Hospital Ships – TOUR TIPS

In this Tour Tips segment, Jordan Geiger of the indie band, Hospital Ships, give you his tips for being on tour. You can check out the feature, after the break.

1. First of all, my friend and bandmate Thor made a list of tour rules. It is one of the defining documents of our time, and I would be wrong to not mention it. Anything I will say is only an addendum to this list.

2. Make a budget. If you don’t want to lose money, make sure you don’t, or you, at least, know what you stand to lose. I have a spreadsheet in Excel that calculates gas expenditures, average food expenditures, pre-tour merch bills, etc… It helps a lot.

3. If you’re like me, old and cranky, and you don’t enjoy sleeping on floors, bring a cot. You will not regret it. No matter where you’re staying, you will always know what you’re sleeping on. My only regret is that it took me 15 years of touring to think to invest in a cot.

4. Figure out what you can eat that travels well and makes you feel good. For me, this is carrots, chips and salsa, and lots of fruit. If you can figure out how to cook on tour (camp stove, rice cooker, etc..) do it!

5. Pick your battles. For me, an introvert, this means sometimes hiding in the green room all night and not going out of my way to invite old friends to the show. It took me years of being drained by all the requisite social interaction of tour to allow myself the personal space for my mental health. This also means springing for a hotel or nice meal every once in awhile. I could actually go on about picking your battles. This also applies to inter-band conflict. Most tour arguments result from circumstances that seem absolutely petty and insignificant in retrospect. Spotting problems before they arise and giving you and your band mates a break (and a few deep breaths before snapping at someone) can save everyone a lot of bad feelings.

6. Go to the beach, go to the woods, go eat the local specialties, go see the sites. What are you going to remember in 10 years, that wonderful hike you took, or the inside of a bar?

7. Get off your phone if you can. It’s hard, but there’s a whole world out there. Tour is your chance to get away from your annoying relatives and hometown drama.

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