My first major gig was for Van Halen, this was back in the late 74s.
I was part of the crew, which meant I unloaded the gear from trucks plus helped set up the stage. They were a major rock band at the time – those young people out there may not think how crucial a Van Halen show used to be – plus the people I was with and I had to toil hard. That was where I got a brainstorm, 1 that would take myself and others almost 4 years to act upon. After that tour I went back to our hometown plus signed up for an HVAC training program at the community university. My goal was to get HVAC certified plus then return to the road, offering the touring musicians a more specialized kind of service. It ended up being the best plan I had ever had, because with our HVAC certification plus our concept, I was very well acquired upon our return. I talked to the band director about how I could install ductwork under the stage, plus also put a few air grates into the floor of the stage itself, and from the crowd there would be no difference, however when the band members stood over the air vents they would suppose a strong blast of air conditioner coming up from below. The cooling system device was far enough away from the mics plus the sound device that it didn’t register. I can’t say that our air conditioner plan helped the band play better on tepid afternoons, however deep down I think that it very did!