Love Crushed Velvet – TOUR TIPS

This new set of Tour Tips was written by the rock artist, Love Crushed Velvet. You can check out his tips for touring, after the break.

1. Work before play.  It’s easy to lose discipline and get distracted by new sights, people and places.  Keep your eye on the ball and remember that your primary job is to play the gig, not have extracurricular fun.  If the gig itself isn’t fun, you probably shouldn’t be on tour.

2. First stop in any town:  The venue.  Get to the venue well ahead of time—go there before dinner or any other pre-gig activity so you can check out the sound system and backline.  It’s not uncommon for something to not be working properly, or for a venue to be utilizing substandard equipment, especially if it’s a small place.  There is nothing more stressful than having to fix technical issues at the last minute.

3. Bring extras of everything: Cables, batteries, strings, drumsticks, etc.  You can be sure that you’ll need to replace some of these things, and it’s a drag when you reach into your bag for something you need and realize it’s back at home.

4. Don’t act like a star if you’re not, and don’t act like a star if you are.  Nobody likes an asshole.

5. Have a sense of humor.  Things go wrong on the road all the time, and how you handle it says a lot about you.  Make sure that you are able to laugh about tough situations (although it’s often easier after the fact!)…and be able to laugh at yourself.  It’ll make the experience a lot more pleasant for both you and the people around you.

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