Young Lions – TOUR TIPS

In this Tour Tips segment, the rock band, Young Lions, give you their tips for being on tour. You can check out the feature, after the break.

1 – Cook breakfast and eat well
Let’s be honest – food is one of life’s greatest joys.
However fast food is not.
Eating well on tour can be a real challenge for obvious reasons and every band has their own little tips on how to not eat like a lazy American sloth while on the road. The Young Lions philosophy on the subject is to cook a hearty breakfast and steer clear of any chain restaurants. We love to stay with mates while we tour around Australia so we always have access to kitchens in which to whip up some serious culinary delights, and what a better way to say thank you to your hosts than cooking them an epic feast as well! Hitting up a supermarket and grabbing some classic breakfast items works out a mile cheaper than all going somewhere to eat and you get solid food that keeps you going until you get a rider that night or go out for some eats after load in. We have a system where Zach usually heads up the operation and I sous chef under him while Morgan is just a lord and gets things done then we all clean at the end.
Perfect.

2 – Camp out
We love a good camp out in Young Lions. Getting back to nature and having a break from the draining social interactions of tour is a great way to recharge if you have a day off or a long day of traveling. Make sure you pack a sleeping bag when you’re on the road so you can find somewhere to make camp, which is pretty easy in Australia and make the most of it. After a night of simple sausage sandwiches (we call them ‘sausenombreas’) and a few bevvies you’ll sleep better than if you were in a hotel and you wake up to some pretty amazing views as well!

3 – Share the load
This is easy for me to say as the drummer of the band (therefore I have the most gear) but if you have some spare time after loading in or setting up, don’t sit back and bask in your accomplishments – but get in and help not only your band mates but also the road crew, other bands, the sound guy, etc. Everyone in the tour party works just as hard as each other and many hands makes light work and you’ll all grow closer and have better shows because of it. More than being a solid musician or having good tracks, being respectful and a decent person is what keeps the shows coming in and the good times rolling.

4 – Make friends
I’m sure some of you will read that and be like ‘Well yeah… obviously’ but it isn’t that simple when you’re on the road sometimes. If you’re touring Australia, the runs are only 7-8 shows maximum long usually so if you are a bit standoffish at the beginning of tour, before you know it it’ll be the last show and you’ll only just be starting to bro-down with the other bands. I’ve learned this the hard way and even if you feel a little uncomfortable going out of your way to get tight with members of the tour party outside of your own it’ll pay off ten fold in having close friendships by the end of just a few weeks. I remember Zach telling me once how all-encompassing tour is to him because you go from not knowing these people from a bar of soap to spending almost every hour with them and you see them at their extremes – most tired (after a few days of solid shows), most euphoric (playing their instrument), most intoxicated (sometimes), most disappointed (if things don’t go to plan), etc. so you get a full spectrum of who they are in such a short period of time. That is what can spark great friendships.

5 – Go on adventures
This one kind of ties in with the camping one for us, but if you have a day off or some time to kill – make sure you go out and explore the city you’re in! Tour is great because you get to go to so many places you probably wouldn’t usually find yourself but so much of the time you see the venue and that’s all before you have to leave for the next city/show. If you have some time, jump on the Google machine or ask a local about something to do and check it out! I remember our first time in Western Australia and we went with some locals to an incredible waterfall called Serpentine Falls where you could swim in the lake underneath it – it was truly beautiful and made the trip for all of us.

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