I've been driving to gigs alone since after high school. I broke that tradition once when a keyboardist suggested we ride together to an out of town gig. We rode in his car. I didn't know about his substance issues until I rode with him.
The trip to the gig was uneventful for the first half hour, at which point he pulled out a pipe and started smoking something. I asked him not to, his reply was that it was his car so it was okay. I took the high road and watched this clown as he repeatedly took his eyes off the road, dropping the pipe and trying to retrieve it. Somehow we got there without me acting on my first inclination. I was driving back so at least I wouldn't have to deal with that part. Or so I thought.
Over the course of the gig he somehow collected around a dozen beers. At the end of the gig we packed up, he filled the passenger side floor with beers at which point I told him he couldnt drink them while I was driving. The BL and lead vocalist got involved in the conversation, which went on for about half an hour. At several points he was in tears at the thought of not being able to drink beers while i drove. He rationalized that if this was a plane he'd be able to. And if it was a bus he'd be able to. I stood firm and we came to a compromise, that I'd stop along the way so he could drink. We stopped at gas stations four times. Each time he'd get out with his pipe and beer, typically standing near the cashier... then get in the car and we'd drive another 50 or so miles.
I don't carpool. I come and go as I please. Period.
On another gig, at a small private club in Annapolis, traffic was stopped about a mile from the venue. I saw the keyboard player's truck at the front of the jam so I walked up to it. In front of his truck was a scooter with broken glass around it.
He told me that the guy on the scooter offered to show him where the club was so he was following him. At the stop signed he said the scooter guy didn't take off fast enough so he "nudged him" with his SUV... running over the scooter. I walked back to my car.
The rest of traffic was waved around the scene and I headed to the club. As I was unloading along came the scooter, wobbly as hell. The rider saw me, waved and grinned and told me that the keyboard player was okay. Then came the keyboard player, who apparently gave the guy $100 and no charges were pressed.
