what the heck is a arena rigger???
 

have been asked this many times and this is what we do-

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I thought the politically correct term was "arena American?"

(I'll get my hat...)

do you travel with the shows..
or one arena..


Rika

Just another day at the office! ;)

Thank you for making concerts that much cooler.

No way in hell you'd get me up there.

I used to work at several venues in the pnw
don't any more, got a desk job telling folks what to do

"Arena Rigger" is the guy who makes sure the right boxer wins in a boxing arena. His last name usually ends in a vowel.

You must be part Mohawk.
No way I could handle that. You'd think they could throw a couple of extra catwalks up there during construction so you didn't have to shimmy around on a bunch of narrow beams.
I can't imagine using hand tools up there with all those people on the floor below. Are hand tools needed or prohibited?

guy got killed last week ...
vendor at construction site..
tape-measure from above..

Rika

May you NEVER have a "bad day" at the office!


And your job is cool as hell!!!!!

I couldn't do it !! Safety hooks or not. Had to hold on to my arm rests just to watch it.

oh-
thirty five a hour
four hour minimum (paid for four hours if you work a minute)
generally only a couple hours work
these guys have less prostate issues as a group than the general population of men-

I dropped a 3/4" shackle pin 110' once- it felt like I just discharged a firearm in a crowded hallway-
thought about life after that
thought about changing jobs
went back out on the beam a week later....

Looks like you guys are doing 100% tie off with fall protection (Good!). Our stages have horizontal lifeline systems with a trolly that allows the guys to travel the entire length of the stage without disconnecting and reconnecting. I think I saw some carabiners being used in lieu of shackles for rigging. We don't allow that, although I'm sure it happens. At the end of the video I saw that the guy was tied off from the front of the fall protection harness, not the "D" ring in the rear at his shoulder blades. Good way to break your back.

Have you, or your crew, ever taken Jay Glerum and Harry Donovan's arena rigging course? Its very, very good.

yes, lots of guys I work with have taken his class
oh and this is not my crew- or a place that I have worked
I like the trolly tie of, but have worked in venues with no safety system in place and you move work positions while you move one lanyard then the other-

I met a guy who put together those antenna towers when buying a old jeep engine. Section broke off with him tied into it. He was one lucky sob. With that said, that looks fun!

Fixed that one for you.

I do theater rigging and occasionally climb at a outdoor venue. As one of the ants below I've gotta say thanks to all those that do rigging, not once have I seen anything but burlap fall.
I'll be working under a rigging crew tomorrow morning setting up TSO in Hershey PA , I'm sure the folks up high who've worked TSO know what a pain it is to have that many points set so quickly with 90 guys down below just waiting to hook on to those motors.
And yes I'm part Mohawk and being up that high never gets old for me. Thing few understand is those guys rigging will be there at 6am and work only to turn around and be right back up there at 11pm to lower those same motor chains back down until 1am