At one point, when going through the dizzying array of acts she’s worked for so far, Sarah Kufel says, “…so I just jumped in and met everybody.” She’s talking about how in 2022 alone she handled tour manager or assistant tour manager duties for Julia Wolf, Palace, the Aces, Ashnikko, Blackbear, Joshua Bassett, and Eric Nam. “It was kind of an everyone-knew-everyone situation, and my name got thrown around a lot.”
After spending some time with Kufel, it’s easy to see why her name got ‘thrown around’. Starting out in merch, she’s risen to tour managing quickly, fueled by her organizational and networking skills and her ability to work with people. When we spoke, she was preparing to head out on another Palace tour while also working with Vans Warped Tour Founder Kevin Lyman on new acts going out this summer.
Holding the Door Open
Kufel grew up in Toledo, OH, and while she played piano through her senior year of high school, becoming quite good at reading and theory, “I realized I did not have an ear for it, and it became frustrating for me,” she says. Meanwhile, leadership skills were developed when she was on the student council, the yearbook committee, and school fundraising events. There was also her church, First Apostolic, where she helped band and drama groups.
While she realized she had a love for live entertainment and putting on shows, she took a detour: a Bachelor of Science in Bioengineering from the University of Toledo as “it’s not really known that you can make money in the music industry,” she says with a shrug. “Often when you’re fresh out of high school, [live events] is not really a career choice that is presented to you.” She got jobs in her degree field, but she realized that it wasn’t a good fit. Evenings would find her at Bogart’s in Cincinnati, which she describes as a “shady little punk rock bar that has a dog that hangs out in the back.” Going to shows there, she says she quickly realized it was easy to get into the show for free “just by offering to hold the door open [for bands].” She also started paying attention, and when a group didn’t have anyone to sell their T-shirts, she’d volunteer. That’s when she spotted the path to a career.
It happened quickly. In 2015, she was just trying to meet any band that she could possibly work with and help in any way she could. The following year she spotted an opportunity on a job site—the Dolan Twins, a teen brother comedy duo, were looking for a Merchandise Manager for their 4OU tour. “I had no experience. I had no resume. I just thought I’d apply and give it a shot.” At the first show, she was the only seller, and the bounty one night was $20,000. “My laptop broke that night, I was so in over my head; yet I remember being like, ‘oh my gosh, I could be good at this’.” She eventually also became the teen duo’s personal assistant. It was then she started learning about Tour Managing, especially on the overseas part of their tour.
Connections and Bigger Tours
Singer Alex Aiono was the duo’s intermission performer, and before that year ended, he hired Kufel for his next tour. While duties initially included being a Merch Manager, Production Assistant, and VIP Coordinator, she would eventually become his full-time Tour Manager. “I’m grateful that he gave me that opportunity,” she says. “I got to learn a lot, as we had a lot of sit-down talks about how to make the tour better.” Another key connection she made working with him was becoming friends with Eric Loux, his FOH Engineer, who was also his original Tour Manager. “Eric really took me under his wing and is still one of my best mentors today. And he just is always around for anything I need.”
Next up was the O.A.R. 2017 tour, where she worked again as Production Assistant, Merch Manager, and VIP Coordinator. She had similar roles with Natasha Bedingfield, Maddie & Tae, and Johnnyswim. “I like merch—I was good at it and could have stayed there. But I saw a lot of growth in the tour managing area.” Though she did take one curious detour: In 2018 she was Events Manager and Assistant Producer of the 2018 North American The Price Is Right Live™ tour. “That was probably my most random [tour]. I don’t even know how I got that one either. It’s crazy what jobs get posted on the internet.” But it was a good experience because it was more theater style than a music tour; and she learned an important lesson—that she should stick with music. She would relocate to Brooklyn and since 2018, she’s also picked up work at 237 Global, a company serving artists in fan engagement and direct-to-consumer opportunities, where she still does VIP duties when not on the road.
In the Ring
In 2019, she went out with Jon Bellion’s Glory Sound Prep as Assistant Tour Manager going to Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Loux was again the connection to that gig. “The assistant he had on the first part of the tour had to leave, and he asked me to do the international legs and I jumped at that,” she says. “I think that was the first time also working for an artist that I personally listened to and really enjoyed. His band is phenomenal, and he’s a genius producer in the industry, so much so that now he doesn’t go on tour, but he writes every pop hit that’s on the radio right now.” But she admits that it was also “nerve wracking” as the pressure was on to get it all done right.
Chelsea Cutler followed in 2020, and Kufel’s pretty much maintained Tour Manager status since Cutler’s How to be Human tour. She handled two more tours with her over the next couple of years in addition to handling manager duties with other acts.
During the pandemic she kept afloat by working at coffee shops, walking dogs, and channeling her pent-up energy by training as a Muay Thai fighter, even participating in some ’smokers’—“non official ring fights that don’t go on your record. That was my little pandemic thing. I know everyone had something they got obsessive with and mine was that gym.”
With just a few exceptions, the many acts she’s worked with so far have mostly been single tours, which she says has its pros and cons. “Obviously working with the same artist and building a crew is nice, but that is rare now. Unfortunately, it seems that the more I’ve worked specifically in the pop genre, I see that there’s a lot of flash-in-the-pan one-hit wonders that pop up for a year who don’t tour again the next year, so they can’t keep a consistent crew.” On the one hand, she says working with someone new you haven’t worked with before is enjoyable on several levels. “There are no expectations, and so you get to set those. And then there’s the part where you’re forming new relationships and meeting new people—that’s always exciting to me.” But on the other hand, there’s the consistency of a returning crew. “I’ve been lucky early on with Alex [Aiono] and really appreciated being able to build something over several tours.” Her other longstanding client is Palace. “That’s a great crew and is the easiest tour I’ve done because it’s so well-run. So, I enjoy both situations.”
One of Those Bossy Kids
As to being a Tour Manager, in hindsight, it all makes sense to her. “Growing up, I was one of those really bossy kids,” she laughs. “I would organize play time—when I was seven, I would schedule what we were playing from one hour to the next. I was always very schedule oriented.”
Kufel is aware that there aren’t many women in Tour Manager positions, but says she is pleased that the number is increasing. She says the increase is in part because women artists are requesting them. Plus… maybe they are better suited for that gig? “My hot take is that women make better Tour Managers, because part of the job involves caring for people. We must make sure everyone’s comfortable, and I find that a lot of the women in the industry really have that nailed down when it comes to creating the hospitality aspect of it.” She adds that crew members are in an uncomfortable position by being away from loved ones and family members for long periods of time, and women can be especially empathetic about that. It’s critical to this job. “We need to make sure everyone’s mental health is still rocking so we can put on a good show in the first place.”
She acknowledges that there are crew members who might be frustrated, even jaded over time, as the road can be a grind. “I’ve been there, but there’s nothing I’d rather be doing. I love putting on an event for fans and seeing how excited everyone is. No one’s mad at a concert. Everyone is having a good time, and that provides a good feeling at the end of the day.” The bus breaks down, the whole production skids off track, and assorted problems inevitably happen, but then “the show happens, and everyone is happy. The fans don’t know the difference.” And then there is camaraderie of building close relationships with the crew, which she says she finds tremendously fulfilling.
Advice on how to start? “This industry is all about trust, not necessarily about if you went to school for any of this. There obviously are these like specialty schools, and you can get a management degree; but it’s really about earning trust—personally, professionally, and financially. Be able to make things go smoothly so the artist has a good time—along with everyone else.”
As for the future, “I want to keep going,” she says without hesitating. “My overall goal is I want to try to hit every level: the clubs, theaters, amphitheaters, arenas, and stadiums. Then I want to see which level I like best.”
