Hitting the Road with 3 Doors Down Member Chris Henderson

Reflections from the Tour Bus

There’s a lot of prep work that goes on just before a 3 Doors Down tour begins, especially if you are going to be living on the tour bus for several weeks. Before hitting the road, 3 Doors Down member Chris Henderson is always busy getting his gear ready.

“Actually, living on the bus is different than living in hotel rooms because in hotel rooms you have things provided for you,” Henderson said. “When you are on the bus, it’s you and six other people. Everybody has diet issues, and you have to make sure you take care of yourself, in that respect.” Henderson said he has to do his grocery shopping and make sure he has everything he’ll need because it makes things inconvenient if he doesn’t. But, Henderson said, he’s been touring for about the last 20 years and he’s pretty good at getting everything he needs, and he can get it fast.

What’s also different is how Henderson relates to his family while he’s away. He said being on the road means leaving one family and living with another. “It’s different, man, because you are away from your family and all of your connections come through your cellphone,” Henderson said. “You lose the face-to-face connection with your family, but you gain a connection with the guys in the band. You pick up one family when you lose another one, if that makes sense.

“Your day-to-day gets lost, and you get out of that routine,” he said. “And then you move to a road routine, and it gets efficient. With your home routine, you’ve got the dog, the kids, the house, the vehicle — on the road the routine is a lot simpler.”

Talking About the New Album “Us and the Night”

Henderson said because of the changes in band members, the latest album “Us and the Night,” will still be 3 Doors Down, but it will have a bit of a different flavor to it.

When asked about any obstacles going into this new album Henderson said, “Not really. It’s been pretty smooth. It just takes a really long time to make a record. People think you can crack a record out in three days, and you can’t.” Henderson said the producer for the album is Matt Wallace, and he said the band really likes his work with Faith No More. “He has a pop sensibility and rock sensibility, and we like how he did his homework and listened to the music we sent him.”

As for what to expect with the upcoming performance, Henderson said to expect at least a handful of new tunes from the new record. “They should expect new music,” he said. “They are going to get some new music. A lot of people are afraid to play their new record, but we are gong to embrace it…”

3 Doors Down is playing at the Inn of the Mountain Gods on Saturday, April 9th. Show is at 8pm and tickets are starting at just $40. Learn more about the show and purchase tickets here.