Learning From the Best - Who Taught David Nail About Touring

It's been five years since I'm About to Come Alive, David Nail's debut album, hit stores. In that time, he has opened up for some of the biggest names in Country music and, being the smart guy that he is, he has learned from each one of them. When he chatted with People about his own fall headlining tour, he talked about what he has learned.

Darius Rucker is the man that Nail credits with showing him how to treat those around him. "The last night out with Darius he put his arm around me and said, 'If you've learned anything at all from us, I hope it's how to treat people.' He and his people treat everybody well, it's a pleasure to be on his tour."

Lady Antebellum shared a grueling work ethic that puts doing it right the first time up front. "They are constantly tweaking. I had always felt like sound check was just you go out there, that sounds good, my job is done. Lady A does really long sound checks, they're so intense about it. They go over what happened the night before, what went right, what fell a little flat, what could be done differently. The first time we went out with them they were coming off days of rehearsal, but after the first night they changed several things. They're always out there trying to make things better for their audience."

Taylor Swift showed the singer how big stage setups can lead to a lot more work. "When we were out with Taylor Swift I'd watch the show and all I could think was 'Man, there's so much room for error!' How you're able put 100 percent into your performance like she does, singing and walking down steps that are two feet wide and have no railing, it seems like there are too many things that could go wrong. She makes it look easy."

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David Nail