Reggie Williams – TOUR TIPS

This new set of Tour Tips was written by jazz pop artist, Reggie Williams. You can check out his tips for being on the road, after the break.

1. Be conscious of your health.
When you’re on the road and every night you are required to give your best to the people who are excited to see you, there’s no room for a cold. Be certain you get any prescriptions you need before you leave, prepare for weather ahead, stay hydrated, and eat as healthy as you can. That last one actually isn’t as hard as it seems if you go out of your way.

2. Take in your surroundings.
On this tour, we’re going to a lot of places I’ve never been before, and it’s an awesome chance to discover things you maybe didn’t even know you liked. Before you go, make a wish list of things you want to experience. I know it’s tempting to look at your phone every minute for various updates, but do your best to live out in the world for a bit.

3. Don’t forget the things that matter the most: the people around you.
When you’re at the show, remember that there are PEOPLE there. Not fans, not “heads”, not ticket buyers, but people, who left their houses to see you. Be respectful and genuine with them. It’s hard sometimes, trust me. But if you’re genuine with them, they will know.

Also, be good to the people you’re traveling with. It something that seems like it goes without saying, but when we tell people we’ve been on the road for almost 50 days and we haven’t bothered each other, and it surprises them, that says to me that people expect to have arguments and such. Long story short: just be nice and respectful to everyone.

4. When traveling, give yourself more time than you think you’ll need.
That one has saved us a few times. Our friend Courtney once said to me “On tour, everything is tentative, until you’re doing it.” She’s proven right. Things can change pretty often and if you can leave yourself some time to re-route or come up with an alternate plan, you’ll save yourself a lot of stress.

5. After you’ve prepared and done all you can, do your best to relax and live in the present.
One thing I’ve learned from this tour particularly is that today is the only day that matters. If you’re at the point where you’re leaving for tour, you have probably spent hours planning for every little “what if”, and trying to come up with plans B through Z just in case. But now that things are place, realize you only have control over what you can do, and you can only do that in the present. And that’s okay.

Keep up with Reggie Williams on Facebook and Twitter!