We’ve all seen it. The constant gossiping, the whispers like no one can hear them, and the everlasting talking shit. If you’re not careful, Tour Poison is an infection that will overtake even the strongest of touring professionals. Here’s How To Stop Tour Poison In It’s Tracks.
First, We’ll have to define it. Find out it’s root cause and why it’s bad. Then, let’s figure out some ways to prevent it from either happening or spiralling any further. Wrapping it all up with finding out ultimately, how to avoid it and how to squash it.
What Is Tour Poison?
I had to stop over and add this one to the Roadie Dictionary. Tour Poison is the infection of gossip, bad attitudes, toxicity, and overall contamination of mentality on a tour. Someone who is poisonous will often pollute the tour with bad vibes, unrest, and general complaining that puts a dark cloud over at least the person, if not the whole tour. Think of the opposite of everything we want to be as humans. Happy, accepting, understanding, and forgiving.
Where Does Tour Poison Come From?
I personally think it’s routed in insecurity. Where folks don’t feel adequate in their performance so they start planting the seed of doubt in literally everything else. I’ve also seen it be a personal vendetta or a power struggle where the poison comes from resentment.
That being said, I’ve also seen it show up in someone who it would typically be out of character for. Sometimes it’s a reaction to burnout. When people have reached their max, sometimes they get devoured by the tour slump of negativity.
Lastly, I’ve seen it come through as a byproduct of the working conditions. It’s not easy to be out on the road. It’s a tough lifestyle of being exhausted, under nourished, and having a lack of personal space. Those factors can push you to the limits.
Why Is It Bad?
No one wants to be on a tour that’s a constant bitchfest on the bus after the gig. It feels shitty. But when someone is acting as tour poison, it often leads to the spiral and recruitment of others. Just like with politicians, if you’re in the weeds and someone starts speaking out about it, it provides comfort. Whether its healthy or not, misery loves company.
How To Prevent and Avoid Tour Poison
Shut It Down Immediately
This is a problem that needs to be nipped in the bud as soon as humanly possible. Believe it or not, it’s everyone’s responsibility to do so. Often times there’s an “enemy” created. Whether it’s mgmt, TM, PM, The Artist, whoever… It’s something that needs to get squashed right away and not tolerated from the ground level or front lines.
Although, I’ll have to admit, I’m not always in the right headspace or have my thumb directly on the pulse to see the poison evolving. So, when I see the grumblings of it starting with complaints, I try and get ahead of it by reassuring everyone about why we’re there or what we’re trying to accomplish. Talking people off the metaphorical ledge is always beneficial.
Let ’em Vent
Letting folks vent is important. But the key is to let them get it all out so they can get over it and feel better. I often let people come into production, close the door, and vent. Fuck yea, get it off your chest.
Making people feel heard is even more important. Then we can listen to the actual facts of if there is a problem, or if someone is tired and just needs to complain.
Find The Ring Leader
When detecting tour poison, There is always one voice that’s louder than the others. Start there. Maybe don’t start by saying “You’re being tour poison, I need you to stfu”. Let ’em vent, feel heard, then remind them that negativity is contagious and for the sake of the tour, we all need them to hold it together.
How To Avoid It Once It’s There
Simple. Don’t partake. Let the person know that you’re not about it and that you’re not in a place where you’re willing to let negative energy consume you. Again, this is all of our responsibility.
How To Squash It
Sometimes you can’t. 1 person is often containable for a limited amount of time. But once others are infected, sometimes the tour needs to end or something drastic needs to happen to slingshot everyone back to reality.
Run It Up The Flag Pole
Before you, yourself get infected, take it to you direct supervisor. If you’re on a lighting team of 4+ people, take it to your crew chief. From there it’ll go to the PM and either get nipped or escalated. Next step is to the TM. If it doesn’t get sorted by this step, then it goes to mgmt or the artist since something drastic needs to happen.
Professional Warning
Oftentimes when you sit someone down and tell them their job is on the line due to behaviour, you get 1 of 2 reactions. First being “Go to hell, it’s not my fault”, and the second being “Ok copy that, I’m gonna sleep and have some personal time on the next day off and pull it together”. Depending on the answer, it’ll dictate the next steps. For a disclaimer, if it’s the latter response, then there might not be a second chance for a sit down.
Amputate The Limb
If the warning goes nowhere someone is likely getting sent home. But it’s not that easy. You can’t just send someone home cuz they’re being miserable (Well… I guess you can, up to y’all). But if a person becomes an incurable disease, then they gotta go before they do any more damage. In my experience, the tour dynamic changes for the better, or someone sympathy quits with them.
Either way, If infection takes over, desert island this bad boy and amputate the limb before it consumes the whole body. (metaphorically of coarse).
Make Sure You Don’t Catch A Stray
You’re known for the crowd you roll with. If you’re friends are all going to the gym on days off, you will too. If you’re friends are all going to the bar after the gig, you will too. Same goes for tour poison, if one of your friends is at the forefront of it all, make sure they don’t drag down your reputation with them.
Wrap It Up
There you have it, The key is to prevent it if you can, and if not, nip it as soon as humanly possible. This is all easier said than done. Stay strong out there and make sure you don’t get sucked into Tour Poison.
As always, I’m here if you need to chat out a situation. Hit me at – [email protected]
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