Every serious musician knows that touring comes with its fair share of challenges, but that nebulous space of time between when a band arrives at the venue and when they begin their set is one of the less talked about hassles of being on the road all the time. If your drive between shows is short, you could be spending anywhere from 4-8 hours a day waiting for your show to start. With that amount of time at stake, it’s important to get the most out of your days on tour. Here are a few suggestions:

Playing your heart out in front of an uninterested crowd is an awkward, nightmarish situation that most musicians have experienced at least a of couple times during their careers. The unwritten deal that many artists think they’re agreeing to when they perform is that if they play well, the crowd will thank them for it with their attention and an enthusiastic response. But like lots of music out there, every performance situation is complicated. Here are some tips on how to play your best in front of an unresponsive crowd:

Knowing how to best present yourself on stage can be a tricky endeavor. For some artists, being funny and personable plays really well on stage, but other artists are better off shutting their mouths and letting their music speak for themselves. Stage banter isn’t something that can be practiced like music, but it does have the potential to ruin your set if it’s done the wrong way. Here’s how: