This is the second installment in a three-part series from guest blogger Steve Lagudi giving an inside look at what it means to be “on tour.” If you missed Part 1, you can read it here.

Keeping it together on show days

As I mentioned in Part 1, my days are very long and involved. Aside from just being a FOH engineer, I am often working as a production manager. On top of that, I also handle the monitor duties for Machine Head when on tour, which requires me to set up both FOH and monitors, miking everything on stage and coordinating everything that happens during the day. Luckily we have the monitors set up so the band/crew can adjust monitor levels via iPhones.

Meals

In the morning, before I head into the venue, I like to make a cup of tea, then head to the load-in entrance where I will meet up with the local crew and introduce myself. I will also have a cigarette or two and go over in my mind what needs to happen for the day. I am not one for eating breakfast, but if the food from the night before wasn’t any good or I just didn’t eat it, I might grab a little something to eat. Sometimes we are lucky enough to have a small setup of food, which ranges from deli meats, fruit and sometimes soup. Personally, I don't really like to eat too much. Last thing I want to do after eating a big meal is go to work. Several hours into the day, lunch is usually served or brought in. On a typical day, lights and sound get loaded in an hour or two before backline, so I can only get a certain amount of stuff done before the backline comes in. So if all is going smoothly on my side of things, I might just be able to sneak away for ten minutes to get something to eat. Oftentimes you face unforeseen circumstances, which knock things off track a little bit. Sometimes I get behind to the point where I need to finish my setup while the backline techs are off having their lunch breaks. While this gets us back on schedule for the start of line-check, it also results in me having to miss lunch altogether, or arrive late to find the food is either all gone or cold. (Glamorous life, huh?) When that happens, I might go to the bus or a place nearby and grab something. But most of the time I just carry on with my day, hoping that everything else goes well and we get back on track in time for dinner. Ninety percent of the time things work out so I can make it to dinner on time and sit and relax. But this is often short-lived, as I’m usually interrupted by someone from the crew needing to discuss things, or I have to talk to my artists. If I get 15 minutes for dinner without being bothered, then it’s a great day. The other 10% of the time, I might be prevented from going to dinner because I am dealing with some problem. This is one of those situations where being close with your crew pays off, as they will put together a plate for you and either bring it to you or put it to the side. It’s even better when they know what you like and dish out exactly what you would pick. In the past, I worked on plenty of tours where we did not get catered food. You could be handed five dollars to go get food and that is all you might get for the entire day. Or worse, you might be working for a support band, and not even get the five bucks – you are totally on your own to fend for yourself. Truck stop burritos, hot dogs or just a bag of chips might be your only option. Still think we are on vacation?!

Pre-show rituals

Before show time, I try and put myself into a quiet environment. There are not many places you can hide where it is quiet, but I like to give my ears some rest time before the show. While doing that it would be nice to just relax and clear my mind, but there’s just too much stuff that needs to happen before show time, or hundreds of emails pertaining t o the rest of the tour to catch up on. It’s funny how all those emails can pile up on you if you don't stay on top of them.

Shower time

Once the truck or trailer doors are shut, one thing I really look forward to is getting a nice hot shower – washing away the filth of the day so you can go to sleep nice and clean. I find that keeping clean, aside from the good it does for the group by keeping the interesting smells to a minimum, just makes you feel better. Not all venues you play have a shower, sometimes you might have to go a few days without, but more and more venues nowadays do have some sort of shower. However, sometimes those showers don't have any hot water – so it's a cold, cold shower. Or you might find the opposite where it’s scorching hot. I tend to find that showers start off with the right water temperature then – boom – the hot water disappears. On the last run I did, that happened to me five days in a row. You would tend to think this was just a hot water heater issue, but regardless of the order in which I took a shower, people before or after me would be fine. Just my luck! Another grand occurrence you come across: showers that don't drain. You’ll walk in to find a small swimming pool in the bottom of the shower, the water overflowing the minute you step in. Lastly, you’ll encounter some of the most disgusting showers on the planet. Scientists should take samples from these showers, because I can almost guarantee that they would find things growing in there that could be found nowhere else on the planet. So take my advice, bring shower shoes. A lot of times you won’t have shower towels. Either the venue just does not have enough towels or some people use up all the towels, especially when you get those showers that leak and you have to throw down a hundred towels to soak up all the water.

Post-show rituals

After the show, tear down and load out, I like to follow up with the band and the crew to see how their show went and discuss any problems that might have arisen. Doing that just shows that you care and that we are all on the same team working towards the same goal. I find it is mentally beneficial to talk after the show; there’s usually a good vibe and camaraderie as you wind down and share some stories. Plus, you can hear and learn some interesting things. After (hopefully) a nice, clean, hot shower and change of clothes, I like to have something to eat. It is not uncommon to have “after show” food, which, depending upon where you tour, ends up being pizza or burgers or döners. It is nice to be able to sit down and just have something to eat. It’s usually cold, but on occasion you get to enjoy it while it’s hot. Depending upon what time you are scheduled to leave, you might find a place within walking distance that is open. And, of course, sometimes you don't get the luxury of having any food at all. At this point, I generally choose to go to sleep. Getting sleep is very, very important, especially when you have long days, and if you do not take care of yourself by getting enough sleep, it can catch up to you. Now, I am no doctor, but I feel if you don't get enough sleep, this weakens your immune system and you can get sick. When you think about all the sweaty, dirty grimy things that we and hundreds of other people have touched, it can be easy to get sick out there. Being on tour and getting sick is the worst, and once one person gets sick, it’s only a matter of time before it spreads to everyone else, without fail. Now and then, however, I like to unwind after a show. I’ll watch a movie, or maybe listen to some music. Although it is very rare that I want to listen to music after a three-hour-long set, thinking it best to have an ear break, I do have a certain playlist that I can put on to relax me. But usually I go with a movie. Whether on a computer, laptop, iPad or the bus, watching a movie can be a great way to wind down after a show. In the third and final installment of the “Day in the Life” series, Steve will talk about the joys of getting a day off and more. Check back soon. (Photos via Steve Lagudi’s Instagram)