Episode 20: Riley Vasquez

In this episode of Hitting the Road, we sit down with Nashville-based tour manager and front-of-house engineer Riley Vasquez—a behind-the-scenes pro who’s spent the last decade keeping live shows tight, efficient, and great-sounding across 4 continents and 20+ countries.

Riley’s résumé is stacked: he’s helped drive tours for bands like Colony House, Switchfoot, Walk the Moon, American Authors, COIN, and more. Along the way, he saw how tough it can be for crew to break in and move up—so in 2019 he founded Tour Collective to connect touring professionals with opportunities and help them build sustainable careers.

We dig into the nuts and bolts of life on the road, what makes a great tour manager, and the lessons Riley teaches in his new course, Tour Management Made Easy —designed for aspiring TMs, audio engineers, and anyone serious about running smooth shows. We also get into his early days as a student learning the ropes at MTSU.

If you’re curious about touring, want to level up your crew game, or just love the craft behind a killer live show, this one’s for you.

Check out Riley's work - ⁠https://www.rileyvasquez.com/⁠

Check out our sponsor - ⁠https://nashvillevans.com