THE TOUR MANAGER - IS IT HARDEST JOB ON THE ROAD?

In my current role as a publicist and in days gone by as a PR manager for record labels, I have crossed paths and worked with many tour managers, quite often referred to as a TM.  My experiences with them have been good and bad....I have called them friend and I have called them foe.  In the 60's and 70's a tour manager was then known as a road manager....think the days of Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.  He would be big, burly, bejewelled, brash and in Elvis's case....he would take care of business.  This essentially is what a tour manager does, and there is plenty of business to take care of on the road.

The tour manager picks up the hire car, he drives the hire car - everywhere, he books the wake up calls and he berates the member of the touring entourage who is late and holds everybody up, he books the luggage calls, he packs the luggage into the hire car and he tracks and finds the lost luggage.  There is plenty of it.  Google and Where Is are his closest allies.  He knows the distance from every town to the next and how long it will take to get there.  He knows exactly how far he can drive without running out of petrol to the teeny tiniest last drop of it.  He uses a GPS but quite often gets lost and is never afraid of double parking or covering an entrance/exit that needs to be used if he needs to park there.  He knows the loading bays, entrances, and dressing rooms of every venue any band has ever played in.  He knows how to get a free meal for the band if there isn't one in the contract. He has all the airline lounges sorted and knows all the girls at the front desks by first name. He has more Frequent Flyer points, hotel soaps/towels/roomkeys than we could ever imagine. He knows how to tune and play all of the instruments that everyone else in the band plays, even though he's never actually been on stage and played himself. He is the first one to rise in the morning and usually is the last one to bed at night - because he's working organising everybody else - not because he's out partying, he has too much responsibility to partake in too much of that unless it's a night off and then the TM is the life and soul of the party. He handles the obsessive and over zealous fans, smiles and feigns interest in the backstage meet and greeters/VIP's/family members.  He procures whatever is needed whenever it is needed.  A spare shirt out of his suitcase, a burger late at night, more booze when the backstage rider has run out, a bag of whatever from the guy down on the corner, a warm body, a massage therapist, a hangover cure and occasionally a doctor.  He packs up the merchandise, has probably been selling it too and carries the cash. He takes responsibility for damages, rudeness, tardiness and all types of bad behaviour, mainly because no-one else will.  He quite frequently is a chain smoker, puffing away during any break in the day and often saying "I'll wait out by the car" which really means that he is going to have a smoke, that usually goes hand in hand with a cup of coffee and a slightly nervous pace.  He is loyal, efficient, dedicated, tireless, probably underpaid and yes I think he might have the hardest job on the road.

In my younger years, I wanted to be a tour manager.  God only knows why! Midnight Oil had a female tour manager by the name of Constance, and I thought she was the coolest chick alive.  She was American, four foot something, always wore very high heeled boots and had a birds nest of bleached blonde hair.  She was tough, in control and I was terrified of her, but I wanted to be like her.  I loved watching her in action and I always considered her to be very good at her job to be working with the likes of Midnight Oil in their heyday.  A strong confident woman in a man's world.

Over the years I have met so many tour managers and most of my dealings with them have been great.  They need to work hand in hand with us and most do so very happily and easily.  They are considerate of what is needed at our end if we are considerate of what is needed at theirs.  Arrival in my town usually starts off with a phone call to go over the plan for the day...who is driving, what time and where should we meet and how can we get through the day (efficiently) keeping the artist refreshed and happy?I've only had two very bad experiences with tour managers in the past.  One was with a man who had worked on major concert tours here in Australia for many years and who had been a mainstay in the Australian music industry for a very long time.  At a pre-show meet and greet for an international artist when I was working for Sony Music, he became angry that I had brought in a group of people to meet and greet the artist.  I had been given the go ahead to do so by the head tour manager for the promoter a few minutes prior but this hadn't been passed on.  He pushed me up against a wall in front of everyone and yelled in my face.  I don't recall anyone coming to my rescue but I do recall never forgetting that incident and how it had made me feel very small and him probably very important.  The second occasion was more an issue with the band however the tour manager for this act stood by and watched and kind of shrugged his shoulders as if it was just another day, and it probably was.  This UK band arrived early on a Sunday morning from Perth and I went out to meet them, which was always something that you were required to do as a record company rep. It was always my least favourite part of the job.  They hadn't been to sleep and they had been drinking, a lot.  Despite the fact that I had worked with them before and had gotten along very well with them, on this occasion and under the circumstances I had become a fresh piece of flesh to....um, attack. They followed me through the airport terminal as we headed out towards the bus, and I was verbally abused in a sexual manner from the first step until the last. The tour manager whose name happened to be Animal, loaded them all on to the bus and looked at me sheepishly.  'So do you want to come down to the hotel tonight and grab some dinner and a bit to eat with us?', he said.  'No', I replied. 'You won't be seeing me tonight and you won't be seeing me at your show tomorrow night'.  'Righto', he said.  Would Animal have had the decency to tell his boys to back off when they first started the heckling?  Would he have had the decency to apologise to me on their behalf before the bus departed?  No, of course not.  Another day, another town, another chick, even if I was from the record company....who cares when you are still on a bender from last night.  His loyalties lay with them not me.  I said goodbye and that night called the MD of the label in Sydney told him what happened and told him that I wasn't prepared to have anything more to do with that act whilst they were in town, and he fully supported me on all levels.

And the good guys??  Well there are plenty of them.  These days with the need to reduce the costs of touring, members of the entourage often take on extra roles and it is not unusual to find that a band member is also the tour manager, or the artist manager accompanies the artist to act in that capacity as well.  One of my faves enjoys a laugh with me about all the funny things that happen on the road...our favourite line is "go and get the car will you?" and he spoils me rotten making sure that there is always a rider for me ... "I've got a glass of wine, a great seat and a cheese plate waiting for you"!  He very sweetly tells me that "I am Adelaide" and we both stay up way too late working hard and long hours, and therefore have a terrific mutual admiration society.  One of my current clients have their multi-skilled drummer doubling as the man in charge of everything.  He is amazingly adept at juggling many things at once...marketing, my 100 phonecalls and emails a day, the artists and band, the venues, the booking agency and his family. Today he sent me a text that firstly apologised for "bugging me on a Saturday".  Everyday is a working day in our business, but I appreciated his thoughtfulness.  A huge hats off to him, because let's not forget that he is a musician in his own right, and therefore to have to take on so many responsibilities day after day....well in my view it sort of puts his musicianship a long way down the list of things to consider each day.  He is a terrific player and so I hope that each night when he eventually gets up behind the kit, that he still gets as much joy from it as from the day that he first picked up his sticks.  I think he is simply wonderful.

Some of these guys just do their jobs so well, and you can pick them out easily from the calibre of artists whom they work with.  It's no coincidence that they are employed by artists who run a tight ship and who are professional beyond belief.  From here on in I think I will refer to them as "the rocks of the road" because that is what they truly are.  The pic that I have chosen for today's blog is of my friend Michael, play acting at being a TM.  He has the perfect serious "face" on, mobile phone technique and obligatory laminate around his neck.....he did a superb job when required and could step up to the job anyday!

Thanks for reading,
Deb

Hello and welcome to my first ever blog!  I've been wanting to write and share some of the stories that occur throughout my crazy, busy life as a publicist in the music industry.  They might not always be music based but they might occasionally give an insight into what goes on and give you a look at some of the interesting and wonderful characters that I get to meet along the way. It's amazing how many of them you can find in one spot on any given night!

Last night in Adelaide I attended the Clipsal 500 After Race 80's Party concert which featured some of the biggest names from the 80's......the night kicked off with The Chantoozies (right...), then followed Pseudo Echo, Uncanny X-Men, Leo Sayer and Mondo Rock.  Racegoers are able to stay and enjoy the concert with the cost of admission covered by their race ticket purchase.  The likes of Tina Turner and Cher have graced the Clipsal stage after a race, and there are always thousands of willing fans wanting to sing and dance along with songs that they "haven't heard in years".  Most with can of beer in hand.

Last night I was there as a guest of Leo Sayer, whom I have been working with over the past few days.  I only met Leo on Thursday afternoon, and as I expected he was warm, affable, fascinating, full of energy and an absolute pro to work with.  Even after having worked in this industry for over 25 years, you could never ever dismiss the learning experience of working with an entertainment pop icon such as Leo.  I grew up with his songs.  I was in the front row of a concert at which he performed at Adelaide's Festival Theatre in the late 80's.  I watched him on Countdown.  I wasn't nervous about working with Leo because I was already certain about how he would present himself to both me and the media.  I only wanted to do well in terms of exposure out of our publicity day for my client, and to embrace the time that I would be able to spend with him and learn from it.  And indeed I did learn.  Watching him onstage last night was a joy.  Leo is 62 years old and he LOVES what he does.  When you are in the position of being able to sit on the side of the stage or stand out amongst the crowd to see their reaction....you can truly see and feel how much fans enjoy an artist such as Leo.

So I had what we refer to in the industry as AAA - Access All Areas.  Everybody wants it and few people have it.  Why do people want it so badly?  I assume it is because they imagine that there is a whole world of excitement and  fun that goes on backstage.  They naturally want to see what goes on and if they can, to become a part of it.  In a situation such as the Clipsal, you need a pass to get everywhere.  You can't really move from Point A to Point B without needing a different pass.  Last night you needed your AAA/ Artist pass and then you needed a green wristband to be able to access the stage to view the show.  I thought I might have needed a Toilet pass, but it seems I got away with that one....

The Clipsal concert backstage world involves entering a fenced off compound at the rear of the giant stage.  Yellow shirted security men are positioned every few feet and give you a rather big once over to check out who you might (or might not) be.  I arrived before Leo and decided to catch up with my old friend Pseudo Echo's lead singer Brian Canham.  We have been friends for many years and our relationship goes right back to the days when I first started working at EMI Music Adelaide at the age of 18 and Pseudo Echo were the Australian darlings/superstars of the label.  Mr Canham was a huge star.  Years later, when I was living in Melbourne...Brian and I both took our rather naughty labradors to dog training school on Saturday mornings in Albert Park and our two "rock dogs" didn't exactly learn quickly. But they had each other to chase and Brian and I had each other to look sheepishly at when they wouldn't do what they were told.  Cooper Edwards and Rio Canham are both in heaven now and Brian and I spent quite some time last night reminiscing about our much loved dogs.  The dressing room setup at Clipsal is formed by a square of transportable rooms with basic lounge suites, a trestle table, clothes rack and catering in each.  The Pseudos invited me to partake of their vodka supply and I was grateful that I didn't have to battle the beer guzzling crowd outside for a drink.  In the middle of the square is a mini outdoor patio/courtyard area and the catering tables.  I'm always offered a feed but sometimes it doesn't feel quite right as I've just waltzed in for an hour or so and the bottom line is that the food is not there for the likes of me.  Unless I'm absolutely starving, I always politely decline.  I did however, pocket a small chocolate bar on my way out at the insistence of Leo's wonderful tour manager Steve :)  As he offered me a drink, Pseudo Echo's Pierre did point out to me that I had the best of both worlds....pointing between the two dressing rooms and saying "you can have a sip of our vodka but you're lucky, you will probably get offered the top notch stuff over there"....as he nodded his head towards Leo's dressing room catering!

I didn't have my green wristband for stage access yet so I wandered around and chatted with friends such as Tim R who plays keyboards in everyone's band...last saw him at A Day On The Green with Sean Kelly and tonight he was with Uncanny X-Men. Then there was Teresa whom I met when the Adelaide venue Norwood Live first opened in 2008.  We spent three days together on the road with Diesel, me looking after publicity and Teresa the merch sales.  We always catch up with a friendly hug and kiss and enjoy a quick chat before she rushes off to stack crates full of ice and clear plates etc.  There are production runners a many backstage at a show like this. James Reyne's sound engineer Grant was another familiar face, this time twiddling the knobs for Mondo Rock.  Why wouldn't I just wander up onto the stage without my green wristband you might ask?  Because when there is a procedure in place, it is the right thing to adhere by it.  Brian Canham was about to walk up the ramp to start his set with Pseudo Echo but as he didn't have his guitar in his hand at the time, the very diligent security guard asked him to show his wristband before he took another step. I've never thought I "should" be somewhere because I might think that I have a right to be...not my style.  I don't wander into dressing rooms and help myself to riders...I am always lucky enough to be looked after with the hospitality of the artist I am working for and am always grateful to be offered a nice cold glass of wine from their rider.  I don't walk into dressing rooms without knocking and I leave before I know that I will be asked to.  Bands undressing has always been one of the trials and tribulations face by this writer as a female surrounded by men wanting to disrobe....and quite frankly I don't need or want to see it.  Sudden flashback comes to mind of a certain bassplayer from an Australian band (who now plays with some of the biggest and best in the US), opening the dressing room door to greet my then boss Shay, stark naked with his hands on his hips.  I must have known, I very deliberately said to Shay at the time, "um, I think you should go in first".  So back to the access, my good friend Barry was manning the access to the Promoters viewing platform above the stage and he came to give me a big hug and no doubt would have let me go up there until Leo arrived.  I was happy to wait.  It's not hard to know your place and with that comes respect for it. 

Leo arrived with loud laughter and big welcomes for everyone.  Nearly all of these acts he knows very well, having toured with them during the Countdown Spectacular tour several years ago.  "Hullo darlin'" could be heard everywhere he went for the next 30 minutes. The patio area had now been filled with the band members, tour managers and crews of all of the acts. The only other people backstage were wives, girlfriends, boyfriends, babies, drivers and a very minimal handful of old friends.  MIX 102.3's Jason Snowy Carter was the only media person present as he was MC'ing the show, he wandered about cheerily introducing himself to the bands and getting their approval for an onstage welcome.  Who made it backstage who might have been out of place and not a part of the setup?  No-one really......except the 20 giant inflatable beachballs that the Uncanny X-Men brought with them to kick out to the crowd during a song .....and the two very scantily clad bikini models who were used to "enhance" a song....I didn't see it but I'm sure it went over well because whilst their attire was a little out of place backstage, they themselves most certainly weren't.  The most amusing part of that being for me,  that they didn't dress afterwards...they hung out with the boys in the crew at the back of the stage smoking and then just wandered around in their bikinis for a while...as you do!  

I myself was considered a "new face" amongst many of the band members within the compound as I hadn't met many of the players in Leo's band.  As a female, there is often a period of "sussing out" that goes on as they will quietly take a bit of time to determine who and what I might be.  Most often, people tend to keep to themselves and I find that it is usually me who has to introduce myself (if it hasn't been done by my client) and explain where I fit in.  From there, they'll either find me interesting, or they won't.  For my part, I am always happy to strike up a conversation with an interesting person, male or female, as long as it doesn't involve....."so what are you doing now, do you want to come back to the hotel for a drink?"  

Last night the patio was filled with some wonderful names of the Australian music industry.  Ross Wilson and Eric McCusker of Mondo Rock have written some of the THE most amazing songs....Leo's band was full of the hottest Australian session musicians going - James Gillard, Bill Risby, Mark Kennedy & Paul Berton to name a few....and the two Brian's - Canham and Mannix - whilst worlds apart in appearance, have had massive careers with hits that had dominated the Australian charts when I was younger.  All of these bands I had faithfully followed in pubs all over Adelaide and it's wonderful to be able to work with them and amongst them.  

My favourite observations of the night.....firstly stage roadie Falcon during Leo's set.  He played air guitar, air drums, he stomped and stamped his feet, he encouraged the crowd to clap and he held up his lighter AND his mobile phone at the front of the stage to encourage them to do likewise. Occasionally he moved mike stands and handed over guitars after a song.  Falcon was absolute gold and a delight to watch.  The other was the second stage roadie who throughout Leo's entire set, leaned on a roadcase and stared at Chantoozie Tottie Goldsmith as she danced and sang along and canoodled with her fella in front of and between me and said roadie.  He couldn't take his eyes off her...he was about 20 years old...another crew member had to come and yell in his face to get his attention when he was needed.  He was mesmerised by the Tottster.  And no backstage area would be complete without a little rock baby in a sling....Chantoozie Angie's little bubba won my heart and gave me the biggest smile of the day...well the baby and Falcon both made me smile....

Backstage ain't all it's cracked up to be folks.....once you get back there, there isn't an awful lot to see.  Just people going about their work, or waiting to do their work and then leave. In the end we're all music fans aren't we......the real excitement is out the front.

Hope you enjoyed reading my first blog, and I hope you'll come again!

Deb x