My major is Audio Engineering Technology, and I've always enjoyed live concert production. So as soon as I heard about this assignment I knew I wanted to take the chance to describe what I would see at the Christian Showcase this weekend. I am taking Belmont's Advanced Sound Reinforcement class, so I was required to be there to help out with load-in, load-out, and everything in between. I thought I knew what I would find: a very distinct set of behavior, clothing, and speech. That's the way all shows are.
That's not what happened. I was surprised. There were a few things of note, that I will get to soon, but overall, most of the audio crew was not acting noticeably different than what I would consider normal. There were no crude jokes, superfluous fowl language, or even the expected arrogance towards those who don't know as much. It was weird. I think because the showcase is supposed to be a learning experience for all those involved, the arrogance must be thrown out the window. Also, most of the students that showed up to help had never done anything like it before. They didn't know what to expect.
What did I find, though? Everyone was wearing black. This is easily explained: on a dark stage in a dark room, stagehands aren't seen as easily if they wear black. A yellow t-shirt wouldn't work very well. This is such common practice that my professor even remarked that he would be present at the show wearing neon green. We all laughed, and the next day he was wearing black. A few of the new students hadn't figured this out yet, so the first day there was a little variety in color, but by the second day, everyone working audio had on black.
I definitely didn't experience what I thought would happen, but it's still interesting to see how something as simple as shirt color can give someone away as inexperienced or "illiterate."
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