Alabaster – TOUR TIPS

This set of Tour Tips was written by the alternative rock band, Alabaster. You can check out their tips for touring, after the break.

1. Strategically Plan Your Packing.
Some bands have the luxury of under-bus storage, bunk beds, and room to stretch out. For the rest of us, it’s important to strategically pack our shit. Why? When you have five band members and four rows of seating in a van,
there isn’t much room to put things. Don’t wait until the night before to pack. Make a list of everything you want to bring and practice packing it all a few days before. Lay out all your outfits and really make sure you’re not bringing more than you need. Also, find out what your other bandmates are bringing and figure out what you can share. Keep a majority of your shit in a suitcase, that doesn’t need to be accessed every three hours at every rest stop, and pack a smaller bag to keep in your seat.

2. Say Goodbye To Your Significant Other.
Contrary to what you may believe, your other half is not nearly as excited that you are leaving as you are. Sure, they may support you and all, but you are leaving and that sucks. So, plan a few date nights the week before you leave. Really make sure to get in some quality time with that person. Also, contrary to what your other half may believe, while on tour there is really not that much time (or battery life) to text every five seconds. SO, make a plan to call or skype every day or every couple days and reconnect. Leaving is hard, but being left is harder. If you want to maintain that relationship, it’s important to make it a strong priority.

3. Take A Shower.
Yes, I said it. If you are someone who showers every day, please prepare yourself for the harsh reality that you won’t while on tour. Hotels are expensive and, unless you have load of friends across the country, you will become very familiar with the “hobo shower”. The hobo shower is where you find a gas station or a McDonalds at
about 3:00 in the morning and sleepily hobble into the bathroom. You’re half asleep so you’ll have to go back to the van several times for all the crap you forgot. Once you have everything, you place it all next to the sink and stick your head in. If you’re lucky, the sink will have actual faucet knobs so you can make the water warm, but most likely, they will be those awful push knobs that don’t stay on for more than three seconds. Also, if you have any issues with pride, you’ll need to let that go. Inevitably someone will walk into the bathroom during your “shower”. Or to avoid all that mess, bring baby wipes and dry shampoo.

4. Communicate!
Yes, you are finally on the open road and as happy as can be! For a little while. No matter how well your band gets along, being crammed in a van together for God-knows-how-long definitely makes for some tense situations. Also, lack of sleep is a perfect catalyst. Needless to say, if you are upset, talk about it. Right away. Not when you are ready to explode and end up crying and hiding on the top bunk in a teenagers bedroom that is painted like a scene out of a fairytale book…..ahem. Anyway. Talk about it.

5. Don’t Get Wasted.
To this you might say, “Um, I’m a rockstar and I’m on tour and I’ll do whatever the eff I want.” Contrary to popular belief, tour is not one giant party. It is your time to effectively network and give your music to everyone you meet. If you are constantly getting obliterated, you will not only NOT accomplish this, but you may find that several people unlike your band facebook. Also,
drinking every night increases your already exponential chances of getting sick, and believe me, you won’t feel like much of a rockstar if you can’t play your shows. That being said, moderation. Just because someone offers you a drink, doesn’t mean you have to take it. Also, if you are going to drink, make sure one or two people in the band are “designated drivers” and are responsible for the keys and the van. It’s REALLY not rockstar if you forget to lock up and all your shit gets stolen.

And, um, that’s about it folks. Be safe. Have fun. :)

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Did you enjoy these tips? Do you think they would be useful on the road? Let us know in the comments below!