Editor’s Note

It’s that time of year.  The cold weather has set in, the big events of the year are long gone and everyone prepares for the holiday season.  It has been one crazy year! It has gotten to the point that I don’t even know what month we are currently in unless I go back to my calendar. Time has certainly flown by, with the roller coaster of life showing no sign of slowing done.

For the video, go to www.plsn.me/201212ednote.

Labor day has passed, that means two things: no more wearing white and the launch of trade show season. I spent some good relaxation time with my family this summer, and had a lot of opportunities to chat with road crews as they swung through Washington, D.C.—but the long summer days also gave me the time to prepare for my busiest (and favorite) season of the year.

Life on the road, living the life of a roadie: What does that really mean? It could mean many different things, depending on who you talk to and what type of tour. Rock legends go on and on about the old days. We have all heard the stories. If not, do a YouTube search and you’ll find plenty of rock stars reminiscing about the “good old days.” One of my favorites has to be Van Halen’s rider that specified a bowl of M&Ms for the dressing room, with all the brown ones removed. If you’re a rock god, I guess you get what you want — but David Lee Roth has since explained that it wasn’t the brown M&Ms that he hated, but inattention to detail, which increases safety risks.

No, there’s nothing wrong with your eyes — you are reading PLSN and we are talking about sound. It is something I thought I would never in my life touch, other than the volume button on the remote. “As long as I can hear it, I am good,” has long been the extent of my experience with audio. In a visual media like lighting and projection, hearing is the last thing we think about.  But it shouldn’t be. Our sense of hearing is just as important to our jobs as our vision is.

Being your own boss (or lack thereof) is everyone’s dream: Working for yourself with only you telling yourself what to do and where to go. No reporting to someone, turning in those damn TPS reports. Ah, the ultimate American dream, it is what this country of ours was founded on.

You know, the April issue of PLSN is a milestone for me. It marks the one-year anniversary of when I took the reins as editor of the magazine. What a different a year makes! Some of you may know I hail from the D.C. area. This means I grew up around the pomp and circumstance of the government. One of the big traditions in D.C. is the President’s annual State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress. I’ll borrow from this long tradition and use this historic anniversary in entertainment technology journalism to look back on the year and cast an eye forward to changes and trends in event technology.

Last month, I wrote about the bill that the Indiana State legislature was planning to pass, and how it will affect our industry. Since then, Indiana’s state OSHA has issued the report based on its investigation. The report reflects the scope of IOSHA’s inquiry, which was more focused on possible violations to worker safety than on risks to the public at large.

Do you realize our lives are in danger every day we step out onto a stage? It is unnerving to think about it. There are thousands of  pounds of pipes, truss, wiring; you name it above our heads. Of course we work under the assumption all of the equipment is hung correct and safe.  Unfortunately, accidents happen. This was the case this past summer with not just one stage collapse, but around the globe.