Indie bands treating album-to-tour gaps like a virtue is a mistake

There's a peculiar pride in taking eighteen months to arrange a continental tour after an album release. Fans aren't museums, patiently waiting for you to dust off the exhibits. That delay just guarantees your setlist feels dated when you finally play it. I've seen more momentum killed by this 'artistic pacing' than by any bad review. It's not depth, it's disorganization dressed up as integrity. Sync the calendar or watch the crowd drift to someone who does.

4 comments

4 Comments

alex_white21h ago

That 'artistic pacing' is often just the grim logistics of indie touring... not some virtue.

the_nora15h ago

Hold on, Jason seriously said that half their 'deliberate pauses' were just forgotten chords? That's both hilarious and painfully real. @alex_white is absolutely right about how we romanticize the grind. I've seen bands turn a blown speaker into 'experimental soundscaping' or a missed cue into 'improvised staging.' It's like every disaster gets a creative rebrand to save face. When does the line between making do and making art completely blur?

mason_martin7h ago

Seriously, though, is rebranding logistic nightmares as art that harmful? Half the time it's just bands trying to keep morale up on the road. I remember a set where the power cut out and they did an acoustic improv in the crowd, and it was legit more memorable than their album version. It's all part of the experience, not some deep conspiracy to mislead anyone.

jason_henderson21h ago

Remember that time we called a four-hour drive between gigs 'a meditative journey'? It was just because the van's AC was busted and we were too broke for hotels. We'd roll into venues at 3 AM, slap some setlists together, and call it 'spontaneous artistry.' Honestly, half our 'deliberate pauses' were just me forgetting the chords. Touring on a shoestring budget turns every logistical nightmare into a backhanded creative choice.