In this week’s edition of The Void’s dream jobs segment, meet the legendary tour manager Guy Sykes, who started out tour managing Pantera (and was their ONLY tour manager) and now travels the world with some of the globe’s biggest musical acts including Godsmack, Die Antwoord and Volbeat. He makes a living watching hundreds of thousands of fans lose their minds from side of stage on the daily. What’s most important to nailing the gig? “Patience. Imagine you are going on a 6 week holiday with 30 friends and going to a different city everyday and you are responsible for everyone.”
Who are you touring with at present? How many countries/cities do you see in an average year?
At the moment Godsmack, but this year I will have worked with Godsmack, Die Antwoord, Volbeat, A Day to Remember and Hellyeah. I will have done about 300 days on the road this year including four tour legs in Europe, three in Australia, four in the US plus Canada, Mexico, New Zealand and Japan.
Why did you want to be a tour manager? How did you get into it?
I don’t think I ever said, ‘Gee I want to be a tour manager.’ I have always loved music and even though I played instruments through school and had a couple of neighborhood bands, I knew that playing was just a hobby. I started as a roadie, more of a gopher than anything else and I worked my way up.
You were Pantera’s tour manager from when they were a bar band. What were those early shows like? How did it feel getting to watch a band get that big from the beginning close up?
The early shows were amazing as were all the shows. But early on the energy was intense. We were something completely different from anything else that was going on at that time. It was a magical ride from the clubs to stadiums!
What do you think are the personal qualities a great tour manager requires?
Patience. Imagine you are going on a 6 week holiday with 30 friends and going to a different city everyday and you are responsible for everyone.
In your opinion, what’s the best first question a rookie should ask on their first day? What is the worst thing you could do on your first day?
What’s your favourite food? (Believe me it will come in handy!)
What are the three most important lessons you’ve learned on tour?
1) Have patience.
2) Don’t ever assume.
3) Don’t take anything personally.
What’s been your best “pinch yourself” moment so far?
There are so many that it is hard to choose. The latest would be having a casual one on one chat with Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant last year at Pinkpop. That was a childhood dream.
What are your touring essentials?
Seven days of clean socks and undies and a sense of humour.
What’s your ultimate goal?
To be able to retire as a TM.
Ultimate band?
Ultimate band would be Led Zeppelin.
Ultimate show?
Ultimate show was Pantera, AC/DC and Metallica in Moscow in 1991 for over 1 million fans.
Who is your favourite musician to watch from side of stage?
That’s a tough one. Dave Grohl. He is a super human.
What are the benefits to working on the crew rather than playing in the band?
Hmmm. I think job security. If you are good at your craft, you can work for anyone. Whereas bands come and go.
What’s the biggest misconception in your opinion about the touring lifestyle?
That was always a party on the road. It isn’t. It is 18-20 hour days, long bus rides, usually crappy food and twice a week maybe a hotel room.
What’s the hardest part of the job, in your opinion?
The lack of quality family time. Missed birthdays, holidays, etc.
What’s the best part of the job? What makes you love the road life?
The travel. I get paid to travel the world. And I get to work with some of the most talented and creative individuals on earth. I am blessed to have a job that I love.
How important is the phrase “what happens on tour, stays on tour?”
I think that phrase is outdated. It’s more likely to see band and crew guys sitting around updating their Facebook page or checking their stock portfolios on their iPhones than chasing strippers around backstage.
You have travelled pretty extensively, what have been your favourite cities, venues or festivals to play at? Where are the crowds that give you goosebumps?
I love Eastern Europe. Prague, Budapest, Warsaw, Moscow. Russian Crowds are INSANE!
For a club gig: The Barrowlands in Glasgow
A theatre gig: Brixton Academy in London
Arena: Rod Laver in Melbourne
Festival: Rock am Ring in Germany
For a young aspiring Australian tour manager (or a fan dreaming of being a tour manager) what would you recommend they do first? Is it best to start working for or selling merch for local bands or try and head overseas? What’s a good entry level gig to prove yourself first?
Get your foot in the door somewhere. Merch, backline tech, promoters office. Work at a local venue. The job requires you to be a problem solver and to have people skills. However, you have to know the business and how things work on the road so start somewhere live music related to get some chops.
How do you think the crew side of things has changed over the years you’ve been in the game?
I think that with the downturn in the “traditional” record business, and the situation where live touring is now the most important financial part of an artist’s career, the level of professionalism has grown. Although there are still plenty “FOB’s” (friends of band) out there, very few survive long. Crew members have to be on top of their game as it is treated more like a business than ever before.
What’s your favourite Australian band?
AC/DC. They still bring it!
In this regular series on The Void, we chat to the people working in dream jobs in the music industry – and not just the people playing in the band. As touring has become more and more crucial to the rock band’s bottom line and ultimate survival, there are more and more opportunities for music lovers willing to learn the craft and do the hard yards to live on the road too.
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