Here Today... Gone To Hell!

Last week in Lima, Peru, I spent the day of the show observing Chris Whitemyer and what he does before, during and after a GN'R show.

Chris works as Dj Ashba's guitar technician on this tour and takes care of Dj's gear.

Dj doesn't just show up at the venue with a guitar in hand and plug in. A lot more goes on before we get to see him play....


Chris is one of the guys who makes the shows possible. Without the crew, there would be no show.

Here's how a day in his life on tour could look like. But not all days are alike....




March 25, 2010: Lima, Peru


12:15: Lobby call at hotel.

12:30: Leave for venue in a van.

13:00: Arrive at venue. Go to catering for lunch.

13:40: Walk on stage. Gear starts arriving on stage in road cases. Chris has seven cases of gear on this tour.

Wait until cables are moved out of the way to be able to put cases in correct positions for the show.

(http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/images/tour0910/dayinthelife/cw_1_gear_arrives.jpg)
Gear arrives

14:00: Building work area continues by placing road cases in correct positions. Chris unpacks the amps and places some on stage.

(http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/images/tour0910/dayinthelife/cw_2_cases_in_place.jpg)
Cases in place

14:10: Opening more road cases. Some equipment is started up for the first time. Dj has 11 electric and one acoustic guitar with him that Chris looks after. Other gear used on this tour: Two Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier 100W heads, TC Electronic guitar processor, Shure wireless with six receivers.

(http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/images/tour0910/dayinthelife/cw_3_power.jpg)
Power

(http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/images/tour0910/dayinthelife/cw_4_mesa.jpg)
Mesa Boogie

(http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/images/tour0910/dayinthelife/cw_5_effecgts.jpg)

(http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/images/tour0910/dayinthelife/cw_6_wireless.jpg)
Wireless



The signal travels as the following diagram shows:

Wireless
-> Cry Baby
-> Loop switcher
   (Q Zone - Better)
   (Whammy - Shackler's Revenge)
   (Pog 2 - If The World)
   
-> Splitter Box
-> Amp

(http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/images/tour0910/dayinthelife/cw_7_crybaby.jpg)
(http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/images/tour0910/dayinthelife/cw_7_pog.jpg)
(http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/images/tour0910/dayinthelife/cw_7_whammy.jpg)
Effects


A microphone picks up the sound from the amp and sends it to be mixed before you hear the guitar over the PA system.


14:25: Chris starts hooking all the gear up with cables.

14:35: Power up.

14:40: Time to hook up the pedals on the stage with cables.

(http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/images/tour0910/dayinthelife/cw_8_cables.jpg)
Cables

14:55: The first notes of the day are played on one of Dj's guitars.

15:40: Stringing guitars. The strings used are Ernie Ball 10-48. Chris also uses a D'Andrea string winder.

(http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/images/tour0910/dayinthelife/cw_9_stringing.jpg)
Stringing a guitar

(http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/images/tour0910/dayinthelife/cw_9_strings.jpg)
Lots of strings

16:25: Chris helps Johnny, one of Baz's guitar players, with his guitar.

16:35: The stringing of guitars continues.

17:00: Chris checks the wireless packs Dj uses during the show.

17:15: Amps off. Dinner break.

18:45: Chris starts the changing of a nut on one of the guitars. The job requires him to saw and file a nut into the right dimensions.

(http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/images/tour0910/dayinthelife/cw_10_1_nut_removed.jpg)
Original nut removed

(http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/images/tour0910/dayinthelife/cw_10_2_new_nut.jpg)
New nut in place

(http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/images/tour0910/dayinthelife/cw_10_3_new_nut_cut.jpg)
New nut cut to right dimension

(http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/images/tour0910/dayinthelife/cw_10_4_new_nut_filing.jpg)
New nut being filed

(http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/images/tour0910/dayinthelife/cw_10_5_new_nut_adjust.jpg)
Adjustment


20:05: Job done. Chris fine tunes the new nut and cleans up.

(http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/images/tour0910/dayinthelife/cw_10_6_new_nut_tune.jpg)
New nut in place, tuning guitar

20:30: Chris places a bunch of guitar picks on Dj's microphone stand.

20:35: Check the contents of the cooler. Every show, the cooler is filled with the items on Chris' list.

23:15: After Baz's set is over and the stage has been cleared, Chris places the pedals and microphone stand on stage. Guitar picks are also placed in strategic places all over the stage. You don't want to be out on stage and not be able to get a new guitar pick.

After a while it's time for line check. The monitor mix is checked. Chris has a special mix in his in ear monitors. It's mostly a mix with Dj's guitar, Axl, no other guitars, hi-hat and snare. Plus the talkback, which means the talking that goes on on-stage between band members.

0:30: Show time. During the show, Chris tunes guitars and hand them out to Dj. He also puts out more water bottles on stage and operates the whammy pedal for Shackler's Revenge.

(http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/images/tour0910/dayinthelife/cw_11_exchange.jpg)
Handing over guitar to Dj

(http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/images/tour0910/dayinthelife/cw_12_view.jpg)
Chris' point of view during show

2:55: Show over. Chris starts packing gear.

5:00: Back at hotel.

---

Thanks to Chris for putting up with me for a whole day!  :)





/jarmo

Wow Jarmo, very well done!  It is interesting to everyone how this stuff works and we appreciate the walk through you just did!  I hope this is the start of more!  Thanks alot

Thanks to guys like Chris, these shows go off without a hitch.

Great story and thanks a lot Chris for your hard work and dedication!

: ok:

Wow, super interesting.  Thanks for sharing!

has he been his guitar tech ?

or just for this tour

Wow.  That's amazing!!!  :o

It's mind-boggling how much work goes into putting together these shows.

Cool behind the scenes insight! Thanks Jarmo! Very interesting. Great accompanying photos also : ok:

Unbelievable the ampunt of dedication that takes....  thanx to all the crew members!!!!   : ok: : ok: : ok:

I`d really like the job of helping Axl get changed :drool: :drool:

your a rich woman. im sure you can make it happen.

Thanks Jarmo, great article, very interesting!  : ok:

found that fascinating. the crew do a stellar job, and you never know what could happen each night (hurricanes, torrential rain!) that can affect things.  Thanks for this, am always interested in the technical stuff,  : ok:

A huge thanks to all the technicians for making this tour happen, especially with all this shit happening to them, and a special thanks to Jarmo for taking the time to document all this...

I must echo the comments of those above and give thanks to the technicians who work to make sure shows like this, and everywhere, go ahead...for them the day is long and the work is hard, but ultimately their sacrifice is what the rest of us enjoy the benefit of...in some ways it seems unfair, grossly unfair, in other ways we remember their position is one of trust and experience and they have worked hard to do something they love for a living

wow!  thats like a 16 hour day! 

Respect, these guys are the unsung heroes nobody talks about.

Excellent insight into the life of a technician.  Thanks to Jarmo and Chris!

Wow, that was awesome! Cool to see how it all goes together

cool, the crew are heroes, more stuff like this jarmz

Cool stuff........thankyou for sharing and a big thankyou to all the crew and unsung heroes that make it all happen  :beer:

It's cool that Chris has stayed on with GN'R, I know he was Robins guitar tech for the 06/07 tour too. I too think alot of people don't realise just how much work goes into a GN'R show. In my opinion just getting the stage setup with all the lights and gear is a mission in itself. Let alone making sure all the instruments are bang in tune and all the amps are on the right settings.

Well done to the whole crew.  : ok:

That was awesome Jarmo !! great photos and insight !!

Very interesting read! Thanks a lot!
It's amazing how much work goes into "just" playing the guitar.

I was surprised to read that dj doesn't hear the other guitars in his mix. You'd say he want's to hear them at least in the background..

PS: Jarmo, I wouldn't mind more "a day in the life of's" ;)

Awesome stuff jarmo, thanks!

I was wondering about the whammy on Shacklers, as I saw DJ playing too far from his mic stand (and his pedals). Now I know its his guitar tech who operates the effect (heard in the riff before the verses and the chorus riff).

Also surprised about the tuning on songs like Scraped (C# drop) and If The World. Cool stuff and awesome read. :)

Wow!!  Who would have thought?  Amazing job Chris, appreciate knowing all the details, I found it really interesting, and thanks for sharing this experience with all of us Jarmo :yes:

Very cool of all involved to share stuff like this with the fans!

The mix mentioned in the post is for Chris only, not Dj.




/jarmo

OK, all the info and the pics are just amazing! Thanks Jarmo!

I found this vid where you can see a looot of the backstage here in Uruguay, is also pretty cool!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMDvuxx0AIo

And just think.....every band member has someone behind the scenes putting in this much work.  :o

Yes, they all have their own techs.

But even before the techs have a stage to put the gear on, members of the crew have been working at the venue to make the show possible.

And this is done show after show, city after city, country after country.




/jarmo

Jarmo.....do you know what the crew members do between legs of the tour? Do they have other jobs? I read somewhere that bands have to keep paying crew members during this time. For example, RHCP started touring where they do two weeks on and one week off. This was done to keep everyone sane but cut into the profitability severely.

I ask because I don't think people understand that it's not as easy as just whipping together some shows and making a pile of money for these bands.

Imagine in Rio...all the hardwork, all the logistics...everything in vain!!  It must have been frustrating for the crew...
I had no idea whatsoever of how much work is needed to put on these big concerts...the price we pay for the tickets is really reasonable considering all this structure.

People don't understand why the band does not change the set too much...many people want them to play Estranged, Civil War.. .and other old tunes.
But after this post, we can conclude that a lot of parameters need to be adjusted for each song individually, such as tuning, gear, effects.... it's not just plug and play!
Furthermore, the song has to rehearsed by the band, you can't expect them to know everything by heart and that everything will flow normally...it's complicated!!

Sorry, I don't know.

I guess it all depends on how long the break is.

After each leg ends, some crew members just switch to another artist/tour, others might take a break/holiday etc. and come back when the next leg continues.

Yes, I think some have other jobs they do when they're not on tour.



/jarmo

Hard Work of just one member of the crew, very interesting, Thanks Jarmo !!!!  : ok:

Very interesting read Jarmo.  : ok:

yep, thanks to you and Chris, cool initiative, that's always interesting to see how things work.

Hey Jarmo, could you ask Chris how difficult it would be for the band to play Reading/Slane/Leeds back to back  :yes:

Fantastic article Jarmo!

These things are fun to read, and one gets a little perspective on what it takes to make a show happen.

No comments! : ok:

I can tell you that it's not likely to happen.

Even the "travel day, show day, travel day, show day" routine is rough....




/jarmo

All Is Beatiful & Amazing

Thanks J.

 :beer:

That was a great read, Jarmo.   :D

I know guys in there 50's and 60's who have been doing this for years. It's amazing the dedication some people have.

yeah....thats what i figured  ;)

Oh right, my bad lol

I saw that guy! at S?o Paulo

thanks for the insight Jarmo.   Its unreal how much time and effort goes into making these shows happen.  Seems like it would be a great gig to have but I'm sure its very hard and stressful.

Excellent read Jarmo, thanks for the insight.

Great story,  sincere thanks Chris & Jarmo, for doing this, and allowing this to be done.  Both of you seem like really cool people, and it's good to get this insight into the band, and the movements of the tech's too.. 

More of it however, would be great :drool:, and much appreciated I am sure, it's akin to backstage footage, and allows us, the general public, yet obsessed :P fan, to get to know the band and support staff on a whole new level... 

Any possibility of a 'day in the life of Axl Rose'? That would be fun!

I love reading stuff like this being something of a gear freak myself.

Also love that he uses the POG2 like me!

 ;D

Great read and GREAT photos,  Jarmo.
It really makes a difference to see the photos of the actual equipment and activity.
Good stuff.

I've seen Chris many times at GN'R shows, setting the stage up. But jarmo's walkthrough of a day with Chris gives me a whole new appreciation of what he has to do. For me, changing guitar strings can be a mission in itself  :hihi:, let alone the other 99 things he has to do in a few hours.

 :beer:

Well done Chris.