Touring with full production in first world countries is, let’s face it, easy street.
Like a family of hi-tech snails, you carry your home and everything you need; and beyond power and rigging points, you don’t need a whole lot from the local production/promoter.
Even when you’re not carrying all your gear, picking up what’s needed locally in the western world is usually straightforward as long as it’s been advanced properly, especially in countries where we all speak the same first language.
But what happens when traveling further afield, to countries where the language, culture, and wealth-status are very different?
Touring in far-flung places is fabulous – you get to see parts of the world you might never have even considered visiting. You get to experience different cultures, meet people of all nationalities (and realize we’re all the same), taste wonderful and unusual foods, explore cities where you can’t read the road signs, see natural beauty and temples and monuments that you didn’t even know existed, and step far, far outside your comfort zone and grow as a person more than you thought was possible.
You’ll probably also get frustrated, feel out of your depth, and think you’re being stared at a lot, especially if you’re a woman working on a gig. Know what? It’s all really good for you, both as a human and as an engineer.
My first world tour was 13 years ago, and I’ve wound up somewhere unusual every year since. Some tours have been big enough that we’ve carried everything except racks and stacks (PA, wedges and amps), and others we’ve carried little more than a multi-meter and sense of humor – both of which are vital! I’ve picked up plenty of tricks and tips along the way to make life easier, which I hope you’ll find useful the next time you find yourself on a long-haul flight to somewhere you never dreamed you’d find yourself!
Speak very plainly.
When you start to write your spec, remember that English may not the first language of the people receiving your message, so work to keep it simple. Lose any slang, colloquialisms and unnecessary words in specs, emails and conversation. It avoids confusion and means you’re more likely to get what you need with a minimum of fuss.
Make plain in the specs the things that would be taken for granted back home.
For example, I offer a couple of alternatives for acceptable IEM systems, then add “all either x or y please, no mixtures.”
Likewise amps and crossovers – I once walked on stage to find the wedges I’d asked for, but all sounding completely different from each other. I asked my babysitter to show me the amps, which were buried under the stage, and sure enough, among a horrible snake pit of cable there were several different sorts of amps and crossovers. I certainly improved my chops that day!
To things like mic stands, I add the words “clean and in good working order.” This extends to production world, too – things like toilet paper are not a given in some countries. Assume nothing and put it all on the rider!
When advancing, don’t take a reply of “yes, everything is fine” as confirmation that everything is indeed fine.
Many cultures are very concerned with “losing face” and want to be seen as stepping up to the mark in their dealings with you.
Unfortunately this often means that they’ll agree to everything on paper and wait until you’re on site to tell you that this bit of kit is broken or that piece of gear is not available in their country.
Ask them to list exactly what they have. You might be lucky or you might not, but better to know and have the conversation about substitutes and contingencies now, than when it’s 10 hours until show time.
On a side note to this, always communicate respectfully, both because you’re a nice human and because the “face” thing can’t be overstated – if you make certain cultures feel disrespected, you’ll make life very hard for yourself indeed.
