1st Time Touring Advice

[Pat Wilson]

Hey Y'all Im About to go out on the Road for the 1st Time

My Rig is a '92 Mullen D10 >Sarno SGBB>Hilton>Sarno Classic Pre PoweredTC Furlong 15" Combo and a Walker Seat Road cases for amp and steel
Im Also Taking 10 packs strings,extra peddles ,extra rods,Picks ,Extra cords,tuning wrench,power strip,
Anything else ? Extra Volume pedal?
Sleep Feet first on the Bus..Tour Starts in Charlotte To NYC (advise on playin in cold climates,Im from Florida.)
Thanks for the Help
And if your around any of these places Come See Us
Feb 07 Local Catch Bar & Grill Santa Rosa Beach, FL
Feb 08 The Neighborhood Theater Charlotte, NC
Feb 09 The Jewish Mother Hilltop Virginia Beach, VA Tickets
Feb 12 Jammin Java Vienna, VA
Feb 13 Baltimore Soundstage Baltimore, MD Tickets
Feb 14 Dogfish Head Brewery Rehoboth Beach, DE
Feb 15 Club 66 Edgewood, MD
Feb 16 Rebel New York, NY Tickets
Feb 17 Massapequa,NY
Feb 19 The Bayou Washington, DC
Feb 20 Raleigh,NC
Feb 21 ???
Feb 22 Mojo Kitchen Jacksonville, FL
Feb 23 Moe's Original BBQ Mobile, AL

www.ericlindell.com

[Dave Grafe]

Extra VP definitely.
Pay attention to what you put in your mouth: Try to eat good food and avoid eating bad food, same goes for libations. Sleep whenever you can, and don't let misearable people get you get worked up about anything, just remember that no matter how bad it is, tomorrow they will still be here and you will be down the road laughing...oh yeah, don't forget to laugh.

Go have a blast, build your chops and make lots of friends; not everyone gets the opportunity and it's much the most fun when it's all brand new

[Pat Wilson]

Thanks Dave I can Handle That Part ..

[Bob Hoffnar]

If you have a honey back home send a postcard a day. Works wonders. If you take on the life of a road musician beyond this one week run and you have a wife you want to keep get rid of your Facebook account.

Also find ways to practice so you come back a better player.

[Bud Angelotti]

Drink alot of water and Have a ball!

[Brett Robinson]

Congrats on hitting the road!

What helped me most when I started touring was ritual. Set-up and tear-down should be the same every time. It's really easy on the road to lose stuff. You arrive at a venue, there's three bands, tons of gear and an undetermined amount of set-up time. It helps if you do everything the same way every night on your end.

When I walk in a venue, even if it's 6 hours til showtime (which most of the time is the case,) I set-up my steel and seat and amp together somewhere immediately. You mentioned temperature; it takes my gear a while to warm up to room temperature in the winter and to cool down in the summer. "Throw-and-go" is no longer in my vocabulary, it makes playing not enjoyable for me. Stake out a spot early and get the work over with. Then it's just a waiting game (95% of my touring schedule is waiting.)

Save money, it's expensive on the road and very easy to come home with no money.

Also, Jammin Java and Dogfish Brewery have excellent food, just fyi.

[Pat Wilson]

Thanks Brett !!We may add some Dates Tuscaloosa Birmingham Atlanta Come see Us,also we dont really play country,But do Play New Orleans Funk..Bob Great Advice !! My Wife got Fired years ago ..So my Facebook is Legit.

[Mark van Allen]

Some great suggestions here! If you have a lacquer guitar, don't open the case immediately when changing back and forth from air conditioning or outside cold to warm. If it's really cold, try to keep your guitar inside out of the bay, even if you have to bunk with it! Take extra blankets or sleeping bag, if the bus heat breaks down, it's COLD. Try to get a walk in or hit the pool or exercise room if the hotel has one. Take the chance to try out other new/exotic gear the other musicians you run into are using, you might find a new favorite. If there's time, hit a museum, art gallery, or parks, etc. to break up the patterns and stimulate the head. Hit the laundry room first if there's bus call. Practicing beats just sitting around, make or grab a lap steel for bus time. If you like reading, bring a big stash. Have a system to make sure everyone is on the bus! Yes, eating healthy is imperative. Try to talk your bandmates into a healthy regimen. I did a couple of tours where the band leader had the driver regularly pull into McDonald's, and it was hilarious to see the road horde tumbling out of the bus and heading for the nearest subway or salad bar.
ALWAYS be nice to the stage and FOH crew.

And don't even talk to Connie from Cincinnati.

[Pat Wilson]

Mark I May need to come see you Before I go ...whats your schedule looking like ?

[Mark van Allen]

Hi, pat, other than a Birmingham date 1/25, I'm here in town and much too available! C'mon by.

[john widgren]

Keep your knees bent. And oh, yeah, bring hemostats.

[Dave Hopping]

To add to Mark's post about bus heat.If it does break down,don't even THINK about chartering a plane.

[Chris Templeton]

Bring a wool hat as a large percentage of body heat is lost through the head.
Bring earplugs for loud music and to turn down bus noises a couple of notches.
If you use .011, .011&1/2 or .012 gauge strings (G#), make sure to bring extras.
A flashlight is always handy.

[Stuart Legg]

Always wear clean shorts.

[Michael Johnstone]

Don't take money from a woman...
And don't go messin 'round with dope

mose allison

[Joe Casey]

learn how to trash a Hotel room..Waylon once filled an elevator with all the rooms furniture..

[Mickey Adams]

Go Patrick!!.

[Lee Baucum]

An emergency back-up amplifier?

[Pat Wilson]

Thanks Mick! And Mark Van Allen Without you guys I would still be Playin Bass ..

[Tony Prior]

get rid of your FB account anyway! You could be playing a club 5 min from home and it can be trouble ! And you may not even know it ...if you have family at home, call home often..like a few times a day...oh yeah..don't loan the promoter any money !

[Charles Davidson]

Another thing to consider is KNOW your bandmates well.Roadwork can be a great experience with sober serious pickers,AND a nightmare with dopers and drunks.Been there done that. YOU BETCHA,DYK?BC.

[David Graves]

Congrats on hitting the road. Reading through these post brought back a lot of memories. NOTICE: keep a cheap camera handy. Memories and photos are great to have. I was a lead guitar player on the road but one thing still applies to you.. Keep a good quality pair of gloves in your coat. Your fingers are an instrument, and loading a bus, in the cold, in a hurry, I don't need to tell you what gets hurt first. And, find something each day to enjoy it and remember it. I've got great memories from 47 states and 4 countries. No one can ever take those away. I would suggest to invest in an Ipad. It's great for keeping in touch with family, friends, it's got maps and info galore. Travel safe.

[Peggy Green]

You want to be able to clean and lubricate your guitar thoroughly with each string change (Cloths, chrome polisher, lubricant). Rubber feet of legs can get lost, bring extras. A replacement pot and fishing line for your volume pedal. Extra wrench for your tuning rods ends. Direct box and SM-57 to hook you up with any sound man's system.

You have to clean your shoes/boots. You have to brush the lint from your clothes (stage lights are unforgiving).

[Wally Moyers]

Great advice from everyone... I would add to only drink bottled water, don't even drink iced tea in restaurants.. Stay with bottled water, soft drinks etc.. On my first tour out of Nashville I got sick from that.. All tap water has some bacterial contamination and if your not from that area it can make you sick... Have fun!

[Mickey Adams]

Take Jess wif ya!......LMAO