The days of being a roadie with my van
I used to be roadie for a number of different bands, and for those who are not familiar with the definition I will elaborate. The roadie does all the hard grafting, from heavy lifting to assembly of the equipment for the whole show. As a fan, you turn up at the ‘gig’ and have a great time, not only marvelling at the performers but also the lighting or stage design. But who cares about the people who work the long hours to ensure the safe transportation of the equipment from one venue to another?
It is often seen as a glamour job, because of the close proximity to the ’stars’, and I admit it is quite a thrill to meet them for the first time. But after spending three months on the road with them, they soon become just regular people.
If you end up working for famous rock stars, you will more than likely use fantastic equipment and unbelievable types of transportation. No longer will you be associated with small van transportation we are talking here about massive articulated lorries. You could look at it as if it were a mark of the band’s success.
Back in the old days, one of the friends of a band member would usually drive them all in something like a Transit to a concert. That is exactly how it started for me, back in the late sixties. The first van that I owned was a Commer, but the early seventies saw the arrival of the Ford Transit. To me, from that point onwards I was sold on Fords, and from that day onwards it is still the same! In those days commercial van leasing did not exist to the extent that it does today. Any way we would not have been able to afford it had we wanted it.
If leasing products had been available, I would have been looking at medium or small van leasing or pick up truck leasing, which has bundles of style and fun.
