The term “roadie” refers to a member of a road crew. This individual is a technician who travels with a band on tour, and the term can refer to a variety of job titles. The category includes guitar techs, bass techs, drum techs, lighting techs, and stage managers, among others. The roadie plays an important role in the band’s ability to perform at the venue with proper sound and lighting.
A roadie who works with instruments is almost always a musician. In some cases, a person will work on a band’s road crew while also performing as the opening act for the main band. He or she may go on to become a successful musician in his or her own right in some cases. Noel Gallagher, who began his career as a roadie for the band Inspiral Carpets before joining Oasis, was one of them.
The majority of people get jobs touring with bands by being friends with the band or gaining experience working behind the scenes at a theater or production company. People can also gain experience by starting at the bottom and working their way up at a music venue.
Although many people believe that touring with a well-known band makes a roadie’s life glamorous, the job entails a lot of hard work, and in many cases, the band members never speak directly to the crew. The road crew is usually transported separately from the band members on a tour bus. Roadies do, however, occasionally become friends with band members and are mentioned in the CD liner notes and elsewhere.
In 1980, Meat Loaf starred in the film Roadie, in which he portrayed a Texas roadie on tour with a rock band. Karl Kuenning, a former crew member who has worked with over 200 bands, including Elvis Costello, BB King, and the Talking Heads, has written a book called Roadie: A True Story (At Least the Parts I Remember), which details his experiences on the road.