Concerts in general

[Clyde Hollinger]

Diane,

Would that we all were blessed with such insight!

Clyde Hollinger

Diane Hofstetter wrote:

> Doug,
> Sometimes it works out just great........
>
> I got a phone call one Saturday afternoon, could I do a "rush" tuning for a
> rock concert that was to start in about an hour. The group putting on the
> concert had forgotten about tuning the piano, the artist was refusing to go
> on and the lady calling me said "And my brother is a piano tuner and he
> refuses to get out of the bathtub!"  I went down to the auditorium, past the
> lines of people waiting to get in and heard them announce to the artist "the
> piano tuner is here". "Good, get him down here", she said, then "Oh, you're
> a lady!"
>
> She left for her dressing room and I looked over the situation while it
> became apparent to me that the sound checks and re-arranging of the sound
> equipment was just starting and would continue the whole time until the
> concert  (it was LOUD).  So I went to her dressing room and said, "I passed
> the lines of eager fans waiting to hear you, the sound checks are too loud
> for me to tune the piano, and besides 15 minutes is not long enough tune a
> piano.  Is there _anything_ I can do for you to enable you to go on?"  She
> looked at me seriously, and asked "Could you fix the pedal and those three
> dampers?"  Bingo! The deed was done, the show went on (I doubt anybody at
> that rock concert was concerned about the out of tune unisons or octaves for
> that matter) and the crew that put on the concert feted me with brie cheese,
> chicken wings, sourdough bread and countless other specialities that were
> there for the "workers".  I got paid extra for coming in at the last minute
> like that too!
> Diane
>
> >From: DGPEAKE@AOL.COM
> >Reply-To: pianotech@ptg.org
> >To: pianotech@ptg.org
> >Subject: Re: Concerts in general
> >Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 23:07:52 EST
> >
> >I had a situation years ago when a promoter called me and said their tuner
> >did not show up and needed me right away.  I showed up, they were having a
> >sound check, and the top sound fellow, called me into his office, was very
> >angry, and asked me why I showed up late. After he found out that I was
> >called later, he told me I needed to stay for an hour or more after the
> >sound
> >check.  I said, fine but my price is $$/hour, even if I wait. You are not
> >charging extra, he said. I told him that my time is valuable too and I will
> >get paid accordingly.  Finally the promoter came in the office and asked me
> >to come back and will pay me for my time for showing up, and extra for
> >working after hours.
> >
> >You got to hold your ground in concert work, or you will get run over.
> >
> >Dave Peake, RPT
> >Portland Chapter
> >Oregon City, OR
>
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