My aim as a tour manager is always to get the job done as efficiently and effectively as I can, but equally important to me is creating and maintaining a sustainable and positive environment for the artist and their crew. If the artist feels supported by their touring family, they are enabled – and perhaps inspired – to give their best performance, night after night.
I don’t endeavour to impose a restrictive regime on all personnel irrespective of their wishes, but to encourage and support those who are striving to maintain a constructive physical and/or mental health regime on the road, including those on a recovery programme. These needs are too often eroded, or ignored altogether, by the restrictions and temptations imposed by touring
My values may be a little different to ‘the old ways’, but I passionately believe in being an agent for change within the live music industry, and that as a lifestyle, it must be empowering and inclusive for everyone. Touring needn’t be hell.