My Part Time Job As A Roadie

Well, the Porcupine Tree concerts are over. For now, at least. Rumor is that that the band will be returning in the Fall. Oh joy...

So, anyway, I won't be boring you with all of the details about the shows. I'll let Mumi bore you with all of that some other time. I'll just tell you about the pretty cool thing that happened to me while on the tour.

While we driving into Boston for one of the shows, we got a phone call from a P-Tree friend. Seems that the band was in need of a person to help out with some things at the merchandise booth before and after the show. They were looking for someone to hand out special t-shirts and autographed posters to fans who had purchased a special V.I.P. ticket for the show.

Since just about all of the P-Tree fans that we know (including Mumi!) practically camp out in front of the venue waiting for the doors to open so that they can rush up to the front of the stage and be right up front for the show, none of them were going to volunteer. Whoever was going to help out had to be someone that didn't care if they were right up front for the show.

Naturally, everyone immediately thought of me.

You see. It is pretty well known among all of our P-Tree friends that I don't particularly enjoy the concerts. At least not as much as most of them do. I mean, I like the band and all, but after the forth or fifth show in a row, well it loses something. For me, at least.

I hadn't even planned on attending this show as a matter of fact. Since the venue was in the same building as the hotel where we staying, I figured that Mumi could find it himself this time and I could stay up in the hotel room and relax, order some room service and watch some "pay per view" porn. (Not really. Hotel porn is always so damn heterosexual. Yuck!)

Anyway, I decided to help out the band. It seemed like something interesting to do for a change. So, I arrived at 5:30pm as I was instructed to and the nice people at the club took me into the concert venue to meet up with the guy I was supposed to be helping.

When I got into the venue, I was surprised to see that Porcupine Tree was still sound checking. Since they never let any of their fans watch during sound check, I figured that I was going to be tossed out on my ass. But, that didn't happen. The band just kept on playing for several more minutes. After the sound check was finished, members of the band were mingling throughout the club. A few of them stopped over at the merch table where I was and said hello as they autographed the V.I.P. posters and some CD's.

I kept thinking to myself how thrilled some of those folks downstairs waiting in line for the show would be to have an opportunity like this. It was just me, the road crew and the band hanging out before the show. Chatting it up, getting ready for the night's big concert event. It was pretty neat even if I'm not the biggest fan. It was interesting to see how it all comes together behind the scenes.

After the show was over, I figured my work was done for the night, but the road crew had different plans for. I got to play roadie for a while. I packed up t-shirts and CD's and hauled boxes across the room and down the elevator out to the waiting trucks. I even got to go "backstage" which in this case was not really too much of a backstage. It was more of a service area for the bars. But, it was exciting nonetheless because no one else was allowed back there besides employees and band members and the road crew.

It was certainly the most memorable P-Tree show that I have ever been to, and I have been to 26 of them so far. Hopefully, I'll get to play roadie again some day.

All you famous band type people out there keep me in mind for the next time you need a roadie. I'm good and I'm cheap labor. All I wanted for helping P-Tree out was two used drumsticks. Mumi had promised me a certain sex act in return for a used drumstick, so I got him two. Now, I'll get twice as much of that certain sex act. Right? That's the best payment that I could have asked for.