what would you guys do?

[playibanez]

hey fellas. i know alot of you guys have toured before.

this summer my band got offered a spot on a 2 month long national tour. and someone is organizing a northern tour for winter break prob 2 weeks long. we also are planning on doing a tri-state tour with a friend band of ours(prob wont materialize)

we have had to pass up all these options. we are all only 17. none of our parents will let us do any kind of touring. this is the biggest frustration i have ever had. we have worked so hard to get where we are only to hit the biggest road block ever. my dreams of being in a touring band are so close, but then just stop. of course everyone has these dreams but this is just something i want to do in highschool and maybe a year or two after. i plan on going to college for a good education so i dont have all the time in the world.

what would you guys let your kids do if they were in this position.

this is so frustrating for me.

i know im just a young kid, and many of you will think this is ridicules and say that i will have time for it later.

[BillyRay]

What kind of national tour is this ?

a) The kind that is organized by promoters where you get a fixed pay to play every show, have roadies and transportation.

b) The kind of tour wich is organized by the drummer of a recognized band where bands "split" the profits and schelp everything. Transportation is up to the band (must bring your own van).

c) A "tour" wich is basically driving a bit more than local and playing two dates in the middle of nowhere but in a another state (so it's national).

If it's a, I feel your pain, but you have to take it from your parents' point of view. They probably don't see music as a career and think that at 17, a teenagers summer should be spent working. They also might be afraid of the "rock star" image associated with touring.

If it's b or c, I understand them. B, at 17, you're really not ready for such an endeavour. C is probably what most amateur bands refer to touring and it's the best way to lose money while gaining nothing. It can be fun if bandwiches, sleeping in the van and hustling groupies for food money is your thing, but at 17, it could be very, very rough.

[Joe Nerve]

Excellent response from Billy. Only thing I'd add is that if it's "A" then I think it's time to run away from home and show the parents who's really boss. They'll get over it and keep on feeding you. They'll be so happy you're still alive when you get back that they'll forget how pissed they were when you left.

[fdeck]

It's not "A" because I can't imagine any promoter in their right mind taking responsibility for a bunch of kids on the road, unless it is an organized youth program like the Boy Scouts.

I have two kids, ages 5 and 7. But even at age 17, I would not let them go on a long trip without responsible adult supervision.

In my view, touring is not just to satisfy the dream of touring. It is for bands that have proven themselves to be successful enough that they have saturated their own local market, and need to cover a larger geographic area to expand their business. Otherwise, it's no different from gigging locally. Touring for the sake of touring really gains you nothing in terms of money, or even experience.

Personally, I look back on the many missed opportunities of my youth, and I don't really regret missing any of them. To this day, I gain immeasurable pleasure from playing music, and I rarely play gigs more than 10 miles from my house.

[MoD_Scotty]

NONE of the band's parents will go along with it? I'd try to convince at least one of the parents to go with you guys on tour, and get that parent to talk to the other parents.

Maybe you guys really need to make a stronger case to your parents.

If they absolutely won't listen, and this tour is a sure thing...then I'm kinda with Joe Nerve on this thing.

You guys have a myspace page?

[Munjibunga]

Originally Posted by Joe Nerve

Excellent response from Billy. Only thing I'd add is that if it's "A" then I think it's time to run away from home and show the parents who's really boss. They'll get over it and keep on feeding you. They'll be so happy you're still alive when you get back that they'll forget how pissed they were when you left.

I wouldn't bet on it.

[MakiSupaStar]

Why the hell am I still awake?

[JimmyM]

When I was 17, I was in a similar situation. I wanted to go on tour like that and my parents said no. Good thing they did...instead of going on tour, they were all taken to a religious cult where they were forced into slavery for 5 years before the cult leader shot everyone in the head!!!

J/K...but still, trust your parents. They ultimately know the score.

[bigfatbass]

You can't travel across state lines for work at 17 without legal guardians in tow. The point is moot.

[fdeck]

Originally Posted by MakiSupaStar

Why the hell am I still awake?

Paternal instinct. Just thinking about 17-year-old kids going on "tour" is keeping you awake at night.

[D.Don]

Originally Posted by playibanez

hey fellas. i know alot of you guys have toured before.

this summer my band got offered a spot on a 2 month long national tour. and someone is organizing a northern tour for winter break prob 2 weeks long. we also are planning on doing a tri-state tour with a friend band of ours(prob wont materialize)

we have had to pass up all these options. we are all only 17. none of our parents will let us do any kind of touring. this is the biggest frustration i have ever had. we have worked so hard to get where we are only to hit the biggest road block ever. my dreams of being in a touring band are so close, but then just stop. of course everyone has these dreams but this is just something i want to do in highschool and maybe a year or two after. i plan on going to college for a good education so i dont have all the time in the world.

what would you guys let your kids do if they were in this position.

this is so frustrating for me.

i know im just a young kid, and many of you will think this is ridicules and say that i will have time for it later.

I would have the manager/promoter that arranges the tour to meet all ya parents. If it's a self arranged tour, try to convince some, or at least 1-2 parent of all the bands parents, to get involved to help ya out, and then help ya get the rest of the parents on track.

Me and a friend are running the management for a boyband (skate punk kind of) with 3 guys 16-19, and the most important thing, is to have FULL communication with the parents, ie. they have to be involved in every detail from dates, what kind of places it is, what kind fo money it cost to go there, and how much you earn etc. etc. simply to be able to take the decision if it's a good or bad thing for ya, that's what parents do (mostly) just to make sure you guys are not being screwed by some cheap freak who is out there to profit the **** out af ya and let ya sleep in the back of his horse-trailer just to earn those extra bucks that was intended for your accommodation.



D.Don

[Munjibunga]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

When I was 17, I was in a similar situation. I wanted to go on tour like that and my parents said no. Good thing they did...instead of going on tour, they were all taken to a religious cult where they were forced into slavery for 5 years before the cult leader shot everyone in the head!!!

J/K...but still, trust your parents. They ultimately know the score.

SEEEEEEEEEEEEE?

[Joe Nerve]

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

I wouldn't bet on it.

When I was 17 my parents punished me and told me I couldn't use the car for the road test I had coming up. I stole the car in the middle of the night, had a friend come with me to the road test, and told my parents I wasn't bringing the car back home until they promised I wasn't going to get into trouble. Thank god I passed my roadtest.

PS. I left a note so they wouldn't worry.

[Steve]

I wouldn't let my kid hit the road at 17.

Knowing what I know about the road now, had I gone out at 17 the way I was then, I would have gotten myself in a world of trouble.

The road is a fantastically dangerous place. You have to be absolutely immune to peer pressure and I never met a 17 year old that was.

[von buck]

Originally Posted by Joe Nerve

When I was 17 my parents punished me and told me I couldn't use the car for the road test I had coming up. I stole the car in the middle of the night, had a friend come with me to the road test, and told my parents I wasn't bringing the car back home until they promised I wasn't going to get into trouble. Thank god I passed my roadtest.

PS. I left a note so they wouldn't worry.

If you were my brat, you'd still be in your room and not be able to sit.
17 is too young to go on the road without adult supervision.

Andy

[baalroo]

You're a kid, when you're all 18 get a "band house" and hit the road.

[D.Don]

Originally Posted by Steve

I wouldn't let my kid hit the road at 17.

Knowing what I know about the road now, had I gone out at 17 the way I was then, I would have gotten myself in a world of trouble.

The road is a fantastically dangerous place. You have to be absolutely immune to peer pressure and I never met a 17 year old that was.

But if your kid got a sweet deal and he and the guys in their band really where good, wouldn't you do everything you could to try to make it happen by having you or any of the other parents taking shifts joining the guys as an assistant supervisor, or, sending someone you all trusted on the entire tour as a tech/driver etc. just to look over them?

[fdeck]

Originally Posted by D.Don

But if your kid got a sweet deal and he and the guys in their band really where good, wouldn't you do everything you could to try to make it happen by having you or any of the other parents taking shifts joining the guys as an assistant supervisor, or, sending someone you all trusted on the entire tour as a tech/driver etc. just to look over them?

Of course. I would have to be the judge of how sweet the deal is. And, I would probably already be aware of the kid's prospects.

There are child prodigies who tour around the world doing this and that -- musicians and female athletes for instance. Hanna Montana comes to mind. But if your daughter is the next Hanna Montana, you would already have been contacted by Disney.

[ryco]

Originally Posted by fdeck

I have two kids, ages 5 and 7. But even at age 17, I would not let them go on a long trip without responsible adult supervision.

You are SO mean and unsupportive!! :jk: :kidding: :funnyhaha:

My parents let me go, but I had nothing else going on. I had been in this dance band for a couple of years and lived in the bandhouse since 16. I was 18 and just out of school.

It was a tour put together by our agency. Rooms and board guaranteed.

Different times. Listen to your folks.

[Steve]

Originally Posted by D.Don

But if your kid got a sweet deal and he and the guys in their band really where good, wouldn't you do everything you could to try to make it happen by having you or any of the other parents taking shifts joining the guys as an assistant supervisor, or, sending someone you all trusted on the entire tour as a tech/driver etc. just to look over them?

No I would not. I don't for one second think that I or any one of a group of well intentioned adults could stop a bunch of kids bent on the quest for fun.

Between what I've seen from my own road experience and what I've seen back stage as a member of a stagehands union, no way would I allow it.

I'm 48 friggan years old and still feel the tug of temptation.

Ain't no way. Not even a Disney tour.