Backstage Spotlight™
July 2003 Rigger Rich - Page 2
The first task is to measure
and lay out the suspension points. The next, and most technically demanding job, is
figuring out the cable lengths needed to position the loads in the right places.
Another part of the job is estimating or calculating the resulting stresses on cables and
the structure, and making sure you stay within safety limits. That is a time consuming and
difficult task to do manually, but now there's a great software program available that
eliminates the guesswork.
The local riggers go up into the ceiling grid structure, with ropes in hand. Steel cables
are sized to the task at ground level, and the up-riggers let in ropes, which are then
tied to the cables. The up rigger then pulls the cables up to where he can anchor them to
the structure. The cables have a chain hoist attached at the low end, and this hoist is
what will lift the gear and hold it in place. A typical arena concert may have sixty
rigging points where a hoist must be used. Some shows may have a hundred points.
What would you say the typical salary range is for a rigger? Are
there any benefits like medical insurance, etc.?
The pay scales vary greatly, depending on the complexity, and risk involved. Freelancers
generally are the highest paid, commanding day rates that make promoters and venue owners
shudder. I don’t wish to quote any scales or rates here, because I don’t want
any promoters or venue owners reading this to use it as a reference in pricing. Many
venues now require freelance riggers to become employees, due to the liability exposure of
having people work at heights, and OSHA requirements. Insurance? As an employee, you'll
get workman's comp (if you live), but rarely anything beyond that.
How did you get started in the industry, and what was your first industry job?
I was a musician in a band. We rented a rehearsal space in an industrial building, where
there were some production supply companies. A staging company asked me to help them on a
gig, so went and did it, had a great time, made money, and got a T-shirt too! I thought
there would always be shows to work for, but not always bands to be in.
It turned out the guy running the staging company was out of his mind, so I left that and
went into working road crew for local bands. The first of those was with a British
invasion tribute act, pretty cool, we had projectors, blacklights, and other effects. I
did lighting as well as driving the truck. I continued to work for local bands and
production houses. Then I started to get work calls from concert venues, began as a truck
loader and worked my up to rigging.
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