Amoral – TOUR TIPS

This new set of Tour Tips was written by the rock band, Amoral. You can check out their tips for being on the road, after the break.

1. Get the job DONE!
Yes, touring is fun with much partying involved, but that is not why you are there. Especially if you’re the opening act, you have to earn your place with respectful behaviour to the headliners and their crew: be punctual with the time schedule, get through soundchecks fast (if you’re lucky enough to get those!), load your gear on and off the stage quickly. Once your gear is off the stage, all packed up and the next band is already into their set, your off duty and it’s time for the beers.

2. Make the most out of the circumstances
One thing about touring: things change! If you have a chance to shower, USE IT! There might not be one at tomorrow’s venue… If you hear that some of the guys found a laundry place close by, you might wanna concider doing yours as well. It’s no fun running out of clean underwear on tour. Or if you’re one of the first guys up in the morning and the venue has a wi-fi, check your emails before the rest of the 23-headed tour entourage gets in and jams the lines with their porn downloads.

3. Expand your horizons
Don’t sit inside the venue all day, every day, waiting for showtime. You’re already trapped in that bus (or van) for hours on end each night, why spend the rest of your time in small, dark and dirty backstages? Get out, go see the town you’re playing in. Few people get to travel to as many places as a touring musician, and it’s good to acknowledge this and appreciate it. When you’re from Finland, most countries will have better weather than you have back home, so that’s already a reason to get the fuck out of the venue for a few hours. So take a walk around the neighborhood or jump on a tram and head to the center to look around. You’ll see stuff, you might learn stuff, and I even hear that the fresh air and the excercise is good for you!

4. Spare me
Gear break. This is a fact. And it just so happens that gear usually breaks down when you DON’T have spare equipment. If you’re the opening band, you’re set’s length is probaby something between 20 to 45 minutes. You don’t wanna spend a chunk of that time changing strings on your guitar. And you better believe that the audience will definitely not want to see that. So a spare guitar is just common sense. If you’re lucky, you’ll get through the tour without having to touch it once, but it will be there for your piece of mind. Spare amps and cables are also a wise investment, or try to make an agreement with other bands on the tour to use each others gear as spares.

5. Still hungry
ALWAYS make yourself a sandwich or two from the catering goods at the venue to take with you. Better grab some of those fruits you see there too. Trust me, you will get hungry on the bus after the show, especially after a few hours of drinking. If you’re not prepared, you end up spending stupid money on gas station junk food night after night, which makes for a hefty sum after five weeks on the road.

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Did you find these tips useful? Let us know in the comments below!