Tony the Production Assistant: Backstage

We Are Movie Geeks welcomes guest blogger Tony Fernandez, a production assistant taking us inside the underworld of indie filmmaking.

This past summer I worked on a music video for the band New Medicine and they recently contacted my bosses (Ian and Mike) and me to come visit them backstage at a show. We had a great time working with them over the summer and were definitely looking forward to seeing them again. They were opening for Avenged Sevenfold and Stone Sour, this tour is huge for them.

This was my first time being backstage at a concert, I didn’t know what to expect. I’ve learned through movies, VH1’s Behind the Music, and E! True Hollywood Stories that the backstage area at rock concerts are filled with booze, drugs, and women doing things to roadies so they can have things done to them by rockstars. That wasn’t the case here and I was relieved… and a bit disappointed.

The shows production was running late, the doors opened at 6:30, the band was supposed to be on stage at 6:45 but power outages and lack of stage hands had pushed everything back. New Medicine was eventually bumped off for the night, their set canceled.

The guys were pretty bummed out about the canceled set, but they seemed determined to not let it dampen their spirits and they welcomed us into their dressing room with warm smiles. I was pretty surprised they remembered my name. I would never expect dudes in a band to remember the name of some production assistant they worked with on a music video. These guys were different.

During one part of the show I was asked by a couple of the guys in New Medicine if I wanted to see some of the show and they escorted me to the side of the stage. After a couple of songs we started to make our way back to the backstage area but I was stopped by security. They told me that I had to have an all access pass and that the bands couldn’t escort me. I tried to explain that I was just back there and I was only trying to find my way back to where I originally was but he didn’t like that. This security guard was a dick and was just waiting for me to try to get past him. He was enjoying this.

“I don’t care, you have to leave. Don’t make me angry. Get lost.” He said with a thick Massachusetts accent. He forced me away from the stage-side area. It was embarrassing. 8,000 people saw me get humiliated by a goofball in a yellow shirt.

I had a plan. Earlier in the night I saw a side exit backstage that had its door propped open for roadies to sneak cigarette breaks in between loading and unloading gear. I walked outside into the cold and ventured around to the side of the building and snuck in through the back.

I walked passed equipment and roadies to the stage-side curtain, popped my head through and shouted towards my yellow shirted friend, “Hey don’t worry, I found my way back!”

The rest of the night went much more smoothly than the first part. I had a blast hanging out with New Medicine, had a few beers, and talked to the other bands about upcoming projects. I also got a chance to watch guys in different bands compare song structure and instrument techniques. Their conversations seemed a lot like the discussions that would be heard between film makers comparing lens choices, lighting or editing. It was pretty fascinating.

It was interesting to observe how a concert is put on. From stage-hands to roadies, security to catering, even the bands themselves have a job to do. Much like a film set, a concert must run like a well-oiled machine. If one step is skipped it will hold production back, and in this case a band was forced to cancel for the night. I wish I could have spent time with New Medicine under better circumstances but I had a blast none-the-less.

Excelsior!