Foreign Figures – TOUR TIPS

In this Tour Tips segment, the alternative band, Foreign Figures, give you their tips for being on tour. You can check out the feature, after the break.

1. Driving Shifts
– If you’re like us, you’re touring in a van with a trailer with travel days between 6 and 15 hours… and you don’t have a bus driver. We’ve got bunk beds in the back, and there is no better way to travel than with the stress-free knowledge that you’ve already done your driving and you can take it easy for the rest of the trip. We typically split trips up into 4 or 5 shifts over the course of the drive.

2. Get the Nintendo Switch.
– Not every band loves to play Mario Kart, Zelda, and Super Smash Bros, but I’d be willing to bet perhaps every band does. We used to pack the Wii U in a travel bag and bust it out in the hotel room, but now with the invention of the Nintendo Switch, we can wirelessly (and without internet) play Mario Kart against each other on our own consoles. This brings the band closer together (well, sometimes, depending on whether or not you just got smashed by a blue shell), and passes the travel time.

3. Watch the snacks on the road
– On our first tour, we all felt so stoked to be on the road. Naturally, we all loaded up on tons of snacks, most of them sugary, chocolate covered, and fun. Let me tell you why it’s not a great idea to always get these types of snacks. For one, everybody farts. It seems that some gas station grub makes this reality a little worse for everyone stuck in a van. Secondly, you’re not gonna roll into the venue feeling completely on top of your game if your only hydration is Dr. Pepper and your most recent sustenance is a pack of Rolos. And lastly, sugar highs are fun, but when they end, it’s not fun to be surrounded by cranky, tired musicians. Which brings me to the next tip.

4. Get noise canceling headphones.
– Like most bands, we are very close friends, and like most bands, we get in fights and disagreements. A lot of times the “high tension” times come from being around each other for so long without some alone time. This is where noise canceling headphones come in. They allow you to escape your current reality, jam to some tunes, listen to a book, or just, cancel noise.

5. Be leery of Chipotle.
– We love a good burrito. But one time, in New Mexico, we learned that not all chicken burritos are the same. 15 minutes into a 15 hour travel day, our singer started throwing up. We were on the freeway, we couldn’t stop. Luckily, we had a plastic bag from a gas station. Unfortunately, our bass player had also eaten Chipotle the day before, and hearing our singer’s sickness triggered his own. What ensued was a pretty horrible, but hilarious 15-hour drive. There were frequent “collaborations” on the road where both of them were throwing up. All of this could have been avoided had we just gotten Chic fil A.

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