The Tears For Fears summer shows are approaching. Check the Events section of this website for tour dates and the Forum for my tour blog. Pre-tour prep has been kicked into gear. I have been handling the merch supplies for the tour and hope to have some samples posted soon for everyone to see. Get your $$$ ready! We have tried to satisfy even the most hardcore fans and I am excited to get these products to the public.

Being on the road with +LIVE+ has been great. Very fun and challenging at times. I love when work is fun and it helps that all the band and crew are like family.

Family. That brings me to life on the road. Sometimes it is taxing on a person when you spend life on the road touring. I don’t think some people understand the sacrifices people make when they go out on tour. The rest of your life pretty much stops when on the road. Case in point: this jaunt with +LIVE+ came through during Father’s Day. We were in Canada where it wasn’t Father’s Day. Being like family, we all wished each other a joyous day and you could see everyone reflecting on their own children or their own father. At dinner we sat and reflected on events that have transpired with our own father or children. It was nice but yet still missing the regular life.

Missing family life is the biggest emptiness on the road. Father’s Day also marked my mother’s birthday. A double-hit for me. Par for the course. In this industry, you learn to work during those special occasions and holidays. When out with Tears For Fears in 2004, our schedule ran through a few of our birthdays: Roland’s in August, mine in September, and Nick’s in November. Being like family, we are surrounded by true friends but you still miss the faces you can’t see on those days. It is a very sobering experience and one that you just can’t get totally used to. It’s just not the same when you call home on Thanksgiving but it is the price we pay for the profession we have chosen. If there is anything you take from this, take family life as pure and gratifying and cherish it.

Look out for more auctions for Tears For Fears/+LIVE+/Fiona Apple, etc tour manager Gungi.

— GRUNO —