The Material – TOUR TIPS

This set of Tour Tips was written by the pop/rock band, The Material. You can check out their tips on how to tour, after the break.

1. Enjoy the journey. When your van breaks down in the middle of Amarillo, TX, it’s easy to let stress ruin the vibe of your tour. However, you can transform those unfortunate moments into life-lasting memories. If you find yourself stranded and waiting for AAA to tow you, use that time to film an impromptu on-the-road acoustic song for YouTube, throw the football or frisbee around and enjoy band-bonding, or simply explore the amazing beauty that is Amarillo. You’ll come out of the tour feeling thankful for all the experiences, good and bad, and you’ll learn that the journey is often justs as rewarding as the destination.

2. Allow yourself extra time. Enjoying the journey is dope, but being late to shows can really suck for everyone including the promoter, the venue, and the people who bought tickets to rock out with you. Musicians have a tendency to be late – you can’t blame us, it takes time to create works of art! – so make sure you pad your drive times to accommodate things like traffic, border stops, lunch and restroom breaks, or simply just pulling over to enjoy a scenic view.

3. Skip the fast food. A .99 burrito from Taco Bell may seem like a financially sound decision but you will pay for it in the long run. Remember, you are going to be sitting in the van for hours with no way to work off that lump of reconstituted beans and stale tortilla. Instead, stop at the super market and by some fresh fruit, canned soups, nuts, seeds, and other nutritious things to keep yourself healthy and happy on the road.

4. Insure you gear.  There is nothing worse than a band (most likely already strapped for cash) waking up in the morning to find their van and trailer broken into or stolen.  We have heard this story from too many of our band friends and it sucks.  Be prepared for the worst and insure your gear.  It’s not that expensive and it’s totally worth it in the long run.

5. Don’t suck. It might not be very often that you are able to tour and fans in other states might only see you once a year or longer (sorry East coast). Make sure the one show they are able to see is a show that they remember! And it’s not just about your performance. Treat your fans like gold, take requests, play acoustic songs in the parking lot for the girls who were stuck in school and weren’t able to make it to your set in time, grab dinner at Waffle House or In-N-Out after the show with them… Your band is nothing without the people who support it, so each one of those people should mean the world to your band.

Keep up with the band on Facebook and Twitter.