Touring 101

The team at ISM Connect has recently landed an amazing opportunity that has led to us touring with the largest pop star on the planet. As you might imagine, this project is filled with stress, ego, and performance risk. These variables exist in every project, of course, but are increasingly elevated at this level. As we recruit new team members onto the project team, our team lead, Davis Eckard, has offered three simple tips for success.

1 – Do Your Job

2 – Stay Out of The Way

3 – Don’t Be A Jerk

Pause for a moment and think about it… They are so simple that the first time he said the words I discounted them—but I know now that it’s the perfect advice.

This music tour has over 200 staff members who are arguably the best in the world at their craft; this mix of personalities and egos could quickly get out of hand. However, everyone is living by Davis’s mantra. When the last song is sung, and the curtain drops, each one of these 200 crew members work like a well-oiled machine. They strike equipment, pack trucks, and get ready to move onto the next stop. You would think their movements were choreographed and practiced ad nauseum, so every element was perfect. But instead, there was no dress rehearsal for load out. When the curtain dropped in Glendale, everyone knew the rules of the road, and seven hours later the trucks were headed to the next show.

These three simple rules are going to stick with me for the rest of my career and I hope they find a place in your heart and mind as well.

Cheers,

Michael