I thought I would tell a couple stories of about when I worked with Charlie Daniels.
I was booked by a large men's group in Franklin TN to do audio for Charlie. He showed up for a sound check and his manager had not brought his fiddle. H explained that since he was only going to do a couple of songs the manager didn't think he was going to need it.
"I'm Charlie Danials. I will always do a fiddle song."
The manager took off to retrieve the fiddle and I proceeded to do a sound check.
Afterward, Charlie came up concerned and asked how I was going to mix the fiddle?
I explained, "If you give me three notes I'll have it perfect."
An hour later the manager showed up with the fiddle and I told him the same thing.
The event started and soon Charlie was up on stage playing away. Picking up his fiddle, Pluck (1), pluck (2). Leaning into the mic he said, "Can I have a little more in the monitor?"
Remember I had told him 3 and was busy setting it up.
His manager leaned over the desk and told me he needed more in the monitor. I just looked up at him.
Pluck (3).
Charlie looked at the Front of House and said, "That's perfect!"
I looked at the manager who had been watching me since I had taken my hands off the console and reminded him, "I did say 3!"
The show went fine.
About 10 years later I was doing a show for a company called PSAV at Opry Land Hotel. It was to be my last show for PSAV. Once again starting Charlie Daniels.
They had advanced a couple digital audio consoles for the show and didn't have anyone who was familiar with them. They wanted me to set up the FoH for the band's traveling engineer.
It was an easy setup. They booked me for 4 hours and I had it done in 30 minutes.
I went over it with their lead engineer and the technical director to make sure they understood. After the meeting, the TD said he wanted me to also set up the stage and wondered if I wanted to run monitors for the show.
Okay, force me to take a paycheck and they had me for 4 hours anyway!
I set the stage and the monitors sussed everything out and was getting ready to leave. The TD came up and said I couldn't go yet. The show was on a Tuesday and they had a convention on Monday and the day of. So, I needed to strike the stage.
So I marked everything. Pulled everything off to the side, labeled it all, and tidied everything up. Calling the TD over to check it. He said it was fine and that I should be back Tuesday at 1:00. I told him I knew bands local to Nashville sometimes came early to shop, eat, and hang out so I would be there at 11:00. He said they were not scheduled till 3:00 but I could do what I wanted.
We agreed and I bounced.
When I arrived on Tuesday I walked up the hill to see a tour bus and trailer with the band dumping gear.
I knew they would be early, what I didn't know was the storm I was walking into.
The band's Tour Manager met me at the backdoor and chewed me out. He was screaming because he didn't have the stage set. Not a problem I had 2 hours and everything was staged.
He replied "Really?"
I walked onto the stage and it was empty. No gear anywhere.
The TD ran up to me freaking out.
I asked him where the gear was?
I told him I had striked it off to the side on Sunday. Where is it?
He explained that he had called the local crew to put it back in the cases and it was behind the back curtain. So I had to start from scratch with the Tour Manager screaming at me.
The TD then did an ALL-CALL. This meant that I had 45 people that have never toured and specialized in the color red dry-erase marker asking me what I needed.
I asked who here has ever been on a tour. There were 2 people, My friend Ed who toured with Diana Krull and John Prine, and the lighting guy Jason who at least knew the right way to run an XLR cable.
There was a moment when the TM was screaming something about 40 people standing around not doing anything and I got in his face. "LOOK you are not helping, your time in was 3:00 be back at 3:00, and then go off.
He left with his band to the green room.
The three of us set the stage and had a wonderful sound check and show. Afterwards the manager, yes from the men's fellowship, came up and said that Charlie had really enjoyed the night. No need to tell him about his Tour manager. I am sure he knew.
That was the last time I worked with or saw Charlie Daniels,
and BTW,
PSAV.
