In this Tour Tips segment, the country artist, Brady Lee, recommends advice for being a musician on the road. You can check out the tips below:
I feel like touring looks different for everyone. I know it looks quite different for me than it does for most of my colleagues. But yeah, I’ve got loads of tour tips on how to get the most out of a tour. Most people can figure out the basics, like eating healthy, prioritizing sleep, not drinking too much, so I’ll give some more nuanced advice that hopefully everyone can take home.
First and foremost, under no circumstances should Apple Maps, Google Maps, or Waze be trusted to get you somewhere on time. I’ve been late more than a few times because of those apps. I’ve never found one that properly calculates the true travel time. Unless you’re on a tour bus with a working bathroom (that management actually lets you use), I’ve developed a formula that’s an absolute game changer: (total mileage x 1.2) / 60 = travel time in hours. I’ve used it religiously and consistently arrive with about 20 minutes to spare. It factors in bathroom breaks, food stops (because we’re eating healthy, not fast food—right?), and refueling.
Speaking of fuel stops, another piece of advice, learn to like gas station coffee… black. Don’t mess around with creamers, syrups, or substitutes. One of those little creamer cups can quarantine you in a lavatory if it’s expired (don’t ask how I know). But if you are in a situation where you need a more private bathroom stop…
Hotel lobby bathrooms are elite. They are always, always clean and stocked and no one actually uses them. If you go in the morning hours, you might score free breakfast, and you’ll definitely get free coffee (can you tell I like coffee?).
Something else that’s helped me a ton is having a bandmate in charge of time-off activities. Since my focus is usually on the upcoming show, setlist, PR, media, and all the magical parts of the performance, I delegate this role to my bassist. Literally part of his job is to find cool coffee shops, local record stores, or anything interesting nearby. This gives the whole band and crew a chance to enjoy the city we’re in—and that’s one of the best parts of touring.
Lastly, if you want to be on tour, and if you want people to keep bringing you on tours, the best advice I can give is this: be chill and be flexible. Your sleep schedule will get wrecked. So will your hygiene. You’re crammed in a van (or a bus) with a bunch of people dealing with the same thing. Things will go wrong, and the more you can be a team player and bring solutions instead of complaints, the better. Tours can ruin friendships, sure, but they can also forge bonds that last a lifetime. I’ve never had deeper friendships than the ones formed on late-night van talks, laughing until we can’t breathe, exploring new cities, and hotel room wrestling matches at 3am (don’t tell Hilton).
Keep up with Brady Lee on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
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source https://www.digitaltourbus.com/features/brady-lee-tour-tips/
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