touring

[ianSB]

i cant think of anything better than playing every night
whether its a full room or empty
although ive never been on tour i am having a massive urge to get out there

[mrhectic]

When you get round to it, make sure you have somewhere to stay each night. We winged it and had to sleep in the van for a couple times. There wasnt enough space and we all had to try and sleep in the fetal position! lol

[thisnameistaken]

It's great fun with the right people, assuming you don't mind sleeping in a freezing cold van with someone's smelly feet in your face for a month.

[Doddy]

As glamourous as it sounds,touring is bloody hard work. As has already been mentioned sleeping in a van,on top
of gear,is not ideal but it happens. Living on fast food,Ginsters pasties and motorway coffee is far from healthy but
often a necessity. You may be best mates with the guys in the band,but living in each others pockets for however
long can cause some big tensions,especially when you are driving for six or seven hours a day.

I love it.

[3V17C]

did four nights in a row in june which is kinda a mini tour! - was good - not done it in a long while and looking forward to doing it again in October for a slightly longer stint. 4 men in 1 travelodge room is not pretty but it beats sleeping in the vehicle and its all paid for along with food. Really nice not to have to drive myself to the gigs too!



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[thisnameistaken]

We used to tour all summer pretty much, did three years of that. Never had a physical fight between band members but came close a few times and worked our way through half a dozen tenor sax players (they seem to be the most highly strung). Fortunately there were ten of us in the band and we took 2 vans, so it was easy to seperate people who were rubbing eachother up the wrong way.

We managed to crash a couple of rental vans too, one we rolled with six musicians, six bottles of beer and two pizzas in the back. Miraculously nobody was hurt but the interior looked pretty funny, and the van was a write-off.

[Cat Burrito]

You can easily ruin it by getting drunk the first night. Hangovers are much easier when you haven't spent the night with a guitarist suffering from Kebab arse! In theory I don't like sleeping on sofas and inflatable beds in kitchens but I always seem to be the one who is most up for it. Sometimes a travelodge can ease the pain but certainly at my level it really eats into your profits. We were breaking even in Manchester but got to Sheffield and made a pathetic £27 on the door which took the shine off a great lng weekend. We've just cancelled Ireland because it was going to be too expensive. You have to pick the dates carefully. I enjoy it more now than I did originally when I was 20.

[gafbass02]

I did a small amount in '05 and we did it the stupid way. We went home every night! No matter where we were!! Yup. Glasgow and back to Leicester in a day, London and back in a day. Manchester and back, Bristol and back etc etc you get the picture!! Sometimes I'd get in at like five AM and by ten or eleven there'd be the big van outside again ready to go. The really nuts thing I'd also get up in time to play through the set before I left, especially if I'd made any errors. Yes the venues were very big so the pressure was on, but still. !
Luckily the gear was taken from venue to venue overnight for us in a big truck by the crew which helped enormously, just turn up and, oh look there's my amp onstage waiting for me, nice.

[JTUK]

Never had the van horror stories ..

All costs are taken by the promoter.. getting out there, gig fee, accomodation, meals, gear hire, flights..if you fly...etc.etc
If you are lucky and avoid spending too much time in the Red light districts...as all hotels seem to be in or near one and EVERY continental town has one..then you should be capable of bringing most of the money home.
Anything longer than 3 weeks is all travel and does or can get to you after a while and can be a gutty as the next job.

If they look after you..to varying degrees ..and that depends how much the artist/band is valued or worth, then it can be great..
Too old for it otherwise...

[chris_b]

Touring is boring. That's it, end of story.

The hanging about is tedious, mind numbingly dull and frustrating. An ability to switch your brain off, a good book and a sense of humour is required, but won't stop you going mad.

Make sure everyone washes!

You must be organised and playing music that makes it worthwhile. Get that right and there's nothing better.

[Toddy]

[quote name='chris_b' post='931760' date='Aug 21 2010, 10:24 AM']Touring is boring. That's it, end of story.

The hanging about is tedious, mind numbingly dull and frustrating. An ability to switch your brain off, a good book and a sense of humour is required, but won't stop you going mad.

Make sure everyone washes!

You must be organised and playing music that makes it worthwhile. Get that right and there's nothing better.[/quote]


Wise words indeed......

[Linus27]

I love it and appreciate it for what it was. I hate bands that slag off touring saying its hard work and really boring. If you don't like it then go back to your day job as not everyone gets the chance to be in a band and tour. It does take some planning though but we always had a selection of videos, books, magazines plus Ipods, games machines, cards etc. On days off we used to always try and fit it some kind of trip like Loch Ness, the beach, shopping, castles etc. Take a camera also for all the memories.

[chris_b]

[quote name='Linus27' post='931775' date='Aug 21 2010, 11:37 AM']....Take a camera also for all the memories....[/quote]
Like the mooning in inappropriate places, the women and when you shaved the roadies eyebrows off when he passed out.

[Linus27]

[quote name='chris_b' post='931780' date='Aug 21 2010, 11:41 AM']Like the mooning in inappropriate places, the women and when you shaved the roadies eyebrows off when he passed out.[/quote]

HAHA oh yes and much worse. Our singer and guitarist had a habit of taking their clothes off. Quite a few inappropriate photos of people asleep on the tour bus with body parts on their shoulders or and around the head. I'm amazed they never got arrested in France on one occasion.

Oh and if someone is driving, its always a good laugh to post porno pictures on the back of their car or a sign saying I shag Horses, Honk if you think I'm odd especially if its a 3 hour motorway drive from Manchester to London. The whole journey they are confused at why they are getting lots of attention from other drivers

You see, touring can be fun with the right people, just expect to get hit at some point. We had to do a showcase gig in the centre of Dundee. Live vocals and miming everything else. Our roadies set up all our gear upside down, back to front and just totally wrong. Strings very loose, drums back to front and bits made of cardboard. Oh and I think rolling pins for drum sticks. Plus interesting signs all over the amps :)

[Doddy]

[quote name='Linus27' post='931775' date='Aug 21 2010, 11:37 AM']I love it and appreciate it for what it was. I hate bands that slag off touring saying its hard work and really boring.[/quote]

I love it,but let's be honest it's not easy-especially if you are doing a self financed tour,with little money involved. By tour,I don't mean three or four days
on the trot-I mean weeks.
If you've got a decent gig it is certainly easier,although you may end up travelling on your own which can be very tiring. It's not for everone.
People see the couple of hours on stage and hear the stories,but don't know(or want to know) about the other 22 hours a day-Alot of bands
have split after doing badly run tours.

I've grown up around touring-spending time in hotels and dingy caravans on theatre car parks,driving for ten hours a day and getting home in
daylight-and I'm doing it myself now,so I have a pretty good idea how it works........And I wouldn't have it any other way.

[SteveK]

[quote]Touring is boring. That's it, end of story.[/quote]
Ever thought that, maybe, you're in the wrong business?

...or, the wrong band?

[Linus27]

[quote name='Doddy' post='931845' date='Aug 21 2010, 12:51 PM']I love it,but let's be honest it's not easy-especially if you are doing a self financed tour,with little money involved. By tour,I don't mean three or four days
on the trot-I mean weeks.
If you've got a decent gig it is certainly easier,although you may end up travelling on your own which can be very tiring. It's not for everone.
People see the couple of hours on stage and hear the stories,but don't know(or want to know) about the other 22 hours a day-Alot of bands
have split after doing badly run tours.

I've grown up around touring-spending time in hotels and dingy caravans on theatre car parks,driving for ten hours a day and getting home in
daylight-and I'm doing it myself now,so I have a pretty good idea how it works........And I wouldn't have it any other way.[/quote]

It certainly has to be organised well. Our tour manager had the great idea of a bunch of gigs in Scotland, then a gig in London the next day and then down to Southampton and then all the way back to Scotland for some more gigs. Still, Father Ted videos kept up amused for most of the journeys

I think its important to have a very strong unit where band members and crews have a good understanding of each persons personality as well as understanding your own personality and moods. If your feeling stressed, tired, fragile, no point putting yourself in a position where the other members can get on your nerves and likewise, they should be able to read the signs when you need your own space.

[chris_b]

[quote name='SteveK' post='931900' date='Aug 21 2010, 01:54 PM']....Ever thought that, maybe, you're in the wrong business?...or, the wrong band?....[/quote]
I think the rest of my post answers that question.

Charlie Watts' comment to David Hepworth sums it all up: 25 years of the Rolling Stones, 5 years playing and 20 years hanging around.

[Linus27]

[quote name='chris_b' post='931991' date='Aug 21 2010, 04:27 PM']I think the rest of my post answers that question.

Charlie Watts' comment to David Hepworth sums it all up: 25 years of the Rolling Stones, 5 years playing and 20 years hanging around.[/quote]

HAHA great comment

[TRadford]

Its really hard work, I havent toured as a musician, but did a 2 week tour around Europe as a set builder for a metal band.

We had two big nightliner coaches with 12 beds in each, fridge, coffe machine, sofas. Thing is, I was never able to use any of it as I was working from 11am to 3 am then sleeping and doing it all again the next day.

Being with the same people for 2 weeks wasnt to bad, although tempers were frayed sometimes. Incredibly long days, sh*t food for the most part provided by the venues, although Budapest was amazing. They put on a full size feast and it was all delicious. Most other places were just some form of slop or nuggets of random meat.

I didnt have time to drink, so I never suffered from hangover, but exhaustion was there in spades.
I had a great time and would do it again in a heartbeat, but I'd be more prepared.

[thisnameistaken]

[quote name='Doddy' post='931845' date='Aug 21 2010, 12:51 PM']I love it,but let's be honest it's not easy-especially if you are doing a self financed tour,with little money involved. By tour,I don't mean three or four days
on the trot-I mean weeks.[/quote]

So long as you know how it's all getting paid for it's not a problem. If you're relying on money turning up as you go though, that's a stress and it will never work out how you planned. Finance the thing first, otherwise it is guaranteed to be a miserable trip.

[bluesparky]

I love it, it's how i pay the rent!
However, i do wish i was playing though.

[flyfisher]

[quote name='chris_b' post='931991' date='Aug 21 2010, 04:27 PM']Charlie Watts' comment to David Hepworth sums it all up: 25 years of the Rolling Stones, 5 years playing and 20 years hanging around.[/quote]
Yes, but didn't Charlie just regard the Stones as his 'day job' that paid for his 'big band' passion?

Not a bad life is it?

[Linus27]

oh, we also had fake names when we booked into hotels and B&B's etc. We used the following names,

Colin Quartercheese (Reference to Knob Cheese)
Ginger Burns (My sideburns are ginger)
Quentin Carruthers (Can't remember, porn name I think)
Stewart Farquare (From the Carry On Abroad film and sounds like Stupid f***er when said fast)

[risingson]

Touring is a good laugh, although you need to be prepared for hanging around a lot of the time which can be such a pain. I love seeing new places on the continent though, that's what's great about it... being places you're unlikely to have seen had you not embarked on a tour in the first place.