# Why is it called dimmer beach?



## derekleffew (Apr 10, 2012)

_Someone_ has been playing, probably innocently, with our wiki. The question above was asked to the dimmer beach entry and was apparently subsequently deleted. In response, 

> Called Dimmer "Beach" because that's where the "breakers" are.


was added to the definition. I know it wasn't me, as I'm not that clever. 

Has anyone else heard this explanation as to the origin of the term?


----------



## Pie4Weebl (Apr 10, 2012)

All I know is, Having dimmer beach on a beach is no fun....


----------



## skienblack (Apr 10, 2012)

I would imagine it has to do with the sea of cables and heat associated to hundreds of dimmers in a semi enclosed space.


----------



## chausman (Apr 10, 2012)

I thought it was because the techs were know to lounge around as if on a beach...


----------



## EBB (Apr 10, 2012)

I heard one of the WWE guys say it's because for some reason beers and drinks are always randomly placed on the dimmer racks by the celeb girlfriends. Often coolers will be near by. (though on that show, the cooler is under the ring. Winkwink to those on the load out)


----------



## derekleffew (Apr 10, 2012)

EBB said:


> I heard one of the WWE guys say ...


The one and only time I've worked the WWE, WWF, or whatever they called themselves, the dimmers were flown on an 8'x12' platform, 65' above the arena floor.


----------



## EBB (Apr 10, 2012)

ya. I heard stories back in the day. But they have changed since then. two sensor racks on the floor with three moving light/LED racks and two more for LED walls(If I remember right). So they have a decent bit of gear for dimmer beach.


----------



## shiben (Apr 10, 2012)

Because the "beach boys" in dimmer land sounds less bad than the "village people" over in video?

ok lame joke. 

Honestly, I think the response about the sea of cables ending there is probably the most accurate.


----------



## josh88 (Apr 10, 2012)

Don't let one of the snakes getcha!



Dimmer Beach by k_unit, on Flickr


----------



## bishopthomas (Apr 10, 2012)

Why did it have to be snakes? I HATE snakes!


----------



## josh88 (Apr 10, 2012)

According to PLSN: 


> "Only a dimmer tech could come up with a term of endearment that we know as “dimmer beach.” It conjures images of lounge chairs, exotic drinks, sand, surf and bikinis. In reality, dimmer beach is not for the faint of heart. It’s typically very loud, hot, and cable is strewn about like vines in the Amazon. And if anything goes wrong, it’s typically the first location to be yelled at through the comm system. The term clearly overstates the reality. "



another quote I've seen:

> _Dimmer beach_ occasionally served as a center to take a break, lean on something, and tell war-stories.


----------



## deadlygopher (Apr 11, 2012)

I always thought the term came from salt water dimmers.


----------



## TimMiller (Apr 11, 2012)

I was tol it's called dimmer beach due to back in the day when you had salt water dimmers you would end up with a salt and water mess when it came time for adjusting the salinity of the water so it was referred as dimmer beach. A master electrician told me this story, he has many story's of working on salt water dimmers and the hassles of traveling with them on the road.


----------



## derekleffew (Apr 11, 2012)

TimMiller said:


> ...A master electrician told me this story, he has many story's of working on salt water dimmers and the hassles of traveling with them on the road.


Tim, I suspect he's pulling your leg. To my knowledge, salt water dimmers were never toured. Resistance dimmers/piano boards date from the 1920s and would have been in every way a better option.

See also the wiki entry dimmer, brine . I suspect the myth of prevalent widespread use of salt water dimmers to be along the same lines as having a "noob" wash the gelatin color filters.


----------



## STEVETERRY (Apr 11, 2012)

TimMiller said:


> I was tol it's called dimmer beach due to back in the day when you had salt water dimmers you would end up with a salt and water mess when it came time for adjusting the salinity of the water so it was referred as dimmer beach. A master electrician told me this story, he has many story's of working on salt water dimmers and the hassles of traveling with them on the road.



I don't think so. To my knowledge, the earliest touring dimmers were resistance piano boards. I don't believe salt water dimmers were ever implemented in a portable configuration.

ST


----------



## Kelite (Apr 11, 2012)

And Dimmer Beach just sounds much more cool than Dimmer Land, Dimmer Alley, Dimmerville, Dimmer Place, Dimmeropolis, etc...


----------



## gafftapegreenia (Apr 11, 2012)

If there is Video Village then shouldn't it be more like Dimmer Dungeon? The consonance is far more fun and dungeon is more appropriate.


----------



## derekleffew (Apr 11, 2012)

gafftapegreenia said:


> ... The consonance is far more fun and ...


Don't you mean alliteration? 

For whatever reason(s), the industry has settled on dimmer beach, monitor world, and video village. Who are we to argue? Though lately I'm hearing less of "dimmer beach" and more of "stage right dimmers" or just "dimmers," even when all that's there is moving light power/data distribution.


----------



## JD (Apr 11, 2012)

josh88 said:


> Don't let one of the snakes getcha!
> 
> 
> 
> Dimmer Beach by k_unit, on Flickr



I remember one concert I couldn't locate my wife. Finally found her asleep in "Dimmer Beach" because, as she said, "It was warm."


----------



## gafftapegreenia (Apr 11, 2012)

derekleffew said:


> Don't you mean alliteration?
> 
> For whatever reason(s), the industry has settled on dimmer beach, monitor world, and video village. Who are we to argue? Though lately I'm hearing less of "dimmer beach" and more of "stage right dimmers" or just "dimmers," even when all that's there is moving light power/data distribution.



Yeah, I did. Just can't remember my 8th grade poetry lessons that well it seems 

Maybe its a dimmer beach because thats where the big heavy dimmers and their associated trunks are "beached". (Maybe, probably not)

And I have worked in at least two actual Dimmer Dungeons.


----------



## JD (Apr 11, 2012)

gafftapegreenia said:


> Yeah, I did. Just can't remember my 8th grade poetry lessons that well it seems
> 
> Maybe its a dimmer beach because thats where the big heavy dimmers and their associated trunks are "beached". (Maybe, probably not)
> 
> And I have worked in at least two actual Dimmer Dungeons.



The title makes sense. It's a large wasteland of cables that has to be due to the fact that you can't coil or wrap. Nothing else can go there so it's useless. Calling it "Dimmer Desert" would be a little harsh, but probably a better description. Since it is usually shaped more like a beach, I'll go with that. As it usually occurs under a section of staging, it tends to be nice and warm just like a beach too. I think the term maybe regional, but spread by touring crews. Can't say I've heard it a lot. We used to just call it Hell, as the cable cases (Hell Boxes, due to the weight.) were often parked nearby.


----------



## FatherMurphy (Apr 11, 2012)

I've always figured the term referred to 'shore power', ie: hooking up to a permanent building, instead of a portable generator.


----------

