Concerts are all about the Rock, but nothing can match the Rock and Roll lifestyle of being backstage at a show. Having seen the movie Almost Famous years ago, it made the life of a groupie seem so easy and and being backstage so glamourous.
I'm fortunate to know someone who was able to hook me up with Access All Area passes to Blondie when they played in London this week.
And while yes I did get to meet some other famous people (see
number 116) I can report that being backstage was decidedly unglamorous. There are hundreds of people who work on an event and the roadies have a job to do amongst the waiting guests, 99.9% of whom are average people like me who have to go to work the next day. The logistics of it all is mind blowing: Putting up and tearing down a stage, moving wardrobes and musical instruments, not to mention band members and staff, into tour buses after the show to make the overnight trip by bus in order to make it to the next venue on time the next day ... where they get on stage and repeat it all again. It's groundhog day, over and over again.
The best part of having a backstage pass was not the hobnobbing post show, but getting to see a band perform up close and personal from the side of the stage with no one standing in front of you (other than the sound guys), no beer being spilled down your back and not having to worry about being shoved out of the way by someone desperate to get a better view. A Roadie even gave me the set list paper to keep, which I accepted. How very NOT rock and roll!
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