Have you been to a major concert before? It’s one thing seeing a band in a small club or a bar, or even in an outdoor venue.
- But the big indoor shows, in stadiums and concert halls, take a lot more technical precision than you may think.
When the band is on stage, they are surrounded by thousands of fans generating massive body heat. Then there are the lights, the smoke machines, all the electronics equipment – it gets hot up there! Some of the major bands employ a certified HVAC tech on the roadie crew just to make sure they can get the proper temperature on stage. Recently I won some backstage passes from a radio station, and I got a full tour of a major rock show. One of the guys on the crew we met was an HVAC tech, and since that’s what I do for a living I made him give me the real tour. He took me under the stage itself and showed me the climate control rig that he set up to keep the band cool on stage. He custom made the ductwork himself, and installed hidden air vents in the stage, near where the speakers and amps are set up, so the crowd would never see. It turns out the lights are so hot that the musicians always sweat a lot, even though they are standing right on top of an A/C vent. I have to say the tour inspired me, because now I know there are other jobs I can find with my HVAC certification.