Service Learning: November 13th 2011

Band: GWAR
Genre: Heavy Metal
From: Richmond, Virginia

Today I worked with a crazy band that's been coming to The Glass House for many years. They're very theatrical and bring all of their own props and stuff. I spoke with lead singer Dave Brockie (middle) and he said "All the props are made of furniture stuffing. Like the stuff that's inside couches and pillows. You just cut it into whatever shape you want and then put liquid rubber over it and then paint it."We loaded in at 12 p.m.  since it was such a high profile show.

Aside from their insane props, one thing GWAR is famous for is spraying the audience with "blood", a mixture of water and powder food coloring. The audience members wear white shirts in preparation for that, but the stage and floor must be covered in carpeting.

Next, we worked on setup. Since this band had so many inputs in the system, the supporting bands had to work with them and share lines and cables. Due to their intricate set design, I had to climb on top and around a lot of stuff to be able to plug things in. 

After we finished setting up, we went home for a break before the show started. GWAR went on at 10 and they were a huge success! The show was very close to being sold out and it was a bloody mess afterwards :) 

I've been going to GWAR shows for a few years now and they're definitely one of my favorite bands to work with. I had some great conversations with Dave. They've been going through a rough time because one of their band members, guitarist Flattus Maximus, passed away while they were on their way to Canada during this tour. They had to cancel 2 shows, but they couldn't stop the tour. That just goes to show some of the things that can go wrong during concert production, but the show must go on! 

R.I.P. Cory Smoot a.k.a. Flattus Maximus