All lighting and audio people know about the hilarious rivalry we have between us, but this just sucks so much that people need to know about it.  Glenn Hatch’s tour truck, loaded with audio, was stolen in Placentia, CA.  Obviously, if you have seen it, please contact him.

Good luck, Glenn.

AUDIO WEST owner Glenn Hatch reported this morning that his 26′ FREIGHTLINER white tour truck with a gray cab, license plate no. GU91747 was stolen from his parking lot in Placentia, California on Saturday 12/13, 2008.

Contents of this Audio West truck, contained the items below:
Midas XL8
Yamaha PM1D
6 channels of 3K/5K receivers
8 SKM5000 with KK105 capsules
20 KM184/185
Multiple d+b audioteknik speaker enclosures
Multiple ATA cases - black, filled with equipment

Please broadcast this information so that we can help one of our best friends in this industry. You may contact Glenn Hatch if you hear/see anything.
Glenn Hatch
Audio West
Owner/Engineer
670 S. Jefferson Street, Unit G
Placentia, CA 92870-6638
USA
glenhatch@aol.com
Office phone: 714.528.2285
Office fax: 714.528.9070
Cell phone: 714.920.7520
Pager: SKYPE: in-sanity42

The crew for the band Feeder escaped death a few weeks ago when their tourbus caught on fire traveling between cities in the UK.  From the article on the Feeder website:

The crew of Feeder’s current UK tour escaped unharmed this weekend when their bus caught fire on the M62 while travelling between Glasgow and Lincoln. The band who had played a sold out show at Glasgow Barrowlands the previous evening were travelling in a separate vehicle.

At 5:30am on Saturday 25th October the driver of the crew bus saw flames and smoke coming from the back of the tour bus. The driver immediately pulled onto the hard shoulder and woke the 13 sleeping crew members to evacuate them.

Minutes after everyone was safely away from the vehicle, the fire took hold and the bus was completely destroyed. As well as tour equipment and merchandise, the 13 men and women on board lost their personal belongings. JD Sports in Lincoln kindly dressed the crew the following day!

This Madonna thing has got me thinking about the older truss collapses that have happened in the past - even though nothing really bad has been confirmed yet with the Madonna thing.  For those of you who read this blog and do not come in contact with regular amounts of lighting and rigging gear, the pictures below are what happens sometimes when rigging gear fails while loaded down with lighting gear…

In 2003 in Atlantic City, NJ at the Boardwalk Hall, the Justin Timberlake/Christina Aguilera show that was close to soundcheck underwent a major catastrophic failure of the venue’s supertruss.  The show’s systems, which were rigged to that truss, rode it down to the ground and smashed nearly every bit of the show’s gear.  A few people were hurt, but only minor injuries were sustained (from what I understand), but the show’s gear was a major failure.

Here’s some shots of the disaster.  Next time you’re at a show, remember that the people who’ve rigged this stuff above you are professionals, and be glad that they are.