Tour Managers Speak Out on Tour Managing

Let me first just say I am amazed that we could even get these four very talented men in the same room at the same time, but I could expect nothing else from the legendary Steve McClellan who coordinated and moderated the whole seminar event. Our guests were and are touring veterans and greats in their prospective fields:

Randy Hawkins: Current tour manager for Atmosphere and Brother Ali, previously worked with Hank III, Anthrax, American Head Charge, and many others.

Monte Lee Wilkes: Currently FOH sound and production manager for Hillary Duff, worked as tour manager for Nirvana on their first national tour, FOH for Alice in Chains, The Replacements, Britney Spears, R. Kelly, and MANY others.

Casey MacPherson: Former stage manager at First Avenue in Minneapolis, former “road warrior” with The Replacements, Hüsker Dü , Bob Mould and the Suburbs.

Oscar: Recently got home from touring with the Blues Travelers as their Security Manager, he has also worked with The Replacements and Ani Difranco, just to name a few.

All the panel members started off by recounting some of their favorite moments while being on tour, from the guys in Nirvana trashing a hotel to getting gear through customs and across country lines in Europe, they all had a moment. Interestingly enough the “bad” times were always the stories that they wouldn’t trade for anything.

Top Tips For Tour Management:

1. Make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons. “Sure you can make a lot of money, sure you can have the glory, but unless you’re truly doing for the music you wont make it through the hard times,” said Casey. When you’re on the road for 265 days out of the year even the smallest thing can set you off, just remember why you are there; picture the fan who has been waiting to hear their favorite band live, remember your first concert and how that made you feel. “I remember sitting at the front of house (FOH) board waiting for Britney Spears to do her sound check, she was an hour late, everyone was stressed out, and I looked up at the sound system in front of me and it really hit me, I am doing what I have wanted to do since 6th grade. The stress just disappears then.”

2. Be open to all music. Until you make a name for yourself in a certain genre, and even sometimes after that, you take the jobs you can. In the touring industry there are rarely job postings, most of the gigs you do get will be from word-of-mouth connections you make a long the way. “You have to have an open mind because you can be working for Hank III and then go straight into Atmosphere, country to rap, you look into the crowd sometimes and wonder if you have stepped into a whole other time,” said Randy. ” Monte followed up with a laugh and “Try Alice in Chains to Kelly Clarkson, you really think you’re losing your mind.”

3. Look for any open door. Oscar remembered how working security and clean-up duty at First Avenue in Minneapolis seemed like the least glamorous job ever, but he credits that to his 14 years of touring as a Security Manager. Something may not seem like the best job in the world but in the end could get you where you want to be.

4. Communication is key. Promoters can be your best friends or your worst nightmares, but in the end of it all they are the reason you are there, they are paying you, they are the reason you have a job. If you go in blazing fire things don’t always get done, you must have a balance between getting things done and making friends. Giving people the respect they deserve is key. Casey reminds, “going in blazing fire makes it hard for everyone to do their job, not just you.”

5. You are the scapegoat, don’t take it personal. When something goes bad, it’s all the tour manager’s fault, and when something goes good you will never get the credit.

6. Nothing is below you. As the tour manager your job is to make sure the tour goes smooth, if your lead singer wants a carton of Camel Lights or he wont get on stage then you are the one out looking for a carton of Camel Lights. “Never let a band use your cell phone though,” explains Randy “I had a band run up a $4000 phone bill, guess who got stuck with that?”

7. Be willing to put your body on the line. “As a security manager I used a little more caution when deciding who I would work for, I had to be willing to put my body on the line for them,” says Oscar, “sometimes it comes down to you’re willing to do it for the tour manager and the crew, but make sure someone is worth it.”

8. Independent artists are worth it. These guys are driven, they have their own lives and money on the line, not that of a big label. Working with the DYI crowd can be the most rewarding job ever.

9. You make friends for life. You meet people along the way that you will never forget, it’s a community of “road warriors” that are always there to lend a hand, share a story, or spread the word.