I
n February 2020, after a dear friend
passed away (not from covid), all I
could think about was getting on the
road with a band so I could lose myself in
the work and create something that would
bring joy to people. The world had other
plans, though.
Sixteen months later, I headed out on
tour with Candlebox. Almost 30 years has
passed since the Seattle hard-rock group
released its debut album and saw it sell
more than 4 million copies. Frontman
Kevin Martin and his current lineup invit-
ed me along to document the first part of
their tour. I packed up my gear, drove west,
and met the band at Soundcheck, a re-hearsal and gear storage facility in Nash-
ville, as they prepared for the tour.
Whenever people learn that I photo-
graph musicians, inevitably they ask me
what it’s like on a tour bus. I tell people it’s
like camping with your co-workers from
the office where you all sleep in the same
tent. For weeks on end. That sours their
midlife fantasies about digging out that
guitar from the garage and hitting the road
to become a rock star.
The people who do tour and play music,
build the sets, mix the sound, sell the
merch and lug the gear night after night
are some of the hardest-working people
I’ve ever met. They are a special breed ofClockwise from top left: Mayflies litter the stage at a Candlebox show in Iowa. A
couple embraces at a show at the Mercury Ballroom in Louisville. K evin Martin
relaxes in the green room before the first show of the tour in Louisville. Previous
pages: Candlebox — f rom left, Brian Quinn, Island Styles, Martin, Adam Kury
and Robin Diaz — in Nashville.
THE WASHINGTON POST MAGAZINE 11