Life on Tour For Rock Musicians

In The Rock Star’s Wife series, Nat spends much of the year on tour with his band Dramatic Sneezer.  What is life on tour like for musicians?

“The honest truth is, life on the road can be brutal, especially for those starting out on shoestring budgets,” The Blogging Musician says. “If your group is heading out on a string of cross-country gigs and you don’t want to feel like a living zombie within the first week, you’re going to want to plan accordingly.”

This means musicians must make a conscious effort to take care of both their physical and mental health.

Don’t believe the hype, Luke Davis, the frontman for Wicked Snakes, warns.

“Touring is fucking great fun in the respect that you get to hang out with your best friends (unless you hate your bandmates), hang out with cool bands (usually), and travel all over the place (unless your van breaks down),” Davis says. “That said, you’ll still struggle to get paid, you’ll smell even worse than normal, you won’t sleep, eat or shit normally and you definitely won’t get laid.”

When You’re Starting Out

New musicians often make no money other than a per diem each day for things like food and drinks.  This can vary but is generally no higher than $100.

A band experiencing a moderate level of success could make $1,500 to $2,000 monthly per member before expenses.  And there are many, many expenses include crew member salaries and transportation.  Taking this into consideration, many bands are in debt by the time their tours end.

Sometimes a record label will provide bands with some financial support.  This often ends when bands make enough to cover their expenses.

Headliners travel from venue to venue in a bus with a dedicated driver whereas bands starting out must drive their own vans towing a trailer of equipment.  Buses average between $1,000 to $1,500 a day to rent.

Tour Schedule

So what is a typical day like for a band?  There is no hard and fast music industry rule, but this was the schedule of Nick Cesarz, former drummer for Vinyl Theatre.

8 a.m.:  Awaken for the day.

9 a.m.:  Leave for next venue.

Noon.: Lunch at a highway rest stop.

3 p.m.:  Make it to the venue.

4 p.m.: Begin stage setup.

5 p.m.: The sound engineer arrives for soundcheck.

6 p.m.: Remove equipment from stage.

7 p.m.: Dinner.

9:30 p.m.:  Take to the stage for the band’s set.

11 p.m.: Tear down the stage.

Midnight:  Leave for next venue.

2 a.m.: Hotel check-in.

3 a.m.: Fall asleep.

And there you have it, the unglamorous life of a sleep-deprived rock star.  As you can tell, it’s nothing like in the movies.

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What aspects of life on tour surprise you?  Leave a comment below.  Comments close after 90 days.

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Here’s the 4-1-1

This blog is a companion piece to The Rock Star’s Wife, a series about sex, family, and rock & roll.  The series has elements of chick lit, romance and erotica and is best compared to The Vagina Monologues for its frank talk of sex and its consequences.  The series follows Cassandra from her teenage years into her 40s as she navigates relationships (both romantic and platonic) — all with music playing a prominent roll.

Book five, Sex & Surprises, debuts February 2025:  Cassandra watches with apprehension as her eldest daughter, Megan, matures and becomes interested in boys.  Will Megan follow in mom’s sexual footsteps?  But it turns out, a teenage daughter is the least of Cassie’s concerns after she takes an ancestry DNA test and uncovers a family secret that turns her life upside down

Cassandra needs your help getting her story out.  Join the street team to help.