The Road Rules - A Touring Primer

Happy Father's Day!

Aside from Tony (drummer for the TMen, bassist for Frankie) and myself, no one else in our traveling group has done a band tour. Of course, going on tour is quite a bit different than traveling with your family. It's really different. Really. We have had many discussions over the last few months about how to function as a unit, exchange rates, flights, etc., but the real experience happens within the van, especially after the novelty wears off. You give up a lot of freedom traveling with a large group, and it can be stressful to deal with.

There have been lots of articles written about touring, but this guy "Thor" described it the best in his article “How To Tour In A Band Or Whatever”. You may laugh or cringe, but that's the truth right there.

My list isn't nearly as exciting, but this is what I sent out a couple weeks ago to the NorCal crew:

1. PACK LIGHT! - For so many reasons: cramped tour van, weight fatigue. Figure out exactly what you will need for 1 weeks worth of wear. We will be able to do laundry on our Monday days off. Pack light! If you really need something that you didn't pack, you can get it there.
2. Wheels! There will be instances when we are walking long distances carrying everything we have, or waiting in long lines at the airport. Please use a suitcase with wheels to prevent back strains and fatigues. (See my 2009 PDM tour blog for the story about walking a mile in the rain in Stuttgard at 2AM looking for our hovel.)
3. Ambien. I don't like drugs but getting sleep on tour, especially in the first part when jet lag is an issue, is crucial! Also, bring sleep ear plugs and eye shades as we may be sharing a room with bunks.
4. Putting an iPod on in the tour van means you need a little quiet, private time. This is great! We'll leave you alone.
5. Don't bring stuff that needs to get ironed. Forget it.
6. It's OK if your stage clothes get stinky, you only need to wear them for an hour.
7. Bring a separate suit bag for stage clothes. It'll be a drag if you have to root through your luggage for your stage wear. I can't guarantee that we will be in our hotel before show time.
8. Not everybody has the knack for loading the tour van. Please don't be offended if it is pointed out that you might be one of those people.
9. Everybody schleps everything. That said, you are responsible to make sure that your stuff doesn't get left behind. Triple idiot checks!!!
10. As we all know, "A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have." Definitely take a towel. I have one of the camping towels made out of micro-filament that dries almost instantly, because you don't want to have to pack a wet towel. Also, keep an old gym towel with your gear to dry off after performing. That thing usually gets pretty scuzzy, so that's why I bring a different one for showering.

I'm always amazed when someone says, "I don't need to take a shower" or "I don't smell." Or when they think that any of the other rules don't apply to them. Well, we'll see what happens with this, generally civilized, crew after a few days. But, that's what will keep this blog interesting to read!

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