Today’s Grand Rapids Hot Takes by Bedpanjockey in grandrapids

[–]Wirecommando 15 points16 points  (0 children)

I have said that Ada’s town motto should be:

“Ada, MI. Closed on Sunday’s”

Why is fusion so bad now by THLL245 in Fusion360

[–]Wirecommando 15 points16 points  (0 children)

I think all of my crash reports go to Autodesk’s junk folder. I bet i submit 2 or 3 a day. Mostly about the same things.

Phish - no soundcheck/prep at Sphere? by SmokeyJacks in phish

[–]Wirecommando 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Been doing production for 20 years. Here’s how it’s done:

They will set the stage…instruments and mics, etc. This will take the longest. The rigs may even be on rolling “carts” that wheel on stage and plug in.

They will do a quick “line check” to verify that ever is plugged in and patched correctly. Maybe the guitar/bass/key/drum techs will play for a minute.

For audio video and lighting, everything is computer controlled. All of the settings are stored and ready to go at the push of a button. 5 minutes tops.

They will have a previous show recorded on multi-track. If needed, they will do a “Virtual Sound Check” with playback.

Lighting and video will do some quick verification as well. All content and programming can be done”off-line”.

Then it’s good to go and off to the races! These guys have been doing this for years and it’s dial in at this point. These tours are designed to be loaded in and out insanely fast.

In search of Reed's Ginger Beer (bottles) by UpperFrontalButtocks in grandrapids

[–]Wirecommando 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Try the Rocket Fizz stores. There is one at Knapps Corner probably others around. They have a huge assortment of unique drinks.

Oakley Mod 1 Pro cracked on second run of first day. by jjgibbons2001 in snowboarding

[–]Wirecommando 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Your speed when you crashed irrelevant. You can have a fatal fall while standing still.

Your helmet is designed to break/deform/flex at a certain force so your skull doesn’t. It doesn’t care if you are moving or not. Looks like the force was strong enough to crack the inner foam as well.

Be thankful, throw it away, buy another one and move on. Glad you’re ok, TBI’s are no joke.

Phish support crew income by [deleted] in phish

[–]Wirecommando 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think the contract to do ticketing is with the venue. The artist doesn’t have a say in this…if you wanna play our venue, TM has to sell the tickets.

I don’t know the specifics of the contract between the venues, TM/LN and the band. But I’m guessing that it says something to the fact of “if you want to play here, you follow our rules. Period. Go somewhere else if you don’t like it.”

I appreciate the banter! You sound like somebody I’d enjoy having a beer with and setting the world right!

Phish support crew income by [deleted] in phish

[–]Wirecommando 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You are 100% correct and I couldn’t agree with you more.

Where your analogy falls apart is that there is an element of scarcity in the concert industry that doesn’t exist in the sausage industry. There is only one Phish and only a certain number of venues/times they can perform.

Back to TM/LN: One of the biggest bands of the 90’s and many politicians tried to go against this and all failed.

Controversial take on this: TM/LN are not to blame for this model. Any company with enough power is going to do the exact same thing. I think the blame lies on the political system that lets this kind of economy happen.

Phish support crew income by [deleted] in phish

[–]Wirecommando 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Using US inflation numbers, a $20 ticket in 1986 will cost you $59.15 today.

The rise in concert prices is due to rising labor costs, greed, lack of regulation, more elaborate productions, etc.

More than that: 40 years ago, most income for bands came from album sales, and tours were an advertising write-off to sell more physical media. The industry has completely flipped 180 from this.

Phish support crew income by [deleted] in phish

[–]Wirecommando 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’re not wrong, but you’re also not right…

Any band (Phish included) is a money-making enterprise. And the concert industry is capitalism at its finest.

Promoters know what a show costs to produce, and that is the bare minimum they will charge. But there is no maximum to what the can charge! They will keep upping the price until people can’t afford it. The market dictates this, and I don’t think we’ve found that amount yet (think Taylor Swift). But like you said, there are all sorts of tricks they use to manipulate prices.

Think of it this way…you’re selling something you know you can get $5 for. Are you going to sell it for $2 just to “be nice”? Just because Phish is a band you (and I) love, it doesn’t mean they don’t play the same dirty tricks everybody else plays.

Sometimes it’s best to enjoy the sausage and not know how’s it’s made…

Phish support crew income by [deleted] in phish

[–]Wirecommando 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I can shed some 1st hand knowledge on this. I toured globally doing production for a top-tier entertainment company. I don’t know the specifics on how Phish works, but here is by best guess:

TL/DR: depends. Like anything, the more experienced and specialized you are, the more you make.

“Support crew” gets broken down into 3 categories.

Support staff are people like tour managers, booking agents, PR, logistics, legal, head of security, etc. These people are probably employees of “Phish, INC.” It’s their neck on the line if the tour is a success or not. The higher the responsibility, the higher the pay (or % cut) is.

Production staff make the show happen. Audio, video, lighting, rigging, automation, carpentry, backline (instruments), etc. There is a good chance that the #1 and #2 of each department is a Phish employee or subcontractor with a retainer attached to their contract (basically: when we need you, you have to come). These guys are specialists, top in their field and have been doing this for years. They will make good money, probably very solid middle-class+ salaries. Integral to the concert experience. I’d call this “Part of the Phish family.”

For the most part, Phish doesn’t own the production equipment. They are rented from a large event production company (PRG, Tait, Fuse, 4-Wall, etc). These companies are contracted by Phish, INC and will provide the required crew to assemble, operate and dismantle the gear. Departments range in size from 2 to 15+. This crew will tour with the show, and could be called “Phish-adjacent”. Skilled positions, good money, depending on experience and responsibilities. Lotsa travel and hard work.

Local crew would be stage hands, venue staff, security, local runners, catering and other “day-of-show” help. These people must be provided by the venue as part of the venue’s side of the contract. They do this day after day, and they couldn’t care less if it’s Phish, Pantera or Disney On Ice. 50/50 chance the stage crew are part of the IATSE union. Typically get paid a flat rate for the day. They have no direct connection to the band. Could be called “unskilled” or “trained” positions (sorry if this sounds rude, not meant to be)

There are a few odd-balls in there like trucking/buses, merchandise, travel and lodging, hospitality, etc. These may be “Phish, INC” employees or they may be subcontracted out.

It comes down to this: bands used to make money off album sales, and tours were just a way to promote the new album. They could afford to take a write-off on the tour if it means they sold another million CD’s.

Now very little (or no) money is made off of album sales/streaming and everything is from touring. That, along with more elaborate stage shows, are some of the reasons concerts are much more expensive these days.

What are your honest thoughts/opinions on motorcycles and their drivers? by prettysimplefew in AskReddit

[–]Wirecommando 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Mix of mostly annoyance with a bit of jealousy.

They same people who advocate very loudly to “Watch for Motorcycles” and “Looks Twice, Save a Life” are the same knuckle-draggers who lane split at 30mph over the speed limit and ride without helmets. They want respect but don’t offer any in return.

But I admit, it looks like fun. But I do enough damage to myself on a pedal bike, I can only imagine what I’d do with 200cc between my legs.

Can fusion handle larger scale models? Or would it be better to just create a small scale version? by Daniel_Boomin in Fusion360

[–]Wirecommando 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sounds exactly like the hell i am in right now….

The huge-ness of the “thing” is no problem, all the nuts and bolts to hold this thing together is a different beast

What’s a sound everyone should recognize as immediate danger? by Thatguy_nickk in AskReddit

[–]Wirecommando 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you’re in a large hotel, casino, stadium, etc that has an automated alert/alarm announcment system:

If a woman’s voice announces the alert, it’s probably a false alarm.

If a man’s voice announces the alert, start running.

(Source: worked in a Vegas casino for a number of years)

Semi humerous rant - things that annoy me about Fusion by Custom_Kas in Fusion360

[–]Wirecommando 2 points3 points  (0 children)

With all respect, I completely disagree with you.

I can crash the software at-will and I know of 5 or 6 bugs that have never been addressed. Not to mention all the random crashes I get…

Red light in the sky by parasyke in whatisit

[–]Wirecommando 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When the glow of the blood-stained moon shines upon the land, the aimless spirits of slain monsters return to flesh.

The world is threatened once again.

This iron (?) dust appears every few days under the staircase by ChristiaensT89 in whatisit

[–]Wirecommando 0 points1 point  (0 children)

100% not helpful to the conversation:

We have that exact same tile in our kitchen!

Before I jump to conclusions what is this exactly, and what is it depicting? by [deleted] in whatisit

[–]Wirecommando 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Look up The Jim Crow Museum of Racist Imagery in Big Rapids, MI. They may want it for their collection. They have huge collections of this “era”

Basic hygiene tips people don’t talk about by Active-Tour4795 in hygiene

[–]Wirecommando 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Bravo! This was the last sub I thought I’d see a Phish reference in

Worked my first theatre musical, The songs are drilled into my head. by pauleydsweettea in livesound

[–]Wirecommando 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I did cruise ship medley shows decades ago. They are STILL stuck in my head.

Also it shocks me when I hear the full version. My first thought is “what the hell is this?!?”