University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

The toll of touring

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The toll of touring

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Content The T oll of T ouring
By
Grace Murray
A Thesis Presented to the
F ACUL TY OF THE USC ANNENBERG SCHOOL FOR
COMMUNICA TION AND JOURNALISM
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF AR TS
(SPECIALIZED JOURNALISM)
May 2023
Copyright 2023 Grace Murray
Acknowledgements
The idea for this thesis came to me at random, like most incredible ideas do, and I could
not be more proud, bewildered and grateful to have a finished product that brought that original
idea to life in such a tangible way . I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the
incredible people that helped make this possible.
Thank you to the amazing members of my thesis committee. I am forever grateful for my
chair , Sandy T olan, for accepting me into this program and for seeing the potential in this story .
Thank you to Oscar Garza and Keith Plocek for helping to shape this story .
I am forever thankful to the incredible teachers that have taught and inspired me over the
course of my life. I owe you all my deepest gratitude for always nourishing my curious mind.
Thank you Jane Pascoo, Susan T aylor , Jason Bronkar , Jef fery Lam, Lori Chlarson, Erin Osmon,
Charlie Butler and the many others that have inspired me through their teaching.
Thank you to The Rare Occasions and Beauty School Dropout, and their teams, for
trusting me with their stories and allowing me to have access to their lives. I am deeply grateful
for Michael LoBue, for taking a chance on me and helping connect me with others in the
industry . This story would not have been possible without his kindness.
Thank you to all of my friends and family for standing beside me through all of the
sleepless nights and long days. Y our support has meant the absolute world to me.
Most of all, thank you to my Mom and Grandma for forever being my biggest supporters
and cheerleaders. I will always be grateful that you both have never let me give up on my dreams
from the moment I was born. Thank you for the love, support and most of all, the music.
Everything I do is for you.
ii
T able of Contents
Acknowledgements ……………………………………………………………………………… ii
List of Figures…………………………………………………………………………………….iii
Abstract …………………………………………………………………………………………..iv
Chapter one: Gearing up for tour…………………………………………………………………. 1
Chapter two: On the Road……………………………………………………………………….. 13
Chapter three: Returning home………………………………………………………………….. 28
Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………….. 32
List of Figures
Figure 1: The Rare Occasions rehearse in a rehearsal space at T iny Room Studios in Inglewood,
California………………………………………………………………………………………….4
Figure 2: Beepus Burdett and Bardo performing during soundcheck at the T roubadour………..10
Figure 3: Colie Hutzler singing during soundcheck at the T roubadour………………………….15
Figure 4: Brian McLaughlin and Luke Imbush performing during soundcheck at the Roxy……17
Figure 5: The Rare Occasions performing to a packed audience at the Roxy…………………...20
Figure 6: Brian McLaughlin and Jeremy Cohen set up their instruments at the Roxy in
disguise…………………………………………………………………………………………..23
Figure 7: Bardo (left), Beepus Burdett (center) and Colie Hutzler (right) chat on stage at the
T roubadour during soundcheck………………………………………………………………….27
iii
Abstract
As the music industry transitioned out of pandemic restrictions, musicians came back
with more concerts than ever before. Musicians rushed to get on the road, some for the very first
time and others as long-time veterans. The rush to tour again put a strain on resources, and left
many musicians struggling to cope with a chaotic industry . While mental health struggles have
always plagued the industry , the pandemic only exacerbated these issues. Among those hit the
hardest were the musicians on their first tours.
This thesis follows two bands through every stage of their first headline tours: the
planning stages; the time on the road; and the return home. Through this behind-the-scenes look,
this thesis captures the livelihood of up-and-coming artists as they work to make a name for
themselves and establish their careers in a tumultuous industry . The writer spent extensive hours
following the day-to-day life of each of the bands, attending concerts and rehearsals, conducting
multiple interviews and spending time with the bands in their elements. In reporting this piece
the writer conducted 25 interviews with professionals across all facets of the industry —
including managers, mental health workers, stage managers, musicians and fans.
The aim of this thesis is to address what musicians are facing through the real-life
experiences of those hit hardest by the issues that ripple through the industry . Newer musicians
must grapple with less financial security , an expectation to work dif ficult hours, damaging
physical strain and a constantly busy schedule.
iv
Chapter one: Gearing up for tour
The band members run into the room one by one, hustling tall black protective cases into
their rehearsal space, stumbling over the snake pile of cords that line the floor to power their
equipment. The Rare Occasions, an alternative rock band, are still vibrating from their mad dash
from Orange County to a tiny studio tucked into a small residential corner of Inglewood
1
.
They’re an hour late to their final rehearsal before leaving for their first national headline tour .
2
It’ s three days before launch, and they are scrambling.
“WOW , the traf fic was crazy ,” bassist Jeremy Cohen says, exiting his car with a look of
sheer exhaustion on his face. He sighs audibly , scratching his short red hair and beard before
grabbing his gear and slinging on a backpack as he heads into the studio.
The anxiety and fatigue show on all of their faces. As musicians they’re used to sleepless
nights, but this is dif ferent.
The harried musicians apologize profusely to their manager as well as the owner of the
tiny studio. Lately they’ve been late to most appointments, despite rarely taking the time to eat.
3
Now , the band members — lead singer and guitarist Brian McLaughlin, drummer Luke
Imbush and Cohen — move frantically in dif ferent directions.
4
Imbush sets up his kit,
McLaughlin pulls apart the cases filled with cords,
5
and Cohen syncs up their personal sound
systems.
6
They start to construct their stage set-up from scratch, a practice that will become second
nature in the next two months on the road. But, for now , it is clumsy and uncalculated. In barely
6
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , A r i a n n a S o t o .
5
I w a s p r e s e n t f o r t h i s .
4
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , A r i a n n a S o t o .
3
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , A r i a n n a S o t o .
2
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , A r i a n n a S o t o .
1
h t t p s : / / w w w . t i n y r o o m . c o m , C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , A r i a n a S o t o .
1
72 hours they will climb into a tiny cramped rental van and hit the road to Dallas. The amount of
work that needs to be done before then seems impossible.
7
“Have you gotten guitar picks yet?” Cohen asks McLaughlin.
“No, I’m going tomorrow ,” McLaughlin replies with a frown. He pushes his messy , curly
brown hair out of his face and continues his set-up.
“Do we have the neon sign for the backdrop yet?” manager Arianna Soto asks. They
wanted to do a test run of hanging the gigantic sign that spells out TRO, their band acronym, but
it didn’ t quite arrive in time.
“I think it’ s supposed to be delivered today ,” Imbush sighs, lightly tapping drumsticks on
his snare as he assembles his kit.
8
While it is the first headline tour for The Rare Occasions, and therefore their first time
tackling these problems on a lar ge scale,
9
any band looking to get on the road after the
COVID-induced hiatus will be facing its own issues.
1 0
In the past year , bands across all genres and generations have rushed to get back on the
road after two years of downtime. According to LiveNation, one of the lar gest concert promoters
in the world, the company put on 12,500 shows in the second quarter of 2022, which is nearly
1 1,000 more than the prior year , and even 20 percent more shows than before the pandemic.
1 1
It
has left a strain on musicians and resources.
If it’ s not a broken-down bus a band has to deal with, it’ s post-pandemic mental health
struggles, personnel shortages or skyrocketing fuel and equipment prices. Many musicians will
1 1
h t t p s : / / w w w . l i v e n a t i o n e n t e r t a i n m e n t . c o m / 2 0 2 2 / 0 8 / l i v e - n a t i o n - e n t e r t a i n m e n t - r e p o r t s - s e c o n d - q u a r t e r - 2 0 2 2 - r e s u l t s/
L i v e N a t i o n s t a t i s t i c s f r o m q u a r t e r l y r e p o r t .
h t t p s : / / w w w . l i v e n a t i o n e n t e r t a i n m e n t . c o m / 2 0 2 1 / 0 8 / l i v e - n a t i o n - e n t e r t a i n m e n t - r e p o r t s - s e c o n d - q u a r t e r - 2 0 2 1 - r e s u l t s/
10
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h e x t e n s i v e i n t e r v i e w s w i t h p e o p l e i n t h e m u s i c i n d u s t r y .
9
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r A r i a n n a S o t o .
8
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r A r i a n n a S o t o .
7
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h m y o w n r e p o r t i n g .
2
return from their tours this year barely breaking even
1 2
. The Rare Occasions expect to be among
that group.
For many artists, this is a risk they’re willing to take, because they love connecting with
fans and performing live. But it’ s also a financial necessity . Most artists take home little money
from the various streaming services that have drastically changed the way the industry runs.
A Business Insider report from 2020 found that artists make as little as $0.0033 per
stream from the leading music streaming service, Spotify . That’ s a third of a penny — meaning it
would take 300 streams to make one dollar , and more than three million streams to make
$10,000
1 3
. Artists are grappling with the consequences. For many bands, selling merchandise is
the key to making ends meet.
1 4
For months, the members of The Rare Occasions have stacked their apartments with
gigantic boxes of t-shirts, sweatshirts, specialty socks, two types of posters, vinyl LPs, CDs and
stickers. They calculate a share for each tour stop and mail the boxes in advance. Each shirt will
bring them $25, and physical copies of their full length albums sell for $25 on vinyl or $12 on
CD.
1 5
“It’ s not looking good for what artists make from streaming,” Cohen says. “So it kind of
just naturally pushes the lion’ s share of potential income to be earned on the touring and merch
selling side.”
15
G a t h e r e d f r o m i n t e r v i e w s , c o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r A r i a n n a S o t o .
14
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h e x t e n s i v e i n t e r v i e w s w i t h p e o p l e i n t h e m u s i c i n d u s t r y .
13
h t t p s : / / w w w . b u s i n e s s i n s i d e r . c o m / g u i d e s / s t r e a m i n g / h o w - m u c h - d o e s - s p o t i f y - p a y - p e r - s t r e a m c o s t b r e a k d o w n f r o m
s p o t i f y , t h e b u s i n e s s i n s i d e r r e p o r t s h o w s t h i s .
12
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h e x t e n s i v e i n t e r v i e w s w i t h p e o p l e i n t h e m u s i c i n d u s t r y .
3
F i g u r e 1 : T h e R a r e O c c a s i o n s r e h e a r s e i n a r e h e a r s a l s p a c e a t T i n y R o o m S t u d i o s i n I n g l e w o o d , C a l i f o r n i a . ( G r a c e
M u r r a y )
Just eight miles up the road, the sounds of honking cars and sirens from Figueroa Street
echo through a sprawling of fice park packed with random businesses and storefronts in South
L.A.
Y et those street sounds are muf fled inside the sealed, cavernous warehouse the posh punk
band Beauty School Dropout calls home
1 6
. W ithin the white-walled cement building scattered
with art and music equipment, band members gather to discuss the rest of their duties before they
leave for their own upcoming headline tour — their first. The three band members live here and
with just a few weeks before the tour starts, they’ve all been out finishing dif ferent tasks.
1 7
17
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h m y o w n r e p o r t i n g , c o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r .
16
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r .
4
Lead singer Colie Hutzler runs into the building, the glass doors slamming behind him.
He’ s buzzing about the social media business meeting he just finished. He speaks rapidly ,
stumbling over every other word as if he can’ t get the information out fast enough.
1 8
His meeting ran long but it was well worth his time. “W e definitely need a T ikT ok
person,” he says to the band’ s bassist, Beepus Burdett, before plopping down on a red leather
couch in their living room. He smirks goofily and removes his lar ge black sunglasses.
1 9
“Really?” Burdett replies excitedly .
“Y eah! I got like 10 T ikT oks filmed and completed,” Hutzler responds. Creating social
media posts is incredibly time consuming, but worth it for getting the band’ s name out there.
Adding a social media person to the team could lessen the demands on them, but that’ s a
discussion for another day , right now it’ s tour planning time.
2 0
After a brief stint of being viral on social media, the band is attempting to market itself
heavily before the tour , with T ikT ok and Instagram as their main platforms.
2 1
W ith a younger fan
base, this is the best way to advertise themselves and the tour . Behind Hutzler is a lar ge
whiteboard with scribbled to-do lists alongside a pros-and-cons list and a challenges list, all
detailing important information for the tour .
2 2
Suddenly , the doors swing open with a loud bang. “Let’ s do this, bitches!” shouts a
blonde frizzy-haired figure, their voice booming of f the concrete walls. Hutzler and Burdett’ s
heads shoot up in a quick moment of fear before they recognize their guitarist, Bardo, an
endearing nickname that everyone, including their fans, know him by . He joins his bandmates on
the couch.
2 3
23
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h m y o w n r e p o r t i n g .
22
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h m y o w n r e p o r t i n g .
21
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r .
20
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h m y o w n r e p o r t i n g , c o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r .
19
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h m y o w n r e p o r t i n g , c o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r .
18
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h m y o w n r e p o r t i n g , c o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r .
5
While their music is intense and chaotic, in true punk fashion, the musicians’ goofy
demeanors and relaxed appearances behind the scenes seem contradictory . Burdett sports a ‘90s
Spice Girls t-shirt over a bright red pair of leather animal-print pants. Bardo’ s tattoo-covered
arms jut out of a black-and-cream knitted sweater vest with a string of pearls wrapped around
their wrist. Hutzler wears a black beanie with the band’ s logo, a chunky spiked chain necklace
dangling from his neck.
2 4
“Sell more tix” shout bold letters from atop their to-do list.
2 5
The band sold out its last
UK tour , but there are plenty of tickets left in Chicago, Columbus and Dallas.
2 6
T icket sales are a constant topic of conversation for both Beauty School Dropout and The
Rare Occasions. They want sold-out shows, but with capacities in some venues of up to 350, that
won’ t happen often. Post-pandemic, people often buy at the last minute, building uncertainty and
anxiety for the musicians, but Hutzler remains optimistic.
2 7
“Even if this is a kick in the nuts, it’ll build character and we’ll come back even
stronger ,” he says. “W e always show up and put on the best show and time that we possibly can.
So I think that’ s really the most you can do as a band trying to get of f the ground.”
Before that can happen, a mountain of details await.
On a cool fall morning in North Hollywood, The Rare Occasions meet at a cafe
2 8
to mull
their tour to-do list over hot cof fee and cold pastries. They’re stressed about the leaps and bounds
they must go through before the day they finally leave. Between sips of cof fee, the members take
turns pondering the essentials.
2 9
29
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h m y o w n r e p o r t i n g .
28
h t t p s : / / w w w . g r o u n d w o r k c o f f e e . c o m I w a s p r e s e n t f o r t h i s .
27
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h i n t e r v i e w s w i t h b o t h b a n d s .
26
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r .
25
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h m y o w n r e p o r t i n g .
24
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h m y o w n r e p o r t i n g .
6
Shipping out boxes of merchandise. Scheduling places to do final rehearsals. Establishing
a stage set-up. Releasing a new EP . Their biggest focus and concern: making sure they don’ t
have to eliminate some dates. Or cancel the tour altogether .
3 0
“W e’re like step 42 into the planning process, we’re about halfway there,” Cohen
chuckles, “Step 43 is…”
“Gotta get new gear , stocking up on that,” Imbush interjects.
Even the smallest hiccup has the capacity to bring the whole thing crashing down. Just to
get the tour to this stage they’ve had to pour in their collective band finances, and they can’ t
af ford for the van to break down, replace lost gear , treat random injuries, or even catch a cold.
3 1
“It only takes one sick guy , or one wrong thing to happen for it to not go to plan,” Cohen
says.
They’re all in their early 30s now , but the band first came together after meeting more
than 10 years ago as college students in Boston. When they moved to L.A., leaving their friends,
family and community behind, they stuck together and supported each other . Through the
minutiae of tour planning, they check in on one another and of fer quick uplifting comments in
moments of stress.
3 2
“So much could go wrong. Is it a technical thing? Is it a health thing? Brian loses his
voice? What are we going to do?” Imbush says. “W e’re gonna be in crowded room after crowded
room, and COVID is still out there.”
“Even if we’re only out for two weeks, that’ s half the tour ,” McLaughlin adds.
McLaughlin picks at his pastry , swallows hard and gazes of f into the distance. His eyes
catch a dog prancing by on a nearby sidewalk and he stops to watch it trot along, smiling at the
32
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , A r i a n n a S o t o .
31
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , A r i a n n a S o t o .
30
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , A r i a n n a S o t o .
7
welcomed distraction. One by one, the other band members glance at the dog as well, giggling
softly .
3 3
There are some silver linings in the stress of planning a tour .
McLaughlin recalls a mini four -night practice tour in early 2022,
3 4
“I didn’ t realize it until
we actually got on the road and heard people singing, that all the numbers from Spotify actually
made sense. This is really happening. It’ s not just on our computer screen.”
For The Rare Occasions, the tour means meeting many of their fans for the first time.
They’re excited to play their viral hit song, “Notion,” which is featured in hundreds of thousands
of videos on T ikT ok
3 5
and has more than 350 million streams on Spotify
3 6
.
“The amount of social media accounts, and people that have seen this one song, on the
Internet, it’ s like, kind of staggering, it’ s really cool,” Cohen says. “If we can take one percent of
those people that discovered the song and convert them into actual listeners of our music, then
that’ s a win.”
In the band’ s final run-through, Soto stands in the back of the room and sets up social
media live streams on Instagram and T ikT ok to capture part of the rehearsal. The stream springs
to life almost instantly , with upwards of 80 fans jumping on to catch a glimpse of the
performance.
3 7
Soto watches the comments flick across the screen as the band plays. Fans request songs,
hurtle compliments and write the lyrics back as they sing along virtually . The guys play on,
blissfully unaware of the chaos they’ve caused behind the screen.
3 8
38
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , A r i a n n a S o t o .
37
I w a t c h e d t h e l i v e s t r e a m w h i l e I w a s i n t h e r e h e a r s a l a n d s c r e e n r e c o r d e d t o g e t t h e n u m b e r s d a t a o f w h o w a s o n
t h e r e a n d t h e c o m m e n t s t h e y w e r e m a k i n g .
36
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e b a n d ’ s m a n a g e r , a n d s h o w n o n S p o t i f y
h t t p s : / / o p e n . s p o t i f y . c o m / t r a c k / 4 c H K d 6 q P M R 1 T M x 5 5 K H l i d a .
35
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e b a n d ’ s m a n a g e r .
34
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , A r i a n n a S o t o .
33
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r .
8
They round out the set by practicing the highlight of their live performance. McLaughlin
and Cohen climb on top of their amplifiers, balancing precariously . As the end of the song builds
into a big clash of sound, they jump of f, kick their legs out to the side and strum their
instruments in mid-air . They stick the landing and laugh, basking in the awkward tension of
jumping around for a live audience of no one.
3 9
T wo days later , early on a Sunday morning, the band gathers beside the van and smiles
for a quick photo. It’ s the first one of their tour , and they upload it to Instagram
4 0
. “Leaving LA
now for tour!” shouts the caption, along with, of course, a link to buy tickets. They pile into the
tiny black van, swing the door shut and set of f. It’ll be more than a month until they see the L.A.
sunshine again
4 1
.
41
h t t p s : / / w w w . i n s t a g r a m . c o m / p / C l K L k m F L o F K /
40
F o u n d o n t h e i r i n s t a g r a m p a g e .
39
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , A r i a n n a s o t o , g a t h e r e d t h r o u g h m y o w n r e p o r t i n g .
9
F i g u r e 2 : B e e p u s B u r d e t t a n d B a r d o p e r f o r m i n g d u r i n g s o u n d c h e c k a t t h e T r o u b a d o u r . ( G r a c e M u r r a y )
For Beauty School Dropout, touring has always been the ultimate goal. Their fan base
serves as their community , both in a physical space and online. Singer Colie Hutzler describes it
as a “home for the freaks and outcasts … and the dropouts” to come together to find
companionship. Hitting the road makes that possible.
4 2
“At the end of the day , I think we’re a community more so than anything,” bassist Beepus
Burdett says. “W ithout them, we’re nothing.”
It’ s finally time for the Almost Famous tour
4 3
to begin, a name that pays homage to a
song of the same name from their latest album
4 4
. They pile into their bright red sprinter van, hop
onto the freeway and set their sights southbound for their first show , in Orange County just south
44
h t t p s : / / o p e n . s p o t i f y . c o m / t r a c k / 7 l X A f p N b r Q m b s q s 9 Z m s P v 7 ? s i = f 4 c b 6 2 3 7 7 c 9 6 4 9 c 4
43
h t t p s : / / w w w . i n s t a g r a m . c o m / p / C i s w K n C v x W L /
42
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h m y o w n r e p o r t i n g .
10
of L.A.. The 1 1-show tour will take them to New Y ork City , W ashington D.C., Dallas, Cleveland
and more.
4 5
An hour later they roll up to The Observatory in Santa Ana with friends and family in
tow .
4 6
The stress of planning is finally behind them. At 8 p.m. the doors open. A handful of fans
file into the cozy room, buzzing with excitement.
4 7
Some fans arrive dressed in the bright red suits the members wore in a recent music video
— the same suits they will wear onstage in a couple of hours. In a far corner of the room, behind
a sea of computer monitors, guitarist Bardo sits in the sound booth, fiddling with the lights.
Burdett emer ges from backstage to greet the fans, hugging each person he comes across
and of fering to take a photo. Before heading backstage to finish setting up, he turns to quietly
thank everyone for coming and disappears behind a set of double doors.
4 8
“W ow , this is insane,” Burdett whispers under his breath, his eyes wide with nervous
excitement. “I hope more people are coming.”
The online presence for Beauty School Dropout has blossomed significantly , reaching
over 75 thousand followers on T ikT ok.
4 9
Some of their most popular songs get millions of
streams on Spotify
5 0
. But the reality of it all hits home in the live setting. The fans stand along
the edge of the stage in a perfectly straight line, like members of a marching band, ensuring
they’ll have the best possible view .
“Y ou went to the last show they played in L.A., right?” one fan asks another .
50
h t t p s : / / o p e n . s p o t i f y . c o m / a r t i s t / 2 M J M W 3 W t Q n D q 7 D K e z F n 5 j O
49
h t t p s : / / w w w . t i k t o k . c o m / @ b e a u t y . s c h o o l . d r o p o u t ? l a n g = e n
48
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h m y o w n r e p o r t i n g .
47
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h m y o w n r e p o r t i n g , c o n f i r m e d w i t h t h e i r m a n a g e r .
46
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r .
45
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r .
1 1
“Y eah! I’ll be going to the next one too, and San Diego,” the other responds. A handful of
fans have tickets to every one of the band’ s California shows, following them from Santa Ana to
San Diego and back to L.A.
5 1
The lights at the Observatory flicker and dim to darkness. The crowd explodes into
cheers. Over the loudspeaker comes the ethereal voice of 1950s pop idol Frankie A valon
5 2
singing the song that inspired the band’ s name, “Beauty School Dropout.”
5 3 5 4
“The story’ s sad to tell / a teenage ne’er do well/ Most mixed up non-delinquent on the
block.”
5 5
Red lights flash above, casting a crimson hue over the audience as they sway together ,
singing along and screaming loudly . The members emer ge and jump onstage one after another ,
Burdett sprinting ahead to grab a mic and scream, “What the fuck is up? Get the pit going!” The
crowd instantly obeys his command, pushing outward to create a circle in the middle of the
venue big enough for them to mosh. The chaos begins.
5 6
56
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h m y o w n r e p o r t i n g .
55
h t t p s : / / g e n i u s . c o m / F r a n k i e - a v a l o n - b e a u t y - s c h o o l - d r o p o u t - l y r i c s
54
h t t p s : / / g e n i u s . c o m / F r a n k i e - a v a l o n - b e a u t y - s c h o o l - d r o p o u t - l y r i c s
53
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r .
52
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h m y o w n r e p o r t i n g .
51
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h m y o w n r e p o r t i n g .
12
Chapter two: On the Road
Fans streak into the middle of the open circle, pushing and shoving, accompanied only by
the sound of drummer Mike Rose’ s pounding drums. The mosh pit is alive.
5 7
“HEY , let’ s fuck it up!” Hutzler screams. The lights flash in pulses of red and white as the
band begins with a simplistic but heavy wall of sound.
5 8
The first show of the tour serves as a sort of crash course, an opportunity to see if the
rehearsals translate well enough into the live space. This is where problems will inevitably
arise
5 9
.
During the opening song, “Last T ime,” as Burdett’ s fingers busily pluck the bassline, his
microphone flips out of its stand. Road manager Jacoby Nations darts from his side stage perch
to adjust the mic, disappearing into the darkness once again.
W ith each song the set builds in intensity . Hutzler bounces around the stage, beads of
sweat flying from his hair as he kicks his legs into the air , crashing into mic stands and cymbals
in his path. Heads down, with their blonde curly hair covering their faces, Bardo and Burdett
slam into their instruments, leaning onto speakers at the front of the stage to tower over the
crowd.
6 0
The air in the small cramped room is thick and hot. Halfway through the set the band
begins to play an unreleased song called “POS.”
6 1
The front rows move in sync, heads thrashing
forward to the beat as the mosh pit goes into a complete frenzy .
6 2
62
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h m y o w n r e p o r t i n g .
61
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r .
60
C o n f i r m e d w i t h t h e b a n d a n d t h e i r m a n a g e r .
59
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h i n t e r v i e w s w i t h t h e b a n d , c o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r .
58
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h m y o w n r e p o r t i n g .
57
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h m y o w n r e p o r t i n g .
13
“She took my card and bought the most expensive bottle of tequila / Filled it up with
water and returned it / I can’ t help but wonder how she made me fall in love,”
6 3
Hutzler sings
confidently .
6 4
Hutzler struts across the stage with a coy smirk. Suddenly , Bardo runs to him, a worried
look on his face. He yanks his guitar over his head and throws it over Hutzler ’ s shoulders.
Hutzler , still singing, glances at him with apparent confusion as Bardo storms of f the stage. He
walks to Bardo’ s mic and begins to play the chords alongside Burdett while singing.
6 5
Out of nowhere, Hutzler ’ s casual and timid strums build into an elaborate guitar solo. The
crowd goes ballistic. All of this apparent confusion was part of the band’ s plan. Bardo
re-emer ges from backstage with a super soaker water gun and skips around the stage shooting
anyone in their line of sight, dousing unsuspecting victims with a barrage of water . He briefly
pauses in the middle of the stage to hold up a white t-shirt with “Piece of Shit” written in giant
black lettering across the back.
6 6
“She thinks I’m a piece of shit,” Hutzler belts out the chorus. Bardo tosses the shirt into
the audience and continues spraying his bandmates before smashing the water gun to pieces on
the floor . The band successfully pulled of f its first stage gimmick of the tour . It’ s Bardo’ s favorite
part of their act, despite being the only moment he isn’ t playing guitar .
6 7
67
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h m y o w n r e p o r t i n g , a n d i n i n t e r v i e w s w i t h t h e b a n d .
66
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h m y o w n r e p o r t i n g .
65
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h m y o w n r e p o r t i n g .
64
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , l y r i c s s e e n h e r e h t t p s : / / y o u t u . b e / 9 t S I K 0 d G U D E
63
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r .
14
F i g u r e 3 : C o l i e H u t z l e r s i n g i n g d u r i n g s o u n d c h e c k a t t h e T r o u b a d o u r . ( G r a c e M u r r a y )
By the end of the set, Hutzler ’ s voice is raspy and hoarse. He holds on for the last song,
“FIGHT MODE,” one of the band’ s favorites to play live, and by far the loudest. The drums,
guitar and bass conver ge to create rage-filled ener gy . The band, and most of the fans, thrash their
heads back and forth. “Fight mode!” Hutzler belts out:
I been hanging on a tight r ope
Fuck an opinion yeah I don’ t like those
Banging my head like I’m a psycho
15
Open the pit like it’ s a cyclone
6 8
Hutzler throws his hands in the air , spreading his arms apart, motioning for the audience
to expand the mosh pit. “So you wanna go? So you wanna go?” he chants, inciting the crowd to
keep dancing. Just as the song reaches its peak, Bardo and Hutzler are unable to resist the ur ge to
join in on the fun.
They leap of f the stage one after the other , joining the crowd in the mosh pit. A final
strum fades, the fans’ screams eventually die out and the crowd shuf fles toward the back corner
of the room, to catch one final glimpse of the band.
6 9
After the show , the band congregates at the merch booth, leaning against a folding table
with a wall of their t-shirts, sweatshirts and hats hung behind them. They’re drenched in sweat,
but the fans don’ t seem to mind as they hug each member and pose for photos, throwing up
peace signs.
7 0
Hutzler greets each fan with a smile of chipped teeth and bruised lips, a casualty of
a night filled with screaming a little too close into his microphone.
7 1
The stress of night one is behind them. A long road lies ahead.
71
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h i n t e r v i e w s w i t h t h e b a n d a n d s o c i a l m e d i a p o s t s f r o m t h e b a n d . C o n f i r m e d w i t h t h e i r m a n a g e r .
70
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h m y o w n r e p o r t i n g .
69
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h m y o w n r e p o r t i n g .
68
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r .
16
F i g u r e 4 : B r i a n M c L a u g h l i n a n d L u k e I m b u s h p e r f o r m i n g d u r i n g s o u n d c h e c k a t t h e R o x y . ( G r a c e M u r r a y )
On the 12th night of their tour , The Rare Occasions was set to perform in Detroit at a
venue called The Loving T ouch. Singer Brian McLaughlin and bassist Jeremy Cohen had already
both developed minor colds on the tour , but had recovered quickly . Just before this show
McLaughlin started to feel another illness coming on, but he wasn’ t too worried.
7 2
W ithin the first few songs of soundcheck, McLaughlin started to feel a sort of gravely
sensation in his throat. His voice was hoarse and raspy .
7 3
When he sings, his voice is almost
constantly in a higher register , meaning it is more vulnerable to upper respiratory illnesses as he
pushes his lungs hard to achieve that sound.
7 4
The band knew within minutes that this show was
going to be rough, but after a negative COVID test they figured they could play on.
7 5
75
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , A r i a n n a S o t o .
74
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , A r i a n n a S o t o .
73
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , A r i a n n a S o t o .
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C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , A r i a n n a S o t o .
17
In the dressing room, McLaughlin prepared hot tea to drink throughout the evening to
soothe his sore throat and keep the mucus at bay . Just before taking the stage, he did a quick
vocal warm up as usual, anything he could do to lubricate his vocal cords.
“I couldn’ t really tell how my voice was going to be until, like, at least the soundcheck,
but sometimes like a few songs into the set,” McLaughlin says later .
They took the stage to perform their set as normal. First “Not Afraid,” then “Control” and
“Backwards.”
7 6
McLaughlin immediately knew his voice was in trouble. He fought through
each song as the gravely sound took over . He cleared his throat mid-song but it didn’ t matter . He
said later his voice was virtually “unusable.”
7 7
They had a show scheduled for the next day in T oronto, and the band kept testing
negative for COVID, but it was clear McLaughlin’ s voice needed rest. Remaining optimistic, the
band decided to cancel only the T oronto show , and to play their gig two days later in Brooklyn.
7 8
The soundcheck at Elsewhere, a venue in Brooklyn, was bad from the start, but they
decided to play anyway to test McLaughlin’ s voice.
7 9
They began with “Not Afraid,” yet again, and McLaughlin soldiered on, barely choking
out the words. Fear began to wash over him. Could he make it through this show? He got to the
song “Control,” still pushing to his full capacity .
8 0
“W e just played, like, two songs and Brian’ s really struggling,” Imbush said. “He just
looks at me and he’ s like, Cut the next song .”
80
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , A r i a n n a S o t o . G a t h e r e d f r o m i n t e r v i e w s w i t h t h e b a n d .
79
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , A r i a n n a S o t o .
78
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , A r i a n n a S o t o .
77
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , A r i a n n a S o t o .
76
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , A r i a n n a S o t o .
18
The rest of the evening, the band cut and swapped songs from their setlist here and there,
relying on audience participation and lar gely instrumental tunes to get through. While not gone
completely , McLaughlin’ s voice was noticeably rough and running out of steam.
8 1
Their worst fears were coming true.
After a late night of finishing the show , they had to stay up to make a decision: How
many shows should they cancel?
They hopped on the phone with Soto, their manager , who stayed behind in L.A. to
continue running the business side of the tour . In the late evening hours they began weighing the
pros and cons, deciding what they needed to do.
8 2
“Just making that decision and having those conversations with the band late at night
after they play a show ,” Soto said after the tour . “I’m trying to play kind of therapist and help
them talk through the motions of it all because it is stressful and emotional to them.”
82
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , A r i a n n a S o t o .
81
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , A r i a n n a S o t o .
19
F i g u r e 5 : T h e R a r e O c c a s i o n s p e r f o r m i n g t o a p a c k e d a u d i e n c e a t t h e R o x y . ( G r a c e M u r r a y )
Maintaining physical and mental health is a constant battle for musicians. Each day
comes with a completely dif ferent schedule of where they need to be and when, and there’ s little
time left for self-care. When the band arrives at the venue, they have to hit the ground running,
completing a laundry list of tasks and fixing random problems that pop up.
8 3
“For a lot of young artists, being in a van, making miles, having no food that’ s healthy ,
not getting enough sleep because you have too many miles to make,” says musician and touring
veteran Nicki Bluhm, “the way that you travel on the road can really make or break your
experience. When you’re first starting out, it’ s really exciting. As the newness wears of f, and the
grind settles in, you just really do start to realize there’ s a lot of sacrifices that you make.”
83
G a t h e r e d f r o m a l l 2 5 i n t e r v i e w s I h a v e c o n d u c t e d w i t h p r o f e s s i o n a l s a c r o s s t h e i n d u s t r y
20
In late 2021, the support or ganization MusiCares surveyed thousands of individuals
working in the music industry . The responses revealed a struggling industry . The study found
that 65% of respondents reported having moderately high to very high levels of anxiety , and 20%
reported having moderately high to very high levels of depression.
8 4
The MusiCares survey is not the only one to find such results. Dr Chayim Newman, a
touring performer turned clinical psychologist, authored a study with similar findings in 2021.
His team surveyed more than a thousand touring professionals, and they found much higher than
average risks for clinical depression and suicidal ideation.
8 5
“It was a critical alert as to how desperately , crisis level, that the state of mental health is
in this industry ,” said Newman, “which a lot of people knew anecdotally . But then seeing the
numbers in front of you was quite potent and it also gave us some senses of directions we needed
to go in in order to create change.”
8 6
Some bands, such as Beauty School Dropout, are trying to prevent mental health issues
before they can surface. While the group didn’ t have the chance to implement a self-care routine
for this run, they are devising plans to integrate it into future tours. Instead of spending their time
in the dressing room eagerly waiting for sound check and the show , they want to spend some of
that time team bonding and grounding themselves. Even if that means 15 minutes sitting on the
floor together in silence practicing a collective meditation.
8 7
“There are times where, especially with road life, it takes a hard turn, and self-care goes
out the window ,” says touring professional and mental health advocate Michael LoBue. “Y ou
pretty much put yourself on the back burner as the first thing. It’ s instinctual. Maybe you’re
87
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h p e r s o n a l i n t e r v i e w s w i t h t h e b a n d , c o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r .
86
P e r s o n a l i n t e r v i e w w i t h C h a y i m .
85
P r o v i d e d i n a n i n t e r v i e w w i t h C h a y i m a n d c o n f i r m e d i n t h i s s c i e n t i f i c s t u d y
h t t p s : / / w w w . s c i e n c e d i r e c t . c o m / s c i e n c e / a r t i c l e / p i i / S 0 0 2 2 3 9 5 6 2 1 0 0 7 3 3 0 ? c a s a _ t o k e n = 2 t p R I 1 Q j y e M A A A A A : b R W D 6
S f E o Q x d Y I x p g 6 R 8 T A 5 d c D V z U c z k p 0 h 5 R 5 _ 4 m 2 7 _ w l v E q t E S 8 R C 8 A r S 4 N y X p 8 T L M M J P x j 3 c
84
I n f o r m a t i o n p r o v i d e d b y H a n n a h K u l i s , o p e r a t i o n s m a n a g e r o f M u s i C a r e s .
21
doing three and four dates in a row , and you just have to continue to churn, your health goes out
the window .”
A day after the Brooklyn show , The Rare Occasions released an Instagram post
announcing that the Boston and Philadelphia shows were canceled: “Playing for you all across
the country is our lifelong dream, and like all ambitious dreams, things aren’ t always easy , but
we promise we are doing our very best!” It was a truly devastating decision as it meant they
would no longer play their hometown show at Boston’ s Brighton Music Hall in front of friends,
family and fans. That dream dated back to when they were ambitious college musicians.
8 8
“When it comes to performing I’ve never really had an issue, and that kind of threw me.
So, for the rest of the tour , anxiety was a big problem,” McLaughlin says. “Because I would go
out and something would be a little bit wrong during soundcheck and I’d be like, Oh no, am I
gonna completely lose my voice? It was the not knowing that really threw me for a loop.”
After the canceled shows they had a pre-planned break, which McLaughlin and Cohen
would spend in quarantine. Despite having negative COVID tests before every show , they finally
tested positive as soon as the break started. McLaughlin had been unknowingly fighting COVID
while trying to perform.
8 9
T wo weeks later , well rested and no longer contagious, they head to California to play a
show in Santa Ana, at the same venue Beauty School Dropout played a month earlier . It’ s the
second show after their break and anxiety remains high.
9 0
90
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , A r i a n n a S o t o .
89
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , A r i a n n a S o t o .
88
h t t p s : / / w w w . i n s t a g r a m . c o m / p / C l M M j 2 i r 8 H p / a n d c o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r .
22
W ith his voice still shaky and scratchy , McLaughlin is unsure if he’ll be able to perform
a full show . They load in their equipment, complete soundcheck and prepare for the show as
usual.
9 1
Just before the show is set to start, three figures appear on the stage dressed in matching
hoodies with “TRO ROAD CREW” stenciled on the back in white. The fans take notice and
hushed whispers ripple through the room. “Is that them?” “I think that’ s Brian.” “No, I think it’ s
just the stage crew .”
9 2
Imbush laughs to himself as he sets up his drums, knowing that their disguises were no
longer so secret. W ith no crew on tour with them, through injury and illness they still have to get
their instruments and stage set-up put together on their own.
9 3
93
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h m y o w n r e p o r t i n g .
92
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , A r i a n n a S o t o .
91
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , A r i a n n a S o t o .
23
F i g u r e 6 : B r i a n M c L a u g h l i n a n d J e r e m y C o h e n s e t u p t h e i r i n s t r u m e n t s a t t h e R o x y i n d i s g u i s e . ( G r a c e M u r r a y )
The band, having removed the hoodies, stands side stage as the room grows quiet in
anticipation. Red lights flash across the room as an electronic twinkling sound pours out of lar ge
black speakers that hang above the stage. Imbush struts out first, then McLaughlin and then
Cohen, who stays back to turn on the neon sign at just the right moment. McLaughlin takes a
drink of warm tea from a thermos, grabs his guitar and settles into position on the stage. One,
two, one, two, thr ee! Imbush smacks his drum sticks together to the beat of the song. The show is
on. The band performs “Not Afraid.”
9 4
His voice only slightly scratchy , McLaughlin sings:
Crashing down in a fit of fer ocity
An ice cold ricochet scattering acr oss the lake
When I get thr ough to you will you car e?
9 5
Imbush and Cohen play on, glancing over repeatedly at their lead singer , making sure
he’ s ok. By the midpoint of the hour -long set, the ener gy on stage, and in the audience, has
shifted. The band members are relaxed, settled into the moment and enjoying themselves.
McLaughlin’ s voice is holding up.
9 6
“Sing along!” Cohen shouts as the band kicks into “Origami,” a song from their second
album. The noise in the room doubles as fans belt out the words to a song they love.
9 7
For many
in the audience, this is their first-ever concert. T o make sure these fans feel included and
comfortable, the band occasionally shouts out prompts for when they should jump, clap or sing
along to the music.
9 8
98
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , A r i a n n a S o t o .
97
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h m y o w n r e p o r t i n g .
96
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h m y o w n r e p o r t i n g .
95
h t t p s : / / g e n i u s . c o m / T h e - r a r e - o c c a s i o n s - n o t - a f r a i d - l y r i c s
94
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h m y o w n r e p o r t i n g , c o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r A r i a n n a S o t o .
24
One more song and they’ll be done. The sound of a distorted orchestral score trickles
from the speakers, char ged with a vibrating synthesizer sound, welcomed by shrieks and gasps of
recognition. Cheers build into a frenzy . No one stands still as the band cranks up its final song of
the night, “Notion.”
9 9
Sur e it’ s a calming notion, perpetual in motion
But I don’ t need the comfort of any lies
For I have seen the ending and ther e is no ascending
1 0 0
The excitement rings through the room long after the band leaves the stage, following
them to the merch booth. Fans pour out of the tiny room into the lobby , chattering loudly , sharing
their favorite parts of the show and their favorite songs. A line of more than 50 people forms for
the chance to meet the band. Despite their exhaustion, they meet every single fan. Their manager
stands against a wall, watching from a few feet away . After about the 10th fan in line, Soto
discretely walks up to McLaughlin to whisper in his ear . He nods softly . W ithout Soto’ s gentle
reminders, he occasionally for gets that he’ s supposed to talk as little as possible to preserve his
voice.
W ith another successful show finished, they now must do the grueling work of packing
up and driving to Los Angeles, where they’ll spend a much needed night in their own beds
before the next gig in V entura, California — only eight more shows left on The Rare Occasions
tour .
1 0 1
In a hotel room in Cleveland, the members of Beauty School Dropout are jolted from
their sleep at 6 a.m. on the morning of the tour ’ s seventh show . Groggy and still out of it, they
101
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h m y o w n r e p o r t i n g , c o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , A r i a n n a S o t o .
100
h t t p s : / / g e n i u s . c o m / T h e - r a r e - o c c a s i o n s - n o t i o n - l y r i c s
99
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h m y o w n r e p o r t i n g .
25
struggle to stay awake. Dealing with their equipment has become a consistently draining task
that keeps them up late as they remove everything from their van every night.
1 0 2
Someone grabs the remote to a tiny flat screen television perched on a shelf in the middle
of the hotel room and changes the channel to MTV , just in time to see their faces flash onto the
screen. MTV is screening the video for their song, “Almost Famous,” for the first time ever .
Bardo grabs his phone and starts taking a video to commemorate the moment.
“W ake up, we’re on MTV ,” says Bardo, turning the camera to Burdett.
“Oh sick,” Burdett replies, sitting up from the floor sleepily to sing along, his hair tousled
everywhere.
Bardo and Rose share a bed, with Hutzler and their manager in the other . Burdett is in a
makeshift bed on the floor . After loading in from the last show , their room is filled to the brim
with equipment, merchandise and personal belongings. Black instrument cases, random boxes
and suitcases are scattered everywhere. In a daze they cheer and shout throughout the music
video until the screen fades to black.
“W ell boys, that was awesome. Now , back to bed,” says Bardo, smiling into the phone
before crashing back down. Their nights are often sleepless and uncomfortable.
1 0 3
Later in the day they’ll roust themselves out of bed once again to get to the venue for
soundcheck, stopping to grab a meal along the way . On the road their favorite place to get food
has become a chain gas station called Sheetz. W ith a choice of to-go sandwiches, fried food,
donuts and random snacks, their diet has been questionable.
1 0 4
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G a t h e r e d f r o m p e r s o n a l i n t e r v i e w w i t h t h e b a n d , c o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r .
103
I n f o r m a t i o n f o u n d i n t h i s I n s t a g r a m p o s t h t t p s : / / w w w . i n s t a g r a m . c o m / p / C k l s r 0 o p g Y R / ? h l = e n c o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r
m a n a g e r .
102
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r .
26
“Self-care and self-preservation is really , really important,” says Bardo, as if reminding
himself of the intentions he and the band set at the beginning of the tour . “When we’re back
home I think we’re pretty good at it. W e try to work out pretty much every day and go to the
steam room and whatever , and do our thing. And it’ s just hard because, when are you gonna have
the time to do it on the road?”
F i g u r e 7 : B a r d o ( l e f t ) , B e e p u s B u r d e t t ( c e n t e r ) a n d C o l i e H u t z l e r ( r i g h t ) c h a t o n s t a g e a t t h e T r o u b a d o u r d u r i n g
s o u n d c h e c k . ( G r a c e M u r r a y )
27
Chapter three: Returning home
About a month after the end of Beauty School Dropout’ s tour , their lives have basically
returned to business as usual. The entryway of their apartment now looks like a merch store, with
piles of their shirts, hoodies, beanies, vinyls, CDs and hats.
Hutzler paces around outside on a business phone call as the sun sets behind the L.A.
skyline. Behind the double glass doors, Bardo sits at his sound mixing table working on new
music.
The weight and stress of ticket sales weighed heavily on their minds in the weeks leading
up to their last tour , but now they don’ t even think about it.
1 0 5
They just announced their next tour this morning. They’ll be leaving at the end of
February to perform as the opening act for pop-punk singer Jxdn on a 37-show tour — more than
triple the size of their last outing. They will start in Sacramento and end in Santa Ana at the same
venue they just played, only in a much lar ger room.
1 0 6
They’re already planning how to improve their mental health on this next tour , starting
with integrating team workouts and meditations. They also plan on staying far away from gas
station food, and traveling in an R V , which would allow them to sleep more comfortably and
avoid loading their instruments as much.
Their biggest revelation from the last tour: ticket sales aren’ t as important as mental
health.
1 0 7
107
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h p e r s o n a l i n t e r v i e w w i t h t h e b a n d , c o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r .
106
G a t h e r e d f r o m i n t e r v i e w w i t h b a n d a n d v i a s o c i a l m e d i a
h t t p s : / / w w w . f a c e b o o k . c o m / o f f i c i a l b s d / p h o t o s / a . 5 2 2 1 0 9 3 3 6 0 3 6 0 0 2 / 6 8 0 0 6 3 9 0 0 2 4 0 5 4 4 / C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r .
105
G a t h e r e d t h r o u g h m y o w n r e p o r t i n g , c o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r .
28
“Just creating connections in real life for people, whether that’ s with us or with each
other ,” Hutzler says. “I think no matter what size tour , what size shows, or what we’re doing,
that’ s always at the forefront of what we’re focused on.”
“There was that stress in our team of, like, Let’ s sell this thing out .” Burdett says. “And
then you go out and you realize, it doesn’ t matter . If it sells out, cool, it looks good. T o who
though? Not the fans. They don’ t give a fuck if it sells out.”
A month after getting back home, the members of The Rare Occasions gather at the same
North Hollywood cafe where they stopped ahead of rehearsals before the tour . They sit sipping
hot cof fee, mulling over their chaotic tour and the year ahead. Instead of the nervous and busy
state they were in before the tour , they are calm.
1 0 8
Looking back on the tour , it wasn’ t all chaotic and bumpy . Their shows did well, nearly
every one selling at least 100 tickets in each city , many surpassing that number .
1 0 9
At the end of the road, merch sales alone doubled their overall income from the tour ,
something that helped recoup losses from the canceled shows. Instead of just breaking even as
they expected, the band walked away with at least a little bit of a profit.
Most concert venues usually demand 20% of merch sales and 10% of vinyl and CD sales.
In the midst of the recent T icketmaster hearings on Capitol Hill calling attention to practices in
the industry , a few of the venues the band played dropped these fees, providing even more
income for the group.
1 1 0
1 10
h t t p s : / / w w w . b i l l b o a r d . c o m / p r o / t i c k e t m a s t e r - h e a r i n g s - v e n u e - o w n e r - c u t - m e r c h - f e e s - a r t i s t s / a l s o f r o m i n f o r m a t i o n
f r o m i n t e r v i e w s I h a v e c o n d u c t e d . T h i s i s t r a d i t i o n a l a c r o s s t h e b o a r d . T h e b a n d ’ s m a n a g e r c o n f i r m e d .
109
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , A r i a n n a S o t o .
108
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , A r i a n n a S o t o .
29
Following the tour , the band members all took some time to care for themselves. As they
jump into a new year , they’ve already set out their goals: release more music, play more shows
and keep moving forward.
1 1 1
They’ll spend the entire summer on the road, performing as the
opening act for indie rock band Summer Salt on a 36-show tour . The two-month long journey
will take them from coast-to-coast, starting in Nashville and ending in Denver . The countdown to
finish up their new music ticks along — they hope to wrap it all up before heading out on tour ,
allowing them to focus on one thing at a time.
1 1 2
If they learned anything from the last tour , it’ s the need for more help on the road.
Unfortunately , extra hands lead to a lot of extra costs, but they’re trying to strike the balance so
that less falls onto them while on tour . They will have to grapple with the decision of seeing
where that extra help is needed, and what they can still take on themselves.
1 1 3
“No matter how good your circumstances might seem, it just takes one thing to turn it
upside down,” says Cohen, reflecting on how they’ll approach the next tour . “Shit goes wrong.
That’ s how life goes. Artists from our stage all the way to the tip-top have problems like these.”
For now , all of that planning feels lightyears ahead. They’re writing new music, testing
new sonic directions and seeing where it all will lead. They pack up their food and cof fees to
head down the road to start rehearsing the new tunes, feeling grateful and ready to tackle the next
chapter .
1 1 4
The collective anxiety going into the last tour of what might happen if McLaughlin got
COVID or another sickness has faded. They’re rolling into this next tour with the perspective of
seasoned professionals.
1 14
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , A r i a n n a S o t o .
1 13
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , A r i a n n a S o t o .
1 12
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , A r i a n n a S o t o .
1 1 1
C o n f i r m e d b y t h e i r m a n a g e r , A r i a n n a S o t o .
30
“Next time around, having been through this all and knowing that I was able to handle …
the other sicknesses, knowing that I can handle it except when I have COVID,” McLaughlin
says. “That’ s my anxiety management going forward.”
31
Bibliography
Bluhm, Nicki. Zoom interview . 16 February 2023.
Borer , Zack and Newman, Chayim. “A Change Is Gonna Come: T wo clinicians’ view on the
music industry’ s mental health crisis, the impact of COVID-19 and how we can build a
healthier future,” Bor er , Newman & Associates, March 2021, www .amber .health.com .
Brooks, Dave. “Following T icketmaster Hearings, Inef fable Music Cuts Merch Fees for Bands at
Its V enues,” Billboar d Music, 25 January 2023,
www .billboard.com/pro/ticketmaster -hearings-venue-owner -cut-merch-fees-artists/
Burdett, Brent. Personal interview , Los Angeles, California. 1 1 October 2022, 24 October 2022,
29 October 2022, 13 December 2022.
Clark, Stephen Lee. Zoom interview . 13 September 2022.
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Jacob, Ennica. “How much does Spotify pay per stream? What you’ll earn per song, and how to
get paid more for your music,” Business Insider , 24 February 2021,
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33

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Asset Metadata

Creator Grace (author), Murray ()

Core Title The toll of touring

School Annenberg School for Communication

Degree Master of Arts

Degree Program Specialized Journalism

Degree Conferral Date 2023-05

Publication Date 04/19/2023

Defense Date 04/19/2023

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag journalism,Mental Health,Music,Music Industry,music journalism,OAI-PMH Harvest,touring

Format theses (aat)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Tolan, Sandy (committee chair), Garza, Oscar (committee member), Plocek, Keith (committee member)

Creator Email gracie.murray7@gmail.com,murrayg@usc.edu

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