Two dudes to get the groove going

Bringing the party to students during Orientadium at Forsyth Barr Stadium this week is all about providing the best possible set-up for the scheduled headlining artists, stage managers for the debut event say.

Stage manager Tom Bell, of Dunedin, handles all the on-stage and equipment needs, such as guitars, drums and speakers, for the bands this week.

The freelance sound engineer has been involved in most of the early events held at the covered stadium so far, working on the "Big Night In" concert and the Rugby World Cup games late last year.

After being involved in several past Orientation gigs at the University Union, "they all tend to blur into one", he said, he expected the debut event at the stadium to be memorable.

A bigger stage set-up in a larger venue often made for a much better production, he said.

His main duties had involved hiring the musical equipment, speakers and amplifier stacks for the concerts and sound-check performances, Mr Bell said.

"Normally, everything goes pretty much to plan, but you never know what the night will hold," he said.

Brad Henderson, a former promotions worker with the Rock radio station, is responsible for handling the backstage requests for the artists, but will also be on the microphone as master of ceremonies.

The MC pointedly explained his role "does not involve rapping", but he was required to gear up and excite the crowd to ensure a rowdy reception when the artists took to the stage.

Mr Henderson has the kind of job most music fans would die for.

"I'm basically there to look out for them; have a few drinks in the green room and just chill out and relax," he said.

The fourth-year BA-Bcom student handles the artists' "riders", organising the different drinks, mixes, and backstage requests for items.

"There's nothing too obscure on the lists. Someone wants a specific kind of honey, while Shihad are after all the different kinds of mixes you can think of to add to their vodka," he said.

He admits keeping the artists "in line" can sometimes be a challenge: "Yeah, some of them are special cases and like to get up to mischief."

Through his former work on promotions at The Rock, Mr Henderson was often assigned to look after musicians and bands.

Despite some larrikin tendencies or the pressure to meet unusual demands for artists, the "job" was relatively straightforward, he said.

"You only make it stressful if you want it to be. Chilling backstage and gearing up a crowd is pretty good fun.

"I mean, who doesn't want to meet Shapeshifter and have a few drinks with them before they play live," he said.