Part of a regular Adorama Learning Center series, Sara Landeau’s ‘InSound’ explores the best in audio gear, how-to’s and interviews with other musicians. Read previous installments here.
Tour Diary, last leg of summer tours, 2016.
8/9. Our band hits #1 on the CMJ charts. We find out while waiting around the rehearsal studio. Our gear is packed and ready to be shoved back into the Sprinter rental van for a two-week run of the east coast and southern U.S. We’ve been waiting since 10:30 a.m. for the van to arrive and its now 3:30 p.m. This is what touring is about: waiting, rushing, then waiting more, getting good news and bad news simultaneously, feeling stir crazy, wondering why exciting news doesn’t include fireworks in the sky, or at least a few flashing strobes from our phones.I’m beyond thrilled though, in a self-contained way. I don’t think I’ve ever had a #1 in anything, music or whatever.
We kill time by shopping in an expensive and stylish Greenpoint store with very few items on their racks. We convince the singer to buy a whole new outfit and she leaves the store, “Pretty Woman” style, in a new top, skirt, shoes, and socks. Like Stockholm Syndrome, we’ve started to actually like what we’ve been staring at in this place. This is what touring is about – making the most out of downtime, which is 90% of the time.
8/10 We play with new favorites PWR BTTM at the Broadberry in Richmond, Virginia. This duet doesn’t need a band behind them, they’re a colorful eyeful and earful celebrating every shredding moment. I meet 9-year-old Ingrid after the show. Her parents are friends of friends and she is a fan of the band. She wears a beautiful blue kid gown and sparkly silver princess shoes. She tells me how she played the same club last week fronting her Girls Rock Camp band. She’s the star of the night. She is what touring is about.
8/11 Day off and a few of us take a trip to Sam Ash in Richmond, Virginia. A life sized cardboard cutout of Tony Iommi greets us at the door. The Last Waltz is blasting from multiple tv screens. The room is bigger than any megastore I’ve ever seen in NYC. The welcoming southern employee with a Minor Threat sheep tattoo helps us pick out guitar and bass stands and a lift for my Fender Twin Amp. Everyone seems so nice in the south. On the way out a lanky employee yells “great show last night!” and shyly, quickly turns back to his work. This is what touring is about.
8/12 Cat’s Cradle show in Carrboro, North Carolina tonight. Kathi the bassist and I have rented Sennheiser 300 Wireless In-Ear monitors for the week. For the first time we hear our backing vocals crystal clear. And my guitar tone! I can hear everything, every pic attack and accidental string hit. It’s like playing in 3D. Trippy and full of too much information. This is a game changer. Touring is about not knowing what will happen on stage. But at least I can hear everything for once.
8/13/16 Atlanta in August? We play Wrecking Ball Festival tonight sandwiched betweenBouncing Souls and festival headliners L7. The green room is bigger than my studio apartment back home. The other bands were exciting to watch and chat with. I’m feeling extremely fortunate today, which is what touring is about.
8/14/16 My new favorite venue, the sci-fi themed Saturn in Birmingham Alabama,welcomes us. Brian Teasley, Saturn owner and member of the band Man or Astroman?, should be proud of this celestial rock masterpiece of a room. The band discussed a pitstop afterwards to a NASA-themed park but got our fix of “The Jetsons” style space vibe enough from this venue to make it to the next city. An unexpected space station inBirmingham. Is this what tour is about?
8/15-16 Travel in the Sprinter starts to get to us. I think there’s a day sleeping in here but I don’t remember. We get to Nashville’s Cannery Row area and load in at TheMercy. This is walking distance from Jack White’s Third Man Records shop, where I visit, and Carter Vintage Guitars where I can’t afford ANYTHING. A girl can dream. Yeah, tour is about that.
8/17-18 The Cincinnati show may have been our smallest one but possibly the most passionate. Temperatures rise to high 90‘s. The heat has caused my main guitar, a redSilvertone Jupiter, to slightly warp. Fighting to keep it in tune is getting maddening. The exact same thing is happening to my Gretsch Electromatic. I pull strings off everything post-soundcheck and nervously restring backstage, constantly bending strings, and rechecking the tuning. The first notes of the first live song sound out of tune and the drummer halts the set. The backup guitar does the trick. I worry about staying in tune every show. That’s what touring is about.
8/19 We play at the Black Cat in D.C. after a two-year absence. I remember the great staff immediately. This is a return home to two of my bandmates so old friends and emotions choke the back room. I’m staring at my Combat Rock jumpsuit in the mirror and thinking how I wish I had brought more clothes. This is usually the part of tour where change becomes crucial, meltdowns are constant, or if you’re lucky, everything is just funny for no reason. That’s touring.
If you’ve read this far, and I thank you for doing so, you know what I think touring is about. Honestly, its a confusing experience. Even a week back is not enough time to figure out what just happened. Maybe you tour yourself or hope to. Everyone’s touring world is different. If it interests you, keep working on it, and let me know your story.
