# Touring Advise



## dissident (Mar 22, 2008)

Over the summer if all goes to plan my band Naisian should be going on a tour. So from those of you that have been on tours before whats some good advise i will need in order to not die? lol.


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## WarriorOfMetal (Mar 22, 2008)

this is probably obvious, but the guy who booked ours (the 2004 tour with Recently Vacated Graves) apparently didn't think of it....be sure to get a reliable phone number for at least one person involved with each show...for example, whoever booked it, and/or the venue. this way, you can confirm that the show was correctly booked...we had one occasion where the show was never actually booked, and when we got to the venue, found out that the show couldn't even have been booked for that day anyway. then there was another one that was accidentally booked for the wrong day, so when we got there 2 days later...


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## Crucified (Mar 22, 2008)

figure out exactly how long you're going for, make sure you bring at least as much money as you're going to need to eat(loafs of bread are cheap and one big tub of peanut butter goes a long way). bring a sleeping bag, pillow. the phone number thing is important, if you're up for it, make a contract with a pay guarantee so you don't get fucked at your shows. figure out places to sleep in each city.


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## WarriorOfMetal (Mar 22, 2008)

be prepared to occasionally have to sleep in the van if you don't make lodging arrangements in advance...we always either stayed at the home of someone who was at the show, or at the venue...but ended up having to sleep in the van a few times. there was the one night though (actually the night of the never-booked show i mentioned before) where someone we asked for directions ended up paying for a motel room for us


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## kristallin (Mar 22, 2008)

Have a shower or a full-body wash whenever you can. Keep in mind that you're in close quarters with other people for a prolonged period of time, there will be some "incidents" - act like a responsible adult and conflict will be kept to a minimum.
Plan out your routes, figure out mileage between venues and estimate rough traveling times. Multiply the result by two and a half to compensate for traffic/construction/the Gods being crafty old bastards. STICK TO THIS TIMETABLE!

Other than that, as stated in the posts above, get contact phone numbers and make sleeping arrangements ahead of time. Bring your own bedding - a sleeping bag is practical and take sup little space, and a simple memory foam pillow is smaller than a regular pillow and comfy as hell. 

Food: Lots of fruit! Fruit is cheap, fills you up nicely, tastes awesome and doesn't fuck up your energy like that 10-pack of Babe Ruth bars... I drink lots of green tea with honey on tour, and longer trips in general because it tastes good, and I feel it doesn't screw up my energy levels as much as soda does.

Keep quarters aside for laundry, figure out laundry stops near your venues (the venues will frequently know good places) and plan for laundry stops. You travel a lot more comfortable with clean socks and undies.


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## eleven59 (Mar 22, 2008)

Here's a question I've had for a while: How the hell do you get time off work for a tour?  I assume you don't quit your job and find a new one after the tour. Do you all just have really cool employers?


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## kristallin (Mar 22, 2008)

eleven59 said:


> Here's a question I've had for a while: How the hell do you get time off work for a tour?  I assume you don't quit your job and find a new one after the tour. Do you all just have really cool employers?



Vacation time plus leave of absence. Once I quit to go on tour, but I hated that job anyway and didn't want to return to it, so the tour was a good excuse.


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## dissident (Mar 22, 2008)

Thanks for the advise guys keep it coming!




eleven59 said:


> Here's a question I've had for a while: How the hell do you get time off work for a tour?  I assume you don't quit your job and find a new one after the tour. Do you all just have really cool employers?



I'm a sound engineer and my boss is awesome


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## WarriorOfMetal (Mar 23, 2008)

i worked at a movie theater at the time, and they have a ridiculous employee turnaround...also i was a well-liked employee at the time and i made sure they knew of my plans as far in advance as possible...fortunately they were understanding enough to let me go off for 2 weeks. in fact, they even let me go away for school and come back to work without having to re-apply or anything, when i'd come home for breaks.


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## budda (Mar 23, 2008)

could this be stickied...?


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## Edroz (Mar 23, 2008)

when i was on the Gutting Europe '05 tour with Mortal Decay we had our van break down in the middle of a desert is Spain ... turns out the van our tour manager got wasn't from a reputable van rental place, but from a friend of his... long story short, we were shit out of luck in getting a replacement van in time to get to the next few shows. basically we had the option of shelling out our merch money to find another van in the middle of nowhere to hopefully make it to last string of shows to possibly recoup that money from merch sales, or just find the nearest airport and fly home... we chose the latter. 

so, get all the info you can about your transportation in advance! 

and, as others have said, be prepared to sleep in your van and not have a legitimate shower for days at a time .


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## kristallin (Mar 23, 2008)

Probably most important of all: MAKE SURE YOUR GEAR IS IN TIP-TOP SHAPE! Save some money on the side and plan of having to replace each piece of your rig. If you can, carry a spare for everything. Plan for the worst case scenario, and you should be fine.


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## Alien DNA (Mar 23, 2008)

This is some brilliant advice guys... keep it coming! The next 6 months i forsee my band hitting the road. 
Im a dad of 2 awesome kids and i know i will miss them terribly, any advice on this apart from the 10 phone calls a day i'll be doing to them?


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## F1Filter (Mar 23, 2008)

Reading this book nowadays is a must. 

Tour Smart - Martin Atkins


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## kristallin (Mar 23, 2008)

Alien DNA said:


> This is some brilliant advice guys... keep it coming! The next 6 months i forsee my band hitting the road.
> Im a dad of 2 awesome kids and i know i will miss them terribly, any advice on this apart from the 10 phone calls a day i'll be doing to them?



Bring your cellphone charger


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## Alien DNA (Mar 24, 2008)

kristallin said:


> Bring your cellphone charger



...and car cellphone charger too!!!!!


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## 7 Dying Trees (Mar 25, 2008)

Advice?

1- Try not to overdrink/overdrug whatever else as it wears you down

2- Go on stage clean, it helps, trust me.

3- Try to eat healthily, not always possible, but if you don't you'll feel it

4- be prepared to deal with injuries and illness and be able to play through them if possible, just to finish the tour

5- You're in an enclosed space, this means:
-> You WILL end up hating even the people you like at times
-> People will end up hating you
-> You will suddenly discover you get annoyed by other people very quickly

6- When above happens, try not to fight, insult, or go ballistic

7- Tips on getting some space:
-> Unless you have to be at the venue, try and see some of the surrounding area, have a walk, speak to people
-> Find food, toiletries, anything you're running low on
-> Go find a personal space, go read, masturbate, listen to music, whatever, just somewhere where you know you're away from other people's prying eyes

8- get a shower whenever you can

9- Learn to take dumps when you can, and in sometimes surroundings you'd rather not. Once the bus/van starts movingh there'll be NILL chance

10- Take care of your instruments, get hard cases, make sure everything is packed away before you start partying

11- Have minimum 2 instruments per tuning, preferably 3 if you are doing a 1h+ set. Reckon on one change per 30-45 mins

12- make sure guitars are acclimatised on stage for a while before you tune them

13- Set up quickly, break down quickly. be a pro, not a dipshit

14- Take plenty of stuff to alleviate boredom. Bring a playstation or a gaming console, reading, plenty of stuff to listen to, movies to watch, basically, stop yourself being totally bored.


I'll probably think of more...


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## 7 Dying Trees (Mar 25, 2008)

Oh, more:

- If you're going to a different country, buy a pay as you go / top up cellphone. It'll be cheaper than using your own, and you won't pay roaming,. Budget an amount to put on it every week.

- Have someone who is contactable, and has a reliable cellphone

- Take a list of usefull numbers, for when the cellphone battery dies and you need to ring someone (or cellphone gets stolen)


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## msherman (Mar 26, 2008)

Never tour with a Reggae Band....they smoke pot 24-7


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## T_money419 (Mar 26, 2008)

make sure if you get drinks from the place ur playing that it's free. I've never been on tour, but I have seen The Blues Brothers.


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## Edroz (Mar 26, 2008)

T_money419 said:


> make sure if you get drinks from the place ur playing that it's free. I've never been on tour, but I have seen The Blues Brothers.




good luck trying to get anything for free on a US tour ... Europe on the other hand


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## kristallin (Mar 26, 2008)

Edroz said:


> good luck trying to get anything for free on a US tour ... Europe on the other hand




We toured Europe with Molotov and Cat Rapes Dog in the late 90s, first thing them damned Scandinavians did was stuff their backpacks with the backstage booze - THEN they'd unload the truck!


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## Groff (Mar 26, 2008)

kristallin said:


> We toured Europe with Cat Rapes Dog



Wow... That sounds like an EMO band name gone horribly wrong. Boy hits car, Jimmy eat wold, Cat Rapes Dog...


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## kristallin (Mar 26, 2008)

TheMissing said:


> Wow... That sounds like an EMO band name gone horribly wrong. Boy hits car, Jimmy eat wold, Cat Rapes Dog...



Hehehehe, they're a synth-pop-meets-industrial band from Sweden.


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## dissident (Apr 4, 2008)

This is some good shit guys, thanks!


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## DevinShidaker (Apr 9, 2008)

Ok when I was on tour with Rose Funeral for 2 months I learned all kinds of shit. First and foremost, Make sure that if you have an agent booking shows for you, GET EVERYTHING CONTRACTED! I don't know how many times we would get to a show and the promoter wouldn't even show up or he would give us 30 bucks. If you bring money on tour, don't waste it on stupid crap, my first tour we were at the beach and we all got boogie boards...it was all fun and games untill I didn't have money to eat. Buy a small air mattress! If you're staying at houses, there will definitely be room for them, and your back will thank you when you're not sleeping on a hard floor every night. If you get in arguements with your band mates, just stop and think for a seconds, you're on tour having the time of your life, don't let small stuff ruin it for you! Bring a bat or something, at some point somebody will try and rip you off...I had my 6505+ stolen in Canada, and I got it back...I don't think I need to explain how haha. um lets see....GIRLS!!! as tempting as it might sound, don't hook up with random girls on tour, besides the risk of disease, I've seen way too many bands get horrible reputations because one member of a band decided he couldn't keep it in his pants...for instance liferuiner was dropped from their label because of a girl in florida and a terrible reputation from that. but mainly, HAVE FUN ON TOUR!!! and good luck, you're going to have a blast!

oh and I almost forgot! if you're playing an extended range instrument on tour, bring lots of strings! I ran out once and there wasn't a guitar center or sam ash anywhere close to us, and none of the smaller shops had 7 string sets or even decent strings, just random small companies that nobody has heard of, so we had to drive 2 hours out of the way for strings...not cool.


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## dissident (Apr 17, 2008)

cheers for the advise guys! The big tour we planned doesnt look like its going to happen but we are.currently in the process of booking 2 smaller ones, on in june and one in september. Each around 7 dates..Were going to try and do this in cars instead of a van, so that might be interesting. I have a golf estate which i can fit about 3 cabs and heads/guitars in and 1 other person. Our drummer has a corsa so that will be interesting. We will be sharing gear with other bands though.


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## John_Strychnine (Apr 18, 2008)

eleven59 said:


> Here's a question I've had for a while: How the hell do you get time off work for a tour?  I assume you don't quit your job and find a new one after the tour. Do you all just have really cool employers?



It's even harder when you and the drummer work on the same set of tables and share the same boss, that knows not alot about music.


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## Benzesp (Apr 18, 2008)

IF you can manage it try to only use 1 4x12. My old band we had 4 4x12's, ampeg 8x10, and 2x15, and 3 shockmount racks to lug around between us. It was totally retarded because we'd get to some random ass club to play and there was usually no room for it all. So scaling dowm for live shows, if you can is a good thing. 

Be prepaired for the worst PA situation, meaning none or just 1 vocal channel and a wedge. Just because they told your booking agent or manager they have great system doesnt mean it's tue.. It usually isn't.

Bring your own mic's if you can... There is nothing like seeing a 10 dollar mic pointed at your $900 dollar cab. Jesus...

Finally rawk the fuk out no matter what the situation is and own that shit.


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## kristallin (Apr 18, 2008)

John_Strychnine said:


> It's even harder when you and the drummer work on the same set of tables and share the same boss, that knows not alot about music.



Not only that, but you work the same job and the boss is expecting you to cover for the other while he's on vacation... our bass player got replaced by a sequencer for that tour!


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## dissident (Apr 18, 2008)

Lol! Yep i think go for it no matter what is a must and we take that atitude at every gig. Im going to try to borrow a 2x12 for this and our other guitarist has a 4x10 so space shouldnt be an issue.


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## Oogadee Boogadee (Apr 23, 2008)

I've never been on tour. but i know i'm a grumpy bitch when i don't get enough sleep, and i play like shit too.

so, when commuting, the majority of the band should be trying to sleep whenever possible... and those awake (the driver and a buddy to keep the driver awake) should respect that.

as soon as 1 person gets grumpy, and pissy interactions take place, a bad experience can snowball quickly. 

sleep and save the fun times for meals and the stage.

oh, and prepare to go into debt.


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## Oogadee Boogadee (Apr 23, 2008)

John_Strychnine said:


> It's even harder when you and the drummer work on the same set of tables and share the same boss, that knows not alot about music.



well, your boss does have a business to run... whether he knows about music or not.


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## turmoil (Apr 23, 2008)

lot's of great advice in this thread!!!
let me just say a few things about what i've learned from touring (the U.S.):

1) your band PROBABLY (i say probably because i don't know what band you're in) has never toured before and more than likely is unknown...i.e. contracts/high guarantees/riders don't usually work unless you find some cool promoters. Definitely don't take this as me trying to be a di*k but the less known your band is the less leverage you have when asking for: the amount of gas money you should get, and free food/drinks/etc you should also get.

2) this goes along with number 1. Because your band probably isn't known, don't try to book shows with LONG drives in between. Rather than trying to play to every square inch of the country, stay somewhat local, ESPECIALLY if it's a short, 1 or 2, week tour. The reason being, because you're NOT going to get paid that well, more than likely, you can't really afford to be spending tons of $$$ driving 12 hours a day to shows...that is, unless you guys have lots of $$$ to throw out the window.

3) this might sound lame, but use Myspace for contacting some people local to where you are playing each show. What this does, is help to spread the word about the show AND if you're lucky enough and find the right people, you can score yourself a free place to crash after the show. Typically young girls LOVE to host touring guys 

i think everything else has already been said. Bring lots of $$$ and BE SMART ABOUT IT. tons of bands are retarded and leave their entire money box/expensive personal items in the van IN PLAIN VIEW. if you're leaving to go somewhere, throw EVERYTHING that is worth while in the trailer and lock it up.

touring is a blast and just remember when you're pissed off at all, you're doing what you love and it should be fun, NOT a pain so enjoy it.


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## dissident (Apr 26, 2008)

Cheers dudes! Yeah were only a small unsigned band, lol. Weve booked about half of the tour so far, some places are giving us petrol money/a place to crash, others im not to sure. I think were going to book travel lodges on the nights we aint got a place to crash. Its very cheap if you book in advance and you can sleep as many as you want in a single room. Food wise were going to take a bbq, should be awesome.


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## Stealthdjentstic (May 1, 2008)

Quick question for you guys, do you usually end up making or losing money when you tour?


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## Edroz (May 1, 2008)

Stealthtastic said:


> Quick question for you guys, do you usually end up making or losing money when you tour?




you usually end up losing money.

most of the time, touring is just a black hole of debt


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## Stealthdjentstic (May 1, 2008)

Then why tour?


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## Edroz (May 1, 2008)

Stealthtastic said:


> Then why tour?






i don't anymore, for that reason . 

i'd much rather spend the money that would be thrown away on touring on a nice vacation sitting on a beach somewhere .


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## kristallin (May 2, 2008)

Stealthtastic said:


> Quick question for you guys, do you usually end up making or losing money when you tour?



Depends. If you're a member of a band, usually no. The best you can hope for is breaking even due to lots of merchandise sales. If you're a hired musician you'll make money, how much is up to your negotiating skills and the act's budget.


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## DaveCarter (May 2, 2008)

Stealthtastic said:


> Then why tour?



Because its doing what you love, and/or what the band has to do to get somewhere.


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## Ancestor (May 2, 2008)

Stealthtastic said:


> Then why tour?



To me, it seems like a great opportunity to do nothing but play shows. It could also easily suck. I would bring a credit card that has no purpose but to get me on a plane and back home.


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## kristallin (May 2, 2008)

Stealthtastic said:


> Then why tour?



Because that's "where it's at" for me. I enjoy the studio, but live performance is the dogs bollocks, especially when it's coupled with traveling around the nation. It satisfies my inner nomadic troubadour, so to speak. Or, in other words, it's my idea of a great vacation.


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## Vairocarnal (Mar 4, 2009)

msherman said:


> Never tour with a Reggae Band....they smoke pot 24-7



Tour with a reggae band, gotcha!


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## eleven59 (Apr 15, 2009)

I'm glad I found this thread again, tour starts in less than 2 weeks! 

Things to buy:
-small sleeping bag that'll fit in my bag
-travel pillow (y'know, those things that fit around your neck so you can sleep sitting up)


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## 7 Dying Trees (Apr 16, 2009)

hahaha, i'm on tour now. it's already chaos...

Oh, and the other advice, take loads of pictures, so you can remember what you did.


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## MTech (Apr 16, 2009)

Eating healthy is next to impossible, but I always point out easy things like when you hit McDonalds everyday drink Hi-C so you at least keep Vitamin C in you because getting sick sucks and when 1 guy gets sick you all end up sick.
Keep dirty laundry in it's own bag so you don't loose it, you can dump it in when you finally can do wash before/after a show, and it's not stinking up the van laying everywhere.

If it's cold out be sure to get out of sweaty stage clothes and into dry ones ASAP so you don't get sick.. if you can shower first even better since it cuts down on dirty clothes and stink.

Make sure everybody or several people have a key to get into the vehicle..than everybody isn't bugging one person for it, and less chance of it being lost or locked in the vehicle.

If you're getting a trailor try and get two axels so if you blow a tire you still can drive and you have a lot less chance of loosing control and wrecking... and while on this subject always give a look at the tires before laving to next venue incase they need air.

Air Fresheners/fabreeze etc is your best friend int he van!
Body spray is good idea for after playing etc too

Sleeping bag and pillow..as somebody said it's good to have the ones for sleeping while sitting up.

On that note try and keep the floor clean as possible cause if there's a ton of you in a small van if the floor is clean somebody can sleep on the bench and somebody else can sleep on the floor. This means no neck cramp or going numb from sleeping sittin in crammed positions!
Always have a"Co-Pilot" up front with the driver.

Make everybody piss/shit/eat BEFORE you leave to the next venue so you don't have to make 1000 stops.

Try and get a gas vehicle because it's cheaper to fix and cheaper to buy fuel for.

Make sure lights are off/doors locked when leaving the van/trailor.

Lagal wise try and keep the drugs out of the van in case you get pulled over, and especially when crossing boarders. Also don't forget open container law.



Stealthtastic said:


> Quick question for you guys, do you usually end up making or losing money when you tour?


If you do it right you should be breaking even at the very least for a starting band. If you market yourself right and have good merch you should make some money.


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## Meldville (Apr 18, 2009)

Bring tylenol PM to help you sleep in the van. Some nights, especially if you don't drink, you'll be parked in a truckstop and w/o it, you won't sleep.

If you drink, DON'T BUY BEER/LIQUOR AT THE BAR. Hit up a store before you get there. Wal Mart generally has the cheapest prices.

Make sure EVERYONE has extra strings/pics/batteries/cables/etc before you leave. Helps to avoid on-stage mixups of "fuck, does anyone have a cable I can borrow?"

Always have someone sleep in the van. It sucks, but it keeps your shit from getting ripped off.


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## redenemyjoe (May 14, 2009)

We're just organising our first foure into international playing. We travelled 700 miles with 5 of us in .9 litre Toyota Yaris and all of our gear for recording. T'was the most fun.


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## jjjsssxxx (May 21, 2009)

dissident said:


> Were going to try and do this in cars instead of a van, so that might be interesting. I have a golf estate which i can fit about 3 cabs and heads/guitars in and 1 other person. Our drummer has a corsa so that will be interesting. We will be sharing gear with other bands though.



I strongly advise against taking multiple vehicles. That's kind of asking for problems. Even if you guys are smart/organized, somebody is likely to get lost or turned around and separated and then it's


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## ryzorzen (May 27, 2009)

as mentioned good sleep is scarce! ripping one nice bowl of green and napping for a couple hours in the van is wicked on the road. at your own risk of course! 

great tip i got from someone and i don't think it's been mentioned, but try and not let your gas gauge fall below 50%. You never know what the hell is going to happen, and if you get lost having low gas it just makes the situation waaay more stressful than it has to be. 

handy things to have would be a reserve of washer fluid, jumper cables, spare tire, and a few obvious tools like wrenches and pliers. duct tape is a given. we also try and keep a good stock of bottled water, as dehydration can really send you over the edge!


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## brahminlead (Nov 20, 2009)

Try and get a vehicle that has enough room for the band and the equipment. Trailers can slob my nuts.


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## helly (Dec 3, 2009)

99 cent Arizona Arnold Palmers - Cheapest most delicious non-water drink possible. Especially the green tea Arnolds.

Adderall - Sleep deprived and need to concentrate? Works as well for a show as it does for band practice.

Gold Bond Medicated Powder - Especially with summer tours, chaffing is a motherfucker. This will save your goddamned life. I promise.

Besides that, just keep a cool head, don't be too irritable and try not to be too annoying and you'll all be alright. Never bring a girl to do your merch, there'll be way too much drama. Instead, especially if your band likes to rage, bring along a straight edge merch dude, who loves to party anyway, just sober. That way you've always got a driver. Keep drugs in the trailer, keep the booze cruising supplies logical: My personal favorites being jack and coke in a Coke bottle, vodka in a water bottle, mixed drinks in Vitamin Water bottlers or whatever else, and you'll be fine. 

Make sure to go out and have a shitload of fun, too. Be that band that goes out and sees landmarks and national treasures and goes to the cool attractions around the town you're playing in. That's where the memories are.


Oh... and if you're a buffalo and you're drinking with other bands (Knights of the Abyss, jesussssss) don't let on or you will drink yourself retarded.


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## Ultraworld (Dec 19, 2009)

As mentioned, gear in good shape. Hard cases a must. Strings, picks, drum sticks.
Van & trailer in good working order, Tires & brakes a must.
Keep the partying down to a dull roar
Eat right, sleep everyday. Clean sleeping bag/pillow.
Plenty of clean clothes, look for laundry mats.
Walmart is your friend & they are everywhere.
If your not wide awake & fed, your shows suffer.
Smile & be nice to the fans


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