Interesting part, the music business. Devour the young and ignore the old. Or at least it may seem that way. Other than a few solid cadres and a number of traditional activities, employment opportunities in the industry may seem limited for those in AARP's age group. But there are fascinating exceptions. Many of the industry's most respected and continuously employed roadies, instrument technicians, and live sound personnel are in their 60s and even 70s.
They are sound checkers who blow into a microphone and count. A runner in black brings out his guitar between songs. Daredevil climb the rafters to adjust the lighting. Cave explorers duck under the stage and play with cables. Their job is to create a seamless experience for music fans and a painless experience for musicians. They continue to energize the live music industry, and their ranks may include more Medicare-eligible employees than any other sector of the music industry.
Kevin Dugan, 70, has been working with former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony since Jimmy Carter was president. Dallas Skoo, 71, has been in the industry for 52 years and has been Edge's guitar technician since U2 was playing clubs and ballrooms (he played with Bruce Springsteen). ). Betty Cantor-Jackson, 76, first worked on the Grateful Dead's soundboard in 1968 and still plays many local shows in the Bay Area. “We don't necessarily have to disappear,” Canter-Jackson said. “I'll do it until I can't crawl in anymore.”
For the musicians who hire them, these older people are often preferred over younger, less road-tested technicians and able-bodied talent. “I haven't filled out a job posting in 50 years,” said Frank Gallagher, 77. He is still working as a B-52 stationed in Las Vegas, and has been since April. (He had already been in the business for 11 years when he started live mixing for Talking Heads in 1977.) “Someone asked me for my resume the other day,” he said. “I said, ask anyone I’ve worked with.”
Danny Goldberg, a veteran music manager and label executive, said these roles involve very personal relationships with artists. “It's like having a doctor. You want someone who knows you well. Continuity is a huge benefit for artists, and you don't want to start with someone new if you don't have to.” he said. “If it ain't broke, there's no need to fix it. Right?”
Bassist Anthony agreed, saying, “Kevin Dugan has been working with me for 43 years.” “Because of that experience, I can go on stage every night and feel completely relaxed and confident that he's handling everything.”
Shortly after 10:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning in mid-October, Bob Zajkowski, known as NightBob, leaves the Quality Inn in Seekonk, Mass., and climbs into the shotgun seat of the 12-passenger Sprinter van carrying him and his band. I got on board. Les Zeppelin is on to their next show. He had a full day of climbing stairs, lifting road cases, checking lines, installing microphones, testing electrical outlets, laying drum carpet, and sound checking.
Tchaikovsky, 74, said he was finally feeling close to 100 percent after undergoing two knee replacements. On that day, he will be doing what he has been doing for the past half century. It's about making a weird, wonderful, raw, loud band sound as wonderfully weird, wonderful, raw, and loud as possible.
Tchaikovsky is probably one of the most famous figures in his field of business. Virtually every working engineer stands in awe of his name, as do many musicians young and old. Tchaikovsky was the “front of house” (the official name for the person behind the soundboard knob) for bands such as the New York Dolls, the Stooges, and Aerosmith in the early to mid-1970s. Most recently, he was an aide and guitar technician to Steely Dan co-leader Walter Becker. For the past 13 years, Tchaikovsky has been on the board of Les Zeppelin, a primarily all-female Led Zeppelin cover band.
“He just wants to go on tour and mix the band and hang out with the band,” Les Zeppelin guitarist Steph Paynes said. “When you're excited to hit the road no matter what, that's what a road warrior is. You either dig it or you don't dig it,” she added. “Bob can sit there with us for six hours in a van, a Sprinter, a bus, whatever it is. He's never grumpy, like, 'Oh my god, I couldn't sleep.' He never complains about it. He was truly made for the road. ”
The work of great engineers is almost invisible to the audience. “People say, 'Wow, what a show, dude. We played 90 minutes!' But I don't know what it takes to make those 90 minutes,” says Danzig, Saxon, and Armored. said Ingo Marte, who has worked with hard rock bands such as Saint for 41 years. (He's relatively young at 65.) “I actually had a really bad heart attack eight years ago,” he added. No more tours. But I bounced back and am still working hard. ”
Schoo's work at Edge includes maintaining and tuning as many as 27 guitars a night, and accurately applying in real time the mind-boggling array of effects that musicians use to build their sounds. It also includes making adjustments. Skoo said U2's residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas in 2023 and 2024 was particularly difficult.
“There are 17 steps from the floor where my guitar world is to the stage. I was 70 years old at the time, and I was carrying an 8-pound guitar up and down the stairs for 40 shows. I get paid a pretty good salary, but I always wonder when I'm going to travel. Is tonight the night I'm going to fall down those stairs?”
Furthermore, he added: “I pray every night, I really do. Please, please help all these machines. Not for me, not for Edge, but for these 30,000 fans, my Let the command work for them. They deserve it and they want to hear this great acting and great singing.”
Like Scoo, Lorne Wheaton, also known as Gump, had a close relationship with another musician, Rush's Neil Peart, who passed away in 2020. Wheaton recently retired at age 69 after 50 years in the industry. His last big drum tech gig was the Long Kiss Farewell Tour. However, it is a “gradual” retirement. He maintains membership in IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees) and still performs in local theater and corporate productions in his hometown of Toronto.
Did he ever imagine he would end up working as an engineer for half a century? “No, never,” Wheaton said. “I never thought I'd live to be 69. Let's be honest here. You never think you'll actually retire from this business past 70, because it takes quite a while to get there. Freelance work is always hectic, and age-related wear and tear can have unforeseen consequences, he said. “I don't want to die in a bus bunk or a hotel room.”
Knee and hip problems seem to be especially prevalent in the tech industry, as people are constantly required to lift heavy equipment and walk up and down endless flights of stairs. Road workers also have to deal with schedules that extend from mid-morning to past midnight. Recently, Dugan, who has worked with Anthony since the early days of Van Halen, told his boss (who now tours regularly with Sammy Hagar and Joe Satriani) that he was considering slowing down. I told them that I was there.
“When I first told Michael I wanted to get off the road, he said, 'I'm not going to do that, why should you?' “I'm still going to be there,” Dugan said. “So I said, 'Michael, are you trying to compare your day to mine?'” “'You come out and put on a show,'” he said. That's what I remembered. “Whether it's leaving in a limousine, returning to a five-star hotel, or flying home on a private jet. Your day and mine are completely different.”
Business travelers of a certain age who work 14 hours a day must make certain adjustments. “I stopped drinking on the street completely,” Dugan said. “I can't imagine going to work with a hangover. I did it for years. In middle age you can recover from a hangover, but now it takes too long.”
Until the late 1980s, women were very rarely employed as engineers, so there are relatively few older women working on the roads. (However, there were many female studio engineers and producers, and many venues were run by women.)
One notable exception was Betty Cantor Jackson, who started with the Grateful Dead in 1968 and two years earlier with Family Dog. She is a legend in the Dead community, having recorded numerous performances for the band that have become known as “Betty Board” since their release. She continues to gig in the San Francisco area and has toured with Chris Robinson for the past 10 years.
“The road is normal. I've spent a lot of my life on the road, so you already know how to deal with it,” she said. “I'm an old lady on the bus with the boys. I got a bed, it's okay.”
With the exception of Wheaton, none of these road engineers have plans to retire. “I may be 74 years old, but the funny thing is, there's always someone older,” Tchaikovsky said. “Because the more experience you have, the better the show you can put on. When people are confident and trust you, it's one less thing to cloud your brain. This person will do the job.” He will, because he has done the same job for me 700 times before.
