Jocelyn – TOUR TIPS

Here is a set of Tour Tips written by Alex Wiese of the pop/rock band, Jocelyn. You can check out his top five tips on how to tour, after the break.

1. Fans Over Friends: Don’t shortchange the people who have gotten you to where you are in order to booze up with a band you used to tour with or a couple friends from high school. That doesn’t mean you have to go to Denny’s after every single show with people, but give them your undivided attention when they’re talking to you and listen to what they have to say. More times than not, they don’t expect you to say anything monumentally inspirational, they just want to have their story heard; so listen.

2. Know Your Band: Understand the personalities of each member; know their strengths, their weaknesses, what annoys them and what picks them up when they’re down. Living in a tiny space with 3+ people for months on end is incredibly hard and it takes a lot of effort to keep even the best of friends happy all the time. It won’t be  easy, but as long as you’re reflective and conscious of it, there’s no reason it can’t be the best time of your life.

3. Don’t Drive Tired or Inebriated: Your band is the 1%, the most miles driven in a year by people in this country. Don’t put your and other people’s lives in danger by thinking you can drive that extra hour to the hotel even though you’re exhausted. There are plenty of people in the car who you can wake up and ask to drive the last bit.  You’re not being a jerk, you’re being safe and smart. Also, staying sober for a night isn’t the end of the world, if no one volunteers to drive then draw straws.

4. Document Everything: Not only will you appreciate having tangible photos and videos of your tour days, your fans will appreciate7 it too. Share it with them and let them see the world through your eyes. Most people would kill to travel the world, see exotic places and people, and leave the 9-5 job behind, so indulge them and they’ll appreciate it.

5. Shop Online: Oh, you forgot the AUX cord to plug in the iPod? Instead of running to the nearest wal-mart and paying 15 dollars, shop online and ship it ahead a couple dates. You’ll have to live without it for a couple days, but you’ll pay 1/3 the price. Do this enough times over the course of a year with clothes, toiletries, misc necessities and you’ll be very thankful.

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