Driving home from the gig.

[arthurhenry]

Something special about it isn't there? Alone after the chaos of the gig, radio on quietly, a chance to reflect on the gig and life in general and of course, a flask of tea.

Edited February 15, 2012 by arthurhenry

[thepurpleblob]

Load of drunks in the back who've blagged a lift home demanding to stop at the kebab shop..... yeh yeh

[Gust0o]

I'm sure it only feels special because you're basically death, and inches from something akin to shellshock

Joking aside, it is a very cool moment; that moment of achievement after the nerves, adrenaline and energy.

Edited February 15, 2012 by Gust0o

[Gareth Hughes]

Yup, I completely agree - the drive home is a special time. Even cooler when it's a long drive and it's a little surreal. I did a 500+mile round trip to a gig last week - a pain in the ass in some ways and very cool in other ways. Having said that - if my iPod dies then it's just a pain in the ass.

Nice one arthurhenry for a cool topic.

[lollington]

Agreed, [i]but..[/i] at the end of every post gig drive is the ultimate gear trek. Not pleasant if you live in a first floor flat on a main road and usually have to park several hundred metres away!

[arthurhenry]

[quote name='lollington' timestamp='1329338349' post='1540989']
Agreed, [i]but..[/i] at the end of every post gig drive is the ultimate gear trek. Not pleasant if you live in a first floor flat on a main road and usually have to park several hundred metres away!
[/quote]

Very true! A lot of planning has to go into making this part of the night as easy as possible!

[Thunderthumbs]

I've found the drive home incredibly calming sometimes, and some of the best music can be found on the radio at post-gig time.

I used to love catching Mark Lamarr's radio show when he used to play a vast array of his music collection.

Also a great time to stick some classical music on and just chill all the way home.

[cd_david]

I like listening to the shipping forecast and sailing by, very relaxing

[Blademan_98]

I like it if I am alone.

If I have given a lift to another band member then I hate the post gig evaluation

[Dom in Dorset]

I had to drive back from Bedford (?) a few years back late at night in thick fog. You couldn't see your hand in front of your face. At one point I stopped to take a leak and as I stood at the side of the road in what I thought was the middle of nowhere my eyes started to adjust...
I was peeing on the base of Silbury Hill.

[skidder652003]

ah man im showing me age but i find this the hardest time to keep awake! All that adrenaline goes quickly once the packing up starts! The drive home is a killer...

[EdwardHimself]

I remember I once drove back on my own from a gig in york in my mum's old fiesta. It was the same sort of roads that Dick Turpin would have ridden down. Quite scary on your own in the middle of the night lol.

Edited February 15, 2012 by EdwardHimself

[gjones]

Driving home listening to whispering Bob on the radio. Many a time I'll drive right past my house and keep on driving just to make that moment last. I've ended up in Perth a few times (40 miles away).

[essexbasscat]

There is something rather special about the drive home after the gig, almost a blessing sometimes other times, when there's a traffic jam on the M25 at 2 O'clock in the morning, it's an absolute @#&%

[woodyratm]

[quote name='lollington' timestamp='1329338349' post='1540989']
Agreed, [i]but..[/i] at the end of every post gig drive is the ultimate gear trek. Not pleasant if you live in a first floor flat on a main road and usually have to park several hundred metres away!
[/quote]

Try a top floor flat when you have a mesa 400+ in a full shockmounted case with ampeg 6x10.

I wanted to die.

[whynot]

I enjoy the drive home from London gigs. Through the centre, some dodgy shortcuts and back into Bromley. Nice way to wind down I find.

[E sharp]

Used to love driving back from Canvey years ago , and looking at the power station lights - found them quite magical .
Once I hit the A12 , that feeling went .
Used to fall asleep at the wheel quite a lot , not now though .
Used to quite like Bob Harris on the way home , but strangely a bit bored by him now .
Oh and I've too listened to the shipping forecast , can't make head nor tail of it , but find it quite calming , thinking of all the small boats out there .
Strange thoughts sometimes , late at night .
Quite enjoy the trip home , often more than the trip to the gig - bizarre .

[Adrenochrome]

I'm usually struggling to stay awake to be honest

[leftyhook]

The one time I felt truly elated driving home after a performance, was after my debut stand-up comedy show.

Missed my vocation?

I do know what you mean though. Oh, and getting home, checking emails with a cup of tea and a snack. The solitude....Oh yes!

[4 Strings]

Its certainly a characteristic time. I nearly always have others in the car so no lone reflection.

Years ago it would be in one the many band vans we went through. All barely legal, rusty, faulty and crammed with gear and people. Got stopped more than once by the police and while we're sitting on eggshells aware of the faulty bits on the van the police were only interested in finding drugs. No problem there and were always sent on our way.

Not a time for quiet solace in my experience I'm afraid. Maybe if I was a session player.

[fatback]

Dashing down the motorway with my gear to a pub near where I usually stay to get in a drink while the rest of the (non-driving) band sits back in the venue getting happily pissed.

Welcome to the world of upright bass.

Dorothy Sayers said somewhere ''like a double bass player, permanently encumbered with luggage.

Edited February 15, 2012 by fatback

[mentalextra]

[quote name='E sharp' timestamp='1329345671' post='1541206']
Used to love driving back from Canvey years ago , and looking at the power station lights - found them quite magical .
Once I hit the A12 , that feeling went .
Used to fall asleep at the wheel quite a lot , not now though .
Used to quite like Bob Harris on the way home , but strangely a bit bored by him now .
Oh and I've too listened to the shipping forecast , can't make head nor tail of it , but find it quite calming , thinking of all the small boats out there .
Strange thoughts sometimes , late at night .
Quite enjoy the trip home , often more than the trip to the gig - bizarre .
[/quote]

You should check out Hatfield Peverel junction on the A12 that is normally full of action!

[martin8708]

Its a chance to rest my aching muscles , although my own personal gear is packed away in 5 minutes flat , we seem to have more PA / Lighting / Guitarist type stuff than the Rolling Stones on tour ( and we are only a pub band )
Good Stuff - listening to Whispering Bob on the radio
Bad Stuff - wondering when that car with a blue light on the roof is going to stop following you.

[WalMan]

Indeed. Used to enjoy a drive home to Whispering Bob.

Best one ever was the night the keys player had arrived at the gig bemoaning the fact tht his soon to be ex wife had given him a pair of shoes for his birthday. Bob Harris used to read out messages from bands / people on their way back from gigs and I managed to leave a message that he read out that went something along the lines of "Happy birthday Nick from the rest of the band, and ...nice shoes"

Shortly after I had a phone call from the birthday boy who had been listening in his car

Worst one was falling asleep whil driving the hire van. Nearly home having driven 30 miles the wrong direction to Brighton to get the vocalist, turned round and driven to Southampton picking up others on the way, done a two hour gig + set up & breakdown of the gear, and then the same journey in reverse. Managed to get to about a mile from home before I dozed off & left the road, THANKFULLY on an S bend that at the time went onto an unfenced bit of grass (now there are fence posts & trees and it would have been a bit different. Then the van bounced up the kerb and across the grass. I came to, stopped the van, had a little think about things then drove home and went to bed intending not to say anything about it to MrsW. Unfortunately shortly after my head hit the pillow and I dozed off I redreamt it and woke up shouting, so had to own up

[Jacqueslemac]

I'm one of those unlucky enough to also be the band mule. My rig takes five minutes to break down and shove in the car. Then it's helping the drummer (luckily she no longer wanders outside for a fag while we break her stuff down). Her complete kit goes in my car too. Then it's mucking in to take the PA and lights down. The PA all fits in my car as well, plus the mic stands.

It used to be a case of going to the guitarist's house and unpacking everything but my gear, but nowadays all he takes is the desk.

My drive home (usually without passenger) is a time for reflection - and wondering if I can be bothered to unpack everything and take it indoors straight away or next morning. My basses go inside straight away automatically, but most of the rest is left in the car overnight (on a drive, not on the street!).

That trip home is a special time, isn't it? The roads are quiet and I usually don't listen to any music (unlike the rest of the time), so it's just me and my thoughts.