Roadies Look Back at Festival of Bands

Posted September 28
Here's a look back at some of the things we've encountered as Roadies during Festival of Bands weekend in the last few years
2001: It was COLD as in many layers of clothing cold. For the parade the wind blew too, but that died down during the evening. But is still never got to 40 that day.
2002: After the evening show (one of the 1st bands to perform) we were packed up and ready to leave but couldn't get out of the parking lot with our trailers when Stampede hockey fans double-parked on the road in and didn't leave enough room for us to get out.
2003: Having two atv's and plenty of time on our hands, a couple of Roadies spent the evening helping pull other bands pit equipment in and out of the stadium.
2004: We invented the Roadie Relay. Here's how it worked. A Snare Drummer fails to get his drum from the start of the truck at the start of the parade. Half way through the parade one Roadie runs up to the head Roadie looking for the drum, which is on the truck now parked at the end of the parade. The Head Roadie runs to the end of the parade, gets the drum, runs it back to the first Roadie, who then runs up the parade route only to find the band already marching at the judges' stand. The kid marches without his drum.
2005: In addition to the parade and the evening performance, LHS performed at the Augie football halftime. After the halftime performance, at the end of the show, we found ourselves surrounded by football players harassing Roadies & color guard to get out of the way when halftime ran long due to Augie homecoming festivities. The evening pit warm-up was highlighted by Craig Spangler having them warm up across the street from Buffalo Wild Wings. Roadies, with two hours to kill, outside a bar ... hmmm ...
2006: The band braved unseasonable warmth and high winds on that day. LHS began the day as the next to last band down the Dakota Avenue parade route. That was a new venue that fall, as the traditional Main Avenue parade route was moved due to road construction. The crowd was smaller than usual without the usual combination of Viking Days and FOB. But 29 bands marched the parade, and it still took over two hours to complete.