Tour Bus Life Part 2
Welcome back! Last week I gave you some insight into tour bus life, but there’s more. I do have a confession to make this week. The tour has gone on without me! Yes, I know that’s hard to believe, but those young people pulled off four more shows without me! While I would like the world to stop so I can be with my peeps on Sadie’s tour, it doesn’t. So, I have to settle for phone calls, insta-posts, and texts from my grands to keep up with the tour.
When I left you last week, I had gotten us off the bus and into catering for breakfast. Remember we’re on the “rockstar” schedule so by now it’s usually around 10:30-11:00 in morning because bedtime is usually very late.
After breakfast everyone tries to find a quiet spot to do their own personal work or they go to get dressed for the day. Each venue is different and some are better than others. Some have nice gyms with locker rooms and showers. Some have small bathrooms with one shower for everyone to share. Some have no showers. The tour bus life requires one to be ready for everything and not complain about anything. One thing for sure is the people at each venue are super nice and helpful. If a shower is available, towels will be provided.
While the speakers and musicians are settling in, the staging crew has already begun unloading and setting up the stage for the show. These hardworking guys work together like a synchronized swimming team to make sure the stage looks perfect every night! And, remember, each venue is totally different so they never know what they are going to be working with until they get there.
After the stage is set up, the artists come in for sound checks. About this time, Sadie will start filming videos and taking pics to promote the newest venue. The tour management team is busy still processing ticket sales for the day. The merchandise folks are setting up booths in the foyer. (Again, different venue, different layout every night,) The room for the after party is being set up and the volunteers are being trained. Bella, who is the tour photographer works on the pics from the night before and gets ready for the new venue. The tour videographer is busy shooting behind the scenes stuff for promotions. Meanwhile, lunch is set out and people eat when they are free.
Around 3:00 Sadie and her team pray over each seat in the venue asking God to show up and prepare the heart of the one who sits in that chair. At 4:00 the entire team meets for devo and prayer time. From there, the night really gets rocking. At 5:30, John Luke hosts a Q&A for those ticket holders who bought the package that includes the Q&A and a pizza party after the show. That lasts until 6:00. At 6:30 John Luke comes back out on stage and interacts with the audience. He’s so much fun! He has them do the wave and dance and meet the people around them. Around 6:45, a DJ takes over and leads the crowd in more fun. Then, right at 7:00, the show (I hesitate to call this a show, but for lack of a better word, I do. It’s a worship experience.) starts and goes until 9:45. Immediately after the show, it’s pizza party time! John Luke hosts the party and leads everyone in line dances while Sadie takes a picture with each attendee. This was my only real job of the week. I got to pass out pizza and visit with the awesome crowd of young people so eager to be there.
And that’s a wrap! After the pizza party, some take showers, some go straight to the bus, but all are pumped up by the great night and lots of high fives and “good jobs” are passed out. The stage crew takes down the set as expertly as they set it up and the booths are taken down and packed away, ready for the trip to the next venue.
I hope you enjoyed this little behind-the-scenes look at the Live Original tour, but mostly, I hope you can go in person. Check out the Live Original website to see if one is coming near you. Take your kids and grandkids! You won’t regret it!
Hugs, Chrys