Tour Management

One of the most storied positions in this crazy music business, the stuff of movies and legend, is the job of tour manager. It doesn't take amazing musical talent or immense wealth, and the promise of riches and stardom is not in the picture for most tour managers. Yet that person may be the most responsible for the smooth operation of the long road trip that touring bands undertake throughout the year.

Aside from finding mandolin strings or Ben and Jerry's in remote locations in the middle of the night, a tour manager has very specific responsibilities. Their job starts before the tour, and lasts until the band is delivered safely home.

One of the first responsibilities begins when the final appearance schedule is delivered from the booking agent. The tour manager then begins their role of navigator and secretary. As much as possible, distances should be checked and directions mapped out. Then an itinerary has to be matched so that the driving schedule affords enough time to prepare for every gig. When bands must travel hundreds of miles, set up, play, break down, and try to squeeze sleeping in somewhere- the itinerary must be carefully planned out in advance. Tours will often include stops besides the gig- radio stations, in-store promotions, or perhaps newspapers. And of course you must calculate other stops for meals, breaks, and gas. The larger the group of people that is traveling, the longer it takes to get everyone motivated and moving.

The internet now allows us to map out routes with many stops. Of course, nothing beats a good US road atlas. Mapquest is a fairly decent site, and even Yahoo has a maps section. Don't depend solely on their suggestions however, as at times they are discombobulated. It's always good to bust out the road atlas, so you can really visualize how far some trips are.

Before the tour starts and as the band travels, the tour manager "advances" the shows with the venues. Anywhere from the day before to two weeks before the show, the tour manager makes contact with the venues and reviews the information pertinent to each gig. The tour manager verifies the deals, checks for contracts, verifies hospitality information and plans the loading and performance procedures. Then they check this information against the plans and promotional materials that are out for the band and review any discrepancies with the band's management and/or agent. This process helps to flush out the problems that the band will be encountering, and really exposes where concerns may be lurking.

When arriving at the venue each night, the tour manager becomes the ambassador for the band. Often, the tour manager is the chief personal contact representing the band and a good manager can help smooth out problems that arise, while insuring the band gets their due. The tour manager has to be part negotiator and part protocol expert. When meeting with the venue representative (if the venue has one) you quickly review the procedure and get the band and crew started.

While the band and crew are going about their business of creating the music, the tour manager is coordinating the hospitality (food, beverage, towels, etc..) checking with the hotel accommodations, helping to coordinate the sale of the merchandise, and generally assisting the business of the band. While the band and crew are preparing for the show, the tour manager may make shopping runs seeking supplies from food to batteries and musical equipment. A working knowledge of a band's needs in terms of supplies and quick thinking will pick up the slack when gear acts unpredictably or supplies run low.

If these needs are already met, a tour manager can be a tremendous asset by reaching out to local media. If everyone has enough guitar strings and drum sticks, a good tour manager becomes a networker. They can jump on the phone and drum up interest from local radio, or cajole some local reviewers to come to the show. This is really where an experienced tour manager with connections can pay off. If someone has enough experience and connections, they can help boost a tour's success by drawing attention to the band while they are out on the road.

A few years ago I promoted a show at a smallish club in an Oregon ski-town. The Samples were playing, and it was one of the most successful shows that they ever had at this venue. Since I was promoting, I was the chief contact for the venue, and I dealt with the band's tour manager throughout the night. It was not long before I realized the main role that their tour manager was playing. Every 10 to 15 minutes, he came up to me and asked for something else for the band. Some of the things were part of the contract- dinner for the band and beverages and such. And other things were just additional requests that would help make their tour run more smoothly. He managed to extract some useful resources from the bar including ice for the bus coolers, additional beer for the band to take with them, and more. All the way until the end of the night, he politely asked for more resources for the band, mainly food and drinks. He didn't get everything that he asked for- change for the Laundromat, bread and sandwich makings, etc.. But what he did get really helped the band get as much as they could out of every stop they made.

After the show the tour manager is usually the person who deals with the money exchange with the venue. They must attempt to extract a report from the club as to how the sales went at the door, and how many people came to see the band. This is a process that the tour manager should be monitoring all night to keep everyone honest, and then must extract the band's just payment out of the establishment. While in an optimistic world every band would be paid what they were supposed to be paid every night, often times the tour manager must become the sergeant at arms for the band. Again the tour manager may need to be a negotiator or perhaps at times may need to become aggressive in order to get the band their money.

An old friend of mine told me a story about having a conflict with a club owner after a week of successful shows (I think he was working for Dave Mason at the time.) When George went to get the money for the whole week, he found that the club owner was not willing to part with his cash. George threw a fit that included getting on the owner's desk and jumping up and down screaming that the band would get their money. Eventually this brought the cops, and when George presented the contract, the police assisted him in extracting his money from the club. While it was dramatic and perhaps insane behavior, it was the necessary actions the band needed to leave with their money.

There are a million little things that a tour manager can do to help increase the success of a tour. They can scour the music and daily newspapers and magazines in the area and see if they can find press on the band. This is incredibly valuable, and often the only way that a band can collect the press that is out on them in all the different cities where they stop. The tour manager should carry a notebook and collect information about the people that they meet and the media outlets that are around in each market. Who helped the band out, and who should get a thank you call or a gift in the mail because they hooked the band up on the road. Keep track of the other venues around and press hands on behalf of the band. Write down the big events and festivals that people talk about, and see who the other popular bands are in each town. This information can really help the band on their next tour.

Beyond all of these tasks, a tour manager often is the cheerleader and coach for artists who are in a different place every night. When a tour lasts weeks or months, and each night holds both the promise of future success and the unexpected difficulties of the road and a tough business, the tour manager is often supplying perspective and energy to the band and crew. A tour manager must help to keep the artist focused and the machinery of the tour driving in the direction of efficiency and success each night. Different skills are necessary at each new stop, and the job is ever-changing.

While the band's management sculpts strategy, and the agent is hunting for shows, it is the tour manager that is actually executing the tours on behalf of the band. They are the go to person, the heart of the touring unit that captains the progress of the band. It is important to remember that the tour manager does not sculpt policy or practice for the band, but rather follows those policies through so that the strategies and goals of the band are being met.

While it may be exciting, the work is never ending. Making sure the mailing list is circulating to the fans, making sure that the merchandise is loaded back into the bus, making sure that none of the equipment gets left, making sure that the owners and proprietors are happy, making sure that the artists are protected, making sure that the van is locked, remembering where the keys are, hurrying everyone up so that you can get onto the road and drive for 500 miles to get to the next gig, calling back to report how things are going, begging the record label for more money, ordering the band's manager to send more t-shirts to the show 3 days from now, calling your buddy in LA who will bring those 15 friends of his to your show next weekend, calling your aunt in Bakersfield and asking her if she minds if 9 people take a shower, and would she mind making dinner for everyone?