Nathaje – TOUR TIPS

In this Tour Tips segment, the indie pop artist, Nathaje, recommends advice for being a musician on the road. You can check out the tips, after the break.

– Bring hot/cold gel packs:
If you don’t have much time to warm up, a warm gel pack will speed up the process! I use it on my neck to warm up to sing, even. In case you have any muscle pain from sleeping in a funny position in the bus, or pulling a muscle doing some amazing moves on stage (or off stage), the warm pack can release the muscle tension and if you leave it in the freezer you can use it as an ice pack to reduce inflammation. There you go!

– If you’re a singer, careful with the chitchat:
As singers, sometimes we have to be antisocial. Talking too much before and after the sets, especially in loud environments, is not a great idea. Even though hanging out with the band, and networking while on tour is extremely important, being able to actually sing for the entire tour is more important. You are the one that will affect the team the most if you get sick or hoarse. Their instruments are outside their bodies. So take care of your instrument. And make sure you cool down (or warm down) your voice after the gig to go back to a comfortable speaking range again.

– Don’t hold your pee for too long:
Trust me, it’s better to pee in the bus’ toilet than to have to deal with the consequences afterward from holding it for too long. I once was going on one long journey after another and didn’t realize I was constantly holding, waiting for us to stop or arrive at the destination. I regretted it immensely once I got to the hotel and I felt like I was peeing acid. I even had a fever. So friendly advice: don’t hold it in.

– Put your sunglasses on:
After a long trip, you are not going to look your best. Forget it. You will arrive looking like a mess and you never know who you’re going to encounter right when you leave the tour bus. Put your sunglasses on, leave like a rock star, then go straight to your hotel room to freshen up (unless you are actually a rock star and someone wants to take a photo with you, but then you will be truly thankful you have your sunglasses on for those photos).

– Bring your own pillow with you:
Having your pillow in the tour bus is like bringing your whole bed with you (or the closest you can get from that feeling). If you are sleeping in hotels, you never know what the pillow situation is going to look like, and even if they do have a nice pillow, the more the merrier (I like to sleep with 3 pillows, hehe).

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