Samuel Jack – TOUR TIPS

In this Tour Tips segment, the soul artist, Samuel Jack, gives you his tips for being on tour. You can check out the feature, after the break.

1. Never mess with the system
Other musicians reading this will instantly know what I mean by ‘the system.’ Every touring musician or band have a very specific way they pack their van or car with gear. It’s a fine art. No doubt. It’s something you master over time, and when you’ve got it, you’ve got it. The mic stands sit perfectly alongside the flight cases at a 95-degree angle and so on… NEVER change the system on a whim – you’ll find yourself outside the venue packing and re-packing your van after a long night of performing, screaming ‘Why?!’ at the top of your lungs. Trust me!

2. Print it and they will come
If you’re playing the same set every night and selling the same merch – then get your set list and price lists printed before you even think about getting in the van. Print an extraordinary amount! print a million of each. You will lose them, the will get ruined by coffee and beer stains – the amount of times I’ve written a set list on the back of a napkin or a beer mat is unthinkable – doing that every night on the road becomes a massive chore. Print it. Just. Print. It.

3. The ‘tour gut’
Don’t say I didn’t warn you. It’s real. The Tour gut lives. Eating on the road is a nightmare, it’s all service stations and chip vans. Be prepared to come back from tour a good forty stone heavier. The myth of all the sex and drugs and rock ‘n roll keeping you trim is a dying fable, the truth is, you come out the venue sweaty as hell, adrenaline pouring off you and all you really want is a cheeseburger and doughnut to go with the 12 cans of lager left over from your rider. And that’s exactly what you get. It’s either that or continual eating on the fly. I came back from my last tour expecting twins. if you don’t want this to happen, I advise you do what I do and leave yourself motivational messages in the tour van that read things like ‘eat kale or die’ amongst other favorites like ‘we all know what happened to Elvis’

4. Park it likes it hot
You’re probably in a van or a couple cars loaded to the max, depending on the size of venue you’re playing one of my top tips is to call ahead and see if there’s a loading bay nearby to load in from. You’d be surprised how many venues don’t have this. There’ve been many an occasion where me and my guys are loading in from pretty much a different postcode. Walking keyboards and Drum kits down high streets like we’d just robbed a music shop. Plan ahead. It’ll save time. And your back.

5. Be a Knight Rider
Riders are the things musicians live off on the road. When the venue or promoter ask you what you want on your rider, don’t be English and say ‘we’re fine don’t worry’ ask for the world. Ask for Beyonce. Ask for 40 sandwiches, 12 bottles of jack, a door mouse and a lightbulb. You might not get all you ask for, but you can use that rider wisely. I’d ask for a bunch of food and then we’d live off it for a couple days, great way to lower your expenses.

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