Make that
music to go.
TONE TIPS
PETER STROUD
A Day in the (Tour) Life
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Checking out of hotel in Aarhus, Denmark Photo credit: Lynn Stroud
The question I’m asked most often is, …in Catering. Sheryl has a catering com-
“What’s it like on tour? What do you do pany touring with us. We eat well. Too
with your time?” There’s a certain vision well, actually. Too much.
of idle time hanging out, waiting to play…
soundcheck… eat… play… party… destroy 6:00 p.m Doors open to the audience
hotel room… sleep… you get the picture.
What’s it really like? All of the above. 7:00 – 7: 35 p.m. Toots & The Maytals
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8:00 – 8: 55 p.m. James Blunt
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9: 20 – 11:00 p.m. Sheryl Crow
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I just finished a tour across the U.S. with
Sheryl Crow, along with James Blunt and
reggae legends Toots & The Maytals
(Toots’ 1968 song, “Do the Reggay”
named the entire genre).
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Here’s our daily routine:
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3:00 – 8:00 a.m. Arrive in new town,
check into hotel
We awake from our bunks on the tour bus,
having driven in from the previous town’s
show the evening prior.
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1: 30 p.m. Bag Call
Our personal luggage is packed and left
outside our hotel door for the bellman to
collect.
Most venues have a strict curfew, due
either to outdoor sound restrictions or
local union labor laws (running over by
even just one minute can cost you thousands of dollars). We’ll usually hang out
for a half hour or so after a show. We take
showers, change clothes, and visit with
local friends and guests before getting
back on the bus to head to our next gig
town. Often, we’ll do a “runner,” which
consists of jumping right off stage and running directly onto the bus, usually to beat
the traffic out of the venue or if we have a
long drive ahead of us. From there…
2:00 p.m. Leave hotel for soundcheck
3:00 – 8:00 a.m. Arrive in new town,
check into hotel
2: 30 – 3: 30 p.m. Soundcheck
As well as running through songs for the
benefit of our FOH (Front of House) sound
engineer, we often work up more songs
to include in the show, as well as practice
edited version of tunes to be played on
upcoming TV performances. Occasionally,
we jam on new ideas. Our soundcheck is
scheduled early to allow ample set-up and
soundcheck time for James Blunt and Toots.
…And start all over again. I’ll let you fill in
the blanks as to what we do in those little
segments of time in between. You can help
us keep up the mystique to make it appear
more glamorous than it actually may be.
Party on Garth!
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5: 30 p.m. Dinner Served
Peter Stroud
is co-founder of 65amps
sherylcrow.com
65amps.com
