Heart Support Tour Wrap Up

Well the band is back home in Atlanta and the Heart Support Tour has been officially over for a week now.  After a ton of sleep, it's time for a wrap up.

Without a doubt, we can say that this tour was a great experience for Heart Support, even just for the sake of exposure.  However, as is the case with these types of adventures, the benefits usually present themselves in a variety of ways.  HeartSupport.com has seen a steady rise in traffic, the Facebook and Myspace have added more than a thousand new friends, and the Live Help has seen a definite increase in conversations, all of which demonstrate how grateful Heart Support is to Family Force 5 for organizing the Heart Support Tour.  We are all quite humbled that a band as generous as Family Force 5 exists and is willing to do what they can to get help for their fans and their friends.

Perhaps the most rewarding times on this tour were to visit a city and then to see the stories that would be posted from those same cities in the week or two following the tour stop.  There were many moments spent in the back of the bus, the band and I all crammed into the back living room as I shared what someone had written in, someone who had been at their show just a day or two before.  What a great experience to see how a band's music can relate to people on so many different levels.  It has meant the world to us that people who came to the tour, with no previous knowledge of Heart Support, would have been impacted to the point that they wanted to share their story with others.  It really is touching when people can hear just a few basic things about an organization, hear a few stories, and get it and understand the community and help that we're doing our best to put out there.

 

It hasn't all been about Family Force 5 either.  The opener, This Beautiful Republic, received this  message via email shortly after the tour ended:
"well like i said i saw u in fargo,ND but what i didnt tell u is that heart support has a very important meaning for me even tho at the concert was the 1st time i had herd about it i would like to know what the website is or whatever it is a grl would need to get there cuz i know i will need to use it in the future cuz i am trying to stop doing some bad stuff i promised myself after the concert that i would stop but it hasnt been easy."

I also appreciated the experiences that each band had, the awareness that each band member shared, that there are many many people who simply feel alone and hung out in the cold with all of their emotions.  At their own shows too.  Every person that took part in putting together the tour had the feeling that that tour meant something more.  I could tell that each interaction I had that I shared with the bands, each story that I read from the site with them, and each conversation we all had brought out the reasons why we were all taking part in the Heart Support Tour.

The photostream has also been updated.  One of the pictures you will see is of the Family Force 5 stacks all covered in toilet paper, streamers, various items of food.. you get the drift.  The last night of the tour was "prank night" and the hijinks were absolutely ridiculous.  A live chicken was found in Spoken's bus, singers were tied with rope like a mummy and sent out crowd surfing while they were still singing, food parts were thrown in faces mid song, and general chaos ensued during each band's set.  It was probably the best show I have ever seen, in part of course for the craziness that was taking place.  Thank you Billings, Montana for putting up with "prank night!"

Thank You to the folks that purchased a Heart Support t-shirt or pair of shades - I hope you are wearing them proudly and telling your friends what in the world a massive heart on your shirt means.  Thank You also to those that purchased stickers and buttons - I hope you have them displayed in the most visible places possible.  Thank You also to each person that came to each show and listened to the message of Heart Support.  I know it must have been tough to sit through some guy talking before each band played, but hopefully you came away with something valuable to help  get your through whatever it is you are going through.  Finally, Thank You to the bands This Beautiful Republic, Spoken, Falling Up, and of course Family Force 5 for putting on such great shows and for making the Heart Support Tour such a memorable experience.  

So that's it.   That's what I have to report.  Rumor has it, started right here, that there will be another Heart Support Tour, a whole different tour with new bands, new cities, and new experiences to go along with it.  Stay tuned and hopefully I will get to meet you out on another Heart Support Tour.

Sincerely,
jon