Being able to go on tour again

Together with two of my favorite artists
through North America

Pic by Anthony Molina

I’m on my first actual tour for almost 2 years and it couldn’t be better. Milky Chance went on their North American Tour and took me as their Lighting Operator with them as well as Giant Rooks as their support band.

Being on a tourbus for more than 3 or 4 days together with 12 People, traveling through North America and playing sold out shows feels so surreal, especially with all the COVID stuff still going on and the daily news saying that Germany is heading towards another lockdown, recording the highest COVID cases ever. Nearly all shows got cancelled there.

It makes me feel sad for all my german touring friends struggling because they are not allowed to play shows but I’m also very happy to finally be on the road again. 
Damn I missed this so much. Shows with no distance, people dancing and forgetting about all the shit that is going on right now. But I have a lot of mixed feelings about that. Is it the right time to go on tour right now? Is it cool to tour countries that are not so caring about the situation like Germany is? I hate having these thoughts.

But in this very moment it feels so good and a lot of people are saying to me: Don’t worry and enjoy the time, nobody knows how long it will last. 
So that’s what I do. I enjoy the time being on the road with a bunch of the most amazing human beings I know.

Being on tour for 5 weeks straight is also very challenging (it always was, of course) because you, your body and your partner at home aren’t used to it anymore. It felt easier before COVID, because that’s just how it was, it’s what I always did. 
So we all need a bit more time for ourselves and I’m missing my girl and my dog very much (I always do, of course, but now even more).

And let’s not forget that damn virus still mocking us with the 10th mutation or something keeping the world in constant suspense. You have to be even more careful because one mistake, one person getting infected, could mean the end of the whole tour. It could get you grounded in a different country, far away from home, with a bad health care system and not so many caring people like we have in Germany.

Luckily all of us understood the assignment and we got COVID free through the tour. Another awesome tour in the books. Thanks Milky Chance for having me and thanks to everybody on the tour for making it awesome and an easy re-entrance.

P.

Pic by Lucio Vignolo

Kulturgesichter

One year.

It’s been a year now since the live industry is standing still. Who would have ever known! So many bands, crews and venues are affected by the pandemic and so this project “Kulturgesichter”, which means faces of arts and culture, came to life. It aims on showing the world how many people are working behind — or in front of — the stages of the live industry. It should also arouse attention to political and financial issues, since many are not being supported enough in times of this crisis.

Nevertheless I hope everbody is doing well and that we’ll meet on tour again very soon!

Stay safe.
P.