This is the first installment in a three-part series from guest blogger Steve Lagudi giving an inside look at what it means to be “on tour.” Hello everyone from around the world! My good friends over at Audio-Technica have asked me, once again, to share an inside view on some of the happenings in my day-to-day life while I am out on tour, as well as what I do to stay grounded and stay sane (or as sane as I can be). Some of you may remember my previous postings that I did a few years ago (“Guitars & Bass in a Live Setting,” “Miking Drums”), but for those of you who are just joining us, I am a touring live sound engineer who primarily does FOH (Front of House), but I am also a studio engineer. This series won’t cover anything technical; I’m going to focus on topics outside of my hectic work schedule on tour. Steve Lagudi

Touring is not a vacation!

First things first, I want to uncover the truth about the biggest myth associated with touring, because I hear it all the time: “Oh, you get to travel the world!” Granted we do travel to all sorts of Steve Lagudi on Tourplaces. Some places you’ve never even heard of, or places you never would expect to go in a lifetime. Of course, this is pretty awesome. But in reality, we don’t get to “see” much of these places and I will explain why. In the case of “fly tours” (tours where you fly in and out of cities, instead of traveling on a bus), you spend a lot of time trying to get to the show. You’re living in airports, dealing with baggage and gear check-ins, along with insane baggage fees, freight charges and all sorts of logistical nightmares (I could write a book covering all of that stuff on its own). Most of the time the schedule is super tight just to get to the show to begin setting up, which leaves very little time (usually none at all) to get out of the venue and go see some of the local sights. On regular tours where you’re traveling in a bus or van (yes, I have done plenty of van tours and they’re no picnic) the normal show days are long and usually very involved, starting around 9 or 10 in the morning and going all the way till 2 or 3 the following morning. This only leaves time to catch a shower and some food before going to bed to get as much sleep as you can so you can do it all again the next day. That’s the truth of it. Waking up in a new city, walking out of a bus, not knowing where you are, walking inside a venue, and that is about the extent that you get to see of a city. One of the good things about fly tours, at least, is getting to look outside the window of the plane (if you’re not stuck in a middle seat), train, ferry or van to appreciate the more scenic side of things, which can be really awesome. However, sometimes the schedule does work out in your favor and you might have a day off before or after a show, or even just a few hours after a long travel day, where you get a chance to venture out and experience a city. These are often few and far between and when I am not trying to catch up on emails or sleep, I try to take advantage of the time I have to go and explore. You never know when you might get that opportunity again, or it might be one of those cities you have been to before but never got to go see anything.

Touring isn’t for everyoneSteve Lagudi on tour

Despite some of these opportunities, it takes a certain kind of person to do this. You’re away from family and friends, working long hours, sacrificing a lot and not everyone is built for it. So many people want to do it, get out there, then after a few days they realize that it’s not for them. Which is OK – kudos for trying! Even touring veterans who are used to the crazy life can get burnt out very easily. Being surrounded by the same people, day in and day out, living in the same bus, van or hotel rooms can be difficult to deal with, regardless of the great working and personal relationships you may have with one another. There is an old saying that being on tour is like being married. While I have never been married, but other crew people who are or have been married can agree that this is certainly the case. On the flip side, however, is that these people are like family to me. I see them more than I see my regular family, so there is no doubt that we have very tight bonds with one another. Together, we deal with the ups and downs not only of touring life, but of real life as well. We are a band of brothers and sisters who look out for – and rely on – one another. Check back soon for Part 2 of Steve’s blog series on touring, where he’ll look at the trials and tribulations of a typical day. (Photos via Steve Lagudi's Instagram)