What It's Like Performing Live EVERY Week

Jenk's Club - Memorial Day Weekend 2021

From Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend 2021, I performed over two dozen shows across 5 states. This was the craziest summer of my life, and also the most I have ever performed with a single group in a year. I got to visit new places, perform on 18 unique stages, meet dozens of fans and other musicians, reconnect with friends from High School and College, and play in front of tens of thousands of people.

This seems like a dream come true, right!? This is what I have worked for my entire life!

I'd love to say that every moment was incredible, and that I had a perfect experience while on the road. But I'd be lying if I said it was all rainbows and cupcakes.

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Let me start by saying that YES, I am extremely grateful that I am able to do what I LOVE on a regular basis. I make about 50% of my income from live performance these days, and I do not take that for granted. I love traveling, I love sharing the stage with top-level musicians who have much more experience than I do, and most importantly, I love the rush you get from performing live. I am not discounting any of this.

However, what they don't teach you in school is how to deal with: traffic, detours, tolls, New York drivers, questionable accommodations (were these sheets really washed?), being sick on the road, having your car break down, experiencing equipment failure, losing your monitor mix, missing family events back home and being able to handle long drives at night that push back your regular sleep schedule that you are used to during the rest of the week. This is all stuff that you can only learn by actually going out and doing it repeatedly, week after week.

I was able to create a schedule that best fits what I do and how I operate on a day to day basis. Monday through Thursday I have the same sleep schedule. I know what my teaching schedule is going to be week to week, so every morning I have the same routine. I wake up and have breakfast, and then I get to work doing anything music related before heading out to go teach. On Fridays I sleep in a little bit by and I triple check my gear before confirming when I have to leave for that day's gig. If it’s a later show then I spend the day going over any tunes that maybe I haven’t played in a while and I’ll tighten those up for the evening. Otherwise I keep the same schedule, and I usually go for a bike ride since that’s my preferred method of exercising and relieving stress. Then I’ll come home, shower and power nap before heading to the show!

Saturdays I always sleep in so I can get a full 7-9 hours of sleep, then repeat Friday's process. Sundays I’ll sleep in as well ,and then I do everything that I need to do before I start teaching again on Monday. I charge my wireless unit, swap out all of my batteries, charge my phone and camera, and do perform set up and maintenance work on my guitars.

A huge part of why this works as well is due to the changes I’ve made in my personal life. I’m on a well-balanced diet, I’ve been doing more activities that make me feel better, I started doing yoga once a week, I cut out some people in my life that we’re having a negative impact on my mental health and I have focused completely on my musical career.

If you treat yourself as best you can then you’ll feel better throughout the week and be more motivated to pursue your dreams and goals. I also stopped buying excess music gear so that I focus on what I do have, and how to make the most of it.

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With all of this said, I now have a healthy and balanced weekly routine that allows me to be financially stable as well as mentally and physically fit. This did not happen over night, and my routine is not for everyone. This lifestyle is not sustainable unless you are willing to commit 100% to it. You have to make adjustments in your life and make small changes as you go until you can continuously perform on the highest level possible week after week, and not get burned out or bored of it. I am able to do this, and it allows me to enjoy every single minute of the show and the adventures that come with it

I love what I do, and I do not see myself stopping anytime soon. I have worked too hard for that to happen...