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[rory]

In the fall, I plan to do a tour with my band from Michigan to the west coast and back. I've planned a few tours in my time, but most of them went east and a few went south. The furthest west I've ever been is San Antonio, which I did just last year. Looking at a map, that's not that far west.

Since this theoretical tour is pretty far away, I guess I don't even really want advice for booking it or anything (although if anyone has done a similar route, please give me some pointers, because these long drives seem bonkers!) I just really want to know what's cool about going west? The desert seems super intriguing, considering that is is dry and warm while were I'm from is cold at wet. It seems like once I get to the coast, being a visibly queer punk sort is probably not a big deal, but how much trouble will that get me in the rural areas on my way? Will people make fun of my Midwest accent (I hope so)?

This is pretty vague and open ended.

[momitsnowme]

I don't think people will make fun of your accent. One of the cool thungs about here is that tons of people aren't actually from here so it won't be strange to people.

And you're right, there are some conservative areas but I still think it feels less antagonistic to non-mainstream people here than in rural areas on the East Coast. I think part of it is that even the "small" towns are usually way bigger than small towns in the East or Midwest or if not, they're within an hour of a pretty big place. People generally  aren't as isolated so they're exposed to more, I think. Plus, I think there's more of a complex where even conservative people here feel like they know they're in the minority so they aren't as publicly confidently vocal. I dunno. Other people probably have other wxperiences, that's just my take moving here after living in a small town in Appalachia and then a medium city in the South.

[jerkemy]

The thing is, cities on the west coast are so much more spread out than on the east coast that if you're driving on tour, you're going to have to play a bunch of small towns. I took it for granted when I lived on the east coast how easy it was to hit a different major city per day on tours. Here it's like Vancouver BC (if you all have passports), Seattle, Portland (thousands of miles) San Francisco, Los Angeles.

[jerkemy]

i know it's not literally thousands of miles, it's just way further than like, Boston to Providence or whatever

[GrownFolk]

Driving up the coast is no joke.  It's scenic and the weather will probably be amazing but gas will be expensive, traffic will be heavy and you would be amazed how long it takes to actually drive up the west coast, say LA to Portland/Seattle or something like that.  I agree you will have to book a bunch of small towns to make the drive worthwhile.  You'll fit in just fine if you stick to the coast.  If you get too far inland in California I've found that's where you find the conservatives.  Lots of farm communities and more conservative types there.  I was surprised my first time out there spending time inland how conservative and redneck it was in some areas.

[rory]

It seems daunting to try and book stops in small towns when I don't even have contacts in many big cities. But gorgeous long drives are really not the worst problem to have.

[pronetoaccidents]

I dream about visiting the desert. I want that endless silence and nothing. I listen to meat puppets II album to hang vicariously

[lindsey]

As long as you're not from California probably no one will make fun of you in Portland at least. I like the west coast because it is generally more "live and let live" than my experiences on the east coast. The flip side of that is that there is less of a sense of social decorum/courtesy/etiquette, again, in my experience. Some of the most conservative communities can be home to the most radical enclaves, so that could be fun to discover. Any idea what time of year you'd be coming? I think that will make the biggest difference in your experiences.

[rory]

We're going probably in early September, which I imagine is probably hot for the South West and fucking gorgeous for the North West. Both sound like a dream right now because of it being a snowy windy hell on earth in Michigan right now.

[momitsnowme]

It will be hot but it's a dry heat which is so much less unbearable than humidity.