What is the farthest you have driven to a gig and back?

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 13 May 2007 7:30 pm

Matt Dawson wrote:... 1.200 miles round trip in a clapped out old trannie
that shouldn't have been allowed....

You SURE you don't wanna rephrase that...

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 13 May 2007 8:24 pm

My limit is an hour and a half, about 75 miles one way. I don't take any gigs that are further than that.

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 14 May 2007 3:54 am

Doug, looks like I can't book you to
play my wedding in July in Chaing mai...

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 14 May 2007 8:09 am

well, back around 80 or so we drove from Newtown Ct to some Jerry Lewis deal way up in Mass. to play at a TV station sattelite Labor Day broadcast. It was about 5 or 6 hours up.

We got there and the place was full of 5 or 6 year old children, NO TV Camera's..NO TV Truck, just a bunch of young kids dancing around giving there pennies to Jerry.

After the initial shock..( and a BEER) we decided to go with the program, we set up and played two hours..Had a great time..then made the trip home..

Matt Dawson · Post by **Matt Dawson** » 14 May 2007 8:13 am

Well.... a clapped out old trannie refers to an old Ford Transit van over here...does it mean something else in Thailand?.)

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 14 May 2007 8:23 am

I actually heard this phrase used by
a rather snockered english bloke.
Refering to his buddy spending
3 days on an up country road trip with an
aging Ladyboy with VD of some sort.

So I saw your post and my eyes started rolling upwards..

Marc Jenkins · Post by **Marc Jenkins** » 14 May 2007 9:27 am

I once played a two nighter in Nelson, BC, departing from Edmonton, Alberta. Distance one way = 510 miles. It was snowing so hard on the mountain pass that we ended up in the opposite lane too many times to count. Ouch.

Also drove 830 miles each way to a 4 night gig in a Northern Manitoba mining town (Thompson). The locals picked the lock on the band house when we were asleep to have a party, and bitched us out for having crappy music. No, Miles Davis and Townes Van Zandt do not make for good party music, DUDES.

With the same band, I drove straight from a gig in Lloydminster, Alberta, to Yellowknife in the North-West Territories. 1100 miles, and 935 back to Edmonton. We missed the last ferry over the Mackenzie river on the way there, and all 5 of us slept in a covered, but door and window-less cookhouse with a small cooking fire. When we woke up the radio said it was 15 degrees Fahrenheit outside. I think after 2 weeks up there, we lost money. YUCK!

chas smith R.I.P. · Post by **chas smith R.I.P.** » 14 May 2007 9:39 am

Flew from LA to Berlin with Guitarzilla and a small rack. Played for 50 minutes. Hung around for a few days and flew home.

Ernie Renn · Post by **Ernie Renn** » 14 May 2007 11:43 am

In the late 80's when I was working with Shotgun Red's band we played a date in Auborn, WA, (a suburb of Seattle, WA,) on like a Tuesday night. Then because for a short time we had two agents, we had to leave immediately and drive across country to be in Richmond, VA on the following Sunday, (it was a a huge festival with lots of artists. I think we played 45 minutes.) Then if that wasn't bad enough, they got us a Police escort to get back to the freeway because we had to return to Coeur D'alene, ID to be there on like Wednesday or Thursday.

(During that return trip there was four band members. One would pump gas. One would check the oil in both the engine and the generator. One would go pay for fuel and the other would grab us all something to eat. We had the fridge stocked with all kinds of soda and we had a full working bathroom and shower.)

One other time during the two agent ordeal we played a date in Maine somewhere, flew down to Jones Country in Texas and back to Maine for another date. The reasoning there was you just can't say "no" if George Jones asks you to be there.

It was a thrill packed summer! I get tired just thinking about it all...

Robert Jones · Post by **Robert Jones** » 14 May 2007 12:40 pm

Ken!!! I didn't know that you were running tape!!! I sure thought I was hitting just about every note that wasn't suppose to have been played that night. I haven't heard from Bruce in quite a while. I hope he's doing all right. If you should hear from him tell him I said hello for me. I'd like to hear that tape some time just to see if you are just trying to make me feel better!!!!

Ray Jenkins · Post by **Ray Jenkins** » 14 May 2007 3:18 pm

Fron El Paso to Marathon Texas,Played till midnight then back to ElPaso.Got back about 7:00 A.M.Close to 250 miles one way.
Ray

Roger Edgington · Post by **Roger Edgington** » 14 May 2007 5:57 pm

We play at Pearl's in Ft Worth pretty often and drive there and play and head straight back to San Antonio. About 270 miles each way. I get home about 8:30 am.

Chris Schlotzhauer · Post by **Chris Schlotzhauer** » 14 May 2007 6:37 pm

I've done my share of long hauls all over Texas and the country. Last month, we played in Ft Worth on Sat night and had to be in Green Bay, Wi the next night for an 8:00 show. And yes, we drove 18hrs straight through.

Ken Williams · Post by **Ken Williams** » 15 May 2007 9:55 am

Robert, I was just joking about the tape but I wasn't joking when I said you sounded pretty dang good to me.
If I had a steady gig now, I'd be honored to have you set in.

Ken

Mike Taylor · Post by **Mike Taylor** » 15 May 2007 11:25 am

Back in the early 80s, I played with a band out of Wichita Falls Tx and our agent - Sam Gibbs, booked us for a wedding in Perryton (Texas Panhandle) on Friday night and Longview (East Texas) on Saturday. Not sure how many miles, but it was a lot of driving for $100 (total)!!

Mike

john buffington · Post by **john buffington** » 15 May 2007 11:54 am

My first official road gig, back a few years ago (ha): We left Tulsa OK, for Butte Montana. It took over 15 hours. The Montana stint was for two weeks and then back home for 3 days and off to Meridian, Miss., for 4 nights and back home. Would I do it again . . . . probably, but this time I would be more aware of the surroundings!!!!!!

John Buffington

P Gleespen · Post by **P Gleespen** » 15 May 2007 11:55 am

I drove from Boston to Austin for the start of one tour, and from Boston to Seattle for the start of another. Both trips were insane all day all night nonstop driving trips.

You'd've thought we could START a tour from home, but that would have made too much sense.

We had no clapped out old trannies with us though!

Robert Jones · Post by **Robert Jones** » 15 May 2007 2:14 pm

Thanks for that big compliment Ken. You don't have to take a back seat to anyone yourself you know. Speaking of steady gigs though. Any time you want to come up to Ward and sit in with the band on a Friday night you have a standing invitation. I won't make you play my steel though. Just bring your ax and you can play through my rack. I'll jump off steel and play bass. Rudy comes up once in a while and plays with us. He has a ball when he does. I always play bass then when he's playing steel. Bring the wife and she can sing and we'll just have ourselves a large time.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 15 May 2007 5:11 pm

About once or twice a year I travel from San Francisco to Birmingham (England) to play with friends. Does that count ? It's about 11,000 miles round-trip.

Whip Lashaway · Post by **Whip Lashaway** » 15 May 2007 6:37 pm

About 3 years ago I drove to Tyler, Tx and back. About 2000 miles round trip. It was for a benefit no less!!!

My wife's family lives in Fort Worth so we made it a working vacation thing. Kicker is, on the way back my wife hit a coyote in Blytheville, Ar and took out the front of the car.

We had to spend the night there and rent a trailor. A buddy of went to my place and got my truck and came down and towed us back home. Ended up being over $5000.00 damage to the car. ALL FOR A GIG !!!

Garry Vanderlinde · Post by **Garry Vanderlinde** » 15 May 2007 7:02 pm

As a "Rule of Thumb" I like to make at least $1 per mile I have to drive...LOL

John Bechtel · Post by **John Bechtel** » 15 May 2007 8:00 pm

Back in the early 70's, I rode along with the rest of the backup-band from Nashville, Tn to Gettysburg, Pa. to back Lefty Frizzel for a one nighter at the “Lincoln Logs”. Round-trip, about 1400± miles. I used to could drive myself from Nashville to Phila., Pa Approx. 900-mi. in 17-hrs. straight through, but; now I can barely make it 187-mi. to Knoxville, w/o a nap along the way!

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 15 May 2007 8:38 pm

John you played with Lefty.. COOL!
I wish I had know that when we met a Dwaine's
a few years back.

John Bechtel · Post by **John Bechtel** » 15 May 2007 9:13 pm

David; I must admit I may have been slightly misleading (on purpose) in my previous Reply! It actually was a one-time occasion! But, I never forgot it, because; during an intermission, Lefty stole my favorite pen to sign autographs and never returned it! But, all in all; it was a good experience!

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 16 May 2007 12:09 am

Since he picked up bands almost all the time,
including in the studio that still counts.
I never even saw him, let alone lose my pen to him...
Still cool. And worth the long drive.

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What is the farthest you have driven to a gig and back?

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