Touring is alive and well, and music festivals are on many artists' schedules this year. There is so much to think about when preparing for a festival. However, if we're prepared and ready to take on the inevitable curve ball, the experience can be rewarding. We can never foresee every problem, but I wanted to touch on some of the most important things to consider.

“Patch these cables into the front of this rack. Everything is color-coded, so it's pretty straightforward.”

The young lady smiled big, and her eyes lit up as I handed her some audio cables to accompany my instructions. In that instant, I could see all the emotions on her face; surprised that I had asked her to help me, excited for the opportunity to be involved, and a little nervous about being given the responsibility.

  This exchange happened recently at a show I did in Glasgow. The venue had implemented a job shadowing program with the local audio school to give aspiring live sound engineers real-world experience. And I didn’t waste any time putting this person to work.

The first hint of fresh paint and chlorine hit my nose before I even crossed the door’s threshold. The chlorine helped sanitize the pool; the paint offered a facelift to the walls of the building. Walking into school for the first time after a summer break was always a bit surreal.