Construction is a performance based endeavor. On my daily walk to work, I can see the built environment changing. I walk through Gowanus, Brooklyn, a rapidly developing neighborhood on my route and encounter the dance of cranes, cement trucks, and construction crew-turned-traffic controllers collectively facilitating a massive undertaking.

Construction is the act of building something from almost nothing, and construction requires the coordination and integration of many moving parts. Not all construction is new construction. Many projects renovate or modify existing buildings, but those changes are the action, the performance. Before you arrive at the construction site, many details have to be ironed out: construction drawings, government filing approvals, consultant coordination, funding, contractor agreements, and so on. Construction is predicated on months or years of preparatory work.

Construction demonstrates the specialized skilled labor of many different professionals. Depending on the project, material specifications, and structural systems, you might have masons, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, welders, and timber framers all working on a project. The general contractor typically coordinates the work of these specialists so the construction phase runs smoothly and efficiently.

Much like construction, a live show is also a performance based endeavor. Planning a live show requires months of preparatory work. Work that includes band practice, show booking, marketing, stage set and lighting design, preparing a setlist, designing and ordering merch, and so on. Live shows also demonstrate the specialized skilled labor of many professionals such as performers, sound engineers, lighting designers, set designers, show bookers, tour managers, and road crew. A tour manager or band leader might coordinate much of the work of these specialists so a concert can run smoothly and efficiently.

As an audience member or building user, it is hard to comprehend and appreciate all the work that goes into a concert or building. Even as a musician and architect, I often take for granted the years of training a skilled laborer brings to a project. Constructing a building or planning a live show is no small feat. They are complex and often riddled with human error or adverse environmental factors.

I recently saw Spirit of the Beehive at the venue Warsaw in Brooklyn. The show was originally slated for November 2024, but in October their van, trailer, and all of their gear was stolen. It was devastating news to hear. Thankfully their fans rallied behind them—raising enough money for them to get back on their feet. They had to reschedule much of their tour and grieve the loss of their gear. Unfortunately this happens to many bands on tour. There are always unplanned hiccups and roadblocks when it comes to construction and live shows.

Bands aren’t operating with the same capital as buildings. While robbery happens at construction sites, and it causes headaches for architects, general contractors, and owners, it is easier to recover from. Touring bands like Spirit of the Beehive may have support from their record label, insurance, and fans, but this support can’t replace sentimental instruments, time, the energy it took to plan and execute the tour in the first place.

Their recent show at Warsaw was a resounding success. With the added context of knowing what they had to go through to make it happen—just made it all the more impressive. The show was technically complex, dynamic, and genre bending. If you aren’t aware of their music, I recommend giving them a listen. I’ll share my favorite song from their new album below.

Each construction site and music venue present unique conditions to consider. The Roundhouse from Issue #21 has a centrally planned, circular stage with circumambulating seating. If you had a tour planned with a specific projected backdrop it wouldn’t really work there. You’d have to adapt your show to fit the unique site conditions at play. There are so many site specific considerations to drone on about with architecture, but I will spare you all this time.

A recent article by The New Yorker, “The Leaning Tower of New York”, details the realities of high-end construction gone awry. Even the most assured architects and financially secured development projects can fall apart. It seems we are all subject to the whims of an audience. The ultra-wealthy real-estate broker and the roadie all answer to someone. As I toil over affordable housing layouts for my firm’s City of Yes projects, I feel responsible for making housing better for everyone. I want the construction industry to perform better for its laborers and for its inhabitants. I want music venues to be accessible and safe for audiences and performers. It is not too much to ask.

How does performance show up in your life?

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