When I stumble on threads about how hard the experience of touring is — calling for sweeping changes, I’m genuinely conflicted.
I absolutely love what I do for a living because it’s hard.
But hard doesn’t translate as a negative for me — it’s complexity.
It’s the team problem-solving that reminds us that we’re good at this.
It’s conquering all the micro-challenges that leak into each day while still making door time.
It’s showing up for each other on the good days and the difficult ones.
It’s the exhaustion at the end of a long day knowing what it took — collectively — to create the conditions for success.
Empowering a team with the trust and support to bring their own skills to bear is its own kind of high.
Together, we gave the audience the joy and lasting memory they came for.
That instant feedback loop — team success on one side, audience response on the other — is why I show up early each day, ready to soak in every minute of the work.
It’s often the difference between ending the day with
“wow, that sucked”
or
“wow, we got that shit done!”
So when I see negative reflections on the industry, I sometimes wonder:
Is it the industry itself —
or the inherited leadership methodologies some of us bring to it?
Does inspiring leadership actually change the human experience?
Maybe the business of touring isn’t that bad after all.
Maybe it’s about investing more in the skills of those who become its leaders.
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I needed to take a moment to thank Jim for this piece. It’s so important to see someone that’s so respected take the time to put these thoughts out there for us.
mj
