The Agony of the Road 

For many of us, touring as a musician seems to be a euphoric rockstar-style life with many women, fun times, and time with your friends. But there's a harsh reality Behind all of this, and our perception of touring is nothing close to the truth for most traveling musicians. But what has caused us to think like this? Could it be the media's depiction of sex, drugs, and fun times associated with musicians on tour? Or could it be the romanticized idea of touring films and former musicians have pumped into our heads? Either way, our depiction needs to change, and truth needs to be learned about these individuals' lives and experiences. Some real-world experiences of musicians can show us these tragedies, and the hard comings touring has brought musicians and crew members. 

In an interview with Spin.com, former Maroon 5 drummer Ryan Dusicks vividly recalls the physical and mental health challenges that arise from travel, pressure to perform, and lack of personal space and time. He goes on to talk about how musicians have told him within the same sentence that touring is the most exhilarating thing they can do but also the most boring and draining task of being a musician.  Dusick highlights the lack of control new musicians have when it comes to touring and that this is a commonality within the field, explaining times when he had asked for just a month's break and tour managers had refused. Dusick recalls a particular moment in Milan where he had broken down after dealing with a long tour on top of his physical injuries and mental distress “We were in Milan at the end of a run of [show] dates,” says Dusick.  "And I was really looking forward to two weeks [off at home] … As we were getting into the van to go to the airport, our tour manager handed us a new itinerary, which has a week in Australia and another week somewhere else… I completely fell apart.”

Dusick's career was permanently altered after this tour with Maroon 5, where he played with a shoulder injury throughout the entire tour. Due to the repetitive motions and use of the injury without help or a break due to demand from touring managers, Dusicks developed focal dystonia. This neurological condition causes involuntary muscle contractions in a specific body part. All this stemmed from the touring and the constant distress his body was under, show after show. Managers ignored all cries for help; something so easily preventable was not even cared about by others. 

This is one of few stories that show the abuse, distress, and stress these musicians are under. This stress comes with calls for help, but no one answers, as seen by Dusick's experiences. Managers care about the tour and the tour only; the money brought in from it far overlooks the downsides these individuals face as, after all, isn't this the life they have signed up for?

In another interview with The Spin, Hutch Harrison says this about touring and stage personas: “You don’t stay sane,” says Hutch Harris of The Thermals, “and you shouldn’t try! You just have to give up any sense of normal life. The effects on ego and identity are actually positive, at least on the surface. That is to say, if you’re having a good tour! … Now, if your tour is not going well, you feel the opposite: unloved and worthless. The longer you tour and play music professionally, the stronger your identity is tied to this lifestyle. I’ve definitely had a crisis of identity since I stopped touring and playing in bands publicly. Like, who am I even? Freed from the highs and lows of touring life, I have struggled to find something else to determine my own value.”

Hutch highlights the ongoing effects of touring on these musicians. Something that usually is not positively shown by the media or limelight. When we see musicians after tours or their primes, it is usually in a negative light, Highlighting their shortcomings or negatively highlighting their issues, such as mental or physical health. Take, for example, Ozzy Osbourne. When displayed in the limelight, has shown as this decrepit, almost mindless creature. His issues are not shown in a positive. Instead, they're nearly used as a spectacle to say, "Wow, he looks rough." 

We need to start taking these issues seriously and offering help to these individuals, not shoving a camera in their face and using it as a spectacle for entertainment. Yes, a shift in mental health has taken place within the past decade, but still, it seems these musicians are never taken seriously as their lifestyle, similar to athletes' lifestyles, is one that is glamorized and glorified by the masses of this earth.

Despite all these issues and struggles, there seems to be a shared acceptance of the issues characterized best by the phrase "the show must go on." We see it all the time with musicians. They push themselves further to produce for an ever-demanding fan base and industry. We've most recently seen it with Ye, formerly Kanye West. The limelight and preexisting conditions lead Ye to a new identity and personality. What once was a young kid from Chicago with the hottest beats and flows has now become a Bipolar antisemite in a matter of years. But what led Ye to this path was the stress from the music industry. Was it the loss of his beloved mother? This is unknown, but one can only assume that the two paired together on top of preexisting conditions has led to only Ye down this path and many others. 

Videos Of Musical Professionals Discussing Touring and Mental Health 

A specific study done in 2020 by the Tour Health Research initiative goes into analytical depth of the mental health struggles faced by musicians and crew members that make up the 220,000 employed members of the profession. The study draws attention to Mental health struggles such as Suicide, Depression, Anxiety, and other mental health struggles. Depression rates in the music industry are up to 32% within certain studies. Besides these astonishing numbers, the study also draws attention to the lesser documented side of touring operations, the crew behind the musicians. Most of these individuals' lives are not documented nearly as much as the musicians in front of them. Outsiders much less know about these individuals' illnesses and suicides, but these things are no less of a tragedy or issue within the profession. Touring not only affects these musicians but also the crews surrounding them. All members of the field issues are nothing to be forgotten about and only highlight the effects touring and being on the road have on any individual. 

The survey studies all parts of touring individuals' mental health and highlights rates of depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, actions, or plans. The study also looked at these individuals' mindfulness.  The study also highlights that 67.9 of the individuals who took the survey had used alcohol within the last week, and 32.7 percent of these participants reported using marijuana within the last week.  

The study did have one thing in common among its measurements. Of the 508 individuals who completed the research and whose data was collected, higher rates of mental health issues were found among these individuals compared to the rates of average citizens. The Study's conclusions showed that over 50% of these individuals were at risk for depression compared to a mere four percent of Americans having depression. These individuals also exhibited a suicidality rate of up to five times higher than the average American.

 Anxiety scores showed that these individuals scored at a high to medium speed of anxiety that is above the average rate of anxiety in the general outpatient population but lower than those diagnosed with clinical anxiety. All the traits studied for these individuals were higher than the general public’s. These individuals were also labeled as more likely to experience health issues. All these things were caused by being on the road on tour, showing the actual cost of touring. 

So, what can we take from all of this information? Musicians are more likely to have some relationship with suicide, depression, and anxiety in their lives, and it seems the road and touring can only make this worse sometimes. Drug issues can resurface or become a thing at a much higher rate while on the road, and the road seems not to be controlled by the musicians playing the shows. Burnout and exhaustion seem inevitable with such a huge demand for tourism, yet touring seems to be the only way to get your name out there.

From personal narrative to scientifically backed stats, the road and touring are dangerous places for musicians, and isn't this glorified lifestyle that we inscribe it to be? There seems to be an epidemic of mental health issues within the music industry already, and adding touring into the mix only makes things worse for these individuals, whether that is the musicians themselves or crew members being on the road and away from home affects all individuals in what seems to be a mainly negative way.   

So, what needs to be changed? Obviously, this isn't a perfect world. Still, some precautions can be taken to prevent the current levels of burnout, suicide, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse within the music industry when it comes to touring. We as individuals can push for better pay from these streaming platforms, making up-and-coming musicians rely much less on tours and take away some of the major stressors that can come with touring. We should create an open space for these individuals to talk about their struggles, a space where there is no judgment for these issues. A space where musicians don't have to be so worried about canceling shows, a space where we support these individuals' issues and are caring and open to their thoughts, a space that allows some freedom in a world controlled by managers and money-hungry corporate labels. 

If you or someone you know, no matter what their profession, are struggling with mental health issues or substance abuse issues, you need to speak about it and don't be ashamed to. Here is a platform that allows you as an individual to speak with real-life people about these sorts of issues. Also within the platform is the suicide helpline if you or a loved one is experiencing suicidal thoughts or self-harm. These issues are no joke and need a space to be highlighted and cared for within our nation. The stigma we have placed around these issues is no longer an issue; we as a community must prove that. 

If you are struggling with an addiction, you can go here for help with any issues you may need. This platform is completely free and allows you to get help with addiction issues through treatment options online or via a phone call. Substance abuse is no joke, and many should be aware of the issue as some may not know they have an addiction. Again, an open space must be available for these individuals as we are all human no matter what we do.

Obviously, these substance abuse and mental health issues are within our everyday lives and not only within the music industry, but hopefully, this article has helped you to see the real side of touring. Hopefully, this article has spoken to you in a way that makes you open to hearing these individuals' stories, not viewing them solely as a source of entertainment but instead as real individuals. From heightened mental health issues to substance abuse issues, the road can bring out the worst in someone, especially within an industry, with so many of these issues being prevalent before touring. 

Let these musicians break free from their very controlling industry, allow them to talk about specific mental health issues, and create a space that promotes mental health and substance abuse awareness for these individuals. We must shift towards financial stability within the music industry's streaming area and remove the need for this constant touring to stay afloat, especially in the recent economic state.   The pressures and struggles of the road have little to no documentation within the world, and this needs to change. These individuals need to be heard, and we need to adapt to the overall needs of these people to create a stable and more aware community for this industry.

Work Cited

• Britton, Luke M. “Insomnia, Anxiety, Break-Ups … Musicians on the Dark Side of Touring.” The Guardian, 22 Feb. 2018, www.theguardian.com/music/2015/jun/25/musicians-touring-psychological-dangers-willis-earl-beal-kate-nash. Accessed 21 Nov 2023.

• Locco, Alexa. “Mental Health and Drug Addiction in the Music Industry | RBH.” Resurgence Behavioral Health, 24 Feb. 2022, resurgencebehavioralhealth.com/blog/mental-health-and-drug-addiction-in-the-music-industry. Accessed 21 Nov 2023.

• Micketti, Autumn "Stress, Boredom, Burnout: The Impact of Touring on Mental Health." SPIN, 24 May 2023, https://www.spin.com/2023/05/stress-boredom-burnout-the-impact-of-touring-on-mental-health/. Accessed 21 Nov 2023.

• Newman, C., George, R. P., Beitz, T., Bergson, Z., & Zemon, V. (2022). “Mental health issues among international touring professionals in the music industry.” Journal of Psychiatric Research, 145, 243–249. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.12.031 Accessed 21 Nov 2023.

• Reich, James. “Road to Madness: The Dangers of Touring and How Musicians Cope.” SPIN, 31 Jan. 2023, www.spin.com/2023/01/how-musicians-cope-on-tour/#:~:text=Even%20after%20a%20grueling%20tour,at%20showtime%2C%E2%80%9D%20says%20Rhodes Accessed 21 Nov 2023.