Mastodon guitarist Bill Kelliher says touring is still often financially unviable for many bands post-pandemic.
In-person events were shut down worldwide as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold and the live music industry has never fully recovered for a number of reasons that Kelliher gets into in a new interview.
He tells The Break Down With Nath & Johnny: "During COVID no-one toured and a lot of places shut and a lot of people changed careers. Techs that work for bands went into the real estate business or got regular jobs.
"Everyone was scrambling for money. And it was a fucking disaster. So, the trickle-down effect of supply and demand, getting places. For instance, petrol, gas. It's all economics. Everything relies on transportation.
"And we had turned down a couple tours in Europe just because we were gonna basically break even. And there's a few different reasons for that, because on one hand, we have the biggest production we've ever had in our careers, which is great. But trying to pull that off in Europe is much harder. First of all, gas is way more expensive. The lorries, the trucks, they're smaller, so we'd have to get a few more trucks, double the amount of trucks we have over here. And the drivers are hard to find.
"The last US tour we did with Lamb of God was a huge success. But we can't have the huge production that we have in the States, go over to Europe and not do the same thing. If you go over there with a backdrop, you could make some money. But if you bring lasers, video wall, all your crew and techs, the fire and all this, you can't do that.
"And the crowds are gonna be, like, 'Oh, what the fuck? Why don't you have that here?' And they're not gonna comprehend what I just told you. We can't go to Europe for a month and not make any money, just to play shows. Everyone else gets paid. The band is the last person to get paid."
Fans attending gigs post-pandemic have noticed steep increases in merch prices. But Kelliher explains it's often out of the artists' hands.
He adds: "Things are bouncing back, but there was definitely irreparable damage done to the whole industry. People are just finding different ways to make money. Like hustling. Sell stuff, sign stuff, play guitar on stage, sell it.
"Those are things musicians are doing now. And a lot of people don't understand that are out in the audience. They go to the merch stand and they're, like, 'Oh, their fucking t-shirts are $60. They're just raking us over the coals.'
"Let me explain the details. Venues, they take 20 to 30% sometimes, most of the time, of your merch money, when they have nothing to do with merch money. And they shouldn't.
"If you play with a bigger band like Slayer, Metallica, Iron Maiden you have to price match with their shirts. So there's a lot of things that are hidden from the general public."
Mastodon have found a way to get back out on the road beyond the US. They tour Australia later this year and have festival dates lined up in the Dominican Republic, Romania and the UK next year.
