chuckfurok wrote:Also try to keep xonlocust from jumping up and down on your van and cracking the windshield while you are trying to pass out in the van.
I f'n love touring!
ha - the good old days! i read that and for a second was like, what? then i remembered it..... oh yeahhhh!
i thought of a couple more - also whenever you cross the state border, stop at the rest area and grab one of those booklets that has hotel deals. they only have these at the rest areas immediately entering a state. this way you can get deals and have someone researching the hotel situation while you're still 45 min outside of the venue and it can be done on a cell phone vs waiting to find internet.
get an inflatable camping mat from target. invaluable once you've had to sleep on a hardwood floor. they take up little space in the van.
AAA is great too - but if you don't have it and are super tight on cash right now - you can call them when you break down, and sign up for the membership there on the spot, and they will come bail you out. that happened to us once. and then you're covered for the year forward.
our tourbooks are generally a 3 ring binder with a mapquest/similar directions for each venue to venue. (or starting city to next venue since you hardly ever sleep at the actual venue and rely on locals to get you to the main highway out of town). also have all pertinent contact info for that nights show.
ex
date: 9/1/07
city: chicago, il
venue: beat kitchen
address: 1234 w. belmont
venue ph: 773.123.1234
venue contact: john benetti
deal: guarantee/percentage/whatever it is you have worked out
hospitality: food provided? y/n amt of booze etc?
addt'l contacts: add any friends ph numbers or whatever you have in this city you're going to want to remember to hook up with. contact info for any guest list/press/interviewey type stuff
then also have a section in the back of the tourbook that logs finances, spreadsheet style
date/venue/ $in from venue / $ in from merch / etc
depending on your merch you'd probabaly also have a section to inventory that.
cds sold. tshirts, what size, etc.
so you can easily know what's selling, what's not, how well/bad you're doing/etc.
up to you guys how detailed you wanna get on it - i wasn't always that detailed, it's just something that developed after a number of tours. then you have a money bag too (a SM58 mic case works great).
someone should be the main money person and always be trusted with it.
up to you whether you want to have the band fund meals, provide per diems, etc. track amt in/out for gas, breakfast, etc. or if you just wanna roll freestyle about it.
saving receipts for *everything* is also good if you're set up as a business all legal style.
that's probably a little more extreme than you'll want to go, but an option as well.
if you're profi or have rich parents get a GPS - that's on our wish list for the next big tour.
if you're doing well and someone has a bank account with a national chain, usually we deposit cash in excess of a grand since it starts to get scary carrying that much cash on you. also it's nice to use the band as an ATM and put gas on your credit card and have the band pay you cash out.
sharpies. duct tape. pens. always useful.
nerd preparedness points go to mapping out every gtr center on your path. i've never done this but peelander z does that. every time something's broken down instrument wise i've been fine relying on the people at the venue or whoever you crash with since it's usually band people anyway, and they can bring you to the local music store.
make sure your cell phone is on the right plan. (roaming/whatever). bring car charger.
. The water helps a ton, you might want to try metamucil or psyllium husks, it'll get you off the pot faster and cleaner, and get some witch hazel pads to clean your nasty sit-down all f-ing day ass. Your diet's going to suck almost definitely, so easing your body's burden will let you rock harder.
