Scott Hayward Reflects On How the Tupelo Music Hall Volunteer Network Began
I was at our show the other day watching our volunteers helping patrons and thought I’d share a little insight on exactly how this network of people started in the first place. I’d like to take credit for it but, honestly, it was the volunteers themselves who basically set this network up. Like many things in my life, it was completely by accident.
As you may know, Tupelo Music Hall opened in Londonderry in 2004. I didn’t have any employees. On show days, I would leave work early so that I could get to the venue and set up the stage before the band or artist arrived. These were simpler days. The bands were smaller. Most brought all of their own gear. Often times, the show was with a solo acoustic artist. I learned to run the sound console. Our simple lighting system consisted of 6 stationary lights on the back wall of the small stage. Being the lighting director (LD) for a show simply meant I had to choose what colors to make each of the lights. It was a fairly static situation. Set it and forget it.
After loading in the artist and getting sound-check done, I would set up and clean the room. On a good day, this took 45 minutes. It was a small room. Tables were kept in a tent outside. I had to wipe off the cobwebs that would inevitable gather underneath because of the fact that they were essentially kept outside. While this was all happening, people would knock on the door and I would field their questions and sell them tickets in between everything else going on. The days went by very fast because I was so busy doing everything.
Once doors opened, I would sell tickets and check folks off the “will call” list from the sound console. As we got closer to show time, this task would conflict with my other duties, such as making announcements, giving the bands a 5 minute start warning, and introducing the band. I’d regularly stop folks at the door, run to the stage, and then come back to check them in.
After the show ended, I’d escort folks out, break down the sound system, load the bands out, and clean the room. This was truly a labor of love and, looking back, I think there was a fair amount of insanity involved as well.
One day, a patron came in to purchase tickets while I was doing sound check. They came back later and said something about me checking them in while running the sound console. After the show, they stayed after others left and asked me “where is everyone?” while I was cleaning up the room myself. I told them that I was every ONE. They laughed and started picking up trash with their spouse, helping me get home earlier.
I was very grateful for their help and we started chatting. Next thing I know, they are attending more shows and staying after every show to help out. I was always happy to see them because they were always willing to assist when I was swamped. And I was always swamped.
Other patrons saw what was going on and some would stay after shows to help. Then they asked what they could do to help before shows as well. Before I knew it, we had a network of volunteers helping to park cars, set up chairs, clean up the room, manage the will call list, and sell merchandise. The beauty of this was that every single one of them was a music fan that wanted to make sure the venue was successful (and that I didn’t have a stroke).
20 years later, we still have a group of volunteers who are critical to the success of the venue. Without them, I probably would have burnt out after a few years of doing everything myself. I’m thankful every time one of them walks through the doors to help us with the show!