And then you are on for another cycle of promises , expectations , disappointments , great exhilarations , creative rebirths , and renewed band vows . But underneath , what is more of the emotional realm of our business , resides the real dark side of touring and being in a traveling community : the deep work and the impact its pressure has on everything .
So , when I decided to accept an offer to support British progressive rock band The Pineapple Thief last October , right in the middle of Delta and Omicron variants ( which is how I track time now ), I felt equipped , both mentally and technically , to manage that wonderful opportunity to go back on the road after almost two years of being grounded . Being independent artists comes with a lot of creative freedom and self-gratification , but not so much with budget , as no matter how great , special , and deserving of fame you may think you are , it always goes back to budget .
In our case , based on the road with the tour ’ s tight schedule , it meant it was only feasible with a tour bus . Yeah , tour bus ! We ’ re rock stars ! But it wasn ’ t possible . So , we looked into vans , trailers , and hotels , but it was crazy and dangerous to foresee ourselves being in vans for that tour . We then circled back , contacted whoever was still in business to try and make a deal . We were amongst the very first bands to get back on the road , so it gave us a bit of the upper hand . We managed to rent that holy-grail-type of tour bus at the prices of vans and hotels . Yeah , we made it ! But then , we had forgotten , we were the first North American band to deal with the new reality of no-one-is-supposedly-in-chargeand-knows-anything-about-it Brexit . I didn ’ t receive a prize , only additional bills for our merch , carnet , and everything else … Thank you Boris Johnson , I hope you are enjoying your imposed retirement .
So back to square one : transportation and accommodations . As we were about to decline the tour opportunity altogether , an old friend called me to say he had a friend of a friend , and so we finally had a bus … Old like my friend , but a bus nonetheless !
Those five weeks back on the road went pretty smoothly . Once that tour was over , I felt incredibly galvanized about … well , pretty much everything . I believed COVID was over , remembered all those people having a drink outside , venues filled with enthusiastic crowds . I was excited to start my first headline tour under my name , and the energy from the reopening world was simply electrifying and inspiring . Until lockdowns returned as the Omicron variant struck back .
I knew I would have to wait some more , but I was not as enthusiastic regarding what was ahead as I had been a few months earlier — and I wasn ’ t wrong to be . Then came Russia ’ s invasion of Ukraine , fuel prices skyrocketed , and everyone bore deep stigmata of COVID-related PTSD . I knew it would be quite a journey for us to go back on the road , this time in nine-seater vans we ’ d drive ourselves , sleeping in ( very ) humble hotels .
It all started with the plane tickets for Europe almost doubling , which was a serious issue as we had musicians , crew members , and luggage . Gear is the only aspect of touring that I never accepted to downsize , as improvisation is at the centre of what I do , and a specific instrument is usually used in only one song — don ’ t do that , it looks cool , but I highly suggest you avoid that at any cost because there is a steep price to pay when you travel abroad . Amongst that ridiculous amount of gear cases were a serious amount of merch boxes . We looked like a traveling circus . Thank God we didn ’ t have to bring two drums and five amps , or should I say thank God for the support of our brand partners who endorse us . We were a moving disaster awaiting a tiny little bump on the road to a devastating derailment — all in the name of artistic integrity , of course . No one even thought about loading in and out several times a day . While facing stairs in all the venues , I was practically praying that I was in a threepiece flute ensemble and bitterly regretted ever writing a guitar-based song in my life .
But truth be told , I always liked touring in a van , it just suits my emotional state to sleep in a bed every night , if only for a few hours , and to have a proper shower . It helps me transition from one day to another as well .
What I hadn ’ t factored in were the other summer vacations and the numerous festivities available , a U . K . train strike , and European heatwave . Germany was particularly hot ; I could see steam rising from the crowd night after night , to the point that I was more concerned for people suffocating than I was about passing out on stage — which almost happened in Berlin and Stuttgart before I had
ALEX HENRY FOSTER ON HIS EUROPEAN TOUR
an absence on a festival stage in France . I ’ ve never drunk as much water in my life as during that tour .
Suddenly , everyone was getting on our nerves in the packed van , every instrument case made us hate the song it was dedicated to ( almost ). Then we learned about the ticket-owners-ghosting-shows phenomenon , where people who bought a ticket when your tour was first announced in 2020 lose track of the rescheduled and re-rescheduled shows . Add to this venues canceling shows because of COVID . But hopefully , there ’ s always a silver lining ; we were able to be accommodated by friends who truly welcomed us with so much love and care , and it served as a necessary reset ( and the food was fantastic as well ).
Speaking of , another source of frustration on tour could be food : who ’ s eating what and when and why . Only to know on-site that no catering would be offered — something we relied on — and that we would have to go buy-outs . For us , this meant , well , we ’ ll make it happen , right ? Even if we go a little over budget , we all need to eat . Then shows started being canceled . No buy-outs , no merch , no nothing . Only a few more worries — okay , many more worries . And as if everything wasn ’ t complicated enough , we had to be tested for COVID almost every other day . Another adventure to a local drugstore , and a lot more expenses . I can positively say that we should be shareholders in that business only based on all the tests we did for that tour . But safety first , right ?
So , it went on and on . Even though we had pretty much figured everything out beforehand , the tight preparation of which saved us from a terrible financial disaster — that and all the peanut butter sandwiches we ate . Everyone was really happy to remember their punk ethos come meal time . Or almost everyone .
CANADIAN MUSICIAN 39