Myth #5…The crew flies from city to city/Stays in a hotel every night.
Again, I wish! The only times I've ever been on a tour where the crew
flies from city to city and/or had a hotel room every night were tours to
Australia, Japan, and various Pacific Rim countries. Obviously, if you're
bouncing around from one small South Pacific country to another, you're
not going to be doing it via bus - you have to fly. In Japan we used the
Bullet Train to travel from city to city. In Australia they don't use tour
buses - the drives from city to city are continuously too long for
overnight travel, and to do so becomes uneconomical for the production
as well as making the crew very grumpy. Although Pearl Jam, and
subsequently I, have never been to South America, I'm told by other
crew people the method of transportation is the same as touring in
Australia. In all of these situations each crew member has his/her
own hotel room each night. Let me tell ya…From my perspective,
this is the good life of touring!
Touring in the U.S. and Europe is much, much different, however…
And these are the areas of the world where Pearl Jam and most other
bands spend a lot of time touring. When on tour in the US/Europe, the
crew travels from city to city via tour buses and, except for days off
or cities in which we are performing multiple shows, sleeps in them too.
That's right…The crew sleeps in the buses while we're traveling to the
next city. That's glamorous, for sure! Granted, the insides of these
buses are pretty nice - there are TV's with satellite dishes, VCR's,
stereos, microwave ovens, refrigerators, a bathroom, couches, tables,
and bunk beds - but they can get a little cramped when you have to
share them with up to 11 other people and everyone's luggage. After
a while you get used to living on a bus, but the privacy and space a
hotel room can provide sure is a nice thing after a couple of days.
The touring life style isn't for everyone. It's a grind. Most people
seem to think it would be a lot of fun, which it can be if you're
working with a good band and other good crew people. Bur if
the vibe isn't good on a tour it can be pretty miserable. Fortunately,
I think we've achieved that "good vibe" feeling on most PJ tours,
so ours is a situation where people really look forward to touring
with us. But the thing to remember is, it is a job, and like any other,
if you don't perform well you'll get sent home and replaced with
someone else… That's no myth.
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