I’m a huge fan of working to get stuff for free. In fact, one of my very first jobs was working at a large amphitheater near my house. Working as an usher gave me the opportunity to watch some amazing (and ok, some amazingly awful) concerts for free. In fact, I was being paid to watch some great music!
One of the first concerts I worked was The Allman Brothers. And let me tell you, there’s nothing better than watching folks with fond memories of seeing Phish and Grateful Dead live rock out for a solid 3 hours in the summer sun. The air was rife with the smell of warm beer above the concertgoers. Looks like they still got it!
The worst show I worked was the Jonas Brothers concert. I can safely say that there is no sound that rivals the high frequency of thousands of tweens screaming in unison for their beloved Disney brothers. I’ve never experienced anything as incessantly high-pitched enough to make me want to shove 7 or 8 earplugs in each ear. Unfortunately, I could only fit 1 in each.
That season, I also got to witness Rock The Bells, an annual summer hip hop stadium tour. The year before, I attended the show as an audience member and loved the ridiculous rhymes coming up from all types of hip hop artists, rappers, poets, etc. The next year promised the same mic-ripping attitude with the likes of A Tribe Called Quest, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Dead Prez, Immortal Technique, Nas, Jay Electronica, among other folks. Working it was a bit different, but I had an even better view, as I volunteered to work the middle of the amphitheater (sneaky… I know), so I got to see all my favorite acts bless the stage. The hot summer heat was no match for their lyrical fire!
The best show that whole summer goes to Radiohead, hands down. I was able to work their “In Rainbows” tour, and was blown away by their stage presence and the atmosphere they provided with innovative lighting designs and displays. Everyone was mesmerized, eyes closed, swaying to the hum of Thom Yorke’s guitar and haunting vocals. It was the only concert that summer that I left feeling like I had actually experienced something different from the average slate of summer concerts; most of which aim to take your money but don’t actually give you something or some feeling to show for it.
Overall, my experience was pretty sweet. Standing around all day guiding people to their seats was a small price to pay to see some pretty stellar shows.
