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

Ken Byng · From: Southampton, England

I have just returned from a Saturday night gig and almost fell asleep at the wheel on the way home. I have just asked myself what I am playing at doing long distance gigs at my age.

I bet some of our fellow players in the States or Canada drive huge distances to play a one night stand.

Terry Kinnear · From: Erie ,Pennsylvania

Hi Ken the longest gig , that i played one way,was about 90 miles. about 85 miles on the way back .I let my wife drive,back. when we got home i had jet lag.

Terry Kinnear · From: Erie ,Pennsylvania

Hi Ken the longest gig , that i played one way,was about 90 miles. about 85 miles on the way back .I let my wife drive,back. when we got home i had jet lag.

Emmett Roch · From: Texas Hill Country

Last year I drove 511 miles (one way) to Red River, NM to play two nights, but the gig was with Larry Joe Taylor, with Joe Ely and Kevin Welch sitting in with us. A gig like that is worth the drive.

I recently drove 400 miles to play one night in Alpine, Texas with Jim Raby. He keeps it country, loves steel and pays well enough to justify the drive.

Ken Williams · From: Arkansas

I lived in Magnolia, AR at the time. I drove to Gurdon,AR to meet up with the rest of the band(about hour and half). From there we drove to Nashville,TN and picked up Zeke Sheppard who was to play bass on the gig. From there we drove to somewhere in western New York state, the location of the show. We played about an hour show. I think we were backing Don Gibson but I'm not sure. Anyway, as soon as the show was over, we loaded everything up and head back to Nashville. Somewhere along the way, the bass player couldn't find one of his shoes. He thought it may have fell out at the last pit stop we made, which was about 100 miles back. The shoes looked like house shoes and they looked they were made out of what we used to call seagrass(kinda ugly). But he claimed he paid top dollar for them and insisted that we go back. We went back but didn't find the shoe.
Then it was back on the road to Nashville. After dropping off the bass player, we headed back to Arkansas.
I'm not sure how many miles that would be but I'm sure the trip was at least 35 hours one way. This was back when interstate speed limit was 55 mph.
Ah to be young and foolish.

After looking at yahoo maps, my nearest estimate would be around 1250 miles one way.

Ken

Bo Borland · From: South Jersey -

Last weekend I did a 2 niter that was 2 1/2 hours away, about 150 miles. The hotel was right next to the club. We have to have sound check done by 5pm friday, and loaded out saturday nite and left sunday morning.
If the pay is right, I would travel even further.
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Alvin Blaine · From: Picture Rocks, Arizona, USA

I was supposed to have a one niter east of Cheyenne WY tonight, but It fell through. I think round trip from Vegas was going to be over 2000 miles.

Last weekend was 1100 miles round trip.
I've done quite a few 1500 mile one way gigs.
The farthest I've traveled for just one set was from Las Vegas to the South of France. Of course that one wasn't all driving.

I average 65,000 miles a year driving. I also live 50 mile from the closest store or town, but most of the 65,000 is going to and from gigs.

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

About 800 kilometers each way
from Nimes France in the south
to Paris Eurodisney in the north.

And Boston Mass to lake Champlain on
the Canadian border for a one nighter.
Certainly 200+ miles, in a van with full PA
and much of the bands equipment.

About that same time I did 18,000+ miles on the
odometer of the PA van in a year.
So that's around 50 miles a day average.
But some were 10-15 and many were much farther.

And many gigs I did from the BMW 2002
and not with the van.
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Dave Biller · From: Texas, USA

i drove from Austin to Tulsa (460mi one way) played a 45 minute set at Cain's and turned around and drove back home.

Marc Friedland · From: Fort Collins, CO

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=78480&highlight=

Here's a link that will take you to a similar subject with interesting replies, from about 4 years ago.

Marc

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

One morning on the road (after 400 miles of driving the previous day), I woke up and drove 300 miles for a one-hour opening gig and then turned around and immediately drove in the opposite direction for 600 miles (overnight) and slept for two hours upon arriving and then went to the next sound check. One day. That was a bit of a trek for sure. We've got a big moose problem here, so it was pretty hairy for 6 hours in the dark. On a bus with someone else driving, no problem. In a van driving yourself, not so easily done.
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Ernest Cawby · From: Lake City, Florida, USA, R.I.P.

When we go to the Ga. Jam we leave early sun Morn. drive to the jam arive at 11:00, set up and play at 12:00, then drive bact to Fl that nite arive home Mon, morning, Nan is a monster driver.

ernie

Robert Jones · From: Branson, Missouri

Back several years ago I use to drive from Conway where I still live to Magnolia which was about 150 miles. Then load up the truck and head into Tx and pick. Ken Williams you should remember those times when I was with Bruce Webb. Ah the days!!! I still remember sitting behind your steel at the club that night in Eldorado. WOW!!!! I sure made a fool out of myself that night. I play an Emmons setup and Ken played the Day setup. I couldn't hit my butt with both hands after that mess I made!

Anyway I now drive to Ward every Friday night (about 60 miles one way). Then every third Sunday I drive to Branson to film three shows for the Gene Williams TV show. That's about 150 miles one way. Gosh it's fun though.
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Herb Steiner · From: Spicewood TX 78669

Last year, the Gary Nunn Band drove 9 hours to Terlingua TX (deep, deep in the Big Bend area of TX) from Austin on a Friday night to play a Saturday gig... no big whup. But the next day we drove 16 hours to South Padre Island, down by Brownsville TX.

I don't know how many miles that was, but it was a long-a$$ trip. The gigs were fun-fun-fun and paid pretty good, so that's just the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune when you're in a band.

Like my colleagues Dave and Emmitt mention, working in TX requires this stuff frequently. Sometimes selling fishing tackle at Cabela's looks pretty attractive. Wink

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Matt Dawson · From: Luxembourg, Europe

1978 The Half Moon in Putney (London)on a Thursday, The Quasimodo in Berlin on Friday, the Red Cow, Hammersmith (London) on Saturday... 1.200 miles round trip in a clapped out old trannie that shouldn't have been allowed on the road. Ah! the (chemical) energy of youth Smile

Matt

Terry Miller · From: Hammondsport NY USA

The longest trip our band took was Hammondsport ny to Hiawasee ga to do a 1 hour show with Hank Thompson. After the show we drove straight back.

Scott Henderson · From: Camdenton, Missouri, USA

When I worked in Kansas a lot about every gig we did was at least 90 miles form the house. I used to have a set down gig that was 63 miles one way 5 nights a week which wasn't bad but I also worked the morngin shift at a radio station. Get home at 3am and go to work at 5:59:45. I had it timed out to the enth degree of how long I could sleep and get to work on time. ( At 6:00:00 am the station went off and I was introuble if I wasn't there. That is if my boss was awake at 6:00:00 hehehehehehehhe Ahh Life!!The things we do for love and music.
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Dennis Coelho · From: Wyoming, USA

We've driven to Jackson, Wyo. a few times for gigs, about nine hours one-way. But the longest drive was to Liberal, Kansas, a good ten hours or more. The pay made it worthwhile, but the guy who booked us after seeing our show locally really didn't understand his own audience back in Liberal, a severely mis-named community.

We were flown one time to Andrews AFB for a command performance, and last year they wanted to fly us to Pearl Harbor to play for an anniversary of the USS Cheyenne submarine. I begged off (health reasons) after I discovered that it meant 20 plus hours on a C130 from here to there.

Dennis

Dick Wood · From: Springtown Texas, USA

The furthest I've driven, played the gig and then back home that night was about 600 miles round trip.

We worked Cheyenne Wy for two weeks at Frontier Days. We would be up all day then play the gig that night and drove nearly all the way back to Oklahoma before another band member took over.

I'm getting way too old to keep doing that stuff.

Joe Butcher · From: Dallas,Texas, USA

Oh boy....once on tour drove from Joshua Tree, Ca to Chicago.

As far as one nighters tho, drove from Dallas TX to NYC to play the CMJ festival.

In my first band in the early 90s, we thought the way to get national exposure was to just book shows out of state. We drove from Dallas to Albequerqe for a horrendus experience with a severe thunderstorm, a flat tire and no money.
Then I got sick and threw up all over Stuckey's.

We did the same thing again, this time to Madison, WI, where we were upstaged by the football game that was on TV. Which brings me to this thought: If I ever open a bar/club, it will be ALL MUSIC and NO television allowed. Go home if you wanna watch grown men fight over an inflatable ball on the idiot box (like I do!)

Wink

Ken Williams · From: Arkansas

Robert, I remember those days well. I don't remember you messing up though. I thought you sounded good. I was taping that night you sat in. I have a copy that I play for company that comes to the house. Evil Twisted

Seriously, I thought you did a great job.

Ken

Dave Grothusen · From: Scott City, Ks

About 12 years ago I did a gig where I left the house at 9AM Sat morning drove approx 300 miles one way, played the gig and arrived back home Sunday morning at 9Am. No sleep. Do not need any more of those.

Bernie Gonyea · From: Sherman Tx. 75092 ,U.S.A. (deceased)

Several years ago; our band had a TV engagement at a location in Plattsburg N.Y.; a distance of approx. 150 miles; we quested on the show at 12:00 Noon; left at 12:30 for a return run to Massena,N.Y., for a wedding at 2:00; This gig was a four hour deal; Left at 6:30 P.M. for our regular Sat. nite Gig about 75 miles away, at a Round & square-dance club.We were four mighty tired guys by 10:00 P.M.; the owner was having a slow nite and informed us that we could leave, if we so desired. Didn't take us long to pack our gear. All total that day was about 450 miles. All took place within 15 Hours.Slept for two days after.. Bernie Rolling Eyes

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Ronnie Sellers · From: Seymour Tenn

Hey Ken
I use to drive from Briceville TN to Cosby TN ever sat night for almost a year, one way 90 miles.
At first it was easy but the trip got old after awhile, and like you had to let my wife drive home
many times.
I have cut back a bit now " I only drive 50 miles one way and sometimes she still has to drive home.
I guess I'm getting to old for this kind of stuff.
BUT I LOVE IT !
Keep on Pickin..

Paul King · From: Gainesville, Texas, USA

I drove seven hours one time to play a gig. It was worth the drive to me to play with some big names in Gospel music. Now I hate to drive out of town.

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