>>7723152Funny thing about that ....
I used to do a lot of bootleg recording in clubs (by permission of the band). Was sort of an ad hoc roadie ion some cases. I paid my way by helping move & set up gear and providing live recordings to the bands.
More than once I had bouncers watch me set up equipment, then stop me from operating said equipment and try to make me buy a ticket when the show was about to start. Twice I saw them bar access to the stage by band members. It's fucking chaos when the lights are starting to go up and your 3 minutes from the first notes and you're arguing with a bouncer to just let you get the fuck on stage and do your job. Stamps and badges and wrist bands have a purpose.
I was in Latvia one night getting into it with a particularly asshole and stupid Russian that I had 30 seconds to get to the soundboard or there would be no sound coming off the stage. He kept pretending he didn't understand (I knew better) and trying to make me pay him to let me through. I finally threw my passport at him and yelled in his face "Your responsibility! Keep it safe! I'll be back!" He was terrified. Being in possession of someone else's passport is serious business in that situation (too many witnesses for him to deny he had a U.S. passport in his care). Ten minutes later he showed up at the soundboard to return it.
Just a couple weeks later, same club, a different bouncer tried the same shit with our lead guitarist.
