Wearing my Steel Blues on tour
Bob van Lieshout: guitar technician with The Dirty Daddies
The first chords are struck, the beats accelerate, and the crowd goes wild: that goosebumps moment when Bob stops and stands for a minute, proud of his work.
The work behind the scenes is done invisibly; on stage are men in white stealing the show, behind the scenes are the men in black at work.
Including black Southern Cross Zip safety shoes.
Bob and the other crew members of The Dirty Daddies are backstage. They make sure that the show will go on, every night of their tour.
Bob has been with The Dirty Daddies for over 4 years as a guitar technician. His great love for guitars and everything related to it eventually became his job. He does what he loves most for a living, if that’s not the most awesome thing to have!
The band has quickly become a national phenomenon. They tour the country, perform in front of sold-out music halls and at major festivals. About 100 shows a year now, and the crew takes care of all the hard work before and after each one.
"I feel like a kid in a candy store when I'm surrounded by all the gear, guitars, and amps"
To see the band and the team develop into what it is today is impressive, says Bob. “I often feel like a kid in a candy store when I’m surrounded by all the gear, guitars, amps and everything. Enjoying making every show the next best one again!”
On a typical tour day Bob is on his feet for at least 10 hours straight and that’s when high quality safety shoes make all the difference – to keep going full steam before, during and after the show. “Working while knowing you’re well protected is very nice. We work with a lot of heavy crates, and you don’t want to think about such a crate bouncing on your toes.”
The days are long, but to this day Bob is far from tired of touring life. “As long as the atmosphere in the team is so good and we can still get on with each other and continue to grow, I’m right where I want to be!”
With The Dirty Daddies they did a gig on King’s Day in Maastricht and stood in the burning sun in front of a packed square: “The king had just left and the atmosphere was fantastic. These kinds of special shows of course make work super exciting!”
Follow The Dirty Daddies on social media: @TheDirtyDaddies
