Yep, I can relate, especially after playing 3 shows in 4 days, none of which were in temperatures under 90 degrees. The playing part is never work, it is the fun part. The work involves hauling two truckloads of equipment to each show and the setting up/tearing down of this equipment. Nothing like moving a 120 pound amplifier up a flight of stairs at 3 in the morning after playing for 4 hours in a hot club. I can't even fathom how much water I have consumed in the last 4 days. And there are no signs of slowing down. Each week, more dates get added to the calendar and I watch all hopes of a future free weekend vanish.
Then there is my business. After almost a year of being slow, things started picking up last October. They have yet to slow down and everytime I think I am close to being caught up, another wave of work comes in. This isn't a bad thing from a financial standpoint, but I'm really starting to get burned out on the whole industry. I've been doing this for 11 years now and I would so welcome a career change, just to alleviate the monotony.
So I spend most of my life going from work to gig, gig to work, with a little time squeezed in for food and sleep and even less time for Matthew and I to enjoy together. He works afternoons and evenings, I work mornings and evenings and our paths are crossing much less frequently. We both need a vacation but haven't figured out quite how to make that happen yet.
So yeah, I'm very burned out at the moment.
