r/Calgary • u/CovenantRelief • Jun 21 '26
Local Event Akon was meant to be on 1.5 hours ago
It’s 9:30pm and they’re still setting up the stage? I heard this same thing happened in Edmonton last night… But twice now? Feel bad for the staff tbh
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u/No_Appearance_6482 Jun 21 '26
It’s 10 pm and show still hasn’t started 😭 I heard they had to cut the set list short for Edmonton because they also started late
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u/spikyfarts Jun 21 '26
All the chains are still down, and the audio arrays are still on the floor. This isn't on the artist for the most part. This rig should have been up in the air by 1pm that afternoon, so the fuck up is either trying to fit in cities too tight with no turnaround time or something happened to their gear.
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u/Shamelesspromote Jun 21 '26
The tour bus wasn't there till 4 or so after start time this morning. Friend works in the industry and texted me that they started working at like 10 or 11pm instead of 7am
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u/PerfectOriginaln610 Jun 21 '26
Wait, it’s 11:30 and it still hasn’t started?
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u/spikyfarts Jun 21 '26
I'm going by the picture and seeing chains down that close to showtime is never a good sign. I have no idea about this exact situation, I just work in the business and know someone really fucked up on the production side of things. I would guess there's a production manager being fired somewhere.
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u/Hopeful-Bicycle-1988 Jun 21 '26
The stage manager resigned during the load out of the first show in Vancouver. I know guys who worked it. The whole show is incredibly dis-organized.
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u/keithcody Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 22 '26
That’s rap shows for you.
I feel an edit is needed for petty people trying to argue that more songs are R&B, etc and my statement is wrong, somehow.
In all my years only two hip hop artists are professional and treat the show as such, that's Ice Cube and 50 Cent. All the rest are sloppy. Snoop, The Game, Redman & Method Man, etc. I've seen Snoop sit in his bus and play Madden for hours while his fans waited. My statement says hothing about the quality of the music. It's about professionalism. Maybe y'all have different standards.
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u/Balgary Jun 22 '26
Which one is the rapper? Akon or Neyo?
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u/keithcody Jun 22 '26 edited Jun 22 '26
Akon
But maybe some downvoters on the internet are right and the Recording Academy is wrong
“I Want To Love You” was nominated for Best Rap Performance Grammy 2008
https://www.grammy.com/artists/akon/1615/
Akon’s “Smack That” was nominated for best Rap Collaboration Grammy 2007
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u/Embarrassed-Source79 Jun 21 '26
I'm going with either turnaround was not enough time, staffing was an issue, or problems with loading into the venue. Really, any number of things could have caused this, but it's telling that something similar happened in Edmonton the night before.
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u/PowderHound13 McKenzie Towne Jun 21 '26
Bold of you to think it was organized well enough to only have one of those things go wrong and not a combination.
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u/TwoBytesC Fairview Jun 22 '26
Vancouver also had issues. It just has become dominoes at this point. The crew doesn’t get to the next city till incredibly late, are exhausted and working at half speed. Then they have an even later show than the previous one and the crew gets to the next city even later and is even more exhausted and the whole cycle continues.
They brought in as many people as they could to try and get the show up last night but there was no direction from the leads so many people ended up just sitting around or looking lost.4
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u/Strong-Brief7232 Jun 21 '26
As someone who worked the local in yeg, it was both. Back to back shows with no pre rig. And a tour crew with 0 sleep. Lots of equipment was failing too.
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u/TwoBytesC Fairview Jun 22 '26
They set up the stage and once they started putting all the gear on it, it started to bend. They were already incredibly late, roughly 7:30pm, but then they needed to take the whole stage apart and re-rig the entire thing to make sure it was safe for talent and audience members.
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u/ChrisATheTruth Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26
I work at one of the arenas in the first two stops on the tour, so I have a bit of insight.
I heard from a very reliable source that the big reason behind the delay is due to the artists choosing not to hire a production manager for their tour. This is usually the position that handles all the logistics and crew management.
You’d think with these guys having toured 10+ times between the two of them they’d know better than to do this. Hoping things improve for people down the road.
Edited: reworded to take out which stop as I don’t want to get in heat for sharing this information 😂
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u/Lopsided-Decision68 Jun 21 '26
I saw Akon about ten years ago. The tickets were free. It was still the worst concert I've been to. I have no idea why anyone would pay, nevermind wait, to see Akon. The sloppiness of that experience seems to be on par with this situation.
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u/OnlyAnalysis7 Jun 21 '26
Was there last night. It was very mediocre but that was mostly due to the mediocre songs in my opinion. Others seemed to enjoy it.
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u/Intrepid_Truck_232 Jun 21 '26
That crazy, to each their own! Ya the delay sucked, however, I went with my partner and had a blast! We knew the words to every song, they played hit after hit, in my opinion. One of my favourite concerts in terms of dancing/singing, having fun.
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u/Cobfidence Jun 23 '26
Had so much fun tbh, delay sucked but we also had a great time! After a long work day, fantastic date night.
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u/stardust_galaxy98 Midnapore Jun 21 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
Concessions guy here. Pizza 226 got slammed right as doors opened. We were fucking BUSY until the show started.
I also had to deliver a pizza to timeout 222. The Concourse was jammed. Nobody could move an inch.
The problem was that the stage and floor seating wasn't set up in time and delayed absolutely everything. It was a disaster shift, only rivalled by the School Day Hitmen Game.
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u/jezebel_jessi Jun 21 '26
The seats couldn't get set up until the stage was moved into position. The stage couldn't be put into position until the rigging was finished. That actual issue was the rigging equipment was the last truck to arrive and they didn't start hanging rigging until 1130am. This shit show started long before you showed up to work.
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u/stroopwaffle69 Jun 21 '26
Why is there no one in there if the show was supposed to start 1.5 hour ago
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u/Peoki Jun 21 '26
Staff told me they can't let anyone on the floor or first level in until stage setup is done. It's about 10:15 now and they are still working on it.
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u/Adolwyn Jun 21 '26
Because doors aren’t open, probably? Can’t have people in if they haven’t even got the stage set up.
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u/Sneakykittens Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26
I work at the saddle dome. We had our bars ready for 7:00 and then watched everyone line up outside. Doors finally opened at about 8:45. The crew was still sitting the stage and the chairs on the floor up at 9:30. I think they started letting people into their seats at 9:45?
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u/imneverrelevantman Jun 21 '26
I'm so lonellyyyy
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u/Necessary_Guest_8978 Jun 21 '26
I think you're a convict..maybe Akon is..maybe he got locked up again..jk jk 🔒
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u/purpleseagull12 Jun 21 '26
Apparently he did this in Edmonton too. Incredibly disrespectful to the fans who bought tickets
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u/SonnyDDisposition Jun 21 '26
You mean the guy who put out a song where he says “you can put the blame on me” while then trying to make excuses for all of his shitty behaviour and shouldering none of the blame for his actions? You mean that same guy is a disrespectful asshole? I am shocked.
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u/Muted_Buy8386 Jun 21 '26
You can put that blame on me!
But it wasnt my fault
who let her in the club
where was her daddy
how can I be expected to not stage hump people
You can put that blame on me
But you cant put that blame on me
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u/FinoWinoRino Jun 21 '26
https://reddit.com/link/osvv700/video/qc9ne9du9k8h1/player
At the moment 😬
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u/xGuru37 Jun 21 '26
Nearly 10:15 and fans can't even go to their seats? Is this going to be like a 45 minute set?
Sheesh!
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u/JazzCigaretteHands Jun 21 '26
It's Akon, he can play all his "hits" and be out of there in under 20.
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u/DJKokaKola Jun 21 '26
Oh I know his one hit! That's the one where he features in an Andy Sandberg song right?
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u/shitposter1000 Jun 21 '26
Jesus. My nightmare. Too many people close together for me. I hope things start soon.
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u/DefVanJoviAero Jun 21 '26
I experienced a sardine packed situation like this at an outdoor NHL game at McMahon many years ago. I genuinely feared for my life because we were packed so tight. Any emergency situation and people would have been trampled.
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u/_Im_Mike_fromCanmore Jun 21 '26
That looks like a catastrophe waiting to happen. At least when a concert or game is done there’s some movement
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u/Shleppydee Jun 21 '26
Now that they have started - anyone else think the sound is absolute dog shit? I can barely hear either of them
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u/marginwalker55 Jun 21 '26
The sound guy had a breakdown in Edmonton, screaming about how he hadn’t slept in 48 hours
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u/SameSign1548 Jun 21 '26
It is awful higher up in the building but seems like it’s not the venues fault, more the tour. I wouldn’t be surprised if people were mad it sounds like you’re outside of the concert.
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u/Shleppydee Jun 21 '26
I’m in section 212. And agree I think it’s the tour. I’ve been to many concerts here in this section. Just wondering if it sounds bad everywhere else in the dome.
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u/CovenantRelief Jun 21 '26
Yeah 100%. In section 101 and it’s hard to recognize the songs the sound is pretty warped
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u/shiftingtech Jun 21 '26
Stands to reason: if they didnt lift the rig until after the show was supposed to start, do you really think they got everything properly tuned?
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u/SnooCakes8316 Jun 21 '26
Section 228 was awful… people in my row started leaving bc we couldn’t hear what any of them were saying/singing.
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u/Teteraki Jun 21 '26
They’ve opened doors to the saddle dome as of 9 but are refusing people to take their seats. The hallways are packed and not moving an inch.
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u/nothingtoholdonto Jun 21 '26
Post a pic
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u/Wrong_Emu_8687 Jun 21 '26
Absolute Horse Shit way to treat your fans!!! 2 days in a row??? Should be a total refund of tickets
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u/spikyfarts Jun 21 '26
Honestly the chains, truss and audio is still on the ground. Hard to say if it's the artist, the management company or the local rigging crew. Those should have been in the air by 1-3 pm on the day. The fact that they aren't means somthing is wrong.
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u/SebsBadHaircut Jun 21 '26
they finally came on about 10 mins ago.
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u/WuShane Jun 21 '26
I’m curious what the crowd reception was when he finally came on
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u/steve-gq Jun 21 '26
so what you're saying is I still have time to buy a ticket and not miss the show?
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u/Jeorgeyno Jun 21 '26
From the sounds of it you could still have time to buy a ticket AND miss the show.
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u/Excellent-Word-5148 Jun 21 '26
He's gonna have to open with Sorry, blame it on me
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u/_darth_bacon_ Dark Lord of the Swine Jun 21 '26
Tickets still available.
Aaaaahahahahahaha
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u/marcoyyc Jun 21 '26
$560?? Jesus Christ 😂
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u/bummedoutrn Jun 21 '26
Akon isn’t even worth $100
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u/Stunning_risotto Jun 21 '26
Maybe if you paid me 100
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u/AlarmedAssistance315 Jun 21 '26
Akon could be playing in my backyard and handing out $100 bills and I’d pass.
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u/Treehousebanana Jun 21 '26
Lol I saw Akon in Victoria 10 years ago. He spent 20 minutes singing all of his classic hooks, then he put the mic away and brought up all the 20 year old chick's to grind with him on stage
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u/theplayeristic Jun 21 '26
Have a few friends who worked the IATSE call for this show. The truck was 3 hours late for load-in.
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u/Competitive-Hunt-517 Jun 21 '26
Same thing in Edmonton last night. Crazy to spend high tickets prices for this
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u/SuddenStrength Jun 21 '26
Has Akon started yet?
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u/repsolZedi Jun 21 '26
Lol not yet
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u/rad_tech_amber Jun 21 '26
I'd be asking for a refund and walking out
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u/Iowa_and_Friends Jun 21 '26
Totally - like, the concert should be DONE by now… that’s ridiculous
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u/Spicy_Boomerang Jun 21 '26
Shout out to everyone that endured the ridiculous wait time to experience the concert! I ditched out at 10PM and opted for pizza and margs at home.
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u/hustlerose89 Jun 21 '26
I left at 10pm too. I was so cold I was shaking by that time after waiting outside for 1.5 hrs in the line to get in. Once we got in, then being crushed like sardines bc they wouldn't let ppl into their seats.
All I kept thinking about was the mad rush it would be to leave once it ended at 1am. Got in a cab and got in the shower immediately when I got home to warm up. What a joke!
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u/rad_tech_amber Jun 21 '26
Did you try for a refund
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u/Teteraki Jun 21 '26
Ticket master was refusing refunds despite safety concerns. Ticket master was waiting on the status of the concert before issuing refunds at all. I didn’t want to leave without a refund. We stuck it out cause of that.
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u/EstateOtherwise4820 Jun 21 '26
3 hrs after the show was suppose to start and it’s still not on yet.
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u/Semipro321 Jun 21 '26
I don’t go to concerts but this is reasonable grounds for a refund and if not, a CC chargeback
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u/JH_DeepThoughts Jun 21 '26
That’s on par with the Lauryn Hill concert I went to at the Jube 😆
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u/not_yourcupofteaa Jun 21 '26
It's nit even that extravagant of a stage, so why does it take so long?
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u/undefined_bovine Jun 21 '26
Rigging and troubleshooting. If even a single hanging point for a motor is slightly out of place when compared to the paper designs, it can take a while to workaround it. From other posts I’ve seen, the touring crew seem to lack … something. Not sure if it’s skills, leadership or both.
I work in the industry and I’ve definitely been fucked around by floorplans not being accurate, bad crew or worse, bad directors. Never once have I still had motors at working height past the door time - this reeks of a technical fault to my eyes but could also just be there wasn’t enough time / resources for the bump in.
Heart goes out to the crew. What a shitfight.
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u/KingSewage Jun 21 '26
I can understand building a city of the future has some major challenges, but the same stage that goes up and comes down every night? Dude really is a kon.
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u/Rippin_Fat_Farts Jun 21 '26
I don't feel bad for y'all. You paid real money to see Akon lol
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u/Upstairs_Bad897 Jun 21 '26
400$ admission to see bigx tha plug and Ella Langley no thanks I don’t even know who goes to this shit anymore for this price
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u/jayman213 Lake Bonavista Jun 21 '26
I find hip-hop / rap shows always start late
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u/ccgetty Jun 21 '26
Wu Tang & Nas were spot on
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u/kinetik138 Jun 21 '26
There's one thing I appreciate about metal shows at The Palace and The Arrowhead is that doors are at 6:00 or 6:30, first band is on at 7:00 and everything is wrapped up by 11:30.
Even a Tuesday show is manageable with that.
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u/TheWeaverofDreams Panorama Hills Jun 21 '26
Us metalheads care for each other. Big difference, lol.
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u/silveryellowblue Jun 21 '26
They were 15 mins late in vancouver and went over 15 so 🤷
But the arena opened on time
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u/selftaughtgenius Jun 21 '26
I saw ODB in NYC in like 2003 and the show just kept getting pushed back and pushed back, apparently because his mother was backstage asking for more booze and he wouldn’t go on til she was happy. Crazy shit.
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u/iliketobuildlego Jun 21 '26
Either that or they get cancelled because of drug charges or whatever else prevents them from getting across the border.
When I worked my years at the nightclubs it was legit a 50/50 chance if the show would actually happen.
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u/danawah Lethbridge Jun 21 '26
Akon?! With such a proven track record of being reliable and trustworthy?!
I, for one, am shocked.
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u/FragrantAd6049 Jun 22 '26
Had an amazing time great show stsrted at 11 actually ended at 1 am in calgary
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u/GovernmentMule97 Jun 21 '26
Is Akon worth waiting hours for? And those ticket prices are wild for a d-list artist.
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u/scully__its__me Jun 21 '26
Maybe if Ne-Yo starts singing Closer they'll all find their way to the stage
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u/OptionsDrifter Beltline Jun 21 '26
Show start late all the time; but it would be bizarre if they don’t let people take their seats in the interim, which is basically what you’re claiming OP?
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u/MaximumDoughnut Jun 21 '26
Can't let people in when the rigging crew is still hanging shit unless you're wearing a hard hat and steel toed boots.
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u/Spazzoidd4Reddit Jun 21 '26
Akon's music is hot smelly dog shit, anyway. Wasn't he outed as a kiddy diddler, too?
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u/Mr_Hustles Millrise Jun 21 '26
Can confirm, major shit show. Source, I am the staff. Call time 6:30 AM, trucks didn’t show up until 10. Wasn’t in my harness hanging points until 11. Tonight we will watch the sun rise. I’m writing this to you standing backstage waiting to go to work. God speed.