Okay, I’m back! Please accept my apologies for being absent from last month’s issue of FRONT of HOUSE, but I do have a legitimate excuse. At the end of August, I underwent a much-needed surgical procedure on my left shoulder, and I just recently regained the ability to type with both hands. I have now been liberated from the bulky, intrusive sling apparatus that has imprisoned my left arm and dominated my life for the last four weeks.
How did this happen? We need to roll back seven months to the time before the 2016 James Taylor tour kicked off in Lubbock, TX. One morning in February, I woke up experiencing intense pain in my left shoulder. I wrote it off as the result of sleeping in a bad position and took two ibuprofen capsules. But the pain didn’t really go away. It was still there the next day and the day after that, etc. Stubbornly, I believed that some light resistance exercise at the gym and frequent soaking in the hot tub would eventually do the trick. They didn’t. If anything, it was getting worse.
I eventually had to concede that I was actually injured and made an appointment with my doctor. After X-rays were taken and an MRI was completed, an orthopedist identified a condition that was causing some pretty serious damage to various elements in my shoulder joint. My mobility was becoming restricted and would soon become more impinged. An immediate arthroscopic operation to repair my shoulder was the recommended treatment.
By then it was March, and I needed to head back out on the road at the end of the month. That existing commitment necessarily put the surgery on hold. I made up my mind to hit the road, tough it out and deal with the pain — as would any of us who are dependent on touring as our primary source of income. Financially and professionally, postponing the surgery was the only possible course I could have taken. Physically, it was a really, really bad idea.
Thankfully, the artistic part of this year’s James Taylor tour was extremely enjoyable. I thought the 2016 set list ranked among the very best collections of songs and arrangements that Mr. Taylor has assembled for live performance. As always, his incredible lineup of musicians and singers created their special magic every night. Audiences throughout the USA and Canada joyfully attended this year’s shows. Despite that incessant pain in my shoulder, we had a great year on the road.
Windows 2016
The necessary window for the operation/recovery/rehab event finally opened when the James Taylor road family began a hiatus from touring after our last show in August. James, the band and crew do not resume our touring schedule until January 2017. I was able to find a highly recommended orthopedic surgeon in my hometown, and he assured me that my long-term prognosis is very good. There will be ample time to accommodate the three- to four-month period required to restore me to full strength.
Even though I possessed this knowledge, I was still experiencing substantial anxiety as the day of the operation grew nearer. I think most of us who live from tour to tour have experienced several similar “I’ll never work again!” moments.
Because of the nature of the injury, physical therapy was initiated one week after the operation. The rebuilding process will take many weeks to achieve full range of motion, so I am trying to be patient and push through the difficult parts. I was warned that significant pain may accompany restoring full strength and movement, but my desire to get back to my seat behind a console is strong, and I am committed to being ready for the road again in 2017. This reminder of human frailty has caused me to reflect a bit on the strategies I have needed to employ to maintain the balance amongst family, career and health while I keep on living the dream.
The Invincible Roadie
It has occurred to me that everyone who spends a majority his/her life on various tours must unconsciously subscribe to a belief in the myth of the Invincible Roadie!
As a group, we frequently take the continued health of our bodies for granted. However, maintaining a position on a road crew is dependent on sustaining a level of fitness that allows one to keep up with the schedule, movement and the dynamics of the tour. We often find ourselves working too hard, for too many hours a day, and for too many days per year. We routinely encounter working conditions that may require us to perform at our best while under intense physical and/or mental stresses. On isolated occasions, it may even seem that we are striving to accomplish the impossible.
Through it all, our bodies are expected to be strong enough to withstand the rigors of the road while our hearts and minds remain immersed in the details of live music performance. Getting hurt or suffering from an ongoing medical condition is never in one’s immediate sights when gazing into the future. Denial is always the first reaction, and playing hurt for many is the norm.
Members of road crews who work directly for many of the larger equipment vendors may have more security in this area. They may be fortunate enough to be covered by their employer’s medical insurance and workman’s compensation plans. Additionally, employees of well-established companies would not necessarily lose their job due to a work absence following an injury. There are significant advantages in working for a company that provides health and retirement benefits. But my particular personality has always caused me to choose the path of independence.
Not-So Freelancing
There are many of us who have chosen to remain independent contractors. But the price of that freedom is not cheap. Independent contractors must bear the full financial burden of health insurance and liability insurance costs by themselves. Independent contractors are also required by the IRS to pay the full 12.4 percent of income for Social Security plus 2.9 percent for Medicare. For a typical family, the price of insurance coverage combined with the additional tax burden has made it almost impossible to afford a supplemental policy that would guarantee income replacement if one becomes unable to work. Sadly, planning for that rainy day via a catastrophic injury policy seems to have become a relic of the economic past.
Additionally, independent contractors are not eligible for unemployment benefits. Many independents I know have instead opted to self-insure against income interruption. At first, it’s stressful to keep rolling those dice year after year. Theoretically, the longer one stays healthy and working steadily, the more one has managed to stash away. Yet on the other side, I have to push myself physically (as well as fiscally) to remain in touring condition. After all, we only get one body. If I had it to do over again, would I still walk this economic tightrope to stay on the road? Of course I would! I love my job!
However, independents have no job security other than the professional relationships that have been forged with clients and coworkers along the way. Therefore an independent has a constant responsibility to work carefully, intelligently and, most importantly, safely to keep out of harm’s way. Don’t put yourself in a position to get hurt. This thought underlies buying into the Myth of the Invincible Roadie. In my career, I have demanded so much “the show must go on” from myself that I have never once missed a show during my (nearly) 50 years in the business.
There is also a constant, nagging fear about giving up one’s position, for whatever reason, because the possibility always exists that you simply won’t get your job back. Once you break out of the bubble, it is often very hard to break back in. Tours tend to adapt quickly to personnel changes, and some doors are one-way only. Because I made the decision hold onto my position, I probably unnecessarily aggravated the condition in my shoulder. The additional damage incurred will add weeks to my recovery period. But the time window is now in my favor, and I believe I have taken the best course of action. I am really looking forward to next year’s tour — without the pain.
On the bright side, it has been my good fortune to enjoy good health and maintain an athletic body for most of my 67 years on this earth (knock, knock). Being old enough to qualify for Medicare has its upside as well. Now my goal is to still be mixing shows at 70.
Safe Travels!
