The Heartbreak of Freelance Touring

     There isn’t a single day that goes by where I regret my decision to start touring. It’s been the highlight of my life so far, but it comes with a dirty bitch downside that people don’t really openly talk about. Well, I had 2 tours fall through this morning, so I’m going to talk about it. 

  It’s easy to assume everyone that tours have jobs flowing to them effortlessly. That there’s some sort of magic well that they walk up to and just grab a tour. There isn’t a magic well, guys. Yes, more tours will be offered to you the longer you’re in the game, but even those don’t always pan out. It can be heartbreaking to have your year planned and then you’re back to square one in a couple of phone calls. 

  I tell this to people who want to start touring all the time, “If you can handle someone else being in control of whether or not you have a job, freelance touring is for you. If not, prepare for a lot of disappointment.” I’m going to be completely honest here, there have been countless times I’ve considered stopping touring altogether because of it. 

  By the way, everyone that does this for a living goes through the same emotional rollercoaster. If you’re on it right now, you’re not the only one. 

  So, what can I personally do about it? Build an entire website that’s completely transparent about the experience of touring. Tell people about my personal experiences. Stay optimistic. Stay focused. Remind you that your job doesn’t determine your value. Tell you that shit always works out. I don’t know how it does, but it always does. Keep hustling, keep networking, no matter what, keep going.