with passion looks like
One of my favourite time of anyday on tour :
The huddle before and/or after the show with the musicians.
Pump any bad day up !
If I remember correctly I met the guy a couple of times in Europe when he was touring with Kravitz (or was it Rodrigo Y Gabriela ?)
That said, that guy was nice.
Be safe on the road Sir.
Instrument techs are *_not_* roadies, those would be the cats schlepping the stuff from the trucks. The difference in salaries is _massive_ at this level...
Exactly right i was a stagehand for many bands
I was the lighting director for a band... people still think it’s like the MTV image of nonstop partying rather than the long and hard work it is. Still a lot of frelling fun tho ;-)
Yep !
Backline tech is all about reading manuals, hours of work, lot of soldering and never eat anything at noon :-)
Nothing beats the sound of the truck doors closing after a flawless show !
Congratulations 🎈 awesome setup!
Eric's the homie! Super cool down to earth dude. CA 559 wussup! 😂
Birds of a feather,you ooze rock n roll Brother.
Dream job!
Very cool man
i thought they did sound check at 311 great work
Great guy!!
I could easily do this job and I would absolutely LOVE IT.
Remember he’s only getting paid while he’s on tour. Then don’t forget that 1099 at tax season, using your own credit card for hotel deposits, health insurance, etc.
I was a Guitar Tech for Saliva in 04-05 at 17 y/o and my first job
After I left Uni. I was going to go on the road in mid 1970's with the Rolling Stones.
Fortunately I did not, as I would most likely not be writing this today.
Went off with RCA Broadcast and travelled the Middle East, met quite a few of the "notorious despots" out there who were actually quite nice folks and learnt some Arabic and managed to learn to write some as well
Later I worked in music recording studios and realised what a bunch of ego driven maniacs musicians actually are so no regrets about not becoming a tech on a road crew thank goodness.
To talk about the thumbnail: not all roadies make that kinda money. Rank the Tech did a great video on this.
"Yo P-Nut, Beat That Thing!"
I can't be a roadie due to being one of those wheelchair using types but the other thing he said he does , running their social media, is a thing I've been considering, social media management can be a pretty goid line of work to get into, I'd love doing that for bands and other things. I'm always on things like that so might as well put some money in my pocket when I'm doing it!.
Man if I wasn’t a married family man with a wife and kids that have this crazy idea of food and shelter, I’d run off and would SO be doing this kind of work!!! Amazing
he is like the blood keeping the show running. I agree its a dream job. keep it up!
Would have loved to done something like this for a living
Every "roadie" I know is FAR more than a roadie--they're technicians, electricians, repair people, stylists, content producers, managers, and generally are the ones behind the scenes that keep the wheels rolling and make the rock and roll actually happen.
Props to this guy for still dressing like it's Warped tour 98
In 1995, I saw 311 perform with the Butthole Surfers, Cake, and several other bands. This roadie was not there, but 311 still sounded great.
I'm a production manager / technical director on international tours and a backliner (like this guy in your video) does NOT make 5K/week on a regular basis. Never. Maybe 3K/week on bigger shows like U2 and Metallica. 5K/week........is simply not true for a backliner.
Yeah, these numbers are mental and especially a lie in 2019, even with improved rates, it's still nowhere near 5k a week in most roles, especially not backline/playback tech
After seeing he’s a dad.. it totally made it possible for me..
Eric, please adopt me long enough for a "take your kid to work day" 🙏😎
You have to be ridiculously good at this job full stop - to even get close to earning this you would need to be the best
Switching all the parts on cue...
Screw that. Dude must be a total beast with a photographic memory... Or at least very easy songs with little switching. Mess up once and.. Fired! 😂
For the “I don’t think so” crowd…. Tour pay isn’t as straight forward as other jobs. $5,000 per week (only weeks the band is on tour) is at the high end of a someone touring with a band that plays the places 311 plays, but definitely in the range. A brand new tech for 311 might make between $2500 to $3000 per week, plus per diem. Someone like this who has been around for years and getting a raise every year is making more. Someone taking care of more then one musician is making more because they are saving the band part of another paycheck, and hotel/flights costs. As is someone with pedalboard cues during the show, and is handling social media responsibilities. Bands like 311 have a loyal following and can count an decent audience (of the same people every year). They are also probably the kind of band that can sell out a 2500 person venue 2 night in a row (5000 tickets) but not a 5000 person venue for one night, because of people going to both shows. If they tour smart and efficient they are making a lot of money and can pay the techs accordingly. Read the book “The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More.” It’s a good time to be in a band if you are talented and motivated.
Not to mention when we think of a weeks wage we normally compare them to a regular 9-5 mon to fri. These guys on larger shows can start loading in say 8am and loading out after the gig say 1am (could be earlier or later start/finish) they obviously have some chill time and food through the day but its a bloody long working day and the good ones cirtainly earn it doing 4-5 show days over a seven day week and the rest usually travel days... all away from home and family!!! and i must say pretty much all of them i meet are great people. Each crew who work regularly on tours together develop their own cliq and inside humor that works to help them deal with being away from loved ones and is very interesting to see.
I work as a roadie, sometimes its fast and hard work but 1 of the best jobs i have ever had.
311 is the Best!!
I have known a few roadie's and some say its very stressful. I imagine at times it can be. :)
I'm interested in becoming a roadie in the near future. What is the starting pay like?
Nice I am a Stagehand and love it to last big job I did was Taylor Swift it's was great Thurs night I did 5 Seconds of Summer
Roadcrew guys don't get paid anywhere near what they did in the 90s early 00s. You used to get 3k-5k to take care of one guy. Now it's 1k-2k to take care of 3.
Is there a staffing agency/company for road techs? I’ve been trying to get into it for years, don’t know how to go about applying. I’m applying at local LiveNation here in Charlotte and nothing!?!?!?!?
dream job for sure
Cousin Eric!
Eric: "I'm a guitar tech for 311"
CNBC: "Is that like a roadie? Roadie works better in the headline. You're a roadie. Road. Nice woody word. After the break, Happy Birthday Pac Man! Yeah you're Street Fighter, but happy birthday Pac Man! CNBC. fake it.
He must be really good if p-nut let’s him take care of his bass’. He is an extremely talented bass player.