“T-Boy”

For those who have seen the band in a live environment, you may well have heard the name Todd Confessore being mentioned around the venue: “Where’s Todd?”, “Ask Todd”, “Todd will know!”, “Todd’s got them”, etc. Alternatively, it may have been “T-Boy” being mentioned; the name is different, but they refer to the same person: a man who – when the band are out on the road – acts as everything from security organizer, production manager, to mother, and everything in between. A probable unknown face to the majority (until now), that rallies the troops in all respects, so that you – the ticket buying punter – get to see a smooth running show without any glitches.

In the first of a two-part interview, Todd explains his role in all that is DT, how it came about, and what really goes into setting up a tour. I think you’ll be surprised to read what it entails, and will subsequently appreciate the work more, not just of Todd, but also his crew.

To start with, what is your official job title?

My official title with the band is production manager, although during some of the shorter tours – like the Fix for ‘96” – I acted as tour manager as well as Production Manager.

How did you get into this line of work in the first place?

I got into this line of work along with a number of friends of mine, who all worked for the same group of bands on Long Island, NY. I used to play drums in local bar bands and I would see these guys that were making a lot of money from working with these bands, so I decided to start working with bands as opposed to playing in them. Eventually, I got more offers for bigger gigs and more tours, and it just grew from there.

And how did you come to be working with DT? Was it a steady progression through the ranks?

I came to work for DT just after their 1994 Foundations Forum appearance. One of my best friends, Vincent Kowalski, who you know as DT’s sound engineer, had been working with the band for a few years and had suggested I speak with their management about working for the band. I was out with Al Pitrelli (Savatage), Eric Singer (Kiss) and Jose Baraquio (DT’s drum tech) one night, and we were convincing Jim Pitulski (DT’s former manager) that Derek was the man for the keyboard gig on the upcoming tour. As we discussed Derek’s situation, Jim kept asking me what I was doing for the next year. He said he had heard good things about me and he would really like me to consider doing production for the band’s upcoming “Awake” tour.

The next week, Derek had an audition with the band at SIR in NY. I put the logistics together for the audition, came along and had a meeting with Rob Shore and Jim. They explained what they were looking for, we discussed many things and at the end of the day, I was hired as the band’s production manager and Derek’s keyboard tech.

Now, not many people will be aware of your role during a tour, perhaps even to the degree that you (the job) exist in the first place. So basically, what are you responsible for?

That is a big one. I am responsible for a number of things. To break it down, I advance the details regarding building logistics: including power, parking, number of staff, day schedule, fire codes, ceiling height and rate (how much weight the ceiling can hold), local union staff, catering, how much sound and lighting will be used, dressing rooms, security, the guest list, passes, the band’s needs that particular day. There are a lot of details for each show. Each one is different and each one needs to be handled as the most important show of the tour.

Even a mini-tour like these “Fix for ‘96” shows, there is a lot of time, preparation and effort that goes into them. When do you start detailing and planning things out, and how long does it take before you can say things are ready to roll?

To use the “Fix for ‘96” as an example, Rob Shore called me into his office at some point in early October to tell me the band was planning on doing some local shows in December. At that time, I had no concrete ideas on dates, or even if the tour was definitely on or not, but I must prepare for these things as a definite. I started by making calls to the members of DT’s crew, letting them know there might be some work in December and asking if they were available. A week later, once I knew we were definitely doing the dates, I began preparing band and crew transportation, trucking, rehearsals, getting the crew together, checking with the band members to see if there is anything wanted or needed that would be different from the last time we worked. I really start serious everyday prep work approximately five weeks before the actual dates.

This is for a small “Fix for ‘96”-type tour; the advance of a full-scale tour behind a record takes much more preparation time. How long before I can say things are ready to roll? I would say things are ready to roll about 4-5 days before we leave.

Even when a tour has been scheduled and hits the road, this is when you are at your busiest: the first one up, arranging, sorting getting crew and band personnel to wherever, feeding them, making sure the venue is sorted, getting the show running, and once all is said and done, the last to bed! What is the routine day on the road?

Well, you’ve seen it before Neil. To break it down into a schedule: I am up at approximately 8:00am to make sure that the venue is prepared for the crew to eat breakfast at 8:30, so they begin their day at 9:00. I have a meeting with the local promoter, union crew chief and building people to make sure we’re “all on the same page” as to the day’s events. Rigging/lighting starts at 9:00, sound equipment comes in at approximately 11:00. At this time I am posting the sheets for the day: dressing room signs, set times, any special notices. Band gear comes in around 12:30-1:00. I set the band’s backline (amplifiers, drum riser, etc.) then it’s off to set-up the dressing/tuning rooms with the catering people. Normally we have the band arrive about 4:00-4:30 for soundcheck; they play for about 2 hours at soundcheck just about every day. Then we get the support act onstage and have them soundcheck.

During the support act’s soundcheck, we normally eat dinner. I then do last minute changes to the guest list. I send the guest list in and approximately 30 minutes before we open the doors, I have a security meeting with the building people, security and the local promoter. We open doors around 7:00, support act is on at around 8:00 and then DT at 9:00. The band plays anywhere from 2 to 3 hours.

After the show, the band does a meet’n’greet while the crew breaks down the equipment. A few hours later, the truck is loaded and we pile onto the bus for the drive to the next city. I break out the computer once again and do daily receipts and catch up on any other paperwork I did not get to throughout the day. I’m usually in bed between 2 and 4am. This repeats itself four hours later in another city.

Many people would see this as a very glamorous job or career. Can you dispel or acknowledge that myth?

I could do both. This is a very glamorized line of work. Unfortunately it is over-glamorized. Most people – and I do stress most people – do this as a serious job. There are many perks of this job. You are given privileges that others could not even think of, yet true professionals take these privileges in stride with the fact that you are out there to do a job and don’t let any of these perks get in the way of their job. This is a very, very tough business, and there are a lot of people that would give anything to be involved in it. Yet they are unaware of some of the darker realities. I am proud to say that working along side me with this band are some of the best professionals in the business today.