Saturday, November 01, 2008
by Ahrue Luster
I saw tons of these videos when I was a kid. That’s why at the mature age of 14, based on all the evidence that I had seen on MTV, I decided that this would be a good solid career choice for me. Had I known then what I was in for, I may have thought twice.
Let me assure you, the reality of touring is NOTHING AT ALL like those videos. In fact, most of the cars, buses, limos, watches, jewelry and even clothing the you see bands wear in these videos is rented for the shoot. I remember my first video shoot with Machine Head, wardrobe gave me some cool clothes and Metal accessories to wear for the video. After the shoot was done, which was about 20 straight grueling hours, they told me I had to give all the things that I wore back. I was like “what?”
That was about 10 years ago. I was very naïve then. Now, I know the realities of what it’s really like and I know what to expect. I’m currently preparing for a 5 week tour across the US with us (Ill Nino), OTEP, and Walls of Jericho. By the time you read this, we will have already started the tour. We’ll be playing the Black Sheep in Colorado Springs on November 26th. (shameless promotion)
I look forward to 8 to 16 hour drives, sharing a space the size of a one bedroom apartment with 11 other people who don’t get the opportunity to bath regularly. Quarters are so close that you start to recognize people by their odors. These guys are like brothers to me, but …DAMN dude, what the hell did you eat.
The bathrooms are disgusting in many of these clubs that we play at and we usually have to shower in them… or not. If you choose to brave the shower, you CANNOT go in without your trusty flip flops for protection. Sometimes you go months without ever seeing your own bathroom, only public and backstage restrooms and an occasional hotel or truck stop shower. Showering in the truck stops is always the creepiest for me since it’s usually very, very late at night and at that time, a lot of the truck stop bathrooms are meeting places for men that might find interest in a movie like Brokeback Mountain. Not that I have anything against that, it just makes me not want to touch anything.
Usually, by the last stretch of a tour, my body is totally jacked up from giving every ounce of energy every night. I’ll have anywhere from 5 to 10 nagging injuries that don’t get better because I’m repeating the same motions every night. Back, neck, knees, shins, ankles, shoulders, wrists, fingers it’s always some combination of these. Let’s face it, the human body wasn’t made to headbang. I’ve actually already developed minor arthritis in my neck as a result of doing it for years. …and there’s no calling in sick unless you’re on your deathbed. I’ve never missed a show because of how I felt. There are just too many people and their families relying on the income from the show. Canceling one show on a tour could possibly put the tour budget in the red.
The hardest part is leaving my family. Since my daughter was born I get sick to my stomach for about the first two weeks of a tour. I see her on a webcam for about a half hour a day and talk to my wife for about an hour a day but it is no substitute what so ever, for being home with them. Sometimes at the end a long tour, it may take days of travel with no sleep on airplanes, shuttles, vans, buses, trains, cabs ect…, to get home. My wife Xylia will pick me up at the Denver airport, and when I see her it’s like gazing upon an angel after traveling through hell.
By no means am I complaining about my job. There are people who have it a lot tougher, for example the brave men and women who serve in the military. I’m just trying to paint a picture that’s more true to life than what’s usually portrayed by the media.
Even though the conditions aren’t luxurious most of the time, or even sanitary for that matter, even though I miss my family so much that it make me sick and even though I have to smell a human odor buffet on a daily basis. I love what I do very much and I’m very appreciative of the opportunity that I’ve been given. I never take it for granted.
Every once and a while during a tour, there will be a very, very special show where the energy in the air is so incredible. The crowd, the band, the sound, the lights, everything in the universe seems to all just come together in harmony so perfectly at that moment in time. I feel an overwhelming feeling of peace amidst the chaos that surrounds me. It’s like the events are happening through me and I am just an observer, like I’m watching events unfold, that had already taken place. It all seems to be happening in slow motion and although I can hear the high decibel sounds pounding around me, it seems quiet and calm. I can see the faces in the crowd and feel the connection between all participants and the universe. The feeling cannot be broken down into the limits of language. It’s truly spiritual, and that’s why I do what I do.
Post a Comment