Life on tour is not always glamorous but it’s always an adventure.
From Madison Square Gardens in NYC to the O2 Arena in London, Val and Michelle have explored iconic venues across the globe. But the real magic and excitement happens in between shows with adventures to legendary spots like the Rockrock in Osaka.
The memories are unmatched...
From hitting mach 5 in a fighter jet outside of Sydney to hanging poolside 57 floors up at a rooftop in Singapore; exploring the floating markets of Bangkok and the back alleys of New Orleans.
Val loves to stroll through a city, deliberately aimless, and tour life offers up every opportunity to do so.
Paying attention to her surroundings conjures up daily inspiration.
Val explains life on the road:
“When we travel on the tour bus, we go to sleep in one city and wake up in a different city, in a different time zone. It’s always exciting to check out a new place. But on show days, sometimes all we see is the venue, then off to the next one. It’s truly not a vacation. But it’s special. We go to cities that you wouldn’t normally consider planning a trip to. We see towns that are real, not touristy. We get to experience the nitty and gritty of the outskirts. We get a bird's eye view of how people live and how each town has its own flavor. Especially for the States. I always tell people, if you have the opportunity, hop in a vehicle and drive across the country with no particular destination, just the open road. Drive through towns you’ve never heard of. America is unique in the way that you can road trip across borders without a hitch; going from state to state, each one entirely different in landscape and culture. Just drive and soak it all in.”
“Tour has changed a lot with the addition of kids. Instead of after-parties, now we do storytime in the bunks on the bus! Having kiddos out on tour can be challenging but rewarding. We’re living out of a suitcase, back and forth from hotel to bus depending on the drive and whether it’s a show day or day off. Tour is so educational and enriching for the kids; the opportunity to travel and see the world, experience different cultures. We’re always looking for something to do to entertain the kids - museums, aquariums, playground. But seeing their dad perform on stage in front of thousands of people . . . that's the real kicker. We are so blessed to experience this moment in time together as a family."
