Hail The Sun – TOUR TIPS

In this Tour Tips segment, the progressive post-hardcore band, Hail The Sun, give you their tips for being on tour. You can check out the feature, after the break.

1. Brush your teeth whenever you get a chance on the road. Lots of drives are overnight when touring the US, and it’s really easy to just hop in the van and fall asleep until the next day. And then wake up and eat and do the whole thing over again. So, take the extra effort to keep your hygiene in order, and brush your teeth wherever possible!

2. Know your place on the bill. If it’s not your headline tour, make sure you follow all the rules (within reason) that the headliner has set for the support bands. One way to stop getting tours is to get a reputation of being a rude or difficult band. There is an order of operations on tours with multiple bands on it. Learn what not to do, and be easy to work with, and more tours will come your way. (If the music is good, of course)

3. Eat well. It’s VERY easy, and cheap, to get McDonald’s and Taco Bell every day (TB has a special place in my heart), and that can sometimes be the only choice at 3:00am, but when the option is available, stuff yourself with fruits and veggies and drink a TON of water. Go into a Safeway or any other grocery store and buy 5 apples and some carrots or something, and just munch on those for the day. Your body will thank you for it. PS: This is one of the reasons I love Warped Tour..the catering options are always very well balanced!

4. Time management. Give yourself at least 1.5-3 hours of leeway time on drives. You never know when you will hit traffic, or a Flash Storm will come (in the midwest or Florida), so plan extra timeout. It’s important to be on time, or you can get on a tour manager’s shit list very quickly. Never forget that no matter how much fun you are having, you are on the road to work on growing your business, and play shows. That is always the #1 priority.

5. Lose any entitlement. Sure, if you are pulling 150+ tickets out to a show all on your own, and want to squeeze a few extra list spots, or an extra case of water, most promoters will work with you and keep you happy. But until you have value as a touring business, lose any attitude. In essence, don’t be a “rockstar” until you are a rockstar. (and even then, be nice!) It takes a lot of moving components to make tours and shows work, so be grateful, remember there are a million bands trying to do the same thing, and just be the best group you can be. People talk, whether it’s good or bad.

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