Travelling to gigs. How do you get there ?

[dmccombe7]

While following another thread that mentioned travel distance between members i was curious as to how you all get to your gigs.

I've done the band van thing years ago and more recently a hired van when requiring a full light rig but today i would just travel to the gig with my pick up truck and meet the guys there.

What does everyone else do. ?

Apologies if this has been asked before but i can't recall seeing it.

Dave 

[Jonse]

Generally drive there and drive back in my car. I have considered getting a van but it's surprising what you can get in a 206.

Everything my band needs apart from drum stands. I let the drummer haul that. 

[discreet]

Yep, car. Can very easily get my small amount of gear in my car which is a standard family hatchback. It's quite possible to do London gigs with a car if you spend time researching parking options and times on Street View.

Bands in which I'm obliged to ferry about other band members and their gear (particularly drummers) tend to be very short-lived...

[ambient]

Train and walk.

[BigRedX]

Every serious originals band that I have been a member of, has had a band van (or similar) normally with a driver/roadie.

For local city centre gigs I usually get a taxi. It drops me and my gear off directly outside the venue (and if I know when the gig is going to be over I can pre-book it to pick me up again at the end of the evening). The cost both ways is about the same as parking a car for the evening and overall it's more convenient and a lot less stressful.

[martthebass]

Sat Nav and a new model VW Tiguan for my gear. 

PA goes in the drummers Van.  If the gig is a 'long haul' then we double up if not then it's separate cars/vans.

 

[Lozz196]

We go in two vehicles, me or the singer/guitarist drive with our respective gear, and the drummer takes his van with the drums and merch, plus his wife, who deals with selling said merch.

[nightsun]

Being spread across the four corners of Essex, we all use our own cars.  Can get a fair bit in the old Fiat 500 MPW if needed.

[Graham]

We have a car each, singer who brings the PA has a trailer for that plus staging, lights etc.

I was concerned my 3 door Yarris would be too small, but even when I bring an amp, which isn't often, I can fit it in fine with the back seat down.

[FinnDave]

Take our own cars in all the bands I'm in, in no case do we live close enough to make a van for everybody a practical proposition. Although in one of them, the drummer doesn't have  car, or even a driving licence, so the guitarist has to collect him and take him home, as he lives near to him than anyone else in the band but it does cause a fair bit of tension. His drums are kept at another band member's house who there has to load them and take the to the gigs for him. It works, but causes a lot of resentment at times.

[mrtcat]

Me and the drummer in my van. The others can sort themselves out.

BTW any working musicians who want ridiculously good deals on van leasing, insurance and free tax advice, debt collection etc etc should seriously consider joining The Federation Of Small Businesses. Vanarama quoted me £260 a month for the van on a basic lease and FSB got me the exact same van on a fully maintained lease (servicing tyres etc) for £170 a month. Membership is £160 a year and the benefits are great. (I'm not affiliated in any way - just a happy customer).

[Hobbayne]

We drive ourselves to gigs. The two git wrists live quite close to each other, so they car share.

I have the Markbass combo and ext speaker which can quite happily fit in the boot of my Fiesta.

The singer always gets there early to set up the lights and PA etc.

[discreet]

Crikey. Gigging isn't very good for the environment, is it? But then neither is anything that humans do... I really hope we do ourselves in before we break the planet. It would be a very lovely place without us in it.

Anyway, that could be for another thread...

[Bassalarky]

7 minutes ago, Hobbayne said:

The singer always gets there early to set up the lights and PA etc.

Early AND brings the PA - that singer's a keeper!

[discreet]

3 minutes ago, Bassalarky said:

Early AND brings the PA - that singer's a keeper!

Let's hope he can sing! 

[itsmedunc]

Everybody in the band has a car. Two members have stopped drinking. This helps me immensely. Not only can I now get bladdered but I get a lift with the PA too! Only took 40 years to get this far!

[MacDaddy]

usually 4 vehicles. As has been said, not best for the environment, but as we all live a distance away from each other and our gigs are somewhat spread-out no other practical option.

[dmccombe7]

36 minutes ago, FinnDave said:

Take our own cars in all the bands I'm in, in no case do we live close enough to make a van for everybody a practical proposition. Although in one of them, the drummer doesn't have  car, or even a driving licence, so the guitarist has to collect him and take him home, as he lives near to him than anyone else in the band but it does cause a fair bit of tension. His drums are kept at another band member's house who there has to load them and take the to the gigs for him. It works, but causes a lot of resentment at times.

Oddly enough our drummer is same. No car and his drums are kept at singers who transports his drums for him. Weird but it seems to work ok for them. They've known each other for a good few years now and been doing it that way long before i joined.

Dave

[TheRev]

98% of gigs we all go together in the drummer's or singer's van (depending on whether we're lugging a PA or not).

Occasionally one of us will drive separately if we need to leave later than the rest of the band or are coming from somewhere other than home.

[Woodinblack]

We drive our own cars. The guitarist and singer share a car as they live just round the corner from each other.

But our gigs are rarely more than a couple of miles.

[discreet]

Sorry, but I've spent way too much time driving drummers and their drums around. Extremely irritating, especially when they don't even keep their drums at the place where they live! It's like they deliberately do it on purpose just to be annoying!

And then, when they extract the urine by moaning, being totally ungrateful, not ever offering any contribution to petrol costs and then, on top of all that REFUSE TO BLOODY PLAY IN TIME, it makes me feel like chucking it all in, buying an accordion and playing it outside Sainsbury's. 

Edited March 22, 2018 by discreet

[JapanAxe]

1 minute ago, discreet said:

...it makes me feel like chucking it all in, buying an accordion and playing it outside Sainsbury's. 

So that was you? Wish I hadn't wasted my 5p now...

[discreet]

Just now, JapanAxe said:

So that was you? Wish I hadn't wasted my 5p now...

So that was you? Tight git! 

[JapanAxe]

Just now, discreet said:

So that was you? Tight git! 

You only got 5p because I had no copper coins.

[bassbiscuits]

Car almost always. It's an old Volvo estate, so big enough for most eventualities.

I don't drink these days, so driving to and from gig is way easier than trying to get a taxi at 1am after a skinful.