WHAT YOU DON'T SEE BEHIND THE PARTY
Setbacks & Comebacks
In nightlife and events, setbacks are part of everyday life. Whether they are minor annoyances or outright disasters, we constantly have to take the blows, find solutions and bounce back, sometimes before we have even had time to grasp what has just happened to us.
Yet people like to picture us surrounded by celebrities, drink in hand, moving from one party to the next with an almost outrageous lack of concern. But my work does not stop at a club's doors or when the sun comes up. Festivals, public events, urban parades: day or night, the responsibilities remain the same; only their scale changes.
Think it's easy? Think we spend all our time having fun? Then come along with me for a night or an event. You'll see, it's very entertaining… especially for everyone else!
1. The trouble starts before we even open
The international DJ has missed his flight. We have to find him another one, change the transfers and revise the schedule. Elsewhere, at an outdoor festival, an exhibitor discovers that their setup does not meet regulations, a supplier is late with a delivery and the weather threatens to disrupt the programme. The public has not even arrived, and there are already crises to resolve.
2. Things get hectic behind the scenes
An order for the bar has not arrived, a member of staff is ill, the sound system is acting up, an electrical problem crops up. At a festival like Fiesta Latina, with its 30,000 participants, every stall, every service provider and every team can have an emergency of their own. We have to make judgement calls, improvise, coordinate and find solutions, often in several places at once.
3. The doors open, and so do the bruised egos
The first customers arrive. Some are already drunk; others demand to be let in because they know someone who knows someone. Others still challenge the checks or try to get around the entry requirements. Refusing someone entry or removing an aggressive customer can trigger a lasting grudge. A decision made in seconds sometimes becomes a personal affront nursed for years, in the hope of getting even.
4. The walkie-talkie crackles, and the phone won't stop ringing
You're called to the door, the bar, the sound desk, the cloakroom, the toilets, sometimes everywhere at once. The phone is flooded with requests for invitations, guest-list places or VIP access. At a festival, it's the exhibitors, technical teams, security managers and partners who are demanding your attention. Everyone has an emergency; everyone expects an immediate answer. And all the while, the dance floor has to keep moving!
5. Excess and the art of avoiding responsibility
Alcohol, drugs, medication, sometimes mixed on an empty stomach, potentially compounded by psychological vulnerabilities. Some people come to forget a breakup, are going through a personal crisis, or get drawn in by the wrong crowd, a risky encounter or their own demons. But when excess has consequences, it sometimes becomes easier to blame yesterday's friend, a one-night acquaintance, tomorrow's ex or the venue rather than take responsibility for one's own choices. And that is how some people's decisions become other people's problems.
6. When the party takes a turn for the worse
Fights, assaults and injuries, attacks with broken bottles, alcohol-induced comas, epileptic seizures… Sometimes we also have to face the unthinkable, like the submachine-gun fire at Mirano. During a Roller Parade, a fall in a tunnel can bring in the medical team and leave us fearing the worst. Whether there are a few hundred participants or tens of thousands, we have to protect people, coordinate the emergency response and make decisions amid anguish the public knows nothing about.
7. When the public leaves, the work goes on
In a club, some people are asleep in armchairs, others in their own vomit, while the last few stagger down the street, waking the neighbours. At a festival, we have to organise the departure of thousands of people, manage the installations, the teams, the waste and the final incidents. The music stops, the lights come back on, but the responsibilities do not switch off.
8. Lost belongings, suspicions and gifts with a sting in the tail
A jacket that cannot be found, a misplaced cloakroom ticket, a missing mobile phone: staff or other participants are immediately suspected of theft. A few weeks later, the item turns up in a car boot. Apologies are much rarer. Then there are the invitations, free entry and complimentary drinks offered as part of a commercial strategy to build customer loyalty. These gestures sometimes come to be seen as entitlements and, if an incident occurs, can be turned against the venue. The ultimate irony, really: being criticised for something you simply offered to make someone happy!
9. The aftermath that never ends
Police complaints, accusations on social media, witness statements to collect, footage to check, administrative proceedings, disputes with customers, local residents or staff. A police raid, an official inspection at the busiest moment, an enforced closure or pressure from neighbours can put years of work in jeopardy. Some nights, some events, carry on like this for months, long after the last participant has left.
10. And if it's a success as well…
Success attracts covetousness, rivalry and jealousy, sometimes even among those close to us, our business partners or our competitors. Fake reviews, rumours, disparagement, friendships falling apart: those who applauded yesterday may become tomorrow's detractors. In these professions, success does not guarantee that you will make only friends.
Behind the Curtain
Ultimately, there is something of the circus about nightlife and events. While the public enjoys itself, those organising the show have to give the impression that everything is going perfectly. But behind the smile we put on, we sometimes endure hours of anguish, facing situations whose consequences can be devastating.
A shooting, a serious assault, someone the emergency services are trying to resuscitate, a large-scale police operation, a closure with no knowing whether it will be temporary or permanent… These are no longer mere professional annoyances. They are ordeals that can put lives at risk, destroy years of work and leave deep scars.
Added to all this are the pressures, threats, proceedings, conflicts and enmities. Because these professions, which bring us so many encounters and friendships, can also give rise to lasting resentment, sometimes simply because we made the decisions that had to be made.
And then we have to get back on our feet. Overcome the anguish, face the consequences, defend our business, our honour, the venue's reputation, our own and that of our staff. Reassure our teams, preserve the public's trust and sometimes rebuild what we thought was lost for good. With no certainty of succeeding, no idea how long it will take, or even whether we will still have the will to start again.
That is what setbacks and comebacks mean to me. Not getting through a few bad nights, but learning, over the years, to get back on my feet after ordeals that could have brought everything to an end.
And yet I keep going. Day and night, from a club to a festival, from a parade to a new event. Because this work is not just a profession: it is a way of living, committing myself, creating and making the most of life, despite everything it may have in store for us.
So, still feel like taking my place?
Because tomorrow, we will already have to prepare for the next night, the next festival or the next parade, with its share of surprises, frustrations and, who knows, new disasters to overcome.
And whatever happens: The show must go on.
