Adventures with the Green Van — II

Benson Wedding

The gig was January wedding in Benson, Minnesota, a small town three hours west of the Twin Cites.

Audie, the owner of the green van, and a bunch high school buddies, were in a band whose motto was “Cheap, on time, and sober”. Pick two. At that point in my life I had plenty of free time, so naturally I jumped in the van, offering my services as driver/roadie. The roads were OK, there was some blowing and drifting snow, but we managed to get the equipment there in one piece.

By the time we got there, the couple had been successfully wed and the band went on to gave it their all for the wedding dance. The bride and groom were pleased with the performance of the eight-piece orchestra. I had made a little nest in the back of the cloakroom and managed to get a little shut-eye for the long trip home. Some of the band members slept in the noisy van on the way back; youth has a great tolerance for discomfort.

This was, in a way, a trial for me. A few years later I ended up working with the group and spent many hours in other vans, going to and fro in this quest for musical nirvana.