# Rock bands and international travel **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 29, 2018, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-bands-and-international-travel/823679 "2018-10-29T17:29:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2018, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-bands-and-international-travel/823679/21 "2018-10-30T15:17:41Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **mikecurtis** : > > For the roadies, it can obviously vary, but a good rule of thumb would be 2 per department; a lead and an assistant. Depts usually include, Lights, sound, video, rigging, scenic, costumes and makeup, and Stage mgmt. And don’t forget the Sith department, too. ---
**Author:** ![BobBitchin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ea924/32.png) [@BobBitchin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobBitchin)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2018, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-bands-and-international-travel/823679/22 "2018-10-30T16:36:35Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > Hey, I’m just relaying what I’ve seen working hundreds of concerts. Everybody is so crabby these days on the Straight Dope. No crab dude. There is a smiley in there.🙂 And a big fat admission that I haven’t done much of shit, as far as world hopping goes.:dubious: ---
**Author:** ![BobBitchin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ea924/32.png) [@BobBitchin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobBitchin)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2018, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-bands-and-international-travel/823679/23 "2018-10-30T16:44:03Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Springsteen writes of this in his intro to on of Chuck Berry’s autobiographies. The E Street band is hired to be Chuck’s band for a show and they’re excited. Chuck shows up right before the gig - RIGHT before the gig - and when they ask him what songs they’re playing he just says ‘We’re gonna play some Chuck Berry songs.’ and walks on stage. The E Streeters have to vamp the entire performance trying to figure out what Chuck wants out of them and what songs they’re playing. > > Rough. I read in a magazine, Chuck Berry required a Lincoln towncar at the airport, and a Gibson ES-3xx be provided. So he could blow into town empty handed. He’d specify he wanted a backing band that knew his catalog…the whole thing. That bookends with JC’s post. He not only wants the band to know all his stuff cold, you have to guess which song he’s doing now.:eek: Story was, he took the guitar as often as he could get away with it. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2018, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-bands-and-international-travel/823679/24 "2018-10-30T16:50:26Z")
I am and have been a stagehand for the past 37 years and I can vouch for the accuracy of **mikecurtis** ’s posts. IATSE for a better life, for life. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2018, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-bands-and-international-travel/823679/25 "2018-10-30T21:21:20Z")
in 2012 Wall tour Roger Waters hired local kids to sing the "we don’t need no education " parts . I guess he got them from local choirs . ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2018, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-bands-and-international-travel/823679/26 "2018-10-30T23:17:46Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > in 2012 Wall tour Roger Waters hired local kids to sing the "we don’t need no education " parts . I guess he got them from local choirs . Foreigner has often done the same for their song “I Want To Know What Love Is.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2018, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-bands-and-international-travel/823679/27 "2018-10-31T00:36:57Z")
I know nothing about the industry, but I do know that in recent years Neil Peart’s kit wasn’t even broken down between shows. It traveled as a lump. Having seen Rush perform in recent years, I can see why. Kids could play hide and seek in Neil Peart’s drum kit. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2018, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-bands-and-international-travel/823679/28 "2018-10-31T00:55:02Z")
I appreciate the answers about roadies and techies but what about groupies? Do major bands have groupies that travel with them or do they just pick up new ones when they visit other countries? ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2018, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-bands-and-international-travel/823679/29 "2018-10-31T02:15:01Z")
This thread needs more cowbell… ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2018, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-bands-and-international-travel/823679/30 "2018-10-31T05:56:40Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > in 2012 Wall tour Roger Waters hired local kids to sing the "we don’t need no education " parts . I guess he got them from local choirs . In recent years the School of Rock has been supplying the kids. Traditionally, every new location starts with The Wall as their first show. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-bands-and-international-travel/823679.md?page=1)