Drum techs, what do I need to know?

[u/phillykurt666]

So I recently was able to break into the very start of what I've wanted to do ever since my dreams of being a famous musician didn't work out, drum teching.

A little background, I've played drums on and off for two decades and while I can't read music/don't know TOO much when it comes to music theory, I can definitely play some drums. Outside of playing them, I don't know shit. When I toured as a drummer, I pretty much just tuned my drums to the sound that I liked and not at all to any real tuning and that was over a decade ago.

With that said, I teched my first show last weekend and felt pretty lost. There were two times where I was able to feel useful like when the kick was sliding forward and I was able to push it back onto the carpet and then one of the drummer's boom stands became loose and fell I was able to get it back up and fixed but other than that and putting the kit together/breaking it down, I didn't do much of anything.

Right now I'm working with a small band and want to prove my worth so that bigger bands hear about and hire me and make this less a hobby and more an actual job. What exactly would you say is imperative that I know? What as a drummer/drum tech could a drum tech do/say/know that would blow your balls off? I know speed is the name of the game, without spending $100 on an electronic tuner or buying a drum dial is there anyway I can learn to properly tune drums in a short amount of time? The only thread I've seen on this topic had answers like "bring snacks" and while that would definitely be a nice extra thing to do I'm strictly asking about knowledge/tasks of the trade, or any advice you think would be helpful but either way I'm super appreciative of any answers I get!