Yavin was no stranger to performing, but he had never completed a show in front of that many people before. The 3,500 people packed into Roadrunner, a Boston concert venue, for a LGBTQ+ pride party and concert were mingling, waiting for the next act while the 26-year-old singer-songwriter Yavin ushered himself offstage after finishing his opening set. But while his work onstage had ended, Yavin and the event staff were far from done for the night. Another show – one invisible to fans – had just begun.
As concert season has ramped up post-pandemic, with icons like Taylor Swift and Beyoncé performing at the same time, music fans have been experiencing the magic of being in the presence of their idols. But what happens when these larger-than-life figures leave the stage at the end of the show? When the adrenaline drops down and the world is no longer dripping in neon lights, what is the band doing? How about the cohort of venue workers who put on and break down the show?
As soon as Yavin gets offstage, he drinks water. "Dry mouth is very serious through a whole set," he jokes. And then, he said, "it's kind of like a group huddle." There's an air of celebration and a feeling of accomplishment backstage after completing a show. Performers and crew high-five and hug, and everyone's in a good mood. Yavin was an opener for other acts at the Gay Bash'd Pride event, so after finishing his performance, he watched the other music, dance and drag acts on a monitor from backstage.
"After that initial joy is over,it's just right into clean up mode."
"After that initial joy is over, it's just right into clean up mode," Yavin said. He and the crew have to clean up the stage, pack up equipment and make sure nothing gets left behind. Finally, Yavin collects payment.
One of the people responsible for paying artists is Alex Pickert, the talent buyer and booker at another venue, the Crystal Ballroom in Somerville, Massachusetts.
During the show, Pickert is able to sit at the bar and catch up on paperwork, but once the show is over, his responsibilities pick up again. Pickert meets with artists' tour managers and writes the checks. He sometimes helps carry gear out of the venue as well. "If someone needs help, like, what are we gonna do? Be like, 'No, that's not my job?'" he joked. "We all need to help each other out."
But beyond the work in the job description, there's another critical event on the agenda at the Crystal Ballroom. After the band is loaded out, the employees have drinks together at the bar. "A venue team is very much family," Pickert said. "It's a hard job to be here." There's so many things that we have to deal with that it's so nice to decompress at the very end."
This is the part of the night where Pickert and the staff get to know each other. "I think that's most everyone's favorite part," Pickert said. Ethan Gerber, who works security, agreed.
Gerber moved to Boston a year and a half ago and got a job at the Crystal Ballroom shortly after. He struggled to make friends while working at his day job as an engineer, since he didn't get to interact with many people. The Ballroom, however, is different. "This is my social people job," he said. "These are all of my friends."
Another one of the highlights, he said, was getting to meet the bands that come through. Sometimes the band will chat with the venue staff after the show or stay for drinks. "If they have time, or they want to, they just hang out and we get to talk to them," Gerber said. "I love to hear all their stories."
One of the first shows he worked was for Billy Woods, a rapper Gerber was a fan of. Gerber was scanning tickets when Woods walked by. They started talking, and Gerber mentioned that his favorite song of Woods' was "Crocodile Tears." After the set was finished, Woods gave Gerber a shoutout and played him the song.
The community that not only takes place between fans of live music, but also between venue workers and performers, is what really makes the night feel special.
"When am I ever gonna have this opportunity to interact with these people again?" Gerber said. "Like, this is such a cool thing. People don't get to do this."
Produced by students at the Northeastern University School of Journalism. © 2023
