This is the final 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 2, you can read it here.

Drinking

Some folks tend to have drinks either on the bus, in the venue or at a local bar. I tend to stay away from that, except maybe when we have a day off or it's the last day of tour, then it’s nice to have a drink or two. Sometimes I catch a little grief from other people in the band or crew who try to get me to drink, but it’s plain and simple – the last thing I want to do is be hungover the next day. My day is long and difficult as it is, so adding a hangover and being tired is certainly no fun, and it is a direct result of my actions. So if I can avoid that, I do. Not to mention, I have a seriously important role for the show, and I have to be on it. Listening critically for 2½ hours each night is difficult, and it’s even more difficult if you have to do it hungover. The same also applies during the show. I never, ever drink when I mix. It has been my own personal rule and I have never broken it, nor will I ever. People come up all the time and offer me drinks while I am working, and, of course, I appreciate it. But often they get offended and don't understand why I don't accept their offer. I am very hands-on during the show, I am not a set-and-forget-it guy. My mixing is done in a way as if I am a member of the band. Mixing to me is a performance, and you need to remember who you are working for, out of respect not only for the band, but for every person that paid for a ticket, as they deserve nothing but the best. So I ensure that I deliver that day in and day out, regardless of the size of the show. I see other guys who drink and do whatever during the show and that is just not me. I’ve had several occasions where other engineers were so drunk that they could not even make it to the console to do the show, and then had bands run up to me minutes before going on, begging me to mix them. Out of the three times that happened, I ended up doing FOH for two of those bands. Our job is to be heard, of course, but you never know who is watching. I often have the people around the FOH area watching me more than they are watching the show. Many times I have had people watching me who come up and thank me for being so dedicated to my job and caring. But I also have had people in well-known bands who I had no idea were watching and listening to what I was doing, resulting in more work for me. So just remember, even though you might not be on the stage, people are watching and listening. Is that drink so important that it cannot wait until the day is over?! It might just be “rock and roll,” but I don't know of any job you can show up to and drink, except maybe if you’re a taste test guy at a brewery.

Days off

They’re often few and far between. Some bands are hard hitters that will do countless shows with no days off. Longest stint I ever did was 51 shows in 53 days, in a van. Brutal. However, with the current state of the music business, bands only make money by touring. Coupled with the fact that the market is flooded with so many bands touring that turnouts are not as good, so you have to play more shows to break even or make a few bucks. Yes, days off are important, but how you spend them may vary. It depends on where you are, how much time you have or even how much money you might have. Typically, I like to get whatever work I have out of the way. It’s not much of a day off, but part of my job requires me to handle a lot of responsibility, so you will often find me catching up on a lot of emails, dealing with advancing, ordering equipment, etc. Plus, I might need to put in real life stuff – paying bills and reaching out to family. Laundry is a big thing for days off, and if you’re smart you can try and get to the laundry machine in the hotel before everyone else does so you can knock it out of the way. Some days I just need to catch up on sleep. My body is used to the long hours and lifestyle of being on the road, but there are certain days that your body will just say, “No, you are getting sleep today!” Hopefully I am in a position where I can get a few extra hours of sleep, but sometimes I have to suck it up and press on with the work.

Food

I love food! I mean who doesn’t love food, right? If there is one thing I enjoy on a day off, it’s finding a decent restaurant and getting some good food. Being fortunate enough to travel all over the world, I have been lucky to try some amazing food from all sorts of cultures. A delicious meal is a great way to kick back and enjoy all the hard work you put in. It is even better when you get to go out with the band and crew, leave the “life” behind and just be friends, not a band/crew relationship, just person to person. Equals. To me, this strengthens the working relationship, but not so much that you cross that line where you feel you have more of a friendship than a working relationship. Another thing I am fortunate to have is working for a band that will take everyone in the band and crew out to dinner and pick up the tab. Of course it is an expense, but it is a gesture that says, “Hey, we appreciate the hard work you guys and gals do.” Or even if you go out to lunch or dinner with just one member of the band or crew and say, “Hey, I got this.”

Exploring

Now when I first started this discussion I wanted to expel the myth about touring being a vacation. But it is true that sometimes we do have opportunities to go exploring in a city. If we have the time to do it, I am one of the first people out the door. I like experiencing all sorts of things, such as the historical architecture of buildings like museums and churches, or checking out natural landscapes. Sometimes it can be as simple as a walk through town, seeing all sorts of cultures at a shopping mall, a cinema or having drinks in a local bar. Not everything has to be done with money, so if you’re on tour and you don't have a lot of money, you can still appreciate your surroundings without having to spend a lot. Even when I do have money to spend, in my experience, the best memories I have had were things done without having to spend anything; these are experiences that will last a lifetime. We do have a very difficult job, but we are very fortunate that we get the opportunity to see things and meet people that most others will never get to. I feel these experiences help shape a person, as they have for me. Meeting people from all over the world and getting a glimpse at other people’s cultures and ways of life will make you think. Oftentimes we take a lot of things in life for granted, and things we think are big problems, other people don't even think about or get upset over. We think we may not make a lot of money, and then you meet people who make less than a hundred dollars a month or have little or no opportunities in their own futures. However, it is these types of people that I find are the happiest and who have true values in life and don't let trivial things bother them. So it certainly helps put life into perspective, and it reminds us that we do have it better than a lot of people.

In conclusion…

Some of what I wrote about might seem a bit negative, but don't let that fool you. I truly love every single moment of my job. This is where I belong and it makes me feel alive to be a part of something so special. I have worked in various industries, making crazy money, but I kept leaving all of that to go out and pursue music. It took a long, long time to reach a point that I was able to make a living from it and create my own production company, but make no mistake about it, I sacrificed a lot to be where I am today. And it might sound like a cliché, but I am grateful each and every day that I get to do what I do, working with some of the greatest musicians and techs in the world, meeting and making friends all over the planet. I do not take any of this for granted, especially in today’s music world. It’s harder and harder out there, not just for the bands but for the crew people as well. This could all go away at any moment, you don't know what tomorrow will bring and there are no guarantees in life, so I enjoy every second of it. We’d like to thank Steve for taking the time to give us this sneak peek into life on tour! Be sure to check out his previous blog series about recording in a live setting. (Photos via Steve Lagudi’s Instagram)