How to Totally Suck at Touring
Don’t bring merch. Alison Shaw summed it up perfectly in August for youbloomTV: if a person (likely in a state of inebriation) who has never seen you before decides they like what they hear, they’re going to want to take something home with them that they can listen to again, or a T-shirt they can wear so they have a story to share with their friends (free advertising!). Offer nothing as a follow-up to your show and it doesn’t matter if you just played the most epic set of the tour: you immediately halve your exposure potential. Patches and buttons can be made very cheaply. Just sayin’. [caption id="attachment_3402" align="alignnone" width="329"]![sportin'.](http://www.youbloom.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/badgertshirt.jpg)
- Arrive to soundcheck on time. Remember that sound check is not band practice. If you think it is, you shouldn’t be on tour.
- Follow the engineer’s instructions. He has a lot of mics and levels to organize, and doesn’t want to be there tweaking for two hours. You’re also (probably) not the only band this person needs to cater to. If he asks you to turn down your amp (guitar players, looking at you), just do it already.
- Communicate politely and clearly. If you can’t hear something, have a request, or something isn’t working, let him or her know.
![soundguy](http://www.youbloom.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/soundguy.jpg)
![You're too kind, really.](http://www.youbloom.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/thankyou.jpg)
![yellowvan](http://www.youbloom.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/yellowvan.jpg)
![Just NAUSIA being chill.](http://www.youbloom.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/nausia-1546008.jpg)