Fall 2019 - the show started with the band behind screens. TSBE participants were in charge of the backlighting during the first song.

Being on stage, separated by a paper-thin screen and inches away from the adrenaline’s action amplifies the experience.

While in the Production hub, students help with various stagehand responsibilities. Here, participants remove oversized screens from the stage, revealing the band to the audience.

In the production hub, students are tasked with mission-critical work. Here, Mollie is building an emergency lighting rig for the show Minneapolis, MN.

Build a toilet paper blaster out of a leaf blower in less than four hours? No problem! Problem-solving and thinking on your feet is a cornerstone of Bus Edition.

Four completed toilet paper blasters constructed by students.

Hours after researching and constructing toilet paper blasters, they are used during the show. Seeing your contribution come to life on stage demonstrates how one can meaningfully contribute to the show.

No shower in three days, bad food, long drives, tired muscles. None of it matters - each night the show must go on. Triumph in the face of adversity.

During the show, participants are encouraged to view the show from all angles - merch, balcony, side-stage, and in the pit.

The payoff is the confidence, the realization that you did it, were too busy to be anxious and too awesome to fail. That’s what you carry with you when you leave.

Music is a collective experience. By show two of three everyone is a fan of the music, even if they had never heard of the artist when they boarded the bus.

In fall 2019, students waved oversized flags during Pigface’s song “Autohag.”

“Best moment of my life. Last Thanksgiving Greta Brinkman of Pigface let me play her bass on stage with them” - Sammy Daugherty (fall 2019 participant)

When the show’s over, work isn’t done. It’s all-hands-on-deck to load out post-show and move on to the next city.