From the Inside: Being on the Road

I haven't updated this in awhile, and I didn't really know what I should write about, so I chose the most obvious thing. being on the road. The Experience. I'm living it right now, and I want to air out some rumors and predisposed ideas you may or may not have of tourbus life.

1.) IDEA: Sleeping on a tourbus is NOT fun. It's cramped and crowded and there are too many people. You sleep in a bunk. A small bunk. It is hell on wheels.

TRUTH: In my opinion actually, sleeping on a tourbus is... awesome. The bus is quite roomy. There's a front lounge equipped with two couches, a diner style table, a sink, a coffee maker, a Television, a mirror, microwave, refrigerator, bathroom, and cabinets galore. The mid section of the bus is the bunk area. Each wall houses six bunks. Each person is assigned to a cute little 3ft x 6ft rectangle that will serve as their bed for the duration of the tour. Surprisingly, it's very cozy. It's like a little cocoon. I honestly have gotten some of the best sleep I have ever gotten in a long time. And I don't miss my bed, at all, like I thought I would. Moving even further back is the back lounge. This is about half the size of the front lounge. A wraparound couch encircles the room, there's a wall with a TV and a mirror, and little drawers for knick knacks and belongings. Often, the headlining artist sleeps back here. I haven't been back here much, but it's very cute. I honestly didn't think I would like living on a bus this much. But last night told the truth: we were parked outside a hotel in which we had booked two rooms for sleeping and showering. I went in and took the shower, but I came back to go to bed on the bus. It just felt weird to revert back to actual beds! Most of the band came back too. We had a scary movie marathon. It was nice.

2.) IDEA: You hardly ever shower.

TRUTH: Not true! I've taken a wonderful shower every day! Most of the venues in which we perform have at least one or two showers backstage. If the venue does not, we book a hotel room and rotate times in which we can all get one in. It's been fine!

3.) IDEA: Traveling from town to town playing the same set every night can get monotonous.

TRUTH: There is SOME truth in this. It does seem like it can get tiring, but I haven't gotten sick of it yet. The thing that really shakes it up is the crowds reaction every night. FYI to concertgoers, the crowds energy really makes the touring experience worthwhile! It's so annoying when we get a dead crowd. We played the House of Blues in Orlando and their energy was crazy! It revitalized the whole experience for everyone. We went back to the bus quite happy that night.

4.) IDEA: Being the opening act means you get no respect.

TRUTH: Going into this experience, I thought this would be the case myself. But it isn't. At all. Both headlining acts, Mat and Ingrid, are so nice and helpful. They've been really awesome. And their bandmates are wonderful too. Even though I joined in the middle of this tour, I feel like I've been a part of it from the start. I also thought that maybe the venues wouldn't respect my need for a soundcheck... often opening acts don't get one at all. So far, I haven't run into that problem... let's hope that doesn't start happening. But I've gotten at least a fifteen minute soundcheck at every show, which is more than enough.

5.) IDEA: Being part of a tour is a lot of work.

TRUTH: Yes, this is true. It's very true. You wear a lot of hats when you're a part of tour. I've gone straight from off the stage to helping Lauren the merch girl man the merch table. I load in instruments every night, load out instruments every night. We all do our share to keep the bus clean, sort groceries, keep each other running on time, lend each other cables and instruments etc. But it's all so much fun it doesn't even feel like work. I'm having the time of my life.

I hope this post was illuminating. Please feel free to leave any other comments or questions about tour life in my comment box and I will be happy to answer your inquiries.