Duran's World - Tour Day. 03

We're three days into our 6-week USA tour. Let me show you what I see

Hey everyone!

Today is the first day off on our “You’re Not a Bad Person” USA tour (we’re only 3 days in, but the drive from Portland to Sacramento is really long and is easier to do if you add a day). I’m writing this post inside a hotel room in Redding California. The temperature outside is an unbelievable 109 degrees and the whole band has been chilling inside a Ramada Inn soaking up the AC.

It’s so hot outside that the generator in our bus keeps overheating, so we don’t really have much of a choice but to stay inside. My heart goes out to those folks in this area without AC right now.

Two Shows Down, 30 More to Go

We are now three days into our tour. So far it’s been a blast. I’m happy to report that our first two shows in Seattle and Portland were better than expected. It’s always wild to see such huge crowds of excited fans screaming our songs back to us.

Considering our last USA tour sold out nearly 3 months before it began, we weren’t sure what to think going into this one. Compared to our first USA tour, the YNABP tour is double the length and has roughly 3 times the amount of tickets to sell. Some cities have sold out (which is amazing), but ticket sales are a bit slower in a few of the other markets.

We’re really excited to see such growth in the size of rooms we are able to play, but with that comes new challenges. How do you sell triple the amount of tickets? Do we even have enough fans for this? These questions can get in your head, but in the end, it’s always best to just keep your head down, trust in the community you’ve built, and keep working to get folks interested in coming to your concert.

Thankfully, both the Seattle and Portland crowds ended up showing up, making the shows incredible. As usual, the fans are always there for us, which is amazing to see. It’s an unreal feeling thinking about how far the band has come since I joined in 2019. From zero fans to packed rooms with over 500 people? Amazing!

The Drums!

On the show front, it feels good to be back on stage hitting the drums again. It’s only been two months since we got back from our Europe tour, but I already forgot how much I missed it.

For this tour, I decided to go with the “bigger is better” model and up the size of my drum kit and add more electronics. After touring through Europe and watching some really amazing drummers using massive kits, I wanted to join in on the fun.

Bigger kits always look cooler and it’s been a welcomed challenge trying to figure out how to use all of the new drums that I have to hit.

I won’t get too into the weeds of what goes into my drum rig, but if that’s something you’re interested in, leave a comment and let me know.

What is it Like Being on the Road?

As for what it’s like being on the road (living on a tour bus), I have mixed feelings. It’s such a blast being on stage and performing, but the challenges of sleeping on the bus, disrupting my normal routines, and being away from home can make things difficult. There’s only so much I can complain though, because the second I hit the drums on stage, I’m always back in my happy place.

Personally, I love touring and feel very fortunate to be able to do what I do. It’s an honor getting to meet so many fans and to be able to entertain everyone for a night. There are limitless things that folks can do with their evening, so to know that they’ve chose to spend it with us is not something I take lightly.

So Much More to Come

There’s a lot of tour left to go. Plenty for us to learn as a band, kinks to iron out for the show, and a load more shows to play. Overall though, I’m happy to say that it’s so-far-so-good!

Huge thanks to all the fans for supporting us, saying hi after the show, grabbing those VIP tickets, buying our merch, and generally being awesome. Can’t wait to meet more of you as the days go on!

Much love,

-Duran