Do Japanese bands have road crews?

[Traxan 148]

Here's why I ask.

 

 

In this video, Aldious appear to have no crew at all. Two arrive at the location in a van while three arrive in a taxi. I see no roadies with them. They do their setup and soundcheck, then it's just the five of them in the dressing room, helping each other with hair and makeup.

 

So I'm wondering, did they just hide the road crew from this camera crew, or do the clubs provide help that would be done by roadies here in the US?

[ricchubunny 2013]

Most of the bands have. Some doesn't have money to pay them so they don't. 

[Jigsaw9 6783]

So far from what I've seen, most bands do have crews. Or maybe the crew is the staff of the actual venue, hard to tell, since there are times when bands just go from their hometown for a given tour stop, have a gig, then go home again. Then there's like a few days' break, then go to the venue, have the gig, go home, then repeat (or smaller bands who just have tours in like Tokyo, so they don't need an actual travelling group of technicians cuz it's not like a cross-USA tour where they sleep in motels and the like).

[Peace Heavy mk II 7200]

Many bands give credit to roadies in one way or another, sometimes even in the album booklets. I'm not exactly sure to what extent they provide help, however.

[BrenGun 2261]

Yeah but roadies also often travel alone to the venues. 

[doombox 4421]

Depends on if the band can afford it, or wants a crew. But lots of them do. I can't say for venues in Japan. But I know it's pretty common to have a house sound person who can run cables for the bands in most US venues. Because is a band has no crew, someone needs to run the sound board. So I'd assume it must be similar overseas.

[fitear1590 2414]

All I know is that visual kei is the only scene I'm aware of that so often credits its "roadies" (ローディ). Sometimes, they go on to become successful musicians in their own right.

For instance, KAMIJO and Moran's Hitomi were apparently MALICE MIZER roadies at some point. CODOMO DRAGON's Yume used to be Canzel's roadie. And there's plenty of other examples.

[Igyou_Hime 80]

Small VK bands don't.Some venues have staff to help and some just arrive from the train with all their luggage, doing their own make up and setting up their own stuff on stage. Some venuesdon't even have the curtain, so you can see them while they're doing their thing (and even if they have the curtain you can see their feet best entertainment ever XD)

[Peace Heavy mk II 7200]

Weren't the GazettE Diru roadies?

 

iirc Dear L'novel's vocalist was a Lareine / Versailles roadie, and the vocalist from Armeria is credited in a Lin single as being a roadie for them.

[Traxan 148]

I guess that's another major contrast between the US and Japan. No club provides staff to help offload and setup. Major arenas do because they are staffed with union goons and there will be hell to pay if anyone else does the work. But at clubs and theaters, nope. The band is on its own. Part of it is legalities. Clubs don't want employees messing with band gear because if they break something they get sued. And bands don't want non-band staff touching their stuff for fear of theft, which happens regularly.

 

Yeah, Japan has us beat in the civility department. Again.

[doombox 4421]

I guess that's another major contrast between the US and Japan. No club provides staff to help offload and setup. Major arenas do because they are staffed with union goons and there will be hell to pay if anyone else does the work. But at clubs and theaters, nope. The band is on its own. Part of it is legalities. Clubs don't want employees messing with band gear because if they break something they get sued. And bands don't want non-band staff touching their stuff for fear of theft, which happens regularly.

 

Yeah, Japan has us beat in the civility department. Again.

 

This is absolutely not the case everywhere in the US. I've played plenty of small clubs that have a stagehand or 2 on the payroll, or a legit stage manager who makes sure everything is plugged in and working properly. They may not help you load in but they can help set your gear once it's up on stage to make sure it's working right with their own equipment, since they have to mic up the instruments to run the house sound. It really really depends on the club and what level band you are.