Forgotten heroes: people who make it happen
We are quite aware of the tasks of marching bands and extreme sports athletes on the Vans Warped Tour, but have we ever thought about the people who are the raison d’être for putting on such a great show?
With over 100 bands performing live every day on the Vans Warped Tour, it takes a colossal task to plan and execute properly, to get everything up and running. Who are the real heroes behind the success of the great festival.
You will be surprised to know that there are more than 400 people who travel with the tour during the entire duration of the rock festival. These people strive at all times of the day, every day to make this happen. Every day they get up at 6 a.m. to install lighting rigs, stages, sound systems, and vendor booths. They meet long before time to schedule the day’s performances. So who are these people and what do they do?
one. Bus drivers: There are more than 17 band buses and 19 production buses (excluding extras) that run day and night, from one place to another. These buses and trucks cover a distance of approximately 500 miles each night and it takes grit to drive nonstop and almost nonstop.
two. Nurse tower: A typical touring nurse hands out over 1000 plasters and drains over 4 bottles of aspirin on each tour. And of course it has to be; after all, they are solely responsible for the health of the performers, fans, the team, and athletes.
3. Provider: It is practically impossible to cook for more than 400 people 5-6 times a day, but the tour provider has done it over and over again. With their own 18-wheeler mobile cooker, the provider is ready to cook almost anything at any time of the day.
Four. Production Engineers: It takes a challenge to put together 100+ marching bands and get them to perform their best on 10 different stages in a single tour. Production engineers are responsible for this.
5. Security: To ensure everyone has fun and yet is safe throughout the tour, Vans Warped Tour employees are over 70 security staff each day.
6. Merchandise sellers: Fans often want to collect a souvenir, t-shirt, or CD to remember the fun they had on the tour. To do this, the merchandise sellers set up and dismantle their stalls each day of the tour.
7. Road equipment: Road crew members are in charge of testing and tuning musical instruments, installing and removing lighting rigs, and fixing things in case of emergencies.
8. First aid store staff: They are always there to treat minor injuries, bandages and even to rehydrate people exhausted on the tour.
9. Personal cleaning tour: Once the show is over, the tour cleaning staff begins their work. They collect garbage in large polyethylene bags, and sometimes the garbage weighs up to four thousand kilograms. The staff works all night so that the next morning when the fans return, they find a clean place to hang out.