This is Digital Tour Bus' official Blogger account. We're an entertainment/music website out of Chicago. We produce your favorite music web series, Bus Invaders!
On this episode of DTB’s “Bus Invaders”, we take you inside the touring vehicle of the progressive metalcore band, Reflections, while on "Bloom In Heaven II" tour with Silent Planet, Invent Animate, fromjoy, and Soulkeeper. Reflections is currently supporting their newest single, Shadow. You can watch the video below:
VIDEO INFO:
Film Date - September 30, 2025
Location - House of Blues in Chicago, IL
In this Tour Pranks segment, the alternative and alt rock artist, Beau Anderson, shares a wild prank that unfolded backstage on tour. You can check out the story below:
The year is 2021. I’m in Tampa on tour with my old band Seven Year Witch. We’re playing at a Harley Davidson dealership that has a huge outdoor space for shows.
We show up and it’s a typical show day, everything is normal. We meet the venue staff, the promoter, everyone is wonderful. We do our soundcheck around 2 pm, it goes off without a hitch, so we’re free for about six hours until showtime. So I decide to kill some time by wandering around the dealership, looking at motorcycles and jackets and other stuff I had no intention or ability of buying.
When I get back to the van to meet up with the other guys, they’re all really excited. “Yo! The promoter tipped us an extra $600!”
“Oh hell yeah,” I think to myself while doing a little excitement jig, “I’m gonna drink cocktails tonight!”
“But there’s a catch,” they continue, “he wants us to play ‘Brown Eyed Girl’.”
Naturally, I don’t care, I’m up for it if we’re getting paid, so I get right on learning it. Thirty minutes later, I’m an expert on how to play “Brown Eyed Girl.” Thank God it wasn’t a more difficult song. The rest of the guys said they already knew it because they used to play it years before for cover gigs, so we agreed to go over it in the green room before we go on so I could lock in and they could refresh their memory on it.
As we’re getting closer and closer to showtime, all the other guys keep putting off going over the song. “Oh, we can do it later,” “oh, let me eat first,” excuses like that piled up. I start to stress out.
Forty five minutes before we’re supposed to go on stage, we finally get together in the green room to go over the song unplugged. Me with an electric guitar without an amp, our drummer kinda just tapping on his lap, and our singer with the lyrics on his phone mumbling along. But our bassist is just sitting in the corner scrolling through his phone. “Eh, I’ll just figure it out when we get up there, it’s not that hard,” he’d say. WHAT?! My stress tripled at that point, but I was too new to the band at this point to feel comfortable making a big deal out of it, so I just accepted our fate, we’re going to go up there and make fools of ourselves. But hey, at least we got that big tip, right?
We agreed we’d throw “Brown Eyed Girl” in right before our song “Safe and Sound.” We go up and start our set, we sound awesome, we’re crushing it, but the only thing on my mind is that we’re about to absolutely ruin the flow and energy of our meticulously crafted set with this horrible cover that everyone but me was too apathetic to put any effort into trying.
The questions running through my mind: “We’re really willing to derail our set for a quick buck?” “We’re not willing to put even thirty minutes into at least making sure we do the song well for this man that was kind enough to tip us so generously?” “Is this really the work ethic of the band I’m in?”
The time has come. It’s time to play “Brown Eyed Girl.” I turn to our singer, give a heavy exhale, and ask, “oof, are you ready for this?”
He glances over at me passively in between his lines of stage banter and nonchalantly says, “oh, we made that up.”
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! It was a prank all along? The wave of emotions that hit me. Firstly, anger of course. You had me stressing out for hours over this stupid song? Furthermore, you made me spend thirty minutes learning “Brown Eyed Girl” for nothing?
But that anger was soon superseded by euphoric relief. We continued our set as we would any other night on that tour and came off stage triumphant. Thankfully, the tip money was not made up, and we split it amongst ourselves. My tour wallet was saved at the momentary cost of my psyche and sanity… and then soon emptied at the bar next to this Harley Davidson dealership.
Just a week ago, my current live guitarist (who was our tour manager on that tour) was playing the very same dealership as a fill in for another band. He sent me a picture of a generic room with block walls, filled with plastic chairs and folding tables. He says, “Beau, if you remember this room and what happened here, I will buy you a pint.”
Little did he know I’d been preparing for this blog, and I recited to him this very same story. I could never forget that room. It was the green room where I had learned “Brown Eyed Girl.”
To this day, I’m still drinking on someone else’s dollar thanks to that prank.
On this episode of DTB’s “Bus Invaders (Revisited)”, we take you inside the touring vehicle of the electropop duo, 3OH!3, while on the Journeys Noise Tour with The Summer Set, Wallpaper, and New Beat Fund, back in 2013. 3OH!3 is currently supporting their newest single, HIT ME HARDER. You can watch the video below:
VIDEO INFO:
Film Date - November 3, 2013
Location - House of Blues in Chicago, IL
On this episode of DTB’s “Stage Threads”, Kenny Hensley, keyboardist of the indie folk band, The Head and The Heart, shows you his stage outfits and discusses how his style connects to the music and the stories behind the clothing he wears during performances. The Head and the Heart is currently supporting their newest album, Aperture. You can watch the video below:
VIDEO INFO:
Film Date - August 8, 2025
Location - The Salt Shed in Chicago, IL
In this First Concert Ever segment, the pop and R&B group, RoneyBoys, shares the story of the first show they ever attended. You can check out their experience below:
Our first concert ever was a Justin Bieber show back in 2012. After meeting with Scooter Braun, he invited us to see Justin kick off his Believe Tour at the Staples Center (yup, back when it was still called the Staples Center). It was a crazy experience. Scooter let us go backstage and take a picture with Justin during his pre show meet and greet. “I remember following Scooter around the Staples Center, and when we got near the entrance you could see hundreds of fans waiting outside and banging on the doors. It was low key scary but inspiring at the same time.” – Isaac
“I think I was about 10 years old at the time. Justin was singing ‘All Around The World’, and I remember looking to my right and seeing Katy Perry and Alex Russo dancing right next to me. Selena looked right at me. That was cool.” – Ian
“The screams from the audience are still reverberating in my head to this day.” – Israel
No one tells you how loud those shows get, and we’re not talking about the music. After Cody Simpson and Carly Rae Jepsen did their opening set, and they announced that Justin Bieber was coming on stage, the rest of the night was nothing but screams. You could barely hear the music because the fans were so loud and excited. The staff were handing out earmuffs to people in the audience to prevent hearing damage. Unforgettable. That Believe Tour set was great.
On this episode of DTB’s “Bus Invaders”, we take you inside the touring vehicle of the post-hardcore band, A Lot Like Birds, while on their 2025 U.S. headline tour with Dwellings, Zeta, Amarionette, and Mella. A Lot Like Birds is currently supporting their newest single, "When in Love" featuring Geoff Rickly. You can watch the video below:
VIDEO INFO:
Film Date - October 15, 2025
Location - Cobra Lounge in Chicago, IL
On this episode of DTB’s “Bus Invaders”, we take you inside the touring vehicle of the metal band, INTERCEPTOR, while on Dark Angel's "Extinction Level Event North America 2025" tour with Sared Reich and Hirax. INTERCEPTOR is currently supporting their newest album, Metal Death. You can watch the video below:
VIDEO INFO:
Film Date - October 3, 2025
Location - Reggies in Chicago, IL
In this Crazy Tour Stories segment, the alternative metal band, Bad Plans, shares a chaotic moment from their first run of shows. You can check out the story below:
“Disgusting Tour Stories” (probably a more accurate title for this one, ha!) We just wrapped our first run of shows supporting The Protest earlier this year, and like most bands starting out, we travel in a not so new Ford passenger van.
The night before, we’d played at the Winchester Music Tavern in Cleveland, OH, and needed to make it to Watertown, NY, roughly a six hour drive. Nothing unusual there, but we were cutting it close for load in. Everything was going smoothly until we made a routine gas stop at a truck stop outside Rochester, NY, about halfway to the next show. Everyone scattered to grab snacks and do their thing, no issues.
Then we got back in the van to hit the road… and couldn’t find the keys. Instant panic. We retraced every step, tore the van apart, searched the truck stop inside and out, nothing. Finally, after exhausting every other possibility, we turned to the trash can next to the pump in horror.
Our sound engineer, Lynn, who had been driving last, volunteered to make the dive. And sure enough, there they were, the keys, sitting at the bottom of a truck stop trash can.
On this episode of DTB’s “Bus Invaders”, we take you inside the touring vehicle of the metalcore band, The Crimson Armada, while on tour with Heavy//Hitter, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, and Lilith’s Demise. The Crimson Armada is currently supporting their newest single, Eternal Thrall. You can watch the video below:
VIDEO INFO:
Film Date - October 26, 2025
Location - Beat Kitchen in Chicago, IL
In this Crazy Tour Stories segment, the rock band, Cry Babi, shares a wild story about braving one of the worst snow storms in years just to make a gig. You can check out the story below:
I'll never forget the day we drove from New York City to Boston just to play a bar gig. The weather forecast was daunting, and it ended up being one of the worst snow storms of the past half decade. I can’t believe we went against our better judgment and stuffed the band into a sedan, along with our giant friend (roadie), despite the risk. Visibility was non existent for the entire second half of the drive. We fish tailed and almost lost control of the car multiple times. It’s not only a miracle that we made it to Boston in one piece, but we actually made it to the gig with time to spare.
Rolling up to the venue and unloading the car in a blizzard was a magical feeling as we were all ripe with adrenaline and energy from our shared near death experience. Truly a beautiful sight. It’s like when they say your brain pumps certain chemicals into your bloodstream as you die. I felt high from the cold, wet snow finally hitting my face after being cooped up in the middle seat of a Nissan Altima for the entire afternoon. My heart felt like it was pumping out of my chest. I chugged a Guinness faster than I ever have in my life and within a few minutes my nerves calmed a bit.
Amazingly, the crowd pulled through big time. The house was absolutely packed. Our bassist was playing double duty that night with his other band opening for us. It was their send off show before they moved to Los Angeles, and also sadly our last gig with that bassist who moved across the country with them. Those guys really knew how to draw an audience. I think people were moshing to us, which was definitely a first… and last. That’s a hilarious situation if you are familiar with our music. Not very moshable. But it was fun to see that nonetheless. Our giant roadie was posted up in the middle of the crowd with a stupid inflatable hat on and he was absolutely destroying kids in the pit. I think somebody soiled themselves as well because the crowd dispersed in disgust a few songs into our set and the bouncer was yelling at a crying girl telling her she needed to leave. Snow storms really turn people into animals.
To top it all off, we partied that night at the hotel bar since everything else shut down early due to the storm. Four shots and a bag of Popeye’s later, one of our single bandmates (who will remain unspecified) somehow got a Tinder girl to come to the hotel in this raging blizzard. That’s dedication. On both ends. He almost immediately retired to his room with her while the rest of the band stayed up for another hour or so. Eventually, we all called it a night and met back up in the lobby the next morning. Turns out, our bandmate’s encounter ended up resulting in a laceration below the waist. It was gnarly. He wasn’t thrilled about it. We still give him a hard time to this day. I don’t think he likes having it brought up, but he played with fire that night and got burned.
The drive home wasn’t as treacherous, but we still had to navigate wet and icy roads. We were able to follow a plow on the highway for the beginning of the drive. Very convenient. There’s something poetic about that. Maybe there’s a song in there, “Your bright lights cut the white like a promise in the cold / I follow in your path where the brave men once rolled.” Some of us were quite hungover, unfortunately. We had to pull over once or twice to throw up. Vomit on snow is gross. It’s like rotten autumn leaves scattered on a forgotten winter’s morning.
On this episode of DTB’s “Bus Invaders (Revisited)”, we take you inside the touring vehicle of the rapper, Tech N9ne, while on the "Something Else Tour 2013" with Krizz Kaliko, ¡Mayday!, Stevie Stone, Prozak, and Ces Cru. Tech N9ne is currently supporting his newest album, 5816 Forest. You can watch the video below:
VIDEO INFO:
Film Date - October 15, 2013
Location - Mojoes in Joliet, IL
On this episode of DTB’s “Bus Invaders (Revisited)”, we take you inside the touring vehicle of the progressive metal band, Periphery, while on the "This Tour Is Personal" with Born of Osiris, Dead Letter Circus, and Twelve Foot Ninja, back in 2013. You can watch the video below:
VIDEO INFO:
Film Date - November 9, 2013
Location - The Rave in Milwaukee, WI
In this Dream Tour segment, the alternative pop artist, Brook Lynn, shares which artists she would love to have on her ultimate tour lineup. You can check out her dream roster below:
My dream tour would be like a festival tour where every artist brings their own kind of magic. I’ve always been drawn to powerful, big voices, the kind of voices that shake your soul. I’d go back to the legends in my eyes, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Christina Aguilera, James Brown, and Adele. Artists like Adele and Christina were a big part of my upbringing, and Whitney, Aretha, and James were simply inevitable, their power and presence are and were out of this world. I’d include them because of Aretha’s soul, command, and conviction, Christina’s power and fearlessness, James’s playfulness, rhythm, and explosive energy, Adele’s raw emotion and honesty, and Whitney’s purity of tone, presence, effortless range, and the power in her voice. Together, that kind of energy would be my dream lineup, raw, powerful, and full of life.
![Reflections - BUS INVADERS Ep. 2153 [VIDEO]](https://www.digitaltourbus.com/content/images/2025/12/Reflections-Bus-Invaders-ICON-_2_.webp){kind=icon}
![3OH!3 - BUS INVADERS (Revisited) Ep. 289 [VIDEO]](https://www.digitaltourbus.com/content/images/2025/12/3OH_3-Bus-Invaders-ICON-_2_-1.webp){kind=icon}
![The Head and The Heart’s Kenny Hensley - STAGE THREADS Ep. 11 [VIDEO]](https://www.digitaltourbus.com/content/images/2025/12/The-Head-and-The-Heart-Kenny-Hensley-Stage-Threads-ICON-_2_.webp){kind=icon}
![A Lot Like Birds - BUS INVADERS Ep. 2152 [VIDEO]](https://www.digitaltourbus.com/content/images/2025/12/A-Lot-Like-Birds-Bus-Invaders-ICON-_2_.webp){kind=icon}
![INTERCEPTOR - BUS INVADERS Ep. 2151 [VIDEO]](https://www.digitaltourbus.com/content/images/2025/12/INTERCEPTOR-Bus-Invaders-ICON-_2_.webp){kind=icon}
![The Crimson Armada - BUS INVADERS Ep. 2150 [VIDEO]](https://www.digitaltourbus.com/content/images/2025/12/The-Crimson-Armada---Bus-Invaders---ICON--2-.webp){kind=icon}
![Tech N9ne (feat. Krizz Kaliko) - BUS INVADERS (Revisited) Ep. 288 [VIDEO]](https://www.digitaltourbus.com/content/images/2025/12/Tech-N9ne---Bus-Invaders---ICON--2-.webp){kind=icon}
![Periphery - BUS INVADERS (Revisited) Ep. 287 [VIDEO]](https://www.digitaltourbus.com/content/images/2025/12/Periphery---Bus-Invaders---ICON--2-.webp){kind=icon}
