The Day Of Dirshu | A Freilach Documentary

the day started when told me that the big part of the staff of the venue cancelled and they didn't have the stage set up we're here from early morning um we're waiting for the stage to be ready as of now we're only 5 hours behind schedule on the stage shouldn't be that bad 5:00 a.m. 6: a.m. nobody was asking me even 7: a.m. nobody was that alerted me too that was like two things could be happening either things are horribly wrong and I'm like at the bottom of the list or the event is not happening so dealing an event in a stadium is not a typical event like any other venue any venue as Stadium or any of these type of venues every single piece of the production staging lighting LED walls have to get done through the union employees for the stadium in other words you're zero under control of that we had a schedule we knew what needs to get done we knew all the pieces what they have to put together the stage layout and everything and we gave them a schedule and they approved it basically big part of the staff of the venue cancelled the night of cancel their shift and that means that we can set up and we can rehearse the stage is supposed to be ready at 6:00 a.m. but doesn't look like it's going to be ready anytime soon and we have to go through a lot of of new material cuz we wrote special medley like shabas medle kab shabas medle and there's a lot of moving parts that are coming together and there's no stage this year when they do an event they do it the right way they get they they check all the boxes speeches are on point the music is on point the sound is on point everything is done the right way for everyone that's coming to a dis event a dis seeum everyone can connect everyone can get something out of it my first reaction when I got the message from a is like why I even coming to rehearsal there's going to be nothing to do all day we're going to hang out we're going to wait for the stage to be ready no playing I'm going to be there for 12 hours for the day and there's no reason for it so AI being the AI he is he always has extra equipment backup plans so he came up with the idea to set up in the side room where the musicians like put their stuff and hang out we set up a full-fledged rehearsal which fre Productions that worked highly with the arena to get us that room so we were able to have that makeshift setup so we're about to start rehearsal as you can see um the stage is not ready so we're going to start rehearsing here see it's a little bit hectic all the musicians all over the place um singers are here and uh just going to get started and try to make things happen that's it [Music] [Applause] this is a rehearsal that's happening That was supposed to happen on the stage but it's not happening but it's is happening here as you can see it's a little very messy and very loud but this is this is what we got this is the best I like my live stream man comfortable coffee a chance that might sound chide sound good sounds good but stage one o00 we started rehearsal after the full makeshift setup in the side room [Music] and they're telling us I think 3:30 4:00 we're going to get the stage so we're going to switch over there and talk everyone and do a proper sound check and go through the rest of the material 2:30 2:45 we're like deep into it and like no are we like moving over nothing happening to Stage is not happening you know when you come with the schedule you have a plan you always have a plan B so other words when you have a plan a is that's the plan if it doesn't work out you have plan B when it comes to Union there's no plan B you can't have a plan C you can have any plan you want you have to rely and wait for them to finish it so it's not like you can just stand in the back okay okay well you know what I'll get more guys I'll finish it it is nothing to do you sit watch you can't touch anything just wait till they get it done so it was very challenged actually the whole day because we had no idea when I work with a vendor most vendors I I understand when I tell them it's going to take 2 hours 3 hours 4 hours 6 hours I know them I know how they operate I know how they work but it comes to the union when they promise you something and on Unfortunately they wasn't able to deliver it on time it was extremely stressful although 80% of the stage was ready the 20% that was left undone was the band stage where the band was supposed to be and that took the longest we kept on going like 3:45 4:00 like we need like the last at least hour like think about it there's probably like more than a 100 cables and mics being plugged in maybe much more I didn't even know the numbers but every single line has to be checked every C member every minor every mic every instrument every part of the drum set has a separate mic and they all have to be checked and working and sound good actually around two 33 after an hour and a half 2 hours of rehearsing we had an incredible lunch break with all kinds of other feed men in the steam provided and there's it's always it makes it it makes it so much easier when you know that the that you don't have to worry about food and accommodations all the little things parking passes rooms when you when you're working with other Freedman we just finished an hour and a half re we're going to continue after everyone eats for quick [Music] break that break I went back into the arena to see what's up and to my shock really to my shock we were still at at the the stage was I would say we were 80% done at 7:00 a.m. I would say we were 8 85% done at 300 p.m. it doesn't make sense like everybody's chilling what's the story with this uh with the Union I think the mistake was that 6:00 New York time I think we're talking La time then we're okay right away I called um Ellie from Ellie Ste and we I said this this makes no sense the show was in 3 hours and were far from ready we need to delay the doors cuz nothing nothing is plugged in nothing is set up the stage is not even being built Less Than 3 hours before doors open and nothing is we're we're so far behind so we were seriously considering the main doors and Ellie said Ellie fredman said absolutely there's no such thing we cannot delay doors the delaying doors is not only an issue of people waiting outside that's one issue people standing outside they want to come in the second issue was that we had a schedule a time schedule from walking in till finish on time we have every minute was a schedule that song that speech that song that speech that song If You delay the doors within a half hour that means you have to cut from the program half an hour because he can't finish half hour later it's a lot of things together for example the buses have a certain amount of timing when they allowed to be on the road they left 2:00 in the afternoon they had to be done by they have to leave the stadium 11:30 they can't leave 12:00 so that's all a puzzle and if you can't if if you delay over half an hour you delay everything within half an hour that's complicated I asked shulam if we have 3 hours I sent them a text how long do you need if we have three two and a half hours I should be okay will will be okay it'll be tight but it'll be okay so of course I went back to [Music] Soul we finished rehearsing around 4:30ish and I went into the arena to see what's up it just started setting up so Daniel wh really BW Goldman we were all we were all hands on deck at that point I was slapping up band St helping the chairs getting stuff done as we were sting up Van STS they were still building the stairs I had to jump down 4 ft almost to get down to get stuff back up cuz they were still building the stairs and quite honestly like I had no idea how how how we're going to be ready in less than an hour Ellie feed called me and he's like what's up where are we said I was lost I was really lost cuz I didn't know I didn't I didn't have a real answer he was like are we good or can we open doors are we good to go I'm like I don't know we just got to Stage just like I know I know bottom line can we open doors I said we're still plugging in keywords like little sound so the story is the stage got ready very late but we're making it [Music] happen the key player in this thing today is shulam man12 it's 10 to 6 we just got noticed that we can be on the stage instead of 1:30 but everything is going to work check it out watch us in s the room the engineer usually sits a few hours the ringard the room to see how things are you know there's Echoes there's Reverb there's natural acoustic challenges that comes with an arena like that now to put things in perspective this is a stadium so the sound guy controlling and mixing the sound FS where the audience is sitting which is like probably hundreds of feet away from where we are communicating back and forth of communication and there's also a stage engineer which makes everyone on stage feel comfortable Ellie glasman so he took the time to make sure that the Qui members can hear themselves from their floor monitors every musician has like a little personal mixer where they can hear themselves and then there's a part where I have to talk to the front of the house which is like the producer of the event is going to tell me okay s start this song in 2 minutes after the speech we're going to go right in let's give this next one I have to talk to him he has to talk to me and on a separate mic I'm talking to the band and leading them it took a second to get everyone up to get everyone on everyone bring their instruments choir's like I need the man here um saxophone guys hey this is not working hey I need a plug for my iPad iPad is dying um it until we turn around people were flowing in doors open people are actually walking in we can't do a soundtrack we can't sing a song with all the singers like at the beginning of the 6:15 came when on this program we were supposed to play played in the first song we played that was our test it was very scary to start the first song like to count the band in and say like we're ready and to actually play not knowing that everything is 100% dialed in and coming through well and nicely um it was a scary moment but I think besides for that from after the first bar of the first song when I was able to breathe a side of relief until the very last day Dan set it went out smooth without a hitch it was just a Flawless like on a like a miraculous level as the show was going on as we were playing it was incredible it was the big it was the the biggest high cuz things were working the crowd was into it it was beautiful um everything was was working out the challenges what we had that day not much more to to add but all I can tell you one thing is the way how F handled it I was really impressed I mean it was their stage they had to go up and we were all sitting on the side and waiting and B FR nailed it R and his team shul was amazing what was going around there once the event was on we had a real good experience um we had time to do all the songs we prepared which is not always the case because some of the speeches go on forever and they cut FL that was a fun part it was a very smooth Flawless like it should be in with such such a type of event it was really a event that went through beautifully and I'm very thankful and grateful to have been part of it and the way it went down was really amazing [Music] amen [Applause] [Music]