What’s it like? Well, the quick answer is that the experience is what you make of it. I spent a brief time once on a James Taylor tour crew, then handled some logistics for Merv Griffin – and was later the sole tour manager for a band called Naturally7.
Tour Managers are logistics mavens. They make everything happen. The tour starts and ends with YOU. There are many pros and a few cons. First off – let’s get the cons out of the way:
- there’s a good chance you’re going to get sick of the music/play/act
- you’re likely not going to be making the big bucks (though you can save a lot if you’re disciplined), nor will you get benefits (most tour managers are freelance)
If you’re touring with a headline act, traveling a linear line across the US or Internationally, you’re likely to have a great time no matter what. Some tour crews are large in size and they exercise together, have a polished pre-production process and maintain an incredible healthy lifestyle – and attract crowds like themselves.
If you’re pushing a less-known band and your tour map itinerary looks more like a spider web (left-right-up-down), you need to make sure you’re time investment will be worthwhile. You should make sure you’ll enjoy the people with whom you’re working – and you should enjoy travel, be flexible to a less-healthy diet and be able to deal with mayhem in general.
General requirements for the job:
- incredible organization skills
- incredible resourcefulness (be able to get a rental car, hotel room, internet connection and cellphone service ANYWHERE)
- great people management skills (especially if they are your peers)
- flexibility, adaptability
Career path? Well after such an experience, many jobs will look easy and very different (try sitting in a cubicle after). In the end, the experience and skills you hone through a job like this can be very useful in similar fields – like event management, concert management, theater management. Your logistics understanding could get you a job at FedEx corporate. Your organization skills could get you a job as a Personal Assistant maven (to a celebrity). Your knowledge of travel could turn into a journalism career. There are many outlets.
You can hear the sentimental tones in my answer – I miss it a bit – but a day job and a family have me nesting a bit more. By the way, for more detailed info from a tour maven, see also Andy Reynold’s site.
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