consequence.net: In September 2022, Santigold made her long-awaited return with her first album in six years, Spirituals. Naturally, she had been planning a tour in support of it. But a few weeks after the project’s release, she revealed in a detailed personal note on Instagram that she just couldn’t make it work. Not only did she cite the financial barriers that she and other artists are facing with heading back on the road after more than two years of COVID restrictions, but she brought up how her mental health had contributed to her decision.
15 comments:
I can imagine touring for a show is incredibly difficult, but also so rewarding. I think eventually one day I’d like to tour, whether it be for a theatrical show, concert, sports event, etc. I do understand the incense mental toll that going on tour may affect a person, both performers and technicians. I would hope that union rules prevent extremely intense physical and mental circumstances, but by nature of the craft I see how that is nearly impossible. I can’t even imagine the chaos of returning to touring from COVID, and how high the stakes are with cost in mind. COVID was a devastating time for all careers, and the concept of live performances and artistry is always on my mind, and how that affected both the theatre and music industry. Now, while still (sort of) in the pandemic, but mostly recovered, it is wild to look back and see what was able to bounce back and what unfortunately was not.
I’m really glad that this conversation is starting to become more widespread. I think that a lot of artists are so focused on money that it becomes obvious they are burnt out. Taking the time to rest and not constantly be on tour is something that people need to start commending artists for to preserve the longevity of these artists. Something that I also think needs to be talked more about is even though we think of a lot of artists as being very wealthy, they did suffer from financial issues after two years of covid. Many artists still haven’t recovered from the money they lost from having to cancel past tours for covid which is something I never even thought about. That could mean tens of thousands of dollars lost to nothing. Going back to the mental health talk though, artists from Justin Bieber to Shawn Mendes starting to prioritize their health. Not just missing time with family from being on tour, but the stress of touring and working can create health issues on top of chronic health issues perpetuated by stress. Taking a break is what is going to save these artists' careers in the long run.
I think that it is kind of obvious that touring takes its toll on artists, but it is a conversation that is worth having. This is also true for theatrical tours too, many times people involved in the tours get few days off and little rest, going to new cities constantly sleeping in a new bed is traumatizing to the body and mind. You never get a home cooked meal and you miss your family and friends and you have to miss important events in their lives. Many of these artists are speaking about how they end up. In a dark place because of the schedule and other issues associated with all of this, and it is good that mental health is less stigmatized in this field so that people are able to be vocal about everything that is going on. It will cost people money and maybe fans, but hopefully we as a society and an industry can begin spreading some of this out to allow for a less brutal schedule.
This article mentioned a detailed personal note on Instagram about how the artist could not make the tour work, and I feel like recently I have seen more and more of these note type of Instagram post talking about difficulties while touring. Most of the time it seems to be for mental health reasons that artists are canceling their tours and on one hand it makes complete sense that individuals have a difficult time on tour, but with the frequency that I see these posts that I wonder what it is that is making so many different artists cancel in the middle of their tour due to mental health reasons, it seems like an indicator that something is definitely very wrong. It's interesting that the article mentioned Shawn Mendes cancelling his tour, just from the headline of the article I instantly thought of Sean, probably because he is the most recent artist that I have seen cancel their tour… Interestingly enough I had a mental note of almost every artist that this article named, even the smaller ones, as I mentioned it's just extremely common nowadays to see posts like this. It’s unfortunate.
It is no secret that working or performing in a tour is a remarkably taxing and difficult lifestyle. It is interesting to compare the points of view of the performers versus the road crews. On one hand, the road crews have to do remarkable strenuous work with tiny, tiny turnaround times. For touring theatre, the time to strike the show in one venue and set it up at the next venue a couple hundred miles away can be as small as 48-72 hours. On the hand of the performers, though, they are the ones touring. They are the show. Don’t get me wrong – the road crews are a vital part to the show, but people in the crews can swap out with other crew members. The performers can’t exactly just switch out with someone else. The headlining artist is the headlining artist, there is no way to swap that around. Despite the perils, I would love to work a touring concert or show for a little bit, just to get a taste of the lifestyle, as well as have the ability to travel a bit. I suppose I will see how post college life pans out.
I have a close friend who is on a non-equity tour right now and he has expressed many of the same feelings about the touring industry. He has been on constant, consecutive one night performances of the show with no time to do anything besides travel and work the show. No one tells you the negative things about the touring industry and there’s quite a bit that’s being shoved under the rug. I’m glad that this article was posted because it is starting to bring light to what is happening. It’s not sustainable in any means, not financially and especially not mental health wise. I know that the equity world is doing much better with maintaining peoples health while on tour but it’s just not sustainable for non-equity artists. It is not only draining to people’s health (both mentally and physically) but it is also draining to their spirit of wanting to work in theatre at all.
I think that this article does a really good job of describing the mental health problem to those who might not know about it. Of course, fans want to see their favorite artists on tour, but I don't think anyone would want an artist to sacrifice their health to make it happen. It's good that this subject is coming to light, but I also think that it's worth pointing out that the article writes for the artists - that is to say, the writer doesn't put blame on the artists that had to cancel, but supported them. It's important that touring artists realize that, as the article says, mental and physical health need to remain their top priority. Coming out of the pandemic, especially, makes it more important than ever to acknowledge these problems. As the article describes, it's a difficult time to tour right now even without the stressors of reality, and I hope the industry can shift to making touring more mental-health friendly.
I agree greatly with Dean. I feel as though we are hearing more and more about how the difficulties of touring with an act can be for the stagehands and roadcrews. But the fact that even the talent gets burned out really shows how aggressive of a life it must be. I personally do not think that I have it in me to tour in any capacity. It must be incredibly stressful to be away from one's friends. family, and home for such long periods of time. Even if your job only happens in spurts throughout the length of the tour, I feel as though I would never truly feel that I was "off the clock" while so far from my home and my belongings. Perhaps it is just because it is much easier to spread how shit the conditions can be these days but I do feel as though I have been seeing a lot of articles and posts about how rough it is to be out on the road.
I have always held on to the idea that once in my life I really want to go on tour. I guess I thought about the opportunity to be working while also being exposed to so many new cities, people, and culture. It also seems like it would open you up to so many new experiences which is really appealing. I did not really think about the mental and physical toll that this article brings up. Touring kind of gets rid of any sort of daily routine or home base you have because your life suddenly revolves around where you have to be next. I usually am all for keeping things moving and not getting bored but I have learned quickly that it gets tiring really fast and our bodies need recovery time. Although, since touring is so focused on making the most profit, artists and crew aren’t really given the necessary rest and recovery to make the process sustainable.
I think this is something of an unforeseen realization and consequence because of the pandemic. Big life transitions (like working from home for two years and then going on tour) take a huge toll on anyone: I think we’ve all experienced that in one way or another. I also think that there are two other components here. First, in a lot of different areas of the professional world, and in my own personal life, I see people changing their day-to-day/career choices because they realized what they were doing before the pandemic was just so damn hard on them. Like constantly traveling, for example. Second, at least in a lot of the media I consume, I’ve seen a general trend in the direction of being more open and understanding of mental health. Which I think is really important, and honestly helped me a lot. I hope the musicians canceling their tours continue to make the best decisions for their well-being.
Mental health has been a topic that has been raised up and talked about frequently in every single field. For the entertainment industry, it has been a serious problem that affects and influence individuals greatly. Especially during touring. The amount of pressure and active moving that the staff and actors need to do when they are on tour can be exhausting. By staying in this high pressure environment for a long period of time, individuals who are part of this need to take their mental health seriously as it would be a more sustainable way in doing what they wish to achieve. As it has been talked about in the article, mental health can be a topic that is less talked about and noticed during touring where everyone is busy. All the examples talked about in this article is terrifying and impactful, it is definitely required to create a better space for people to talk about how they feel.
It was really interesting to read this article. As of late, I have been interested in learning more about the touring industry, and I found this article brought up a lot of interesting points about the negative effects that touring can have on a person. I think that part of the reason that a lot more artists are canceling tours now is because they don’t feel as obligated to perform when under the weather. Its great to see them prioritize their mental health and take time to think about their health. That’s the kind of improvement I want to see more in entertainment: reexamining the idea that the show must always go on no matter what. It was also interesting to see how the pandemic factored into this ideal shift of the entertainers. Having that time to reexamine your life and how you take care of it seems to have created a lot of change.
Being in this industry is hard. Even if you’re working a show that is set in one location, the hours are long and so energy consuming. I know for a fact that touring is even more difficult and draining. It’s so fast paced and there’s never a moments rest, and that can be a lot on a person. I think it’s important that artists and those working on a tour can have the voice to say, “I can’t keep doing this. We need to cancel.” And I think it’s important that we as an audience say “Ok! Rest up and take your time. We’ll be here when you’re ready to return.” I’m really glad we’re at a point where we can say these things, as vulnerable as they are. I know it can add more stress having to cancel a tour though. It’s a tough situation to be in. Touring is hard and I know most of us in my major will be on a tour at some point.
Touring is a tough thing to do for musicians and theatre performers alike. I wonder if there can be a more sustainable way to tours. Would it help if tours were split into sections with breaks inbetween? If they were not as many one nighters and at least three days in one place. I really want to work on a tour after graduating and travel through my work. But I in no way want to make my entire career touring, a big reason being health related. This article is also interesting as it references phsycologist’s view points and even points out that there is a group of psychologists that specialize in music professionals. I wonder if there is anything similar for theatre professionals. It’s tough being in the performing arts industry and many on stage and backstage personnel would benefit from having psychologist or other doctors whose specialty is in treating people who work in the industry.
Mental health is very important in theater and I find it very important that there is attention to it now. In the article Sam Fender talked about how it would be hypocritical of him to continue to do a show that talks about taking care of your mental health. I think as artists before covid we put our mental health on the back burner but are now realizing how important it is to us as artists. The fact that this industry as a whole has accepted that makes it even easier for us as artists to take a step back. I used to not take care of my mental health and just put everything into my work. Now I'm realizing how important it is for me not to do that. I will put out better work and work on myself as a person not just an artist. This article shows how important that is.
Post a Comment