The author, onstage.
BY LAYLA BROOKLYN ALLMAN
TOURING IS an essential aspect of your career as
a musician, and the bands that make it in the
end are those that are spot-on night after night
despite exhaustion, bad venues, and every
other obstacle touring bands face, especially
in their early career stages. Here are some tips
for putting on the best show possible each
night despite the hardships that you’ll face on
the road.
Run It Down Before you embark on tour,
rehearse the set you’ll play every single night
from top to bottom: The song order, blocking,
transitions, intro, drum solos, guitar solos,
member introductions, and every aspect of
your show should be precisely planned out
so that your live show is rehearsed like a play.
This provides you with a more polished show,
and it will ensure that no matter what type
of venue or crowd you encounter, your show
will not be compromised—even if you’re in a
bar with the smallest stage you’ve ever seen,
playing to four strangers, you will go up on the
stage and deliver the same great show that you
rehearsed a thousand times.
Connect with Fans Bands tour partly to
expose themselves to fans in new places,
so get the most out of shows by networking
with fans and promoting. The show doesn’t
stop after you leave the stage; you should be
interacting with people at the merch table,
handing out fliers, stickers, etc.—forming
relationships with people in the audience to
build your fanbase.
Stay Healthy Touring and playing constant
live shows is by far one of the most draining
jobs out there. It is important that you make
sure that you are getting adequate sleep,
eating healthy, and partying wisely, or not at
all. Singers need to be extra careful because
our bodies are our instruments; we must go to
extreme measures to keep ourselves in good
condition. This means doing vocal warm-ups,
not talking after shows, drinking plenty of
water, and often prioritizing rest over fun.
Keep Your Game Face On Never step on
any stage without delivering an energetic and
polished show, even if there is only one person
in the audience, because you never know
who that one person could be, and you never
know if footage of you playing a show halfheartedly
could end up on YouTube the next
morning. If there is no one in the audience,
or a dead crowd, play to your bandmates,
look at each other, and have a great time up
there, with the same energy you would play
to a large, enthusiastic crowd. Never let a
negative attitude show on your face or in
your performance; odds are, it will still be a
great show if you perform like a polished and
professional band, despite your obstacles.