First Tour: Merry Old England

Some observations:

• Touring is not exactly a vacation.
• You'll be in a car/bus/train/airplane pretty much every day for a few hours, which gets tiresome. 
• You'll be in some awesome places you've never been before, but you won't get time for sightseeing. Or if you do, it will be raining.  
• If you're playing any summer festivals in England, bring rain boots. Seriously. 
• Brits love a good cheese joke. And you can tell the same one every night to a new audience! Only your band mates and possibly tour manager will know. 
• People in England are reluctant to square dance, even if they say beforehand that they'd like to do it.
• A lot of your overall experience, health, and happiness depends on the people booking your shows and the kindness of strangers. 
• A free meal and/or booze at a gig goes a long way. Most places don't seem to realize that or are too damn stingy. 
• You'll get to meet some amazing people, who are also amazing musicians. That will probably be the coolest part of your trip.

Seriously though, I had a grand time overall. It was really satisfying to feel myself getting into the zone. My stage presence has improved, and I just feel more comfortable. Thinking about how I used to get nervous, or just feel so depleted after playing a show--but now I get all worked up and energized. I've even been doing a few things solo on stage. And singing!

It was also great to get into such a groove as a band. We have a large repertoire and it can be hard to decide what to play next, and usually it's pretty spur of the moment. But by the end of the week, we had our lineup down pat. It just flowed.