This is Alex Beck

This is an old interview I did with a friend of mine, Brian Buckley for a music news website called ShakeToShuffle.  I figured I’d post it.  It’s pretty interesting if you’re curious about the life of a tour manager.  I published this about a year ago.  Currently, Brian is TMing for a band called He is We.

Click “read more” to check out the interview.

Brian Buckley (Tour Manager)

Brian has been on and off tour for five years with artists such as Tiësto, The Downtown Fiction and Envy on the Coast. We had a chance to sit down and ask him a few questions. Enjoy.

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Q: Can you narrow down the bands you’ve worked with to a favorite?

A: I’ve been on the road with a handful of bands and artists over the past 5 years.. I don’t know if I can really choose a favorite, I’ve had a great time on almost every tour I’ve done. Right now im out with a new band called The Downtown Fiction and its been awesome. I’m good friends with the guys in the band and their manager and I go back pretty far; I used to tour manage his band Making April. I’d say I got the most life experience while I was out with a DJ, Tiësto, for about a year between 09/10. I saw 30 or 40 countries and played with artists like Rage Against The Machine and Muse for 50,000+ crazy fans. Totally different world, and I loved it!

Q: How do you get into tour managing? For people interested in the job, do you suggest them jumping right in, or learning the ropes doing something else first?

A: I get asked questions like this a lot. People ask me how to do it, what they need to do to get out there, where to go to school - things of that nature. Really you just have to meet the right people and get on the road. I didn’t start off as a TM. My first tour was in 06 with a band on Equal Vision Records called Versus The Mirror selling merchandise. My first tour was a 5 week run of Canada with a thrash metal band, Darkest Hour, and it was wild. At the end of the tour our Trailer was stolen, I lost everything including some instruments I loaned the band and all of my clothes. It was definitely an educating process. I said I’d never get back on the road again - a month later I was out with Envy on The Coast.

Q: What is a typical day in the life of a working tour manager?

A: It changes depending on the artist and the tour but for the most part you wake up and get to work. With bands like The Downtown Fiction, I pound on hotel doors and kick beds until someone wakes up and I get them all moving. Run and get them some coffee or something from the lobby if they aren’t functioning. Next thing we do is check out of the hotel and get on the road. I do a lot of the driving on tours like that and let the guys sleep or whatever they do in the back. When we get to the venue I usually do a run through of the site; check load in area, dressing rooms, stage, discuss the stage needs with the venues sound engineer, and finally work out the meals/drinks/credentials for our band and crew. End of the night I settle up with the promoter and the merch people and we roll on to the hotel and do it all again. Sometimes radio, in-stores, interviews or something else makes it into the mix and we just prepare accordingly for the next day. It was much different when I was out with a DJ, much less sleep believe it or not!

Q: What do you consider the most stressful thing to deal with as a tour manager?

A: I hate being late. Ask any band I’ve ever worked for, I hate it. I’d rather be there two hours early at a Dunkin’ Donuts across from the venue killing time and working where there is wifi. It can also be very stressful juggling 5, 6, or 7 personalities when making decisions. Everyone has their own way of doing things, it’s my job to make the final decision and try to keep everyone happy. Of course that’s not always possible and its no fun dealing with someone for a day or two when they aren’t stoked on the plan, but id say for the most part I figure out how to keep them all happy. A lot of other things happen on tour, just have to roll with the punches and make the right decisions to keep things straight.

Q: Is there anything you’re responsible for that people may be unaware of?

A: I handle expenses, booking hotels, keeping the interview schedule organized, sometimes I help with the teching and stage duties but its not really my focus. That’s what we hire people for, and finding those people is my job as well. I hire our merch and tech people for each tour based on the budget the artists manager and I work out.

Q: What’s your favorite thing to do on a day off? Do you get as much of a break as the band?

A: Sleep or watch football! For the most part we don’t have “a day off” because we typically fill those days with a radio show or interview or something of the sort. Also our van maintenance tends to be taken care of on days off. When your on tour you get an oil change so often it feels like its every week!

Q: You’re spending a lot of time on the road with the same people crammed into a bus or van. Are you ever around any bad fights or arguments?

A: I wouldn’t say any of them have ever been bad. In my career on tour I haven’t really seen an intense argument or been a part of one. Every day we have our scuffles and disagreements but its about simple things like “Chipotle Vs. Subway” or whether we really have time to stop for Starbucks (which is usually an argument that I’m Pro-Starbucks).

Q: Part of tour managing is keeping everyone in line and on time. Do you ever feel like a glorified babysitter?

A: I refer to myself as the “Adult Babysitter” to friends when they ask what I do on tour. After a show everyone likes to get into something different and I have to decided whats best for them and the band to keep everyone close together and on time for the next day’s schedule. Also whenever people get into arguments or aren’t doing their part on the road, I tell them what’s up. I still haven’t figured out a way to ground any of them yet….

Q: What can you tell me about tour pranks, or some fun routines you participate while on tour?

A: This is definitely a Downtown Fiction specialty. I’m convinced everyone thinks we are retarded when we show up to load-in every day. The amount of inside jokes we have as a band is absurd, absurd to the point that I cant even remember a joke from the beginning of the week because come up with so much new stuff. We also like to prank bands, we have one lined up for The Ready Set tour that should be fun

Q: Best memory on tour?

A: A lot, but I’d definitely say getting to travel to places like Australia, Germany, South Africa (right before the World Cup).

Q: If you could pick, what would your dream tour be?

A: Blink 182, Alkaline Trio, New Found Glory, Bayside, Saves The Day, and No Use For a Name - I’m a pop punk kid at heart.

Q: Well, that’s all of it. Anything you’d like to add?

Live a little. Have fun. Party.