The Music That Drives Us

I have come to realize that, in all the various blogs I manage online, not one of them is dedicated to the one thing I love most: live music.

Not enough people genuinely appreciate live music. There is a lot of sweat and skill that go into the production of a live show. The problem I'm seeing at too many concerts these days is too many people in the audience just have no concept of connection to the artists onstage. Too many are just sitting back and watching, when once upon a time nearly every member of the crowd was in their feet, singing or yelling or otherwise "getting into" the music being played for them. Touring musicians go through a lot to give us a couple hours' entertainment each nigh. The shows themselves can be physically and emotionally exhausting for the performers, and there are always the sacrifices of being on the road: sleeping in cramped bus bunks; bad food; grueling schedules of interviews and promotional appearances...the list could go on and on.

Being on the road is not easy. So why do they do it? Simple. For love. For passion.

Over the last six years, I have become caught up in life on the road. Because many of the artists I like are from overseas and do not perform in the U.S. very often, I have taken to following the tours of my favorite performers. In so doing, I found many parallels between my life on the road and that of these performers. I have made a number of friends across the country in my wanderings, and a few of them have been inspired by my actions and now join me regularly when I "hit the road". We keep in contact through online social media (including blogs on Xanga and LiveJournal) when we're not "on tour", and through these contacts have become friends with each others' friends. Our blogs are essential to our unity, and have served as our means of communicating when tours are happening, when we are buying tickets, which shows we want to attend, mapping our routes, and making other travel plans. Our "touring group" now boasts more than 20 members and includes people from the United States, Canada, and Sweden. We have practically become our own subculture in the process.

Because I have been "touring" in the U.S. more extensively than most of us, it has often fallen to me to schedule our trips between shows. This can include mapping routes, making airline/bus reservations, and determining what time we need to leave each venue to arrive at the next to get a good spot in line (most shows we attend are General Admission). About two years into this, it occurred to me that these are skills similar to those of tour managers: so why not pursue this as a career?

This blog is not only for recounting my experiences on the road that eventually led to me deciding to pursue a career in tour management, but to share my stories and experiences with others who maybe have an interest in live music but have never attended a concert; perhaps encouraging a few more to go to some live shows. I hope that my words can inspire you to attend live shows by your favorite artists, for there is no greater connection between artist and fan than at a live show.  This To witness fans at General Admission shows up there on the front rail, singing and dancing and cheering their hearts out while the performers on the stage before them feed off their energy and give it back through their own singing, dancing, and playing...well, it is truly a magical thing.