"Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything. " Plato
This year, everyone thought 2023 would be completely back to normal. Everything would be fine and it would be like 2020 never happened. Well, that’s not the case. Between inflation, skyrocketing prices, and gas, people can’t tour. There are a lot of many factors, but the main one is money.
There’s been a lot of talk in the industry that people are taking it really slow this year. Are they working on music, are they taking time off, or are there just stepping back and waiting to see what’s going on in the world. I can’t go into too many logistics but basically, it’s very expensive to tour for just a couple of days.
You have to rent the equipment, rent tour buses, get gas, get groceries, pay for the trucks, get hotel rooms, and possibly flights, did I mention you have to pay the crew? The crew includes as far and wide as TM, PM, PA, lighting, video, rigging, audio, truck drivers, and bus drivers. Then on top of it, as an artist, you have to pay your agent, your manager, your record label, and your publicist… you see where I’m getting at with this.
With the cost of everything going up, it doesn’t make sense to tour. Especially for the smaller/ just getting started artists. Let’s say you are an artist and you are going to about 500/2000 person venue(s). Right, so depending on your contract, you are either getting a set rate or you are getting a portion of the ticket sales. Now depending on the venue, these ticket sales can be anywhere from 5 dollars to 75 dollars. And that’s not including taxes and fees. Chances are, the ticket sales, or your rate, are not going to cover the amount to pay everyone, pay the expenses, and then pay yourself just to go out for the weekend.
So what’s next? As an industry, we need to think about new and inventive ways to make money. Will Las Vegas residency become a thing? Where an artist just stays in one city for a certain amount of time? Will venues have to start paying more for the acts to come to their city? It’s a real toss-up with what will happen next, but we just have to keep trucking and see what happens.
This is a great article about the harsh realities of our industry. I hope you take a read!
While I could stay in Australia forever and ever, it was time to finish our tour in Auckland, New Zealand. I’m going to sound like a spoiled brat, but I’m telling you this for future reference. If you decide to go to New Zealand, make the south island a priority. I think it is prettier, greener, and most of it has all the “fun stuff” that everyone talks about. Skydiving, white water rafting, Milford Sound, you get the picture. The south island is where everything is at. I especially love Queenstown, I can’t wait to go back there. There’s a reason why they call it the “adventure capital” of the world.
Auckland is the one of New Zealand’s biggest urban cities. It’s also known for its skyline and all the other cool islands around it. Other than that, I can’t say that much about Auckland. To me it’s another big city, but all the surrounding islands and landscapes around it is pretty cool. You can drive two hours to see where they filmed Lord of the Rings, there’s also all of these cool mud hot springs, but also great wine and wildlife in the area. There are tons of boat tours and tons of scenery to see outside the city.
Luckily, I’m a chatterbox, and I was told by a handful of locals to go to Waiheke Island, basically not known for much except for sights, food, and lots of wine. It was just starting to get into the summer, so not too many people were on the beaches. But it’s better than the weather that I’m currently experiencing in Nashville. I would totally go back early in the morning because it would be a good day trip… to drink wine and eat food.
I was under the weather and due to high restrictions still in place in New Zealand, I was not allowed in the venue. I think the show went well, but I was working from my hotel room. Overall, the run down under went fairly smoothly with some bumps and hiccups in the road.
I’ll be completely honest, touring down under is hard and arduous. There are no tour buses and you are dealing with a big island that’s the size of the US. If you don’t plan accordingly, you’ll be going up and down left and right, flying all around til you get to the show. You’ll get crowds in Australia, but you won’t get the sleep on show days.
It was a great learning experience. It taught me more about traveling, traveling fast-paced in a large country, but most importantly about me. It taught me a lot about my patience, my value, and my worth. But more importantly, I like to think I’m pretty good at my job. It’s very easy in this industry to get lost in what you do, to get lost in the sea of people, but just stand up for yourself and just do your job well.
I’ll be completely honest, I really wasn’t looking forward to writing this blog post. I love Sydney and I miss it all the time. Bringing up memories of living there makes me miss it more and more each day. Writing this blog makes me very nostalgic and happy but it also makes me sad. Because the life I had in Sydney is the life that helped me create the life that I had for myself today. It’s a big part of who I am today. It’s a good thing, but remembering Sydney really makes me miss it.
It’s also a big reason why I work in the music industry today. I moved to Australia because the recession hit the midwest so bad people weren’t hiring interns. I decided to do something about it and move away. I ended up working for the Willoughby City Council as a public relations/events intern which led to the start of my career. Eleven years later, here I am, working in the music industry. Living on a tour bus, writing to you amazing people.
Living in Australia and then coming back for work was very surreal. It was a full circle of my career and it made me realize I accomplished more than I give myself credit for. I’ve worked very hard for my live events career, and I never take any part of my travels or any part of my job as just “another day”.
I’ve heard a lot of people over the years talk about Sydney and say “it’s not that great of a city”. I always ask “why” because I’m genuinely curious. Most people don’t think it has a lot of culture, it’s just another big city, and it’s not that wow factor. The list goes on, you get what I’m saying. I don’t think people really appreciate the beauty of Sydney. There is culture, food, wildlife, and everyone from everywhere in all sorts of walks of life.
There are famous beaches surrounding the East coast of Sydney, there’s a lot of Eastern and Western culture embedded all around Sydney, and I’m sorry, maybe you have been to the wrong places but I’ve had some of the best food there.
Sydney is also famous for the Sydney Opera House and the Blue Mountains. Sydney has everything that any big city should have. Did I mention they have pretty decent weather year round?
I could on and on about Sydney. The wonderfully nice people, open-mindedness, and beautifulness of seeing everyone for what and who they are. Don’t get me wrong, every big city has its problems. But I have never heard people complain about the dating or job shortages in that city.
The best part about working and touring in Sydney is experiencing my work in the city that started my career. It was probably one of the largest crowds we had through out the tour. The venue is extremely well laid out and it’s very easy to navigate and get from the CBD to the west side of the city. I loved working and touring there, I would do it all over again if I could.
Melbourne or (Mel-Bin) is a very cool city. It was the first city outside of Melbourne I visited when I first moved to Australia. Just a quick run down of Melbourne and why I think so many people love it!
It is a very hip, progressive city in the southeast corner of Oz. It’s very well known for its sports scene and has one of the best surfing places in the world. You might have heard of the movie “Point Break”… well that’s where it was filmed. All of the best surfers know that southeast Australia is where you go for some of the best surf in the world.
Melbourne also has a lot of history. It’s one of the wealthiest cities when it comes to bringing in money to Australia. It also has a lot of history when it comes to art, the history of the people, and why people live in Melbourne. I hate to compare cities but it’s very similar to Seattle. Great music scene, great sports scene, very mild climate, and great outdoors.
One of the reasons why Melbourne is so popular is because it’s not Sydney, like, in the states, we don’t want to move to New York or LA. We want to live in a city where we can afford to eat. Melbourne seems to be affordable, you can live within 15 minutes of the city and not have a ton of roommates. It also has a very mild climate, yes it can get cold, but it’s not super cold and never super warm either. A little bit more variation in weather than Seattle has.
Being on tour in Melbourne, was one of a kind experience. It was an awesome arena and a lot of people internationally performed and toured there. The fans are great in Melbourne, maybe it’s because it is known for its music scene but, damn they know how to rock. Also, there’s no such thing as bad food in Melbourne, at least not what I’ve experienced. There’s something very special about Melbourne, I highly recommend going to St. Kilda, CBD, and down to the Great Ocean Road.
Now, I know everyone loves Steve Erwin and Crocodile Dundee. But I’m going to tell you this right now, going to the bush, is not as great as people make it out to be. Think of bush as middle-of-nowhere America. You either have a lot of grass, a lot of rock, or a lot of dirt. It’s hard to live out there because there’s not much of an agriculture scene or water for that matter. That’s why 90% of the country lives on the coast.
I hate to break it to you, but when you live out in the middle of nowhere, everyone comes to the shows, because there’s nothing else to do out there. It’s really hard to tell if the fan base is legitimate or if people are bored and they have nothing else better to do. Either way, getting out to any part of the bush takes a long time, a lot of money, and a lot of energy. If you go out to the country side of Oz, be very prepared.
To say I wasn’t nervous about going over to Europe, would be a big lie. I’ve been working in events for about 11 years now. It’s always growing and changing, so you have to keep up with the times. Since I haven’t been to Europe on tour, I didn’t know what to expect. I was worried that accents would get in the way, culture/work habits would be a problem, or even just being American working over in Europe would get in the way. I’m extremely hypersensitive to what is going on in the world and how the world views the states. It’s not an appearance thing or vanity for that matter, I just don’t want people to take me as a joke. I’m here to work, I’m open-minded and I want to adapt to the situation I’m in as best as I can.
There are always problems in the events world, and our job is always to have a solution to those problems. Of course, the first thing that happens when we get over there, KLM lost 14 bags including my own. 14, that’s a pretty big number, and I knew we weren’t alone in that! Of course, there was/is a shortage of workers, and I’m sure there was a strike going on, but what I tell everyone, if you can’t handle the workload, just don’t take it on, and that includes airlines. So it wasn’t a good start but the very next day, our luggage finally made it to the UK.
We are very lucky and found an awesome work crew to travel with us, SoundForce Crew, if you ever need extra hands on your tour, these are your guys. Urban was the leader and a true leader at that. It’s great working with people that have the same type of work ethic as you do. The last thing he said to me was, “you are truly good at your job.” What he doesn’t know is I feel the same exact way, and I think he’s amazing at his job. Hiring those guys if you can while you are working in Europe. They made our first day go by very smoothly and let me handle other things like finding luggage.
Glasgow was the first start to the tour, and man what a day it was. From trying to understand accents to try to get everyone’s luggage, it was a very interesting start. I learned very early on, Europeans are a little bit more relaxed (I should have known that from my travels over there before), maybe it’s just the midwestern in me that’s always “Go Go GO” but it made me take a step back with my runners, and think “OK this is how they work over here.” It’s not a bad thing, just a different pace of work.
The biggest issue I had in Glasgow was the accents. Man, did I have a hard time understanding all the venue workers. Literally, my biggest fear on my first day on tour was not being able to communicate with them. They speak English for crying out loud, and I still had to ask them to repeat themselves 100x over. However, they all made me laugh so hard, that I cried. I needed that on my first day on the road in Europe. I even made a dog friend over there! I can’t wait to go back… but this time with my luggage.
With all the hiccups and such we made it through the day. However, we had to take a ferry overnight. I stupidly slept through the ferry which you are not supposed to do, but needless to say, the rest of my guys got up and they were very tired going over to Ireland.
Dublin is everything you imagined and dreamed of. It’s the place of music, art, and culture. It was fantastic and I can’t wait to go back. We had great burgers for after-show food and gathered lots of great information about Dublin and the history behind it. And of course, people were thrilled to see the boss man on stage. I couldn’t have asked for a better second show in Europe.
The thing that stuck out the most to me in Dublin, was the number of tourists. Where I’m from in Milwaukee, we have a huge Irish community, a lot of people migrated over to that area from Ireland. When I was able to sneak away, my runner was great and answered all my questions. I’m always curious and will always take the opportunity to escape when I can. With all the different things you can do in Dublin, I was able to go to Stephen’s Green. It was packed and full of people. People were everywhere drinking coffee on the grass, sitting in rounds playing music, and just enjoying the little sun that Ireland normally gets. With much history involved in the park, it’s no wonder why it’s one of the main places to go in Dublin.
Stephen’s Green
My runner was great and showed me all the buildings, the bridges, and all the neighborhoods in between. I had to ask him, “people are so proud of the Irish heritage, even in the states. Why is that?” He just said, “We are proud people, with a lot of history, but we are about a culture of who you know as well. That’s why we spread far and wide, we just know people!” Which in the end, totally makes sense, if you know anyone who is Irish in the states, they proudly say, “I’m Irish”.
Overall, I hope to make it back to the UK sooner rather than later.
Means “we will see you later”View from the airplaneShow in GlasgowAll the luggage shoved in the back of the car I make friends with dogs!Entrance to Stephen’s GreenOne of the many statues in the parkShopping District Double Decker Bus in Europe
It’s after the holidays, we are currently seeing music venues and Broadway getting canceled, put on hold, or postponed. Which is not a good sign since most of us in entertainment have PTSD from losing our jobs. What is scarier is I know many of my friends and colleagues can’t afford to go through 2020 all over again.
While the world is getting back to normal, it’s also taken its’ setbacks. For example, we have a show coming up, and you need a negative PCR test in order to get back into the United States. However, we are scheduled to go out of the country, so I guess you can say catch 22.
I’m trying to be hopeful about the future when it comes to my job, the entertainment industry, and the world in general. I know people just want to go to a show and not have to worry about getting sick. I know this can’t just “go away”, but I want people to understand, if we don’t take this seriously, we will be in this for a long time.
As most of you are aware, the world is opening back up. Which is great, as long as people get their vaccinations. If you truly don’t believe in it, you do you, but just remember the world will be harder to open back up if people don’t. There’s a reason why “The Plague” hasn’t truly come back to life. Science and vaccinations have come a long way.
What does that mean for live music. Well, things are still up in the air. In a lot of ways, people are booking tours and concerts for this summer and fall, but every state, city, and county are doing it differently. So be prepared for some of the following:
Covid Passports: Whether you agree with it or not, Covid Passports might actually become a thing. Meaning, like you carry around your license, same way you carry around your wallet.
Less lights, sound and action: A lot of vendors took a big hit, and it cost A LOT of money to put on these concert. Expect possibly smaller “action” shows… or maybe not I could totally be wrong. I guess we shall see what the vendors do and how much they will charge for equipment.
Venue capacity: This will be tricky, I’m not exactly sure what venues are going to do. I’ve heard several rumors we are supposed to be up in running at full capacity by July. Does that mean it will happen… I don’t know. Everything is so up in the air, I’m not exactly sure, I just know that people want to get back to work and people are doing whatever they can to go back to work.
Different protocol: I do not expect things to go back to normal. It would be very strange if they just went straight back to normal. Just be prepared when you go to a show, that some things may be different.
An acquaintance (who works in the events world) who I know through coworkers and such was lucky enough to work for her mom’s company during this tough time. So when she asked me what I was doing with my time her response was, “Oh, so I guess you’re just coasting.”
First off, that is one of the most insensitive things you could ever say to someone during this pandemic. I know I can be harsh and blunt, but I’m not about hurting anyone’s feelings. Especially when the entire events and entertainment world is at a standstill. And millions of people are still out of work because of the pandemic.
Secondly, if you are that person that thinks that people like us should just “get another job” because we are “coasting”. Let me put it into perspective for you.
I have been working in the events world for the last 10 years. I’ve dedicated my life and made a lot of personal sacrifices to get to where I am today. 10 years may not seem like a lot, but that is 1/3 of my life. Essentially, my entire 20s has been dedicated to putting on events. So to tell someone like me or anyone else who works in this industry to get another job, just know that is a big slap in the face to us.
Also, I don’t know what happened to being kind to people, but a lot of us are mentally struggling. We are still trying to wrap our minds around the fact that our livelihood and our careers are done. How do I know this, just look at your social media pages. It’s devasting.
I recently saw a friend, and not only did he lose his touring job. But he was diagnosed with a rare skin disease and filed for bankruptcy. So please tell me he’s coasting. Because to me, it sounds like he’s just trying to survive.
I would also like to point out, that any show/movie you are watching during this pandemic. Those people are out of work as well. So forget about the new season of whatever show you are watching in this current moment in time.
Look, I’m not trying to be mean or shame people who work normal jobs or are lucky enough to find work. I just want people to understand. The entertainment/events world is struggling. Hard.
Most of us are not getting financial support. And if we are, it’s because we actually work for an artist/actor/production company, that is lucky enough to pay their staff. That’s like hitting the lottery right now. But I would say the majority of them can’t pay their staff. With no events, means no money coming in. And I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of companies went under. It’s the sad truth.
But it’s not just the people working. It’s the local venues. It’s the small artists that have been trying to get on stage for the past 10 years. It’s the people who work at big and small venues. It’s the people who produce your favorite TV show. It’s any sporting event you can think of. I could go on and on about how many people this affects. If the entertainment world doesn’t come back like it was before, just know the economy will struggle. You can kiss the Super Bowl goodbye as well.
From the bottom of my heart, if you know someone that works in the entertainment/events world, be kind to them. Literally, ask them how they are doing. While some people may be getting back on their feet, others are trying to figure out how to pay the bills.
With the music and entertainment world at a halt, the big question is when the next big show will be? The answer is we don’t know.
And if you have been hiding around a rock because the media is driving you nuts, you probably don’t know there have been a couple of concerts that have recently happened.
Two country artists this past weekend did have a concert. One was about a 4,000 person concert and the other about 2,000.
One artist posted very publicly on Instagram about how rowdy the show was. No social distancing and no one in the video was wearing a mask. Needless to say, it had a lot of backlash on the subject. And for good reason, because as one person posted in the comments,( This is paraphrased because I couldn’t find it in the sea of comments) what about the rest of the industry? What standard are you setting? Don’t you think it will set us back?
After having several conversations with people about it, yes a lot of people are pissed. A lot. The recklessness and how everyone else is being put in the risk of COVID-19 with no proper restrictions. People in the industry are pissed.
And as much as I want to go back to work, I have a feeling it is too soon for concerts to go back to normal. So until we figure out a way, concerts won’t be happening for a while.
As we approach the phases of getting back to “normal”. We still don’t know what normal will be. We also don’t know what it means for live events and concerts.
So where do we go from here? A lot of people have been wondering that and quite frankly, so have I.
I know there are a lot of artists going rogue on the streaming and social media. That’s great! Keep the music alive! I know drive-in concerts are now becoming a thing. I know there are a couple of different streaming platforms that are happening and are in the works.
Will this become the new normal? The way we experience events becomes this social distancing and separating of people?
To tell you the truth, I’ve been reading a lot about what others in the industry think. And I have to agree with a lot of them. Regardless of how the events world is going to change, it’s never going to be the same as a live show with a cheering crowd.
There I said it. Eventually, can we get there? I’m hopeful, but enjoying a loud, noisy concert with the crowd singing at the top of their lungs will never be the same.
The Thein Way to Live 