Song Lyric Sunday
Good Morning! My two week vacation at the end of April turned into extended leave from blogging. I must admit I enjoyed the break. It may become a habit! We will see. Anyway I missed you guys at SLS and this week’s prompt was one I really wanted to do.
So here we are on Song Lyric Sunday and the challenge today is to find a song that includes the act of depending, leaning, relying or trusting another. It reminded me of a Jackson Browne song called the “The Load Out” which he wrote out of appreciation for his road crews when they were on tour. The artist relies heavily on others to get them all where they need to be, on time, set up and ready to rock ‘n’n roll. It’s a really nice song and I found this great video of JB and others doing to song during load out. If you’re a Jackson Browne fan you will enjoy this personal, intimate performance.
https://youtu.be/tNCuwUSPias?si=jwEK_f3lZHcl16Sm
The Song
Browne wrote this rambling piece as an affectionate tribute to the roadies, assistants and staff who help him take his show on the road, setting up and taking down his stage sets and moving his instruments (a process known as “the load-out”). He often played it at the end of each performance, usually with his cover of “Stay.”
The songs on the Running on Empty album were recorded live in various settings. “The Load-Out” was recorded at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland during a show on August 27, 1977. The song was something Browne had been working on with his band – Danny Kortchmar (guitar), Russ Kunkel (drums), David Lindley (various instruments), and Leland Sklar (bass). They didn’t have an arrangement they liked, but when Browne did three encores at the show, they found themselves out of material but still hankering to play. Kunkel suggested they play the song and see what happens. The resulting performance was so good that it made the album. This was just the second time the band played the song in concert.
Speaking with Rolling Stone, Browne described “The Load-Out” as “a love song to the audience and the crew.” When it transitions to “Stay,” that’s the band asking the audience to stick around because they want to keep playing.
Browne was very tight with his road crew, especially Donald “Buddha” Miller, who was both his crew chief and his manager. In a radio interview, he talked about what the roadies went through to earn his respect: “These guys work really hard, and in those days they made practically the minimum wage. They used to drive around, six guys in a camper. They’d be leaving the gig and you’d see them crawling into this little space, getting ready for an eight-hour drive to the next gig.”
Songfacts
The Lyrics
Now the seats are all empty
Let the roadies take the stage
Pack it up and tear it down
They're the first to come and the last to leave
Working for that minimum wage
They'll set it up in another town
Tonight the people were so fine
They waited there in line
And when they got up on their feet they made the show
And that was sweet
But I can hear the sound
Of slamming doors and folding chairs
And that's a sound they'll never know
Now roll them cases out and lift them amps
And haul them trusses down and get 'em up them ramps
'Cause when it comes to moving me
You know you guys are the champs
But when that last guitar's been packed away
You know that I still wanna play
So just make sure you got it all set to go
Before you come for my piano
But the band's on the bus
And they're ready to go
We gotta drive all night and do the show in Chicago
Or Detroit, I don't know
We do so many shows in a row
And these towns all look the same
We just pass the time in the hotel rooms
And wander 'round backstage
'Til those lights come up and we hear that crowd
And we remember why we came
Writer/s: BRYAN GAROFALO, JACKSON BROWNE
Genius Lyrics
#giveThanks #gratitude #JacksonBrowne #LoadOut #onTheRoad #Poetry #roadies #SongLyricSunday #SongLyrics #travelingMusicians
