Airside – TOUR TIPS

In this Tour Tips segment, the pop rock band, Airside, give you some advice for being on the road. You can check out the feature, after the break.

1.) Stay Healthy
Make sure to do as much as possible to take care of yourself while on tour. This includes getting enough sleep when possible, exercising, eating healthier on the road, and taking the time to refresh and recharge. Tour life can be very stressful and tiring, but being intentional about getting rest and taking care of yourself will go a long way and will help you to not burn out playing night after night.

2.) Play Your Heart Out at Every Show
Treat every show like you’re playing a sold out show at, say, Madison Square Garden, or playing to 100,000+ people at Rock in Rio—regardless of how many people are actually in your audience. You never know who may be watching. And every fan is important. They paid money to see you. Respect that, and give them a show they’ll never forget.

3.) The Iron Lung
If you are a vocalist, your instrument IS you. Warm up and talk less the day of a show! Doing even 20 minutes of actual singing before the show can work wonders in saving your voice. The temptation to yell over the house music the sound guy is blasting during the opening band is strong, but this is the moment when risking diva status might be the vocalist’s best move for the benefit of the whole band. Get away, hang out backstage, or at the very least funnel the conversations to make sure they are doing the majority talking so you can save your voice.

4.) Paying Attention to Detail
Every night that you are playing a show, get to know the sound guys, the staff and the fans that are coming to see you for the first time! The relationships that you build on the road are the most important for the future of your career as a band. Go out of your way to actually spend time with them and get to know them. We can tell you that more shows and opportunities have come from sticking around before and after the show to invest in these relationships.

5.) Be Flexible
Like we said earlier, touring is very stressful and hard at times but if you allow yourself to be flexible, you will enjoy life on the road a lot more. Sometimes the bus will break down, your show will be canceled, your tour will be rerouted, your album release will be pushed back, you will be switched in the show lineup because someone was late…but the better you are at adapting to these changes and brainstorming a positive solution, the better your tour will go and the more fun you will have!

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