Yahoo Movies Photos Show Behind-The-Scenes Look At Life As A Touring Band During COVID
Jake Gunter and Josh Dawn of the country band "Big 50" tune their instruments before a show in Nashville, Tennessee.
It’s no secret that COVID-19 (along with its variants) changed our world as we knew it, and asall businesses have been forced to adapt, the music industry has been no exception: fromsuperstars selling out stadiums to newcomers grinding to build a grassroots career path,musicians as a whole have been forced to navigate a time where playing live was not an optionand where success is measured in views on social media instead of bodies in crowds.
New forms of exposure, like TikTok and Instagram, became the only option for exposure, andeven as live music has returned, a fraction of pre-pandemic venues remain, with rising fuel andhealth safety costs have far outweighed the value of a gig.
Tour packages and traveling musicians have been forced to reduce their scope, stripping downproduction (and even band members) to keep costs at a minimum and keep touring viable. Fora while, the days of a musician being able to earn a living seemed as though they had passed.
Dawn smokes a cigarette before a show in Nashville at Springwater bar, the oldest operating bar in Tennessee.
Dawn (left) and Andrew Gaultier talk together after a show at The Basement in Nashville.
Prior to COVID, musicians and bands would find themselves traveling the world over to builda name for themselves, finding their start playing in small clubs in different cities in an attempt togrow an organic fan base and, for bands with the right work ethic and sound, this route couldprove successful. Fast forward to our post-pandemic world, a large majority of small,independent venues that welcomed new artists with open arms have shut their doors due to theloss of income when live music was out of the question. These closures have left few viableoptions for independent artists to perform in public, and the venues left standing are oftenunable to provide the payouts that once allowed a band to tour profitably.
As our world began to spend more time at home (and on our phones), musicians have found anew form of semi-organic exposure through TikTok and other forms of visual social media.Similar to how TV killed the radio star, modern musicians are forced to conform to newshort-form video standards, writing songs around a hook as opposed to writing for radio or liveplay, and while this has proven a fruitful endeavor for more social media-savvy artists, thelearning curve has been insurmountable for many musicians who got their start by hitting theroad to build an organic grassroots fan base. For many, finding an algorithm-friendly sound hasled to frustration and outright disenchantment with the music industry.
Gunter plays his guitar during a show in Nashville.
Austin Wright puts his drum kit away after a show at The Basement.
The “TikTok Success Story” is one that we’ve all heard, and while the explosive popularity of anovernight viral sensation is often an extraordinary moment for artists, it’s been proven time andtime again that these “successes” do not provide a fan base with the same long-lastingfoundation that organic, steady growth has provided to musicians in the past: simply put, thealgorithm can’t replace the power of a meaningful performance and genuine connection to fans.
Now, almost three years later, artists are finally seeing the return of the days of viable touring.With TikTok usage on the decline, it is carving the route for musicians to get back to what theylove: writing great music, traveling the world, meeting new fans, and creating long-lastingrelationships with the fans who support them. With any luck, musicians can now look into 2023and beyond as a time for touring, and social media can return to its rightful place, not as areplacement, but as another tool in a kit that allows extracurricular connection with fans.
See more photos of “Big 50” by Seth Herald below.
Dawn plays his guitar during a show at The 5 Spot in Nashville.
Gunter (right) and Gaultier cross the street to public radio station WUTC 88.1 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to perform a live session.
Gunter (left) and Gaultier perform during a live session at WUTC 88.1.
Dawn relaxing during the van ride from Chattanooga to Nashville.
Gaultier (center) and Dawn enter an elevator in Chattanooga.
Dawn puts on his cowboy hat before a show in Louisville, Kentucky.
Gaultier changes strings on his guitar before a show at Gerstles in Louisville.
People dance as the band performs at Gerstles in Louisville.
Gunter after a show in Louisville.
