This song was written by Andy after his breakdown on stage and refusal to ever tour again. He was dealing with chemical dependency, anxiety issues and a a failed marriage. However, the biggest motivation in the song was his statement that the band never made one cent from touring. He said that the band was touring constantly to sold-out shows, dumbing down songs so they could be played in concert, yet were not receiving any monetary reward. I believe Andy is likening himself to a circus performer, like a clown, that made others money, but never saw any reward for themselves. In the end of the song, Andy announces to the people that were exploiting the band for touring money, that the band had in fact resigned as their clown.
@Guszak I can absolutely attest to that. When we tour, it\'s always at a loss. Airfare, vehicle rental (NOT a tour bus or anything fancy), motels, food - it all adds up. Merch helps a lot, but even that doesn\'t come close to paying all the bills. Plus, we have to keep up payments for bills at home.\r\n\r\nIf you\'re a top act, sure, you can make money on tour, but even that is because it\'s usually sponsored by a big company and you are, in effect, an employee of the tour. People don\'t realize how...
@Guszak I can absolutely attest to that. When we tour, it\'s always at a loss. Airfare, vehicle rental (NOT a tour bus or anything fancy), motels, food - it all adds up. Merch helps a lot, but even that doesn\'t come close to paying all the bills. Plus, we have to keep up payments for bills at home.\r\n\r\nIf you\'re a top act, sure, you can make money on tour, but even that is because it\'s usually sponsored by a big company and you are, in effect, an employee of the tour. People don\'t realize how expensive it is to bring a show out on the road, and that\'s WITHOUT all the fancy stage setups.\r\n\r\nStreaming concerts just don\'t have the same effect, either for the audience or the band. Maybe one day, when VR actually works properly, it will be different. Until then, we keep doing it because we love the music, the fans, and performing.\r\n
This song was written by Andy after his breakdown on stage and refusal to ever tour again. He was dealing with chemical dependency, anxiety issues and a a failed marriage. However, the biggest motivation in the song was his statement that the band never made one cent from touring. He said that the band was touring constantly to sold-out shows, dumbing down songs so they could be played in concert, yet were not receiving any monetary reward. I believe Andy is likening himself to a circus performer, like a clown, that made others money, but never saw any reward for themselves. In the end of the song, Andy announces to the people that were exploiting the band for touring money, that the band had in fact resigned as their clown.
@Guszak I can absolutely attest to that. When we tour, it\'s always at a loss. Airfare, vehicle rental (NOT a tour bus or anything fancy), motels, food - it all adds up. Merch helps a lot, but even that doesn\'t come close to paying all the bills. Plus, we have to keep up payments for bills at home.\r\n\r\nIf you\'re a top act, sure, you can make money on tour, but even that is because it\'s usually sponsored by a big company and you are, in effect, an employee of the tour. People don\'t realize how...
@Guszak I can absolutely attest to that. When we tour, it\'s always at a loss. Airfare, vehicle rental (NOT a tour bus or anything fancy), motels, food - it all adds up. Merch helps a lot, but even that doesn\'t come close to paying all the bills. Plus, we have to keep up payments for bills at home.\r\n\r\nIf you\'re a top act, sure, you can make money on tour, but even that is because it\'s usually sponsored by a big company and you are, in effect, an employee of the tour. People don\'t realize how expensive it is to bring a show out on the road, and that\'s WITHOUT all the fancy stage setups.\r\n\r\nStreaming concerts just don\'t have the same effect, either for the audience or the band. Maybe one day, when VR actually works properly, it will be different. Until then, we keep doing it because we love the music, the fans, and performing.\r\n