Things I Learned on the Road (as a Touring Musician)

Going on the road with a band in the mid 1990's was, for me, an eye-opening experience. I met people from so many cities and towns and learned a few things about how strangers are treated. As a touring musician, you are pretty much always an outsider and that can be a good thing or a bad thing. Here is some of what I learned:

1) Nobody takes you seriously unless:
a) they've seen you on TV OR
b) you perform well on stage

If you haven't got either of these two things going for you, expect to be treated like 'any other band'. Sometimes that means being treated like dirt. In some cases, you will meet somebody who hasn't yet seen you perform, so they don't treat you very well until after you impress them by performing well. Negotiating is better done on the phone before the show!

2) People judge rock musicians the moment they lay eyes on them.

Rock musicians often dress 'showy' even off the stage. It is a part of their identity and they are comfortable with it. They rarely wear blue jeans with t-shirts tucked into them because it's too normal. Also, dark colors are preferred. My band was in Calgary on one occasion and there were a few cowboys who were openly rude and not afraid to make loud comments.

Older people often look at young musicians as broke sofa-surfers who can't handle a real job. That is, until they see you on TV, then everything is good. They just don't want to see you on the way. If they do, they might suggest you take up a profitable trade and save the guitar for the weekends. I lived that for many years and I can't stress how uncomfortable I felt when people didn't take me seriously.

3) If a homeless person asks for a baloney sandwich near a water treatment plant in Seattle, just give them one and they'll probably go away.

If there is nobody else around and you run into a hungry hustler while you are sharing the rations with your band mates, the best thing to do is share your food. It's only baloney, anyway.

4) If you are angry at your band mates, your show will probably suffer as a result.

From my experiences outlined above, I learned how to better treat people and understand any outsiders I meet. New people should feel at home, no matter what the situation.

- Buck Moore