On the Road

The music is blaring loud, thankfully I like the song and the band. The screaming audience, in a sold out arena, is always a reassuring factor that the band you work for doesn’t suck. I’m in the “quick change” AKA “Fluffer” which is under the drum riser on stage. Standing there attentively, awaiting my cue…. I have my torch, a crisply cleaned white button down shirt, a jet black blazer and a huge spiky silver ring…all waiting to be adorned on one of the sweetest rock stars you may ever meet.

Objective: Dress rocker, button nothing… leaving his bare sweaty chest exposed.

Cut to: Shirtless rocker walking towards the fluffer, whom quickly hides behind a curtain to relieve himself in a rubbish bin. He emerges and then I quickly slide on his shirt & jacket. Then, entering stage left; his guitar tech. The tech puts a guitar over the rocker’s shoulder, then I give a final tug on the jacket so it remains straightly in place. I then glide the spiky ring on to his right index finger, we exchange winks of approval and then off he goes. And this all happens in under 60 seconds.

I remain on stage, awaiting my next cue. I peek at the audience and watch them sing, while trying not to hear them sing. As I stand in the all black ensemble that is my wardrobe/my shield of armour - I think…. how the hell did I end up here? I can’t image what its like to be in the audience and they can’t imagine what its like to be the girl dressing & undressing a rock star back stage. The audience and I are the equivalent of 50ft apart and yet we are a world away from one another. The experience of those in front of the stage in contrast to what goes on behind it - neither one of us can conceptualize the other.

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